I recently started wearing a watch again so I could keep my phone in my pocket. Generally, when I'm out in public what I want to know is what time it is. If I'm out to have a meal with friends my phone stays in my pocket because I don't like the whole move toward everybody talking on their phones while they're in front of you and not paying attention to you. So wearing a watch reminds me of how things used to be in my pledge to do my best to not be one of the many and keep my phone in my pocket unless there's something I actually need it for
Here’s a hot take: the history of a watch or watch brand doesn’t matter nearly as much as current build quality or value for money. A new watch with a rich brand history shouldn’t be the reason for a high price when the quality can be matched or beaten by a much cheaper watch
I don’t disagree with this. History is important but it doesn’t mean nearly as much if the modern product doesn’t uphold what made that history noteworthy in the first place.
It's not the only purpose. Watches tell time. Yes our smartphones tell the time too but what if the battery dies. What if you get lost? What if nuclear war breaks out. Without a watch you won't know what time it is. lol
I think we have lost our collective minds with watches. We all want a perfect size, long lasting Lume, on the fly adjustments, tapered bracelet. We want name recognition. We want 3xs resale value and COSC accuracy. We want a strap monster with an integrated bracelet. And if course, we want all that for under $1000.
If I wanted to have to pull out and return my cellphone when I want to know the time, maybe I’d buy a pocket watch. People stopped buying pocket watches and replaced them with wristwatches for a reason.
@octodeciliionaire9438 if you're curious you can go to time.gov and it'll show you the time in different US time zones, and it compensates for the ping between your device and the time server.
I have my grandpa’s Bulova that he had during WWII. He went to Iwo Jima with it. Before he was shipped out, he swapped his old one out for the Bulova from his dad. The reason was because he didn’t want the lume on his old one to glow in the dark and be visible to the enemy. So you never know, maybe having no lume saved his life.
Its funny you should say that, whenever I see a military watch, super rugged indestructible with lume, I always think to myself. "Yeah the sniper saw him because he saw the lume on his watch"
That's interesting. At the time, Bulova was marketing 'service watches', which were some of it's regular models with radioactive lume added to the dial. I'm sure they glowed bright as day! The alternative was using a match or flashlight to look at the watch, a much more dangerous option. But it was his life, and his decision.
I’m just sitting here waiting for the second hands to reach 12 to synchronize my watch with the automic clock mumbling to myself “Teddy…pffff what does he know.” 😂
Teddy has a very healthy attitude toward watches. It is supposed to be a fun hobby, but we sometimes obsess about certain things (like clasps, plexi, casebacks, etc.) that in the grand scheme of life, are just not all that important. Thanks for this episode. Cheers!
@@vsevo dealing with german railway system is an open wound that will never heal. 1 week ago my train just got canceld because of a damaged door. one damaged door. cost me 2 fucking hours. but public transport in Hamburg is on time for the most part.
Accuraxy: the functional reason why I wear a watch. I hate looking at my phone! Is the phone accurate, yes. Does the phone make me happy to look at it? NO!
There isn't a single thing I do in my life where a few seconds of accuracy will make any difference at all, and I'd argue it's no different for the vast majority of the population. Are there a small group of people to truly do need extreme accuracy? Sure.
@@bsmithhammer I totally agree with you, but understand the other side. Watches are largely optional, and often valued as precision-made devices. If you enjoy the idea of precise little machines, accuracy is a part of that.
@@bigwilliearmitage For sure. I can definitely understand both sides - I can really appreciate precision (like my Seamaster 300, for example). It's just that I can also be honest with myself that it isn't a 'life or death' necessity.
The most frustrating type of caseback: a display caseback with printing that removes the ability to customise but also obscures the movement. Looking at you GS
I completely agree with Teddy regarding almost everything he said. I especially despise exhibition casebacks. I disagree about lume not because it's particularly useful but because I enjoy the luminous effect visually.
@@henrywolf8618Same! When I picked mine up, I had almost been conditioned to dislike it. Now after a year in, it might be my most worn watch. I even like the velcro strap. Comfort wise, it can’t be beat. And I know it’s because of the hype around it in the past, but I get more comments on it than all my other more expensive ones combined.
Other than the lume part , i kinda agree, I am sorry but my old school kid kicks in when i see my watch glowing beautifully in the dark . I often show it to my friends because other than the molecules in the material , i get excited too.
I wear contacts and take them out at night, which makes lumed faces difficult to read, which is why a digital clock with bright numerals lives on my bedside. Now if I suddenly need to read the time in a dark clothes closet during the day, I suppose lume might be useful. That said, I do have a Tissot dive watch with fat sword hands that I can read at night if I have to, but the rest of the collection generally fails the test, and that includes several good quality dive watches that cost a good deal more than the Tissot..
Okay: - I work in the military, and part of my job involves working in zones where, for security purposes, personal transmitting devices aren’t allowed. This includes smartphones and smart watches. Thus, I wear either dumb quartz or mechanical watches for work. I will agree that to-the-second accuracy isn’t strictly speaking necessary; for watches than run a few seconds slow I usually set one minute ahead, and reset every few days. - For the longest time, whenever I travelled, I preferred my watch to have lume so I could read it in low-light conditions. This past spring when I went to Scotland I tried wearing a dress watch with no lume for travel. To my surprise I found I didn’t miss it. I may have to try that more often. - I have had occasion to use a chronograph function for timing events. While I’ve timed bicycle rides with an analog chronograph, I’ve found that I prefer a digital display for recording those times, because I comprehend the numbers quicker. - For me, “on-the-fly-wrist-adjustment” has always meant straps instead of bracelets.
Nice one mate! I recently bought a vintage, dressy Soviet watch in Poland that's about 5-10min slow per day, but somehow, for some perverse reason, it's part of its charm. What surprised me on a practical level, is that even 10min off per day makes minimal difference if the watch is only worn for a couple of hours in the evening.
Its funny because outside of spy/info work, no one who actually uses watches pragmatically ever has these super expensive prestige watches on, they are just impractical.
Couldn't agree more on the case backs and lume. Lume nearly never works as intended, and I much prefer a closed case back with nice engravings or decoration to looking at a mediocre finish on a not-so-exciting seiko/miyota/eta movement, especially when that view case back adds bulk to a watch. My closed back watches wear much better
I am from an older generation, so I do rely on my watch for accuracy and legibility at night to tell me the time. The phone is not second nature to me.
I think things like accuracy are being addressed by some manufacturers. Seikos spring drive, while out of reach financially is a great example. Hybridization can straddle both sides of the argument by providing high accuracy and the old school mechanical beauty and nostalgia we love. Bulova and their precisionist quartz movement provides a smoother sweep of seconds hand than an auto, and is accurate to +/-10 a year. There are options to satisfy all.
Shortly after getting into watches I learned that not only are acrylic crystals tougher (not stronger... learn the difference guys) but can be buffed out with polywatch... I wish all my watches had acrylic. This is because I am the complete polar opposite of teddy lol I work with my hands, I time things multiple times daily, I also work in very low light every night. But I also agree with teddy... watches are an expression too. I'm a craftsman, always have been, I'm proud of that, so I like my watches to reflect that.
1. 100% agree on Lume. Unless I’m trapped in a dark elevator, I’ll never ever need Lume. 2. And I totally agree on accuracy. With a 21-piece collection, almost none of mine are accurate all the time. Besides 3-4 daily drivers, when I pull a watch to wear, I always always have to wind, reset time, reset date, then I’m good to go for the day. And I prolly won’t see that lovely again for 2 weeks. 3. I actually do love an open caseback, because in the wild, the open caseback is still unique. The movement, the operation, the spinning parts are still interesting for the masses. 4. As a bigger guy, bracelet adjustment is a big deal. We swell a lot during summer days, dehydrated vs hydrated, sweat, etc etc. I’m truly drawn to on-the-fly adjustments. It truly makes a difference. 5. Another Take is that waterproofing is SO overrated on luxury watches. I’m a veteran (over 100 dives) diver, I’ve never ever seen a luxury watch on a dive. We all have “dive computers,” not watches. And I’d never wear my Submariner or any other “dive watch” into the water.
Well I mean wrist watches are literally useless in this age. Just buy a smart watch 😂. Teddy cares about watches because he likes the history, style, and romanticism. Along with being able to pass it down as a piece of jewelry I believe.
lol im that guy who waits for the second hand to hit 12. why would you want the minute hand to align to the marker at a random second and not at zero?!
For me accuracy is very important (well, I’m a guy who set time on my watches every morning to make sure that it’s accurate down to a seconds). I don’t care about the position of date window though, as long as it has one then I’m okay (not having a date window is a deal breaker for me nonetheless, I use date windows on my watch on regular basis).
My personal hot take is the lack of scratch proof coatings on almost all Swiss watches. Citizen, Zelos and others offer hardened surfaces on some of their watches and they work very well. Some people think scratches give character to a watch but, personally I hate getting scratches on my watches.
Teddy, you crack me up. Halfway thru, I was half-expecting you to say, “I sometimes don’t care that my watch is running!” Accuracy, I agree. Younger days, I kept chasing accuracy. Once I got there with a selection of watches, rotating what I wear, “close enough is good enough”. I will say extended power reserve is nice. “Hey, that’s still running, I’ll wear that.”
