11 of the best affordable dive watches under $5k
Dive watches are probably the single most popular watch category and with good reason. They are robust, water resistant and, as dress codes become increasingly casual, can also be worn pretty much anywhere you aren’t expected to wear a bow-tie. The variations within dive watches over the decades are another reason that collectors find them so compelling. Some dive watches have important links to armed forces around the world, which can send enthusiasts into a frenzy of minutia obsession. Likewise the different ways that brands have creatively overcome the challenges of the deep, such as legibility or helium build-up, allow for rich scholarship into the details of such evolutions. But at the core of it, we all just love watches that look great and don’t need to be wrapped in cotton wool as we go about our busy lives. And if we don’t have to spend a fortune, that’s even better. So what are the best affordable dive watches out there right now? We’ve put together a list of 11 different references from a number of different brands that will all ring up the till less than $5k (in watch collecting, everything is relative, especially what is affordable) and represent…
The post 11 of the best affordable dive watches under $5k appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Writing this story has proved to me the growing popularity of olive-green dials. What was meant to be a snappy round-up, quickly snowballed into a two-parter simply because there were far too many great options that we couldn’t bear to leave out. Perhaps that shouldn’t be surprising, either. Olive green, after all, is a colour that’s particularly well-suited for watch dials being at once distinctive but highly wearable, too. Check out the pieces in this second installment as we consider some green-eyed beauties from Patek Philipp, Hublot, TAG Heuer, IWC and Rolex. Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5168G The Grail Grenade – I’m hereby claiming this nickname for Time+Tide (including hashtag rights) for what could be the ultimate slimline sports watch on a rubber strap. Patek Philippe’s olive dial is a calm, greyish green whose delicate grid pattern makes it look like, yes, a hand grenade framed by white gold. A rugged sports watch on rubber is enough of a contradictory reference for Patek Philippe already, but that etched pattern set against the broad bezel with its large expanse of brushed white gold only underlines the sweet juxtaposition. The way those striations in the brushwork play with the mirror polished bevel through…
Green is the new blue, someone told us last year and, with the benefit of hindsight, this might well be the case. The evidence from 2020 and the early months of this year was saturated with gorgeous greens from lime flash to mossy dark elegance. Amid this sea of green, one of my favourite shades is the downplayed formality of olive tones. This is a distinct sub trend that started two or three years ago and anchors the bold notion of colour with a subdued panache. This particular segment of the green spectrum with its darker, more subtle nuances and hints of grey and brown, is as versatile as it is eye-catching. It actually proved quite difficult to pick my goal of five, so here are 10 examples of the best olive-green watch dials from refined dress pieces to military-tough field watches. Farer Field Watch Exmoor Farer has built a reputation as a small brand with an emphasis on vintage inspiration, often slim of design with fresh colours and bags of personality to spice things up and take them to another level. What distinguishes Farer from the microbrand pack is a British sartorial take on the simple, mechanical wristwatches we…
Over the last decade, the watch media has played an increasingly important, and intertwined, part in the watch industry. From increased coverage of newly released watches to publications becoming authorised retailers for brands, the landscape has shifted forever. And out of this paradigm shift, one of the coolest things to be born is the watch media collaboration watch. While it’s fair to debate how broad the definition of media collaboration watch might be (the Time Zone forum produced a limited edition watch with RGM back in 1999), the trend can be traced back as seriously gaining momentum in 2015 with the Hodinkee collaboration with MB&F. Even Time+Tide joined the party at the end of last year with our Bamford London x Time+Tide GMT1. So with more than half a decade in the rear window, enough time has passed to consider the question: what are the best watch media collaborations? Nick Kenyon – IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36mm Special Edition for The Rake and Revolution While I’ll admit I had a very soft spot for the Fratello Speedmaster “Speedy Tuesday” Limited Edition, there is something incredibly enchanting about this three-handed IWC. I think it’s the fact that, while there are lots of heritage reissues…
A few weeks back, I wrote about my own Casio G-Shock GA2100-1A (AKA the CasiOak) that I had modified and received a lot of positive feedback about. Many people expressed interest in how different the watch looked after the modification. While I did note that the bracelet wasn’t particularly comfortable on the wrist, I agreed that the CasiOak was one of the coolest looking modified watches I’d ever held in my hands. But the versatility of the CasiOak extends far beyond a simple steel case and bracelet. The creative lengths that the watch community has gone to in creating weird and wonderful mods is genuinely impressive, and I wanted to take a look at a few examples that really stand out as some of the best CasiOak mods out there. Diamond bezel on orange rubber Gem-set G-Shock’s aren’t totally unheard of with Floyd Mayweather showing off his diamond and ruby set digital watch last year, but diamonds on a CasiOak is a new one. Wowsers! Two-tone case and bezel Two-tone watches aren’t as popular as they once were in their 1980s prime. But this mod has a full stainless-steel case and bracelet with a rose-gold tone bezel. Is this the…
