I’ve
written earlier about my fascination with watches and my penchant for trawling
various ecommerce websites as well as watch manufacturers’ websites to keep
tabs on the latest that’s happening in the world of watches. There are some
YouTube channels that I also follow for this, and they serve up some truly
great content that keeps me happy. The watches that are on my list of
want-to-buy keep changing but I thought I’d share my current list with you.
These are the watches I currently want to buy and while some are within the
realm of reality, which I might actually buy someday, some others on this list
are mere fantasy, watches that I might never actually be able to buy in this
lifetime. That’s okay, I guess; it’s okay to dream a little, right? So here we
go.
Timex
Trend TW2W57300UJ
It's a mainstream brand for the masses but I quite like Timex watches, especially because they seem to offer a nice blend of interesting design and very good build quality. And so, here’s the first watch of my current wishlist, a Timex Trend TW2W57300UJ. The watch face comes in a very nice shade of green, there is day and date functionality and the case diameter is 41mm, which is perfect for most people and just about okay for me, though I prefer 36-39mm case sizes. This Timex has a quartz-powered movement and is made in China, but I think it looks beautiful, the black leather band is perfectly matched to the green watch face, there is 50m water resistance and the price is just right at Rs 11,495. Nice!
It's a mainstream brand for the masses but I quite like Timex watches, especially because they seem to offer a nice blend of interesting design and very good build quality. And so, here’s the first watch of my current wishlist, a Timex Trend TW2W57300UJ. The watch face comes in a very nice shade of green, there is day and date functionality and the case diameter is 41mm, which is perfect for most people and just about okay for me, though I prefer 36-39mm case sizes. This Timex has a quartz-powered movement and is made in China, but I think it looks beautiful, the black leather band is perfectly matched to the green watch face, there is 50m water resistance and the price is just right at Rs 11,495. Nice!
HMT
NASS 12
Honestly, I don’t understand what exactly is the deal with HMT. Everywhere – newspaper reports, website articles etc – it says that HMT stopped making watches a few years ago. And yet, new HMT watches are available for sale on HMT’s own official website as well as on Amazon, Flipkart and other ecommerce platforms. How is that possible? I don’t know and have no answer to that mystery. But I still quite like some of HMT’s watches, especially the ones that come with an automatic movement. These watches don’t seem to be of particularly high quality and do not offer the fit and finish levels of some of the international brands (mass/mainstream brands, not luxury watches), but these watches are strongly reminiscent of the 1970s, which is why I like them!
One such watch is the HMT NASS 12, which has an old TV dial (that is, the watch face resembles a TV from the 1970s-80s – look carefully and, if you’re old enough to remember those TVs, you’ll immediately see there’s a resemblance), with a light blue face and day-date functions. The automatic 21-jewel movement is probably a clone of some 1970s Citizen movement but you can’t complain about that since the watch is priced at only Rs 7,275 and that’s quite a deal for an automatic watch. The case diameter is only 33mm, which I think is quite cool in a retro, 1970s way but some people who are more used to wearing bigger, more modern watches may think it’s a bit small. Personally, I love the TV dial and the steel bracelet is also not too bad, though the quality may not up to Citizen/Seiko/Timex levels. Overall, I love the vibe of this watch.
Honestly, I don’t understand what exactly is the deal with HMT. Everywhere – newspaper reports, website articles etc – it says that HMT stopped making watches a few years ago. And yet, new HMT watches are available for sale on HMT’s own official website as well as on Amazon, Flipkart and other ecommerce platforms. How is that possible? I don’t know and have no answer to that mystery. But I still quite like some of HMT’s watches, especially the ones that come with an automatic movement. These watches don’t seem to be of particularly high quality and do not offer the fit and finish levels of some of the international brands (mass/mainstream brands, not luxury watches), but these watches are strongly reminiscent of the 1970s, which is why I like them!
One such watch is the HMT NASS 12, which has an old TV dial (that is, the watch face resembles a TV from the 1970s-80s – look carefully and, if you’re old enough to remember those TVs, you’ll immediately see there’s a resemblance), with a light blue face and day-date functions. The automatic 21-jewel movement is probably a clone of some 1970s Citizen movement but you can’t complain about that since the watch is priced at only Rs 7,275 and that’s quite a deal for an automatic watch. The case diameter is only 33mm, which I think is quite cool in a retro, 1970s way but some people who are more used to wearing bigger, more modern watches may think it’s a bit small. Personally, I love the TV dial and the steel bracelet is also not too bad, though the quality may not up to Citizen/Seiko/Timex levels. Overall, I love the vibe of this watch.