Watches aren't just for style, they're also just so convenient compared to pulling a brick out of your pocket. I find them really helpful when I'm out and about because having the time on my wrist is so much easier than pulling my phone out.
When it comes to date windows, more important to me is that it is large enough to read rather than placement. Bucherer Bicompax is large enough. Marathon GSAR is a challenge to read.
My personal hot takes: - Lume does matter but it depends on the watch. How often are you going to find yourself in pitch darkness wearing your Nomos Tangente? - Transparent caseback or bust. I didn't spend over $7k on a watch to NOT see cool stuff inside. - A manual wound movement needs to be top tier to get a purchase from me. I bought a fancy automatic watch winder and you'd better believe I'm gonna use it. 😅
Not hottakes at all, complete milk toast as the kids say, and I'm here for all of your opinions! It was amusing watching Teddy trying to justify this position based on not being able to engrave and immediately made logically inconsistent arguments with the snoopy caseback xD.
@@suspicioustumbleweed4760 I have no debt and haven't for many years, which affords me the disposable income to pursue various hobbies, such as horology.
We disagree on accuracy and that’s completely ok. Finding the most accuracy for the money fit in a watch that meets my style and composition requirements is the juice for me. As you’ve said before Teddy, collecting is a long game. Finding what you will be most happy with that will last you decades can and should go as far and as detailed as you what it to be.
@@user-sx8iv8yk7p 100% I split the different and daily a Chronomaster. Nearly perfect accuracy, perpetual clock (outside of DST in the states), solar powered, and high end build quality/finishing, and basically no servicing costs. Caring about auto-accuracy to a massive degree has always been oxymoronic to me.
@@user-sx8iv8yk7p This is probably the best answer to the people claiming to care about accuracy, if they value accuracy so much just use a phone or a cheap casio. I like casio, I think casio is fun, and it's a perfectly good choice if you just want an affordable thing to tell the time.
Teddy asked for it. My hot takes are on function and aesthetics. 1. Leather straps on dive watches. People go nuts over this, but personally I put leather straps on nearly every dive watch I own. I don’t dive, but snorkel occasionally. I do have a few watches that I keep the bracelets on however, I’ve got big hands and relatively small wrists so it’s really a challenge to get a bracelet to fit correctly. I find leather straps to be more comfortable than rubber or a NATO strap. Also, when you have colorful or interesting dials on a dive watch, a leather strap can really bring that out. 2. NATO straps. I absolutely love the idea of a NATO strap and how it functions. However, I think they are incredibly unsightly on my wrist. It’s too big and bulky and the symmetry is never right for me. And it’s too bad because there’s lots of really cool strap designs. I do like the French parachute elastic style band a lot I wear quite a few of those.
I just want a watch that fits my style & personality. I LOVE watches, but I’m certainly no expert on the subject. I do love lume on watches, but certainly not something I need. I’ll take my Speedmaster over a watch that Lumes any day.
I disagree with you on most of these points, most particularly those concerning the practicality of a watch: I rely on my watch to tell me the correct time and date (no, I don't verify it with my phone), so if my watch is off then I'm late to an appointment or miss it altogether, if the date is incorrect then I will fill out a document incorrectly, ergo I *need* the watch to function correctly and with a high degree of precision. Yes, accuracy matters, yes I *need* a date complication, yes I do actually use the lume.
Yep, I 100% agree with you. I use my watch during conferences where it is not appropriate to use a phone to look at the time. And most of the time I need to know exact timestamps for things to happen. So yes, I do need precision, my watch is a tool for that
What do you mean you "disagree". You need your watch for time, he does not. You can't force your 19th century ways on others and no one is telling you not to like what you like. Not sure what cave you live in to need lume anyway.
I do look at my watch constantly to see what time it is, and I also often check the day of the month. That's why I wear a watch on my wrist and not a phone.
Just buy a smart watch the , no? Idk I check the time on my phone most of the time because I'm always checking my phone for other reasons. The wrist watch is just a style/ romantic type of piece for an outfit at this point
An exhibition case back is the best option as it helps you determine when it is time for a service. If you can see the oiling in the balance jewel and it looks good (covers at least 50 % of the surface of the cap jewel) and the watch is running fine and winding correctly with the automatic, just keep wearing it until the oil looks like it has depleted somewhat, amplitude starts to drop, or the rotor starts spinning when you hand-wind (sign the reversers need servicing). If a watch has been properly cleaned and serviced to it really should run 10 years without issue.
On the fly adjustment is critical. I live in FL and I'm always swelling up due to the heat. My Seamaster 300 Professional is my go-to because of its adjustable clasp.
As a teacher on a bell schedule, I like to have accuracy down to the second. For me, hacking is a must, and the longer the watch can stay accurate the better.
Those of us who attend a lot of virtual meetings find this important, too. I want to join my meetings exactly on time, not 45 seconds early or late. That accuracy and punctuality is noticed by others.
@@jim.anchower Same deal here. I take breaks away from the computer without the phone. I want to join meetings on the exact second they start if possible.
@@richardhilton77 I had to google how to get the system tray clock to show seconds but it can be done. Thanks - I can get rid of these damn watches now.
Love the vid and appreciate your honest/realistic approach. One point about accuracy that I feel you missed is that most of us have multiple watches and if your automatic watch is off 10-20 sec/day and you wear it for 100 days straight then that’s a problem but most of us wear a watch for a day or a few then change watches and then resetting of the watch when you put it on next time is part of the enjoyment/interaction/connection with a mechanical watch. So close is good enough, I love your approach
Accuracy matters when it's supposed to be cosc and its running +8 spd. I just bought my first luxury watch, a black bay 58, and right out of the box it gained 7 seconds a day for the first two days and today on the third day it gained another 10 seconds. What makes it even worse is that I have a Hamilton and a Tissot that cost a fraction of the price and have much better accuracy. The both run on average +2 or 3 seconds a day. I realize I may have gotten really lucky with those watches, but I expected more from my first cosc certified watch. I'm bummed
Very unfortunate to hear i own mostly all alpinist models with compss bezel and without it bay alp. etc. and also tissot prx and they run very accurately
@lihaniska87 isn't that interesting? Even my SKX is keeping better time than my new Tudor. I've read online that a new watch might have a bit of a break in period, but still.. you drop 4 grand on a watch you expect it to blow everything else out of the water. Instead it's had the worst accuracy of all my mechanical watches and they're all sub $1,000 watches
I totally agree. I have a $2000 Orient Star which is a frustrating +15 SPD. Whereas my cheap citizen miyota 8200 is half a second a day slow. Seems accuracy is often down to luck.
I am a seafarer and absolutely rely on good lume for low light conditions. If I am woken at night, the first thing I do is check my watch for the log. Internet and mobile phone checking is not always an option because they're not allowed in all spaces on all ships. Also, there can often be zero internet or 4G and for this reason i don't always carry a mobile phone. This is why I chose the pelagos. 9 years on the wrist night and day, not yet serviced. I sync it with local time maybe once or twice a trip. Light weight titanium and expandable bracelet for various temp/ climate conditions. It's the perfect time piece and for me has real world functionality.
1. Lume: If it's gonna be on, it shouldn't be terrible. At least it should be decent and even. A good example of when I don't want lume are on watches like Grand Seiko (excluding the sports models). 2. Hot take #1: Odd lug widths are fine if it keeps the proportions of the watch "right". 3. Hot take #2: A superior quartz (think GS 8J/9F) over entry-level Japanese quartz (think NH3x series) always.
Teddy, I really appreciate your attention to detail and approach to your videos. I am just over 50 years old and have to wear reading glasses. What is important for me is to be able to look at my watch (without my reading glasses) and be able to tell the time. I find that watches that are not as busy (ex. a chronograph) is easier for me to quickly tell the time. Another major point for me is to be able to tell time WITHOUT looking at my phone. Keep up the great work!
@@sharpe8888 I wear my good lume watches to bed be they dive, flieger, GADA, EDC or field so I can see the time when I wake up in the night. I have many with lume that lasts all night.
5:07 I only look at my watch for the time. Yes a phone has a clock but you have something more accessible at the turn of your wrist. And you get another chance to admire your time piece.
Hot take: watches from big brands are often boring and lazy designs. I imagine for example Rolex' design department being one guy just phoning it in: "This year: same watch, different color." and the watch world laps it up. Same for Omega: "This year, limited edition Speedmaster professional. Also, a 007-themed Seamaster." and the watch world oooohs and aaaahs.
I mean there’s a reason we also like small upgrades. I want a mix of small improvements or 007 style marketing AND crazy new stuff. You can’t make wild new watches every year and expect to stay in business.
I hate to say this but ' timeless' design/ beautiy ( golsen rari , etc..) probably feeds into the,'if ain't broke..'. Also, people may dream about such watches & then when attainable want the same design & upgrade specs.. Apropos: drilled lugs ( with even lug widths) on most non dress watches ( less need for q.r. spring bars).
I generally agree, but the hot take against microadjustment is a bit ridiculous. Yes, let me carry my spring bar tool with me on a hot summer day, so 5 hours in I can stop my bracelet from cutting off my circulation. Dont make excuses for watch manufactures, AT MINIMUM they should use quick release spring bars in the clasp so you can manually change the size of the bracelet. I know Nomos does this, but I have no clue why other manufactures dont do this, such an easy fix.
