In addition to a journalist, I am also a watch collector, and a fortunate one. Over the years, I had the privilege of being the custodian of some great watches. Combine that with being able to see the most outstanding new watches as being a WatchTime journalist, and you have a recipe to get very, very spoiled. Fortunately, my eclectic taste has always protected me from (totally) acting the part.
The other day, I was discussing with a prominent vintage Rolex dealer our love for Seiko’s Prospex ‘Street Series’ Solar Diver. He has the grey version, and I have the green. It is not really comparable with a reference 5513 Submariner, and with its price of $450, it is far less in total price than the just the service for most vintage Rolex watches. But price aside, there is so much to love about the Seiko. When I was in university, I used to drive rallies in a Fiat Panda. While it was a Giugiaro design, it totally lacked the speed of his other designs for far more exotic brands, but it was so much fun.
Also, while not at all expensive, the original Fiat Panda came with a bunch of novel features that added character. That’s why I still love to look beyond the price tag of watches. Then you discover that the Club Campus might be Nomo’s entry-level model, but it has a lot to offer for that amount of money.
The same is true with the new Citizen Tsuyosa Small Seconds. You get the ’70s integrated bracelet look, with a nicely decorated automatic movement featuring small seconds on a dial that has some serious Kari Voutilainen vibes. It has a stop-seconds mechanism and a 60-hour power reserve, outperforming many far more expensive watches that also rock the integrated bracelet style. The movement is even manufacture, also pleasing the snob inside me. All kidding aside, the proposition of these more affordable watches puts a smile on my face that is just as happy as that of a more exotic timepiece.