Timex
Q TW2W44800U9 and TW2W44700U9
Ah, Timex again. And this time, not just one but two Timex watches, both of which are completely identical except for the watch faces; one is a nice shade of blue and the other is an equally nice green. These are quartz watches with day and date functionality, tonneau-shaped steel case with 37.5mm case diameter, black leather band and finish levels that look very good. Again, I love these two watches because they remind me of the watches that people used to wear back in the 1970s-80s. From what I remember of the watch that my father used to wear 40 years ago, I think it looked very similar to these Timex watches, though of course the brand would have certainly been different. Today, my father wears a very nice, modern Tissot that has a round dial. I, on the other hand, want a watch that looks exactly like the one he used to wear 40 years ago. Which is why these two Timex watches are on my want-to-buy list.
Ah, Timex again. And this time, not just one but two Timex watches, both of which are completely identical except for the watch faces; one is a nice shade of blue and the other is an equally nice green. These are quartz watches with day and date functionality, tonneau-shaped steel case with 37.5mm case diameter, black leather band and finish levels that look very good. Again, I love these two watches because they remind me of the watches that people used to wear back in the 1970s-80s. From what I remember of the watch that my father used to wear 40 years ago, I think it looked very similar to these Timex watches, though of course the brand would have certainly been different. Today, my father wears a very nice, modern Tissot that has a round dial. I, on the other hand, want a watch that looks exactly like the one he used to wear 40 years ago. Which is why these two Timex watches are on my want-to-buy list.
Citizen
NH9130-17A
Back in 2003, when I got married, my wife gave me a very nice Citizen watch that had a rectangular stainless steel dial, stainless steel band and navy blue face. It was slim and elegant – a beautiful watch that I wore for more than 10 years. After that, I’ve never had a chance to wear a Citizen watch again, but now I’m really liking the one you see here, which has a round, 40mm stainless steel dial with a champagne-coloured face and, best of all, an open ‘porthole’ through which you can see the automatic movement doing its thing, you can see the beating ‘heart’ of this watch, which I find quite fascinating. The brown leather band perfectly complements the dial and the watch face and looks quite beautiful. This watch isn’t currently listed on Amazon but is available on Citizen’s own website as well as Tata Cliq, where it’s priced at a reasonable Rs 30,510.
Back in 2003, when I got married, my wife gave me a very nice Citizen watch that had a rectangular stainless steel dial, stainless steel band and navy blue face. It was slim and elegant – a beautiful watch that I wore for more than 10 years. After that, I’ve never had a chance to wear a Citizen watch again, but now I’m really liking the one you see here, which has a round, 40mm stainless steel dial with a champagne-coloured face and, best of all, an open ‘porthole’ through which you can see the automatic movement doing its thing, you can see the beating ‘heart’ of this watch, which I find quite fascinating. The brown leather band perfectly complements the dial and the watch face and looks quite beautiful. This watch isn’t currently listed on Amazon but is available on Citizen’s own website as well as Tata Cliq, where it’s priced at a reasonable Rs 30,510.
Seiko
Presage SSA405J1
Seiko makes some excellent watches – high levels of fit and finish, beautiful designs, long-lasting and ever-reliable. My current pick from Seiko’s lineup is the Presage you see here, which comes with a 24-jewel automatic movement, a beautifully designed dark-blue watch face with an interesting pattern – an ‘open heart’ watch face with a porthole through which the automatic mechanism can be seen, ticking away in perpetuity. The 40.5mm stainless steel case goes perfectly with the rich, dark blue leather strap and there is 5 bar (up to 50m, for 10 minutes) water resistance, though if I had one of these, I wouldn’t even think of submerging it in water, even for a few seconds, under any circumstances. Such an incredibly beautiful watch and while it’s priced at Rs 45,000 on Seiko’s official website, you can get it for around Rs 38,000 if you look around carefully.
Seiko makes some excellent watches – high levels of fit and finish, beautiful designs, long-lasting and ever-reliable. My current pick from Seiko’s lineup is the Presage you see here, which comes with a 24-jewel automatic movement, a beautifully designed dark-blue watch face with an interesting pattern – an ‘open heart’ watch face with a porthole through which the automatic mechanism can be seen, ticking away in perpetuity. The 40.5mm stainless steel case goes perfectly with the rich, dark blue leather strap and there is 5 bar (up to 50m, for 10 minutes) water resistance, though if I had one of these, I wouldn’t even think of submerging it in water, even for a few seconds, under any circumstances. Such an incredibly beautiful watch and while it’s priced at Rs 45,000 on Seiko’s official website, you can get it for around Rs 38,000 if you look around carefully.
HMT
Kedar Premium
The Kedar looks exactly like the Rado DiaStar and only costs a small fraction of its price. Of course, one cannot compare the HMT’s 21-jewel automatic movement (probably a 1970s vintage unit) to the Rado’s much more sophisticated one, but you’re still getting an automatic watch for Rs 7,275 and the design is pure 1970s-cool. The 36mm tonneau-style stainless steel case that gives the watch its instantly recognizable identity, steel bracelet, gray watch face with day-date functionality… it’s a bit flashy I have to admit, a watch that’s perfectly suited to a 1970s movie star. And I do wish the watch face didn’t have ‘premium’ written on it and that ‘Kedar’ would have been written in a smaller, more subtle font size. But it is what it is. If I get one, I probably won’t wear it every day, but on days when I’m putting on a formal shirt, jacket and maybe even a tie, the HMT Kedar should be just perfect. (I have to admit, however, if I had the money I would straightaway buy this Rado DiaStar, which costs almost 20 times as much as the HMT Kedar!)