As I mentioned in the video, I prefer having micro adjustment over not having it. There are just some drawbacks that come with an on the fly system that aren’t always talked about. Usually with adding bulk to the clasp or taking away from the more elegance appearance.
If your wrist is swelling enough to require a 5mm+ adjustment during the day, you need to get the doctor ASAP. It’s weird how microadjust didn’t matter until a few years ago lol people did just fine for the 100 years prior
@@TeddyBaldassarre For watch manufacturers that already drill multiple anchor points in their clasp, there is zero reason why they can’t use quick release spring bars to modify the anchor point on the fly. Why are we defending laziness??
@@Melontheyoutuber No it it's normal depending on your wrist size and climate. If you have a smaller wrist size you might not notice this but as someone that's been wearing watches since he was 15, and has large wrists, I assure you it's completely normal to swell this much as a healthy individual.
Thank you Teddy! I believe every watch enthusiast or people who likes watches in general should watch this video, just for a new perspective on how we look at, buy and live with watches. Especially nowadays where everything is so heavily spec focused. Amazing video, keep up the good work!
I love how you covered it in the beginning but it bears repeating. Watch collecting is a personal pursuit. It should be based on personal experience. My timex crystal got scratched to dog 💩 within a week. I love the indigo but if I can't see it for the scratches it don't do a lick of good. My boderry was nice and scratch resistant but not the easiest to read. Then I tried the loreo submariner homage to get some idea what the fuss was about and you know what, I love wearing a bracelet which shocked me but now I'm ordering the bracelet for my voyager. The first time I saw the sweeping seconds hand I knew I was a mechanical guy, the first time I had to reset a mechanical after not wearing it for a week I knew I was a quartz guy. I love the sound the bezel makes but if I'm actually timing something I use my phone because that's how I'm conditioned. Right now my grail watch is the RGM "COE" for it's made in America heritage and it's similarity to a pocket watch but the price is out of reach. The beauty of this hobby is I can experiment with my taste on the less expensive end of the scale and as I refine my taste I can I can choose what aspects of watch collecting are worth spending my money on. Another aspect I enjoy is discussing watches that people are wearing. The trick is that there's enough to this hobby so people who come from different angles can all find something to enjoy. I may through a friendly jab sometimes because I'm gen x and we are capable of enjoying each other's fake pain as we pretend for a second we actually care then proceed to criticize each other's insults looking for a way to improve them. If there's kids reading this don't worry it's OK that you don't understand, it was a different time back then.
I love your take on accuracy! My own daily watch is a GS quartz and I love how accurate it can be, but most of the time what really matters personally is knowing the amount of effort and care put into the creation of the watch that makes it so accurate, rather than the accuracy itself. If I'm buying an affordable mechanical watch I most likely won't be thinking about accuracy as long as I don't need to adjust the time every few hours.
I don't disagree with any of these. As for chronographs, they are good for me for 60 seconds, after that I can't read the subdials. Where I do disagree... a watch guy that goes to his phone to read the time?
got my 39mm with the white dial on the 3-link "Bader" bracelet watch on AMZWATCH 3 weeks ago and am loving it to pieces. Absolute fantastic watch that wears super comfortable on my 6.75 inch wrist. Chose the 3-link over the 5-link bracelet for the toolless quick adjustment. Way more comfortable than my Longines Hydroconquest 41 mm.
I think dive watches are popular because they have the mix of characteristics you actually benefit from having in an everyday watch: easy legibility, the ability to time something, robustness/water resistance, and for me personally (I know this one's controversial, the date). I use the bezel to time things while cooking or during work almost every day of the week.
i do agree that most of them look the same , i have a couple of them , i use them as chronographs to time thing. I am not saying they look the same , but i guess they kinda look the same.
I certainly do, I swing dance as a hobby and taking out my cell phone to tell the time just isn't practical. Plus, I get to wear a cool watch to match my vintage outfit, wearing a 20s watch to an art deco venue built in the 20s is the way to go!
Chill, guys. A watch, as the frames of your glasses it’s an accessory. If you are interested only in utility, your life will be fine with a Casio, as with acrylic frames. I change the watch and/or it’s strap according to what I’m wearing or where I’m going.
@@afuentesalburono one said “only” for utility. We are responding to Teddy is saying he doesn’t use watches for their utility. (No mention of the word “only”. It’s sad that he says he doesn’t use watches for their utility. Utility is a core feature.
Great video! Having worn vintage mechanical watches since the 80s, I agree with these points. Sapphire crystals really didn't appear until the middle 80s, somehow we all managed to survive with acrylic! The same goes for the rest of these features, the watch companies have programmed us to believe we need all the extras, that way they can justify charging us extra for things we don't really need. Of course, the date position is going to be a matter of taste. There's never going to be a configuration that pleases everyone. I generally dislike the date complication, but there are watches that look better with it. The date at 6 is cool, I need one of those! And my steel Seiko automatic from 80s has the usual day/date at 3, because tool watches are supposed to be that way.
I’m stunned . I actually agreed with everything . I was all about sapphire until your explanation . I may be the oddball , but I prefer a butterfly clasp. Don’t really care about micro adjustment . I size my bracelets snug , then add an extra link . Seems to work great for me . I was in the line bandwagon for a while , but unless it’s tritium , it doesn’t last long enough to make a difference .
Do you live in a cave? I have many watches with lume that easily lasts all night. After that it gets light so I don't need tritium to glow forever. Lume that lasts all night is just as useful as tritium.
I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks Teddy for your honesty and bravery in stating these Hot Takes. Potential ruffled feathers be damned. Lol I too have been guilty of getting hung up on some of these must haves in the past. I'm at a stage now in my collecting that I can find that it's ok to let go of these barriers to entry for pieces that I may love otherwise. For example, half of my 10 piece collection are chronograph, but now I'm finding now that I prefer a less busy dial and less bulky case opting for a more comfortable watch and steering away from the chrono's for something less complicated. My current target is that I'm looking for a clean dial with large hands and numerals versus indices. A date window is not a dealbreaker either way. Here's another example of a watch that I really loved but I got hung up on symmetry....the Cartier Santos. I was so close to pulling the trigger until I noticed all of the slotted screws that are around the perimeter of the case and on the bracelet are in random directions and haphazard. Once I got that stuck in my head I decided this would drive me crazy wearing it. Maybe with a new perspective on some Hot Takes I might come back to that piece again. Thanks
Teddy, One of your best CZcams videos ever. Most of the very best watches in my collection either have no lume or very little. A vintage Omega, a Tissot dress watch, a dressy Seiko, an older Mido GMT, and a Lip watch, still made in France. All these are my favorites and I really don't notice that the lume is missing.
I have resisted getting a chronograph or a GMT since I wouldn't use those features much at all, yet it seems like all watch people have one or more of them. How often do chonograph owners actually use that function?
I use my office gmt (CW)more than my traveller gmt (seiko)...I use it to track the local time of major sporting events around the world, also my daughter travels regularly, so its great for keeping track of her time zone..and I consider both types of GMTs as true..
Keep venting!!! Give us a part 2!!! Share all of your opinions, it’s your channel. This video was awesome. Those of us who are actually in the watch industry agrees with this video 😂 Also, hopefully we get a Collections video from you in the near future!
Your take on accuracy tells me two things about you: You probably drive a car on a daily basis rather than take public transport, and you don't have a job where doing things at specific times is routinely important. Considering you sell watches, ironically it's no surprise you don't need to know the time with any particular level of accuracy. For myself, for years I didn't even have a functioning watch and just used my telephone - and rode a bicycle. Then I got a job in a cinema and within a week I'd bought a (cheap crap) watch. Constantly pulling out a phone to check how long before the next movie was to start while also preparing five other movies for show, would literally have made it impossible to do it on time. Checking the watch takes up almost no time, as long as you can do it without taking your hands off of what you're doing, i.e. dials and hands are essential, but if it was off by minutes I'd have to know by how much and compensate my reading, or it would be useless. And that brings me to lume. I'm sure it was great back when it was done with radioactive paint, but the modern stuff that needs charging is completely useless. It may look great when you photograph it in the dark right after turning off the light above the watch, but when walking around semi-dark rooms all day, there's not much to see to begin with, and even if there were, if I watch a mediocre movie, by the time I feel like checking the time, an hour or so into the show, there's no light left (YMMV and surely does). An SBGA211 on the other hand, reads with only little effort even during end credits in a dark cinema. But without radioactive materials, lume is nothing but a gimmick. Speaking of gimmicks, chronographs, definitely! I can't imagine anyone who was actually going to time a sports event or similar, who'd want to do it with a bunch of tiny hard-to-read dials and teeny-weeny push buttons, when you can get a nice big quartz stop watch with nice big buttons and nice big digital read-out for chump change. That's been the situation for forty years or so, but for casual use, now most people won't even buy that, because that is when you do in fact pull out your 'phone. (If I need to time tea steeping or coffee brewing, I'll just look at the seconds hand of my watch or kitchen clock and do the adding and subtraction in my head - more than accurate enough) If you want it for the looks, fine - I'd rather the one I have was without it, because all I ever use the chronographs feature for, is to readjust the hands, when they have started by accident and don't reset properly.