You don’t always have to look to the usual suspects or pay a hefty price to get a quality watch. There is a wide spectrum of manufacturers in this industry and, with so many releases each year, it can be a bit of a challenge to follow every reference introduced. While the below list of watches are fabricated by well known brands, we wanted to shine a spotlight on some references that may not have received the recognition they deserve. A sleeper hit is effectively something that is not massively hyped, but has a level of quality that demands further exploration. Here are six sleeper hits we included in our Now Buying Guide… Timex x Todd Snyder “Pride” Watch At 34mm, this watch can pretty much be worn by anyone, of any identity. The theme of the watch is literally pride and inclusivity. As I have said before, Todd Snyder and Timex have teamed up to create arguably the best value proposition in rainbow watches. The Pride Watch is a nod to the pride colours derived from artist Gilbert Baker’s Rainbow Flag. The dial aesthetic is is the result of three rotating coloured discs. As the time changes and the discs…
It’s 140 years since Seiko founder Kintaro Hattori established his first watchmaking shop in Tokyo. To mark this occasion, the Seiko designers must’ve had a craving for menthol judging by the icy cool aesthetics of the Seiko 140th Anniversary collection. Seiko 5 Sports 140th Anniversary Limited Edition SRPG47K1 Let’s kick off with the most accessible piece, a sharp Seiko 5 Sports. I sincerely feel that we now can count the 5 as the proper heir to the SKX throne with a bewildering array of colourful editions available (like the ones covered in our story here or this mad batch of Anime-infused fun). There are 11,000 of these new pieces available, but I’d still get my skates on, as this is seriously fresh. Despite its 100 metre depth rating, the lack of a screw-in crown makes this more Sports than Diver, but a bulletproof everyday wearer nonetheless. The classic Seiko bright blue diver’s hands pop off the crisp white pattern on a balanced dial that’s one of the cleanest Seiko 5 designs yet. The laser-like lume glow and needle thin blue lollipop seconds hand are sharp finishing touches to a great first mechanical sports watch. You can’t really go wrong with…
In the name of my fellow tiny wristers, or just those who prefer watches closer to classic proportions, I’ve assembled a list of 10 of the best watches under 40mm listed in our NOW buying guide. For a long time the trend has been to scale watches up in size, with releases typically hovering above or equal to 40mm in diameter. But the people have spoken, and we are starting to see the tides change. You saw my first five picks in part one and now it is time to round the list out with part two. Fears Brunswick Salmon People are reeling over salmon dials. In the enthusiast community, the colour is all the rage and is one of the most sought-after dial tones by collectors. A lot of the time you have to really stretch your budget to find one that gets the tone right, such as a coveted Patek Philippe 5270P or Cartier Santos 90th anniversary limited edition – both of which are cased in expensive platinum. But have no fear, Fears has entered the salmon fold with the Brunswick Salmon. The 38mm cushion profile is very wearable on the wrist, and the dial shade is the…
Confession time: I do not have the largest wrists in the world. Last time I checked, my wrist circumference came in not far above six inches. That being said, I wear watches ranging from 32mm to 43mm in diameter because, as I have explained before, it really is more about lug-to-lug when it comes to a perfect fit. Nevertheless, more often than not, the lug-to-lug length I am looking for comes with references that measure in at 40mm or below. To better assist watch buyers like me who prefer more classically proportioned watches, I have put together a list of 10 of the best watches under 40mm in diameter listed in our NOW Buying Guide. Let’s get into it… Kurono Mori It is no secret I am a huge fan of the Kurono brand. The (now sold out) Kurono Mori pictured above is from my personal collection, a watch I truly love to wear. Aside from the gorgeous Japanese art-deco inspired design language and their approachable pricing, my favourite thing about Kurono watches are that none of the references have been produced over 38mm in diameter. The Mori is 37mm and boasts an exquisite polished finishing to its case and…
According to the Urban Dictionary, the definition of a baller is: “A person that makes shit happen. Without additional context, ‘baller’ typically is assumed to imply demonstrated ability in generating prodigious amounts of cash money, and/or a proficiency with creating frequent and mind-blowing sexual opportunities (note the non-gender specific reference, implying that ballers can be men or women, gay or straight — it is a matter of perspective).” If this be you, finding your wrist-match in our NOW magazine is a joyful experience, as even the smallest picture of any of these sparkly wrist-jewels will induce a Cheshire Cat grin. I’ll even start by cheekily suggesting a “womens” watch as an introduction as gender specifications are dying out, and frankly I want this particular AP for myself. Here are five killers from Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Hublot and Louis Vuitton Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Frosted Gold Flying Tourbillon Truth be told, if the glittering delight of the frosted gold and the nine-word designation of this tour de force from Audemars Piguet didn’t captivate you, we’ll book you an appointment with a psychiatrist. With its stippled gold surface and multi-tiered sunburst blue dial, this women’s Royal Oak Concept was nothing…