As watch lovers, we spend our afternoons poring over watches both new and vintage. When a new timepiece comes across our radar, one that particularly resonates with our tastes, we can’t help but obsess over it. So, here’s a taste of that process — six timepieces that our watch-loving staff are obsessing over right at this very moment.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic Spitfire
There is fine line between an “entry level” daily driver, and a beater. When the new Spitfire line launched I knew that IWC had nailed the look and feel for this collection, leveraging the brand’s heritage but keeping it simple. While bronze is having its moment, the steel variant feels timeless, and with a 20mm strap, it can be outfitted for any occasion. –Tim Murray, Account Executive
Ressence Type 1(2) White Dial
Though I typically reach for a vintage mechanical watch, I have had an eye on Ressence for a couple of years now, mainly owing to their fetching dial design which reinterprets how we express the notion of the passage of time. The Type 1(2) has some vintage cues (the squared case is reminiscent of a Heuer Camaro) while the watch conjures a sense of having been smuggled back by a watch enthusiast with a time machine. I dig it. –Jacob Sotak, Content Director, Commerce
Patek Philippe Calatrava 2573
If the Calatrava isn’t the platonic ideal of the dress watch, I don’t know what is. This one, 33mm wide in a yellow gold case, doesn’t have the most stunningly hand-finished movement I’ve ever seen, but it’s adjusted for extreme accuracy, and damn if that dial isn’t beautiful. –Oren Hartov, Assistant Editor
Ventura V-Matic EGO
I’m not often particularly drawn to design-focused minimalist watches, but this Kickstarter special has me interested. Maybe there’s some subconscious nostalgia caused by Ventura being a resurrected brand from the 1990s. But its reborn case shape (41mm), thinness (9.5), and other specs like lightweight titanium construction, sapphire crystal, and ETA 2892 make it look like a good value for a unique watch that’s not over-designed. –Zen Love, Associate Staff Writer
Casio Skywalker
Recently my deskmate and resident watch sage Zen Love informed me that Casio watches are in, but in a sort of ironic, norm-core kind of way. Piss on that. Casios fucking rule, and the Skywalker, which I know next to nothing about, is the one I want right now. Its name is Skywalker, it’s color scheme is a bright spot in my otherwise grey wardrobe and I’m fairly sure Jean Claude Van Damme wore it in the film Timecop, which everyone reading this should seek out and enjoy with their closest friends. I don’t have the Skywalker now, but I will. –Will Price, Staff Writer
Vaer “Dirty Dozen”
I’ve had a watchful eye on the California indy brand Vaer for a while now, but it was when I saw the design for their new “Dirty Dozen”-inspired automatic that I really started getting excited. They’ve already created a great little platform with their nicely finished case: 40 mm diameter, 20 mm lug width and only 9 mm in case thickness. But it’s the clean and modern interpretation of the classic sub-seconds, mil-spec model that scratches my itch. Not to mention it’s now fitted with a Swiss automatic movement and multiple strap choices that are included with purchase. –Kyle Snarr, Head of Marketing