Teddy, accuracy is actually important when wearing your watch over many days. The more accurate it is the less often you'll have to set your watch. That's one thing I'll give the Omega METAS certification. Since Omega's watches only gain time, all you need to do is pull the crown out and wait for the seconds hand to match the world time again instead of setting the entire watch if it starts to lose time.
I just got a bit of aha moment on accuracy. What I love about out my panerai is no minute track for absolute accuracy to be an issue. It’s so bloody refreshing to wear a watch for the enjoyment and not fuss about accuracy to the second.
A watch that runs fast is less annoying to correct than a slow watch, though. I just hack the seconds for as long as needed to correct it (and usually over-correct a bit).
The way I audibly laughed out loud when you started with “some people were freaking out in the comments about my lume remarks” and then villain-heel-turned to “which got me thinking… what other kind of shit can I start today?” 😂 unreal stuff. Love this kind of content and most importantly, love seeing someone who grew up right down the road from me carving his own path. Keep it up!
I was team sapphire until I realized my only watch with a scratch is sapphire. I think the points made are why we have different watches. I do have one that is atomic synced, and I use that for work. But outside of work, day-to-day I wear a Seiko 5 that I only want to be roughly minute-accurate. This all amounts to right tool for the job concept.
Teddy - agree 100%. $20 bedside digital clock covers the Lume issue and long term watch accuracy isn’t an issue as I change watches every one or two days.
Another hot take is when ppl wear their watch on the wrist bone. Like, it can't be comfortable to have the crown digging into your wrist everytime you bend your hand back.
@@tmonique11 Its like they don't know it can be sized. I seen one guy the other day and his watch soo loose it was swinging up half is arm. A terrible look
Ok, here are my thoughts for anyone interested… 1. Totally agree, never even looked at the crystal type when buying a watch. 2. 100% agree again. I couldn’t tell you which of my watches have lume and which don’t 3. In the price range I can afford, say sub £2k, I don’t think I should be allowed to be bothered if my watch loses a few seconds a day. 4. Can’t agree here, I love an exhibition case back. Wouldn’t be a clincher, but I like it 5. Couldn’t care less about on the fly adjustments 6. Date window. I like a 6pm but don’t mind a 3pm. I do think a date window should be framed though. More on cyclops in a moment. 7. Chronograph watches are too busy a dial for me, and I’ve never used my watch to time something other than my Casio. Now, my hot take. If I were king of watches, the cyclops feature would be banned from every single watch! It is the stupidest feature ever and it is the hill I’m prepared to die on…!!!
I agree that micro adjust can get a bit out of hand. It’s nice to have on the fly up to the size of a link for quick adjustment. But the bulkiness of the clasp gets in the way of its more than that. My hot take is on water resistance. I don’t care if a watch has 200 meter water resistance. I don’t dive and I don’t get myself in a situation where I am accidentally swimming. There are bigger issues if that happens. As long as I can wash my hands and wash the dishes, I’m fine with the water resistance
Completely agree with all your points! The only caveat with accuracy is that while I don't need super accurate (esp bc I only wear each watch once/wk), it does bother me if a watch becomes inaccurate when previously better; even if still within reason, the "worsening" irks even if not broken or even in needs of service.
I recently acquired a Doxa sub200T, which I love, and particularly its micro adjustment. I like my watches quite tight to the wrist, but this means they sometimes nip a bit when it’s warm, but this micro adjust is absolutely perfect for me. Don’t know what anyone else thinks, but I am a very happy bunny.
Picked up a amzwatch's watch as my first watch last month and I’m absolutely in love with it. Perfect size, looks elegant, very comfortable. Now my only problem is holding off from buying more watches so quickly!
Nah Lume is important. The fantasy of having the right action-watch during a disaster and having MC vibes Walter Mitty-style is part of the experience. Listen, nobody needs fast cars but the action hero in you makes it all worth it.
"Antithesis to this disposable world that we living" Thanks Teddy, I was looking in my mind for a phrase to relate my love for mechanical things in general.
I’ve bumped by sapphire crystal watch many times. Still looking great! Don’t know if a cheaper crystal would survive? My most useful part of my watch apart from telling the time is the power reserve indicator. So useful! I always check it when I haven’t worn my watch for a day or two.
You speak my mind in all the points you raised. Except the other night I had to fix some things before going to bed. But since I really needed a quicky of a back rest, I turned off the light and laid on bed for minutes, and was checking the time evey couple of minutes with no difficulty because the lume on my Steeldive is one the brightest and lasts an hour.
The watch Internet: mindlessly enjoying its day
Teddy: i woke up today and chose violence
Haha I like to call it friendly discourse. Enjoy your Saturday 😂
😂
"That's for the lume!" guy still not showing up, so let's up the ante.
@@TeddyBaldassarre I'm sharpening my pitchfork and oiling my torch
@@TeddyBaldassarrefookin legend lad
I recently started wearing a watch again so I could keep my phone in my pocket. Generally, when I'm out in public what I want to know is what time it is. If I'm out to have a meal with friends my phone stays in my pocket because I don't like the whole move toward everybody talking on their phones while they're in front of you and not paying attention to you. So wearing a watch reminds me of how things used to be in my pledge to do my best to not be one of the many and keep my phone in my pocket unless there's something I actually need it for
Bravo...Hear, Hear....completely agree, rudeness knows no bounds. Sadly, it's overlooked and accepted now days.
Here’s a hot take: the history of a watch or watch brand doesn’t matter nearly as much as current build quality or value for money. A new watch with a rich brand history shouldn’t be the reason for a high price when the quality can be matched or beaten by a much cheaper watch
Agree! You listening, Switzerland?
I don’t disagree with this. History is important but it doesn’t mean nearly as much if the modern product doesn’t uphold what made that history noteworthy in the first place.
👏
Steven if I could slam that like button 1000 times, I would.
@@3581tossit 😂
There is only one important purpose of a watch- that you enjoy wearing it. That's literally it. Nothing else matters.
❤
Same with a raincoat or winter jacket or a hi-vis vest or a motorcycle helmet......the simple joy of wearing it
@@jamesd4013 ha, ummm, no. The primary purpose of the items you mentioned are all very practical- to keep dry, warm and safe.
It's not the only purpose. Watches tell time. Yes our smartphones tell the time too but what if the battery dies. What if you get lost? What if nuclear war breaks out. Without a watch you won't know what time it is. lol
👍🏾👏🏾🙌🏾 My sentiments exactly!
I think we have lost our collective minds with watches. We all want a perfect size, long lasting Lume, on the fly adjustments, tapered bracelet. We want name recognition. We want 3xs resale value and COSC accuracy. We want a strap monster with an integrated bracelet. And if course, we want all that for under $1000.
and then after that, we want the next watch
And then you sell it for 1/4
@@dhannylil2191LOL! Yes!!
Nicely formed statement
Yep
If I wanted to have to pull out and return my cellphone when I want to know the time, maybe I’d buy a pocket watch. People stopped buying pocket watches and replaced them with wristwatches for a reason.
I'm someone who sets his watch to an exact time, waits, and closes the crown when my phone changes to said time
Try time.gov the atomic clock at the naval observatory.
Totally agree. And if I want to wear a non-hacking movement watch I will slow down to set the time until the second hand is not perfectly aligned! 😅
@octodeciliionaire9438 if you're curious you can go to time.gov and it'll show you the time in different US time zones, and it compensates for the ping between your device and the time server.
Time.gov
Mechanicals in general are too unpredictable to sweat the seconds once you've set it as close as you can get it.
So that at 5pm you're off to 6 sec.
Silly me, I use my wristwatch to tell the time. Call me "boomer" if you must. A mobile phone is, at best, a pocket watch -- not very convenient.
Sure, but does it matter if it’s 20 seconds out? For most people, I’d say, hardly.
I have my grandpa’s Bulova that he had during WWII. He went to Iwo Jima with it. Before he was shipped out, he swapped his old one out for the Bulova from his dad. The reason was because he didn’t want the lume on his old one to glow in the dark and be visible to the enemy. So you never know, maybe having no lume saved his life.
Its funny you should say that, whenever I see a military watch, super rugged indestructible with lume, I always think to myself. "Yeah the sniper saw him because he saw the lume on his watch"
That's interesting. At the time, Bulova was marketing 'service watches', which were some of it's regular models with radioactive lume added to the dial. I'm sure they glowed bright as day! The alternative was using a match or flashlight to look at the watch, a much more dangerous option. But it was his life, and his decision.
I was a dentist for 40 years I used dive watch bezel as a convenient timer
I’m just sitting here waiting for the second hands to reach 12 to synchronize my watch with the automic clock mumbling to myself “Teddy…pffff what does he know.” 😂
Teddy has a very healthy attitude toward watches. It is supposed to be a fun hobby, but we sometimes obsess about certain things (like clasps, plexi, casebacks, etc.) that in the grand scheme of life, are just not all that important. Thanks for this episode. Cheers!
Teddy: "i don´t want or need accuracy on my watch."
germans: close to a heart attack.
@@RevoltingRudi lolololololololololololololol
Mate! Germans get late lots of time, especially their public transport.
The stereotypes are still alive. But the truth is different.
@@vsevo dealing with german railway system is an open wound that will never heal. 1 week ago my train just got canceld because of a damaged door. one damaged door. cost me 2 fucking hours.
but public transport in Hamburg is on time for the most part.
