At HODINKEE, we like watches. We like them a lot.
And though we do sometimes write about watches that inhabit stratospheric price points, we also know that, realistically speaking, there is not always an absolute connection between price and quality (actually, a lot of the time there's a surprising disconnect, but that's another article).
We know that getting as much bang as possible for the buck is a major pot-sweetener when it comes to picking a watch, and so we went 'round HODINKEE HQ and asked all and sundry to tap a favorite under the magic $5,000 mark.
Read on to find out who picked what and why.
SEE ALSO: This is the world's most underrated Rolex
DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's Lifestyle page on Facebook!
NOMOS Tangente
From: Ryan LeFevre, Senior Software Engineer
A strict exercise in Bauhaus design, the Tangente is what I consider to be the quintessential NOMOS. While many manufacturers attempt to show off their technological superiority by cramming as many clever complications into a watch as possible, NOMOS has stripped away everything for the Tangente that is not essential to a watch. Its beautiful symmetry with clean Arabic numerals makes it incredibly easy to read at a glance, and the combination of a bright matte silver dial with blue hands is striking. While it's offered in three separate sizes — 33 mm, 35 mm, and 38 mm — the 38 mm version sits perfectly on my slightly larger than average wrist.
Because the Tangente is manually wound, it also sits closer to the wrist than the automatic Tangomat. It houses the first movement ever designed by NOMOS, the Alpha caliber, which is not only pretty to look at, but is also quite accurate. All of this is offered for only $2,330, which I consider extremely good value for money. Due to a surge in popularity, the value of NOMOS watches can only go up.
Seiko 'Cocktail Time' SARB065
From: Christa Chance, HODINKEE Contributor
Since most of my collection falls well below the $5,000 benchmark, I'm spoiled for choice when it comes to answering this question. My Speedmaster Professional (Lemania cal. 1861) gets the most wrist time, and occupies a special place in my heart and on my wrist. But since our love of Speedmasters is already well known (some might say notorious), I must make a case for the Seiko SARB065 or Cocktail Time.
Its price point – $480 on most sites – makes