The Kedar looks exactly like the Rado DiaStar and only costs a small fraction of its price. Of course, one cannot compare the HMT’s 21-jewel automatic movement (probably a 1970s vintage unit) to the Rado’s much more sophisticated one, but you’re still getting an automatic watch for Rs 7,275 and the design is pure 1970s-cool. The 36mm tonneau-style stainless steel case that gives the watch its instantly recognizable identity, steel bracelet, gray watch face with day-date functionality… it’s a bit flashy I have to admit, a watch that’s perfectly suited to a 1970s movie star. And I do wish the watch face didn’t have ‘premium’ written on it and that ‘Kedar’ would have been written in a smaller, more subtle font size. But it is what it is. If I get one, I probably won’t wear it every day, but on days when I’m putting on a formal shirt, jacket and maybe even a tie, the HMT Kedar should be just perfect. (I have to admit, however, if I had the money I would straightaway buy this Rado DiaStar, which costs almost 20 times as much as the HMT Kedar!)
Casio
A1100B-1DF
This impossibly cool Casio is the only digital watch in my current want-to-buy list of watches. I’m an analogue watch kind of a person, digital watches don’t usually do it for me. But this Casio is in a league of its own – dark, imperious, a bit mysterious. The 35mm black ion-plated stainless steel case and bracelet, small digital display with day-date and stopwatch functionality, 30m water resistance (though why you’d take such a beautiful watch into the water is beyond me) and a unique sense of style that’s all its own, this Casio is one hell of a classy timepiece. A bit pricey at Rs 11,000 but I’m not complaining, I just want one!
This impossibly cool Casio is the only digital watch in my current want-to-buy list of watches. I’m an analogue watch kind of a person, digital watches don’t usually do it for me. But this Casio is in a league of its own – dark, imperious, a bit mysterious. The 35mm black ion-plated stainless steel case and bracelet, small digital display with day-date and stopwatch functionality, 30m water resistance (though why you’d take such a beautiful watch into the water is beyond me) and a unique sense of style that’s all its own, this Casio is one hell of a classy timepiece. A bit pricey at Rs 11,000 but I’m not complaining, I just want one!
Ressence
Type 3
Ressence? You may not have even heard of the brand and that wouldn’t be surprising. It’s a Swiss watch company that makes some truly spectacular watches that are very high-tech and very, very cool but in an understated way. The Type 3 has an oil-filled upper chamber with a complex pressure balance system that’s too complicated for me to fully understand. Based around an orbital convex system that’s been designed and engineered inhouse at Ressence, the dial itself is always in motion and keeps changing its appearance. It’s incredibly sophisticated and wonderful to watch. Also, terribly expensive at Rs 42 lakh. Of course I can’t have one, I know, but I still want this watch so much…!
Ressence? You may not have even heard of the brand and that wouldn’t be surprising. It’s a Swiss watch company that makes some truly spectacular watches that are very high-tech and very, very cool but in an understated way. The Type 3 has an oil-filled upper chamber with a complex pressure balance system that’s too complicated for me to fully understand. Based around an orbital convex system that’s been designed and engineered inhouse at Ressence, the dial itself is always in motion and keeps changing its appearance. It’s incredibly sophisticated and wonderful to watch. Also, terribly expensive at Rs 42 lakh. Of course I can’t have one, I know, but I still want this watch so much…!
Tank
Louis Cartier
Many companies make watches that look a lot like Cartier’s Tank watch and yet there is nothing like the original. I particularly like the Tank Louis Cartier, the ‘large’ model, which still only gets a rose gold 33.7mm case, with an automatic movement. The silver dial with Roman numerals, blued steel hands, a crown set with a sapphire cabochon and brown leather strap – simple, unbelievably beautiful. Costs Rs 12.50 lakh, so obviously I can’t even think of buying one, but one can dream. Cheaper alternatives? The Fossil Carraway has more than a passing resemblance to the Tank watch and costs only Rs 13,500 but then it’s not a Cartier.
Also see: Some high-end Swiss watches that I really love!
Many companies make watches that look a lot like Cartier’s Tank watch and yet there is nothing like the original. I particularly like the Tank Louis Cartier, the ‘large’ model, which still only gets a rose gold 33.7mm case, with an automatic movement. The silver dial with Roman numerals, blued steel hands, a crown set with a sapphire cabochon and brown leather strap – simple, unbelievably beautiful. Costs Rs 12.50 lakh, so obviously I can’t even think of buying one, but one can dream. Cheaper alternatives? The Fossil Carraway has more than a passing resemblance to the Tank watch and costs only Rs 13,500 but then it’s not a Cartier.
Also see: Some high-end Swiss watches that I really love!
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