Pilots, Swiss, Japanese, Germans, any organised people died today.😅
Teddy not wearing his watches to tell time is mind blowing!
Ya what? Why would you use your phone to tell time if you are wearing a watch?
Accuraxy: the functional reason why I wear a watch. I hate looking at my phone! Is the phone accurate, yes. Does the phone make me happy to look at it? NO!
I’m with you.
Saying you don’t want accuracy with a watch is plane dumb.
Why have a watch then. just stick with a mobile
There isn't a single thing I do in my life where a few seconds of accuracy will make any difference at all, and I'd argue it's no different for the vast majority of the population. Are there a small group of people to truly do need extreme accuracy? Sure.
@@bsmithhammer
I totally agree with you, but understand the other side. Watches are largely optional, and often valued as precision-made devices. If you enjoy the idea of precise little machines, accuracy is a part of that.
@@bigwilliearmitage For sure. I can definitely understand both sides - I can really appreciate precision (like my Seamaster 300, for example). It's just that I can also be honest with myself that it isn't a 'life or death' necessity.
Agreed
At my off grid cabin I always wear a Timex Indi-glo if I wake in the dark and have to see the time.
The most frustrating type of caseback: a display caseback with printing that removes the ability to customise but also obscures the movement. Looking at you GS
I don't get why Seiko does this. It looks so cheap.
@@SoundShunter72not Seiko. GS.
@@danal9787 Seiko does it too with their Prospex watches and I'm sure some others as well.
I have a watch that came this way and I thought it was stupid too. Can't see the movement.
Exactly on Seiko!
I completely agree with Teddy regarding almost everything he said. I especially despise exhibition casebacks. I disagree about lume not because it's particularly useful but because I enjoy the luminous effect visually.
Hot take: Any features that eliminate any need ever for me to use a spring bar tool are highly valued features.
Comfort is vastly underated!!.
Adding to that, on an integrated watch case, the bracelet matters as much as the watch itself.
Comfort is subjective
That's why i wear my moonswatch (mars) so much 😅 i don't even feel it on my wrist
@@henrywolf8618Same! When I picked mine up, I had almost been conditioned to dislike it. Now after a year in, it might be my most worn watch. I even like the velcro strap. Comfort wise, it can’t be beat.
And I know it’s because of the hype around it in the past, but I get more comments on it than all my other more expensive ones combined.
I agree. I rarely see people write about comfort.
People worried about a watch's accuracy need to buy quartz, period.
Fair, but also if I'm paying $4k+ it better be able to at least tell time accurately.
@@GianfrancoRigail True.
@@GianfrancoRigailyou know what you’re buying and you automatics aren’t as accurate as a quartz or your phone.
@@GianfrancoRigail Why spend thousands of dollars on a watch if you care about accuracy? Get a cheaper quartz watch, or maybe a digital watch.
Other than the lume part , i kinda agree, I am sorry but my old school kid kicks in when i see my watch glowing beautifully in the dark . I often show it to my friends because other than the molecules in the material , i get excited too.
I wear contacts and take them out at night, which makes lumed faces difficult to read, which is why a digital clock with bright numerals lives on my bedside. Now if I suddenly need to read the time in a dark clothes closet during the day, I suppose lume might be useful. That said, I do have a Tissot dive watch with fat sword hands that I can read at night if I have to, but the rest of the collection generally fails the test, and that includes several good quality dive watches that cost a good deal more than the Tissot..
To be honest, I disagreed with a lot of what you said, but I completely see where you’re coming from! Thanks for sharing Teddy!
Okay:
- I work in the military, and part of my job involves working in zones where, for security purposes, personal transmitting devices aren’t allowed. This includes smartphones and smart watches. Thus, I wear either dumb quartz or mechanical watches for work. I will agree that to-the-second accuracy isn’t strictly speaking necessary; for watches than run a few seconds slow I usually set one minute ahead, and reset every few days.
- For the longest time, whenever I travelled, I preferred my watch to have lume so I could read it in low-light conditions. This past spring when I went to Scotland I tried wearing a dress watch with no lume for travel. To my surprise I found I didn’t miss it. I may have to try that more often.
- I have had occasion to use a chronograph function for timing events. While I’ve timed bicycle rides with an analog chronograph, I’ve found that I prefer a digital display for recording those times, because I comprehend the numbers quicker.
- For me, “on-the-fly-wrist-adjustment” has always meant straps instead of bracelets.
Nice one mate! I recently bought a vintage, dressy Soviet watch in Poland that's about 5-10min slow per day, but somehow, for some perverse reason, it's part of its charm. What surprised me on a practical level, is that even 10min off per day makes minimal difference if the watch is only worn for a couple of hours in the evening.
Its funny because outside of spy/info work, no one who actually uses watches pragmatically ever has these super expensive prestige watches on, they are just impractical.
Cool point of view.
Couldn't agree more on the case backs and lume. Lume nearly never works as intended, and I much prefer a closed case back with nice engravings or decoration to looking at a mediocre finish on a not-so-exciting seiko/miyota/eta movement, especially when that view case back adds bulk to a watch. My closed back watches wear much better
have u tried using casio digital watches or maybe some g-shocks? i think they work really well for the type of work that ur in
Agree on most Teddy, I first and foremost wear a watch for it's looks. I would always go for looks over anything else.
I am from an older generation, so I do rely on my watch for accuracy and legibility at night to tell me the time. The phone is not second nature to me.
You must love quartz more than mechanical then.
@@jacksong6634 Some of us are pre quartz 🙂
Get with the times old man
I think things like accuracy are being addressed by some manufacturers. Seikos spring drive, while out of reach financially is a great example. Hybridization can straddle both sides of the argument by providing high accuracy and the old school mechanical beauty and nostalgia we love. Bulova and their precisionist quartz movement provides a smoother sweep of seconds hand than an auto, and is accurate to +/-10 a year. There are options to satisfy all.
@@IamnotJokic so are you wearing a smartwatch?
my hot take: I prefer not having day and date complications because I'm too lazy to set them when changing watches
Shortly after getting into watches I learned that not only are acrylic crystals tougher (not stronger... learn the difference guys) but can be buffed out with polywatch... I wish all my watches had acrylic.
This is because I am the complete polar opposite of teddy lol
I work with my hands, I time things multiple times daily, I also work in very low light every night.
But I also agree with teddy... watches are an expression too. I'm a craftsman, always have been, I'm proud of that, so I like my watches to reflect that.
1. 100% agree on Lume. Unless I’m trapped in a dark elevator, I’ll never ever need Lume.
2. And I totally agree on accuracy. With a 21-piece collection, almost none of mine are accurate all the time. Besides 3-4 daily drivers, when I pull a watch to wear, I always always have to wind, reset time, reset date, then I’m good to go for the day. And I prolly won’t see that lovely again for 2 weeks.
3. I actually do love an open caseback, because in the wild, the open caseback is still unique. The movement, the operation, the spinning parts are still interesting for the masses.
4. As a bigger guy, bracelet adjustment is a big deal. We swell a lot during summer days, dehydrated vs hydrated, sweat, etc etc. I’m truly drawn to on-the-fly adjustments. It truly makes a difference.
5. Another Take is that waterproofing is SO overrated on luxury watches. I’m a veteran (over 100 dives) diver, I’ve never ever seen a luxury watch on a dive. We all have “dive computers,” not watches. And I’d never wear my Submariner or any other “dive watch” into the water.
Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on watch
crystals.
great comment - agree with all your points.
Teddy: My life and income revolves around watches
Also Teddy: Every feature of every watch is useless and I don't care about them
That's exactly what I was thinking!!!
And uses a phone to look time...not even a smartwatch!!!
This is what I would call a dumb take, not a hot take.
Well I mean wrist watches are literally useless in this age. Just buy a smart watch 😂. Teddy cares about watches because he likes the history, style, and romanticism. Along with being able to pass it down as a piece of jewelry I believe.
That's because he knows hype when he sees it.
as someone who has scratched the sapphire on my black bay, I'll take sapphire on every watch I own
How did you scratch sapphire?
@@odenirongiant against a diamond ring, I guess?
lol im that guy who waits for the second hand to hit 12. why would
you want the minute hand to align to the marker at a random second and not at zero?!
Personally, because the watch will eventually desynchronize so it’s not really a big deal if I’m a couple of seconds late or early😅
For me accuracy is very important (well, I’m a guy who set time on my watches every morning to make sure that it’s accurate down to a seconds).
I don’t care about the position of date window though, as long as it has one then I’m okay (not having a date window is a deal breaker for me nonetheless, I use date windows on my watch on regular basis).
Im the same way. it looks like we are in the minority.
@@thinaphonpetsiri9907 Dam dude can we say ANAL!
@@thinaphonpetsiri9907 That's extremely anal.
My personal hot take is the lack of scratch proof coatings on almost all Swiss watches. Citizen, Zelos and others offer hardened surfaces on some of their watches and they work very well. Some people think scratches give character to a watch but, personally I hate getting scratches on my watches.
me too, character is too subjective - its got scratches
Teddy, you crack me up. Halfway thru, I was half-expecting you to say, “I sometimes don’t care that my watch is running!”
Accuracy, I agree. Younger days, I kept chasing accuracy. Once I got there with a selection of watches, rotating what I wear, “close enough is good enough”.
