cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
21042
On which part of a watch would you most be willing to compromise?
Let's say you find a brand that is offering a watch that tempts you, but one or two factors are less than ideal.
Would you be willing to adjust your expectations on one or more of these criteria (see below) if you knew that you would otherwise be happy with the watch, or if you knew that you could remedy some of the shortcomings by getting a new strap or bracelet, having it regulated locally, etc.
CASE MATERIAL
CASE SIZE
MOVEMENT (in-house vs generic)
WORKMANSHIP / FINE DETAILS
STRAP or BRACELET
WATER RESISTANCE
COST / PRICE
What component of a watch is most important to you? OR are they all equally important and any shortcoming means a NO GO from you and your wallet?
AN EXAMPLE
You want an Urushi dial watch, and a chronograph would be nice. Seiko Presage has one, the price is okay, the movement in-house, the dial beautiful, the date wheel is nicely colored the same as the dial, BUT
it seems kinda thick. What do you do?
PS -- I'm not asking about this watch, this is just an example. Is thickness a deal-breaker?
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On which part of a watch would you most be willing to compromise?
Let's say you find a brand that is offering a watch that tempts you, but one or two factors are less than ideal. Would you be willing to adjust your expectations on one or more of these criteria (see below) if you knew that you would otherwise be happy wi...
I would add dial design/implementation...
...as a retired art director/graphic designer I am very picky about dial elements like color and especially type. But even though no watch is perfect, there are some that I would be willing to forgive when it comes to typography.
A sub-element of the dial design would be a date.
I could live with a date if it was harmonious or was not overly detracting from the design. -John
Some dates belong and are harmonious with the dial...
...while others seem to be an afterthought.
True. Some are executed as a forethought, whereas others are an afterthought.
I have always wanted to be a fly on the wall while discussions are executed about Watch details. More times than naught, there is always some clueless person throwing their weight around and driving a design towards a debacle.
I’m with you on this
As a managing editor of the technical manuals I had to deal with words more than page design, but we started on digital typesetting in 1980 and entering all the character widths for each font (manually!) and certainly focused my mind on how they impact th...
My first 'real' design job out of college...
...was to do production for some materials (folders, etc.) for an office park in San Jose. It was the mid-'80s, and while the agency designer had done the comps on a Macintosh, the computer wasn't good enough with type to be able to use it for camera-read...
Strap... easy to replace for one your desire.
I already do this with many timepieces.
All of those things on your list matter but the perfect watch is a rare find so for me some kind of compromise is common. Size is now my first consideration because I've stopped trying to
give Sly and Arnold competition. Less weight training and more aerobics equals I'm getting smaller. Over time a threshold was crossed when I realized I had a ton of giant watches that looked clownish on me. Hunting down numerous sweet low production 38-42...
I’m guessing 42 x 15.7 or so
Can’t find the spec but that’s what I estimated 7 years ago. Mike
It doesn’t have to be in-house..
As long as it translates to wearing comfort, reliability and ease of servicing. I’m ok with basic finishing. I prefer closed case-backs anyway. Still needs to be mechanical although i have been looking at quartz/solar/spring drive. ...
There are some nice options
I’ve decided one of the non-negotiable items for me is an uncomfortable crown — too small, too sharp edged, too slippery, too inaccessible... As this GG watch demonstrates: Or of course the Silberstein but it comes with a helper tool. ...
Hands design and water resistence...
...are usually a deal breaker for me. I cannot stand cathedral hands for example, I'll never buy a watch using them. Also I have to feel confident using the watch everyday therefore 100m of water resistance are a must for me. Another pet peeve of mine is ...
Case size is a definite consideration.
Having a small wrist,it will be quite ridiculous to have an outsize watch on the wrist. A further consideration would be the thickness,which however, is relative to type of watch...eg dress watch should have a slim aspect. Crowded dials would also be a di...
Movement.
So long as that compromise is reflected in the price. I think this is something we have all done to a certain extent. On the other hand, the most frequent compromise I’ve found myself NOT wanting to make has been on cases. Always in lower priced watches, ...
I wouldn't say thickness, but proportions
Since you brought up this example: I have this Urushi dial Seiko chronograph, and basically I like it. Its thickness is not so much of an issue. However, its design makes it an elegant timepiece, and for that design goal, it is kinda thick. Much more dist...
+1 , wrong proportions in any features make a timepiece unattractive...
Recently tempting to add Grand Seiko Yuka Momiji to my collection but deterred by its distracting large date window and 14.1mm thickness for a 39.5 mm case size. Even though the reddish lacquered dial is so pleasing and elegant- looking but the whole pack...
this watch also has the Hi-Beat and similar proportions
I bought it without trying it on (very rare SE Asia model "imported" for me by another WPS guy) and while beautiful and witth an appealing movement, as it was a GMT it had a "too thick for its diameter" awkward feeling on my wrist. ...
Thanks ...
I think its the design of the case of Yuka Momiji which is more pebble-shaped and appears thicker on the side than yours.
I understand
I have a Land Master that is beefy but somehow it pulls off the bulk, in part because it's got a fabulous case shape. Somehow this ticks all the boxes for me. I love the unique bezel... Movement goes in the front. You are meant to have your vital info eng...
I can assure you that I never checked a patient's watch caseback before starting CPR :-)
If I am successful with that, I hope he or she will be able to supply the personal data him-/herself. Otherwise ... well ... Marcus
Exactly why I didn’t bother
Beside who would buy it with my data there? I liked this too but it was ever so complicated! ...
It’s the strap for me as I can change it any time I want
Other then that might be the case thickness as I am after a mb&f mad which is 18mm thick and I’ll give it a try. Also by your example I can live with anything a little too much I guess but just a little, a little too thick or a little too small etc should...
All details matter and depends on what kind of watch it is .
Some watches i am more about the design and less about the movement , sometimes its the other way around. I am not a huge fan of bracelets but thinking about Moser Streamliner 👌🏻🤤. Thats perfect imho . I think for most of us the biggest deal breaker is mo...
I think you need to see everything together.
Some details might not work well on their own but might be okay with other design elements, and vice-versa.
That’s the magic factor - do all aspects fit together or fall apart?
I want to explore more reasons why we do or don’t fall for a watch. Cazalea