I will say extended power reserve is nice. “Hey, that’s still running, I’ll wear that.”
He DID say that!!
Watches aren't just for style, they're also just so convenient compared to pulling a brick out of your pocket. I find them really helpful when I'm out and about because having the time on my wrist is so much easier than pulling my phone out.
When it comes to date windows, more important to me is that it is large enough to read rather than placement. Bucherer Bicompax is large enough. Marathon GSAR is a challenge to read.
Great accuracy is what matters to me: if a watch cannot keep accurate time, I have no use for it.
People who don't care about accuracy are probably wearing numerous watches. When you wear the same watch every day, accuracy matters more to you.
My personal hot takes:
- Lume does matter but it depends on the watch. How often are you going to find yourself in pitch darkness wearing your Nomos Tangente?
- Transparent caseback or bust. I didn't spend over $7k on a watch to NOT see cool stuff inside.
- A manual wound movement needs to be top tier to get a purchase from me. I bought a fancy automatic watch winder and you'd better believe I'm gonna use it. 😅
Not hottakes at all, complete milk toast as the kids say, and I'm here for all of your opinions!
It was amusing watching Teddy trying to justify this position based on not being able to engrave and immediately made logically inconsistent arguments with the snoopy caseback xD.
That's a cool set of opinions. Makes sense given the explanations.
But it's individual. My watch priorities may be a bit different.
@@suspicioustumbleweed4760 I have no debt and haven't for many years, which affords me the disposable income to pursue various hobbies, such as horology.
@DollarDude, you get me!
I can’t believe you said you look at your phone for time more than your watch. I like hearing you vent Teddy.
I can't believe that either! Ridiculous!
I made a similar comment also, but no one is reacting to it. Also ridiculous.
✊
100p agree 👍 I don't know how he thought saying that was a good idea
We disagree on accuracy and that’s completely ok. Finding the most accuracy for the money fit in a watch that meets my style and composition requirements is the juice for me. As you’ve said before Teddy, collecting is a long game. Finding what you will be most happy with that will last you decades can and should go as far and as detailed as you what it to be.
Then get a $5 casio. It’s more accurate than any auto.
@@user-sx8iv8yk7p 100% I split the different and daily a Chronomaster. Nearly perfect accuracy, perpetual clock (outside of DST in the states), solar powered, and high end build quality/finishing, and basically no servicing costs. Caring about auto-accuracy to a massive degree has always been oxymoronic to me.
@@user-sx8iv8yk7pmy railmaster keeps better time than my f91w for some reason
@@user-sx8iv8yk7p This is probably the best answer to the people claiming to care about accuracy, if they value accuracy so much just use a phone or a cheap casio. I like casio, I think casio is fun, and it's a perfectly good choice if you just want an affordable thing to tell the time.
Teddy asked for it. My hot takes are on function and aesthetics.
1. Leather straps on dive watches. People go nuts over this, but personally I put leather straps on nearly every dive watch I own. I don’t dive, but snorkel occasionally. I do have a few watches that I keep the bracelets on however, I’ve got big hands and relatively small wrists so it’s really a challenge to get a bracelet to fit correctly. I find leather straps to be more comfortable than rubber or a NATO strap. Also, when you have colorful or interesting dials on a dive watch, a leather strap can really bring that out.
2. NATO straps. I absolutely love the idea of a NATO strap and how it functions. However, I think they are incredibly unsightly on my wrist. It’s too big and bulky and the symmetry is never right for me. And it’s too bad because there’s lots of really cool strap designs. I do like the French parachute elastic style band a lot I wear quite a few of those.
I just want a watch that fits my style & personality.
I LOVE watches, but I’m certainly no expert on the subject.
I do love lume on watches, but certainly not something I need.
I’ll take my Speedmaster over a watch that Lumes any day.
Teddy...Excellent video, I would love a part 2. You could talk watches all day and I would never get bored. Thanks
I disagree with you on most of these points, most particularly those concerning the practicality of a watch: I rely on my watch to tell me the correct time and date (no, I don't verify it with my phone), so if my watch is off then I'm late to an appointment or miss it altogether, if the date is incorrect then I will fill out a document incorrectly, ergo I *need* the watch to function correctly and with a high degree of precision. Yes, accuracy matters, yes I *need* a date complication, yes I do actually use the lume.
Yep, I 100% agree with you. I use my watch during conferences where it is not appropriate to use a phone to look at the time. And most of the time I need to know exact timestamps for things to happen. So yes, I do need precision, my watch is a tool for that
What do you mean you "disagree". You need your watch for time, he does not. You can't force your 19th century ways on others and no one is telling you not to like what you like.
Not sure what cave you live in to need lume anyway.
@@ORBITingAroundYou it's never appropriate to look at your watch when you can't look at your phone.
I agree 💯 with you on the clasp, I am not a fan of quick adjust clasp, most of them are bulky.
I do look at my watch constantly to see what time it is, and I also often check the day of the month. That's why I wear a watch on my wrist and not a phone.
Just buy a smart watch the , no? Idk I check the time on my phone most of the time because I'm always checking my phone for other reasons. The wrist watch is just a style/ romantic type of piece for an outfit at this point
An exhibition case back is the best option as it helps you determine when it is time for a service. If you can see the oiling in the balance jewel and it looks good (covers at least 50 % of the surface of the cap jewel) and the watch is running fine and winding correctly with the automatic, just keep wearing it until the oil looks like it has depleted somewhat, amplitude starts to drop, or the rotor starts spinning when you hand-wind (sign the reversers need servicing). If a watch has been properly cleaned and serviced to it really should run 10 years without issue.
as somebody who owns a sekio alpinist
It’s a great Watch, but the accuracy is just a joke .
Agreed, of all my watches my Alpinist is the least accurate. Still love it.
Agreed, but it does bother me. I would like it to be more accurate so I don't have to "touch up" the time so often.
One of the reasons I won't buy one (but I fully admit that it's very pretty).
Buy a cheap USB timegrapher and a case remover, you'll spend under $60.
Must really suck having a beautiful watch that makes you late for everything by 2.247595 seconds
On the fly adjustment is critical. I live in FL and I'm always swelling up due to the heat. My Seamaster 300 Professional is my go-to because of its adjustable clasp.
As a teacher on a bell schedule, I like to have accuracy down to the second. For me, hacking is a must, and the longer the watch can stay accurate the better.
Those of us who attend a lot of virtual meetings find this important, too. I want to join my meetings exactly on time, not 45 seconds early or late. That accuracy and punctuality is noticed by others.
Same goes for using public transit in Western Europe. 20 seconds late and you can wait 30 minutes to catch the next bus.
@@jim.anchower And the clock on the computer you’re using for the digital meeting isn’t good or accessible enough?
@@jim.anchower Same deal here. I take breaks away from the computer without the phone. I want to join meetings on the exact second they start if possible.
@@richardhilton77 I had to google how to get the system tray clock to show seconds but it can be done. Thanks - I can get rid of these damn watches now.
Love the vid and appreciate your honest/realistic approach. One point about accuracy that I feel you missed is that most of us have multiple watches and if your automatic watch is off 10-20 sec/day and you wear it for 100 days straight then that’s a problem but most of us wear a watch for a day or a few then change watches and then resetting of the watch when you put it on next time is part of the enjoyment/interaction/connection with a mechanical watch. So close is good enough, I love your approach
Accuracy matters when it's supposed to be cosc and its running +8 spd. I just bought my first luxury watch, a black bay 58, and right out of the box it gained 7 seconds a day for the first two days and today on the third day it gained another 10 seconds. What makes it even worse is that I have a Hamilton and a Tissot that cost a fraction of the price and have much better accuracy. The both run on average +2 or 3 seconds a day. I realize I may have gotten really lucky with those watches, but I expected more from my first cosc certified watch. I'm bummed
I agree. The less accurate your watch is, the more you have to set it.
Very unfortunate to hear i own mostly all alpinist models with compss bezel and without it bay alp. etc. and also tissot prx and they run very accurately
@lihaniska87 isn't that interesting? Even my SKX is keeping better time than my new Tudor. I've read online that a new watch might have a bit of a break in period, but still.. you drop 4 grand on a watch you expect it to blow everything else out of the water. Instead it's had the worst accuracy of all my mechanical watches and they're all sub $1,000 watches
I would be too. You have a right to expect more.
I totally agree. I have a $2000 Orient Star which is a frustrating +15 SPD. Whereas my cheap citizen miyota 8200 is half a second a day slow. Seems accuracy is often down to luck.
I am a seafarer and absolutely rely on good lume for low light conditions. If I am woken at night, the first thing I do is check my watch for the log. Internet and mobile phone checking is not always an option because they're not allowed in all spaces on all ships. Also, there can often be zero internet or 4G and for this reason i don't always carry a mobile phone. This is why I chose the pelagos. 9 years on the wrist night and day, not yet serviced. I sync it with local time maybe once or twice a trip. Light weight titanium and expandable bracelet for various temp/ climate conditions. It's the perfect time piece and for me has real world functionality.
1. Lume: If it's gonna be on, it shouldn't be terrible. At least it should be decent and even. A good example of when I don't want lume are on watches like Grand Seiko (excluding the sports models).
2. Hot take #1: Odd lug widths are fine if it keeps the proportions of the watch "right".
3. Hot take #2: A superior quartz (think GS 8J/9F) over entry-level Japanese quartz (think NH3x series) always.
On point 3: did you mean a good quartz movement is better than an entry level mechanical movement?
@@isaiah9683 Yes precisely. As with most opinions, there would be exceptions, but generally yes.
Teddy, I really appreciate your attention to detail and approach to your videos. I am just over 50 years old and have to wear reading glasses. What is important for me is to be able to look at my watch (without my reading glasses) and be able to tell the time. I find that watches that are not as busy (ex. a chronograph) is easier for me to quickly tell the time. Another major point for me is to be able to tell time WITHOUT looking at my phone. Keep up the great work!
When you get to be an old man having to get up numerous times a night to go the the toilet, you’ll appreciate Lume
You captured my comment before I made it!
I have a wall clock in the bathroom for that purpose, and I also turn on the light before doing my thing.
People wear dive watches to sleep every night ?
I wear my watches to bed. If I wake up and it is dark, I want to know if it is 3:00 am or 6:00. I do not want to search for my phone.
@@sharpe8888 I wear my good lume watches to bed be they dive, flieger, GADA, EDC or field so I can see the time when I wake up in the night. I have many with lume that lasts all night.
5:07 I only look at my watch for the time. Yes a phone has a clock but you have something more accessible at the turn of your wrist. And you get another chance to admire your time piece.
Teddy you don’t need your watch to tell the time, you use your phone?! *gasp*!!! ! Noooo!!! 😮😮😮
It's like the only purpose of his channel is to shill his stores, eh?
I love your honesty, Ted. I also agree chronographs don’t serve a proper utilitarian function rather they are just an aesthetic satisfaction.
Hot take: watches from big brands are often boring and lazy designs.
I imagine for example Rolex' design department being one guy just phoning it in: "This year: same watch, different color." and the watch world laps it up.
Same for Omega: "This year, limited edition Speedmaster professional. Also, a 007-themed Seamaster." and the watch world oooohs and aaaahs.
The more prestigious the brand, the more the community lets them coast on 'classic' designs.
Disagree on calling out Omega here. If anything the biggest criticism they get is that they do too many limited runs or weird features / colors
I mean there’s a reason we also like small upgrades. I want a mix of small improvements or 007 style marketing AND crazy new stuff. You can’t make wild new watches every year and expect to stay in business.
@@bikinglemur7738 well would anyone be surprised at the announcement of a limited edition Speedy? That's more what I'm hinting at.
I hate to say this but ' timeless' design/ beautiy ( golsen rari , etc..) probably feeds into the,'if ain't broke..'.
Also, people may dream about such watches & then when attainable want the same design & upgrade specs..
Apropos: drilled lugs ( with even lug widths) on most non dress watches ( less need for q.r. spring bars).
That's why I love your channel Teddy. You are honest and tell it like it is. Not afraid to say what a majority of us are thinking in this video.
I generally agree, but the hot take against microadjustment is a bit ridiculous. Yes, let me carry my spring bar tool with me on a hot summer day, so 5 hours in I can stop my bracelet from cutting off my circulation. Dont make excuses for watch manufactures, AT MINIMUM they should use quick release spring bars in the clasp so you can manually change the size of the bracelet. I know Nomos does this, but I have no clue why other manufactures dont do this, such an easy fix.
As I mentioned in the video, I prefer having micro adjustment over not having it. There are just some drawbacks that come with an on the fly system that aren’t always talked about. Usually with adding bulk to the clasp or taking away from the more elegance appearance.
If your wrist is swelling enough to require a 5mm+ adjustment during the day, you need to get the doctor ASAP. It’s weird how microadjust didn’t matter until a few years ago lol people did just fine for the 100 years prior
@@TeddyBaldassarre For watch manufacturers that already drill multiple anchor points in their clasp, there is zero reason why they can’t use quick release spring bars to modify the anchor point on the fly. Why are we defending laziness??
@@Melontheyoutuber No it it's normal depending on your wrist size and climate. If you have a smaller wrist size you might not notice this but as someone that's been wearing watches since he was 15, and has large wrists, I assure you it's completely normal to swell this much as a healthy individual.
Why wear the watch so tight in the first place that you can't manage a little swelling throughout the day? I don't get that at all.
Thank you Teddy! I believe every watch enthusiast or people who likes watches in general should watch this video, just for a new perspective on how we look at, buy and live with watches. Especially nowadays where everything is so heavily spec focused.
Amazing video, keep up the good work!
I love how you covered it in the beginning but it bears repeating. Watch collecting is a personal pursuit. It should be based on personal experience. My timex crystal got scratched to dog 💩 within a week. I love the indigo but if I can't see it for the scratches it don't do a lick of good. My boderry was nice and scratch resistant but not the easiest to read. Then I tried the loreo submariner homage to get some idea what the fuss was about and you know what, I love wearing a bracelet which shocked me but now I'm ordering the bracelet for my voyager. The first time I saw the sweeping seconds hand I knew I was a mechanical guy, the first time I had to reset a mechanical after not wearing it for a week I knew I was a quartz guy. I love the sound the bezel makes but if I'm actually timing something I use my phone because that's how I'm conditioned. Right now my grail watch is the RGM "COE" for it's made in America heritage and it's similarity to a pocket watch but the price is out of reach. The beauty of this hobby is I can experiment with my taste on the less expensive end of the scale and as I refine my taste I can I can choose what aspects of watch collecting are worth spending my money on. Another aspect I enjoy is discussing watches that people are wearing. The trick is that there's enough to this hobby so people who come from different angles can all find something to enjoy. I may through a friendly jab sometimes because I'm gen x and we are capable of enjoying each other's fake pain as we pretend for a second we actually care then proceed to criticize each other's insults looking for a way to improve them. If there's kids reading this don't worry it's OK that you don't understand, it was a different time back then.
I love your take on accuracy! My own daily watch is a GS quartz and I love how accurate it can be, but most of the time what really matters personally is knowing the amount of effort and care put into the creation of the watch that makes it so accurate, rather than the accuracy itself. If I'm buying an affordable mechanical watch I most likely won't be thinking about accuracy as long as I don't need to adjust the time every few hours.
I don't disagree with any of these. As for chronographs, they are good for me for 60 seconds, after that I can't read the subdials.
Where I do disagree... a watch guy that goes to his phone to read the time?
Or the damn minute hand covers the minute dial on the chronograph.
got my 39mm with the white dial on the 3-link "Bader" bracelet watch on AMZWATCH 3 weeks ago and am loving it to pieces. Absolute fantastic watch that wears super comfortable on my 6.75 inch wrist. Chose the 3-link over the 5-link bracelet for the toolless quick adjustment. Way more comfortable than my Longines Hydroconquest 41 mm.
Came here triggered by the title, left in full agreement 😂
Probably the video about watches that make the most sense in the last 5 years. Thank you teddy, absolutely 100% with you on all of these takes.
I would say Dive watches are overrated; they all look very similar, somehow boring, and the bezel is not used by most!
I think dive watches are popular because they have the mix of characteristics you actually benefit from having in an everyday watch: easy legibility, the ability to time something, robustness/water resistance, and for me personally (I know this one's controversial, the date). I use the bezel to time things while cooking or during work almost every day of the week.
Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown will change your mind
i do agree that most of them look the same , i have a couple of them , i use them as chronographs to time thing. I am not saying they look the same , but i guess they kinda look the same.
I find most divers to be too heavy and thick for comfortable everyday wear. I have a diver I wear fishing. But that's just me.
@@Robert32064 that is a decent point as well , I wear them as everyday watch but the bulky part is true as well
Dear Teddy, I enjoyed your rant enormously. A second part would be appreciated.
I can’t believe you said you don’t use watches for their utility. That is so sad
When a hobby/passion becomes a business, that's what happens!
I certainly do, I swing dance as a hobby and taking out my cell phone to tell the time just isn't practical. Plus, I get to wear a cool watch to match my vintage outfit, wearing a 20s watch to an art deco venue built in the 20s is the way to go!
Chill, guys. A watch, as the frames of your glasses it’s an accessory. If you are interested only in utility, your life will be fine with a Casio, as with acrylic frames. I change the watch and/or it’s strap according to what I’m wearing or where I’m going.
@@afuentesalburono one said “only” for utility. We are responding to Teddy is saying he doesn’t use watches for their utility. (No mention of the word “only”. It’s sad that he says he doesn’t use watches for their utility. Utility is a core feature.
Great video! Having worn vintage mechanical watches since the 80s, I agree with these points. Sapphire crystals really didn't appear until the middle 80s, somehow we all managed to survive with acrylic! The same goes for the rest of these features, the watch companies have programmed us to believe we need all the extras, that way they can justify charging us extra for things we don't really need.
Of course, the date position is going to be a matter of taste. There's never going to be a configuration that pleases everyone. I generally dislike the date complication, but there are watches that look better with it. The date at 6 is cool, I need one of those! And my steel Seiko automatic from 80s has the usual day/date at 3, because tool watches are supposed to be that way.
I’m stunned . I actually agreed with everything . I was all about sapphire until your explanation . I may be the oddball , but I prefer a butterfly clasp. Don’t really care about micro adjustment . I size my bracelets snug , then add an extra link . Seems to work great for me . I was in the line bandwagon for a while , but unless it’s tritium , it doesn’t last long enough to make a difference .
Do you live in a cave? I have many watches with lume that easily lasts all night. After that it gets light so I don't need tritium to glow forever. Lume that lasts all night is just as useful as tritium.
@@SingleTrackMined yes I live in a cave
I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks Teddy for your honesty and bravery in stating these Hot Takes. Potential ruffled feathers be damned. Lol I too have been guilty of getting hung up on some of these must haves in the past. I'm at a stage now in my collecting that I can find that it's ok to let go of these barriers to entry for pieces that I may love otherwise. For example, half of my 10 piece collection are chronograph, but now I'm finding now that I prefer a less busy dial and less bulky case opting for a more comfortable watch and steering away from the chrono's for something less complicated. My current target is that I'm looking for a clean dial with large hands and numerals versus indices. A date window is not a dealbreaker either way. Here's another example of a watch that I really loved but I got hung up on symmetry....the Cartier Santos. I was so close to pulling the trigger until I noticed all of the slotted screws that are around the perimeter of the case and on the bracelet are in random directions and haphazard. Once I got that stuck in my head I decided this would drive me crazy wearing it. Maybe with a new perspective on some Hot Takes I might come back to that piece again. Thanks
Teddy, One of your best CZcams videos ever. Most of the very best watches in my collection either have no lume or very little. A vintage Omega, a Tissot dress watch, a dressy Seiko, an older Mido GMT, and a Lip watch, still made in France. All these are my favorites and I really don't notice that the lume is missing.
What an amazing outcome for a beautiful watch. Always a pleasure to see amzwatch work your magic. Thanks for sharing this transformation with us!
I have resisted getting a chronograph or a GMT since I wouldn't use those features much at all, yet it seems like all watch people have one or more of them. How often do chonograph owners actually use that function?
I use my chrono every damn day for work. I can see how many or most don't have a need for it though
I use my chronograph on my Heuer Monaco CaL11 all the time.
I use it when cooking because it’s right there and quick.
The only utility I get from my GMT watch is that when adjusting it, I know whether the date is going to change or not when I go past 12. 😀
I use my office gmt (CW)more than my traveller gmt (seiko)...I use it to track the local time of major sporting events around the world, also my daughter travels regularly, so its great for keeping track of her time zone..and I consider both types of GMTs as true..
Keep venting!!! Give us a part 2!!! Share all of your opinions, it’s your channel. This video was awesome. Those of us who are actually in the watch industry agrees with this video 😂
Also, hopefully we get a Collections video from you in the near future!
Your take on accuracy tells me two things about you: You probably drive a car on a daily basis rather than take public transport, and you don't have a job where doing things at specific times is routinely important. Considering you sell watches, ironically it's no surprise you don't need to know the time with any particular level of accuracy.
For myself, for years I didn't even have a functioning watch and just used my telephone - and rode a bicycle. Then I got a job in a cinema and within a week I'd bought a (cheap crap) watch. Constantly pulling out a phone to check how long before the next movie was to start while also preparing five other movies for show, would literally have made it impossible to do it on time. Checking the watch takes up almost no time, as long as you can do it without taking your hands off of what you're doing, i.e. dials and hands are essential, but if it was off by minutes I'd have to know by how much and compensate my reading, or it would be useless.
And that brings me to lume. I'm sure it was great back when it was done with radioactive paint, but the modern stuff that needs charging is completely useless. It may look great when you photograph it in the dark right after turning off the light above the watch, but when walking around semi-dark rooms all day, there's not much to see to begin with, and even if there were, if I watch a mediocre movie, by the time I feel like checking the time, an hour or so into the show, there's no light left (YMMV and surely does). An SBGA211 on the other hand, reads with only little effort even during end credits in a dark cinema. But without radioactive materials, lume is nothing but a gimmick.
Speaking of gimmicks, chronographs, definitely! I can't imagine anyone who was actually going to time a sports event or similar, who'd want to do it with a bunch of tiny hard-to-read dials and teeny-weeny push buttons, when you can get a nice big quartz stop watch with nice big buttons and nice big digital read-out for chump change. That's been the situation for forty years or so, but for casual use, now most people won't even buy that, because that is when you do in fact pull out your 'phone. (If I need to time tea steeping or coffee brewing, I'll just look at the seconds hand of my watch or kitchen clock and do the adding and subtraction in my head - more than accurate enough) If you want it for the looks, fine - I'd rather the one I have was without it, because all I ever use the chronographs feature for, is to readjust the hands, when they have started by accident and don't reset properly.
Teddy, accuracy is actually important when wearing your watch over many days. The more accurate it is the less often you'll have to set your watch. That's one thing I'll give the Omega METAS certification. Since Omega's watches only gain time, all you need to do is pull the crown out and wait for the seconds hand to match the world time again instead of setting the entire watch if it starts to lose time.
He has to say that or else he would't be able to sell automatic watches that suck
Just get a quartz.
I just got a bit of aha moment on accuracy. What I love about out my panerai is no minute track for absolute accuracy to be an issue. It’s so bloody refreshing to wear a watch for the enjoyment and not fuss about accuracy to the second.
A watch that would run +-30sec per day would drive me nuts,
A watch that runs fast is less annoying to correct than a slow watch, though. I just hack the seconds for as long as needed to correct it (and usually over-correct a bit).
The way I audibly laughed out loud when you started with “some people were freaking out in the comments about my lume remarks” and then villain-heel-turned to “which got me thinking… what other kind of shit can I start today?” 😂 unreal stuff. Love this kind of content and most importantly, love seeing someone who grew up right down the road from me carving his own path. Keep it up!
Hot take - if someone really valued accuracy, they would go for a Quartz
Hot take: it's ok to wear your watch on top of my wristbone if you think that looks best (I usually do)
I was team sapphire until I realized my only watch with a scratch is sapphire. I think the points made are why we have different watches. I do have one that is atomic synced, and I use that for work. But outside of work, day-to-day I wear a Seiko 5 that I only want to be roughly minute-accurate. This all amounts to right tool for the job concept.
Teddy - agree 100%. $20 bedside digital clock covers the Lume issue and long term watch accuracy isn’t an issue as I change watches every one or two days.
Another hot take is when ppl wear their watch on the wrist bone. Like, it can't be comfortable to have the crown digging into your wrist everytime you bend your hand back.
And looking like a total dork
I totally agree. Never understood it. I like wearing a watch well below the bone.
@@tmonique11 Its like they don't know it can be sized. I seen one guy the other day and his watch soo loose it was swinging up half is arm. A terrible look
Ok, here are my thoughts for anyone interested…
1. Totally agree, never even looked at the crystal type when buying a watch.
2. 100% agree again. I couldn’t tell you which of my watches have lume and which don’t
3. In the price range I can afford, say sub £2k, I don’t think I should be allowed to be bothered if my watch loses a few seconds a day.
4. Can’t agree here, I love an exhibition case back. Wouldn’t be a clincher, but I like it
5. Couldn’t care less about on the fly adjustments
6. Date window. I like a 6pm but don’t mind a 3pm. I do think a date window should be framed though. More on cyclops in a moment.
7. Chronograph watches are too busy a dial for me, and I’ve never used my watch to time something other than my Casio.
Now, my hot take. If I were king of watches, the cyclops feature would be banned from every single watch! It is the stupidest feature ever and it is the hill I’m prepared to die on…!!!
I agree that micro adjust can get a bit out of hand. It’s nice to have on the fly up to the size of a link for quick adjustment. But the bulkiness of the clasp gets in the way of its more than that.
My hot take is on water resistance. I don’t care if a watch has 200 meter water resistance. I don’t dive and I don’t get myself in a situation where I am accidentally swimming. There are bigger issues if that happens. As long as I can wash my hands and wash the dishes, I’m fine with the water resistance
Completely agree with all your points! The only caveat with accuracy is that while I don't need super accurate (esp bc I only wear each watch once/wk), it does bother me if a watch becomes inaccurate when previously better; even if still within reason, the "worsening" irks even if not broken or even in needs of service.
I recently acquired a Doxa sub200T, which I love, and particularly its micro adjustment. I like my watches quite tight to the wrist, but this means they sometimes nip a bit when it’s warm, but this micro adjust is absolutely perfect for me. Don’t know what anyone else thinks, but I am a very happy bunny.
Picked up a amzwatch's watch as my first watch last month and I’m absolutely in love with it. Perfect size, looks elegant, very comfortable. Now my only problem is holding off from buying more watches so quickly!
Nah Lume is important. The fantasy of having the right action-watch during a disaster and having MC vibes Walter Mitty-style is part of the experience. Listen, nobody needs fast cars but the action hero in you makes it all worth it.
"Antithesis to this disposable world that we living" Thanks Teddy, I was looking in my mind for a phrase to relate my love for mechanical things in general.
I’ve bumped by sapphire crystal watch many times. Still looking great! Don’t know if a cheaper crystal would survive?
My most useful part of my watch apart from telling the time is the power reserve indicator. So useful! I always check it when I haven’t worn my watch for a day or two.
You speak my mind in all the points you raised. Except the other night I had to fix some things before going to bed. But since I really needed a quicky of a back rest, I turned off the light and laid on bed for minutes, and was checking the time evey couple of minutes with no difficulty because the lume on my Steeldive is one the brightest and lasts an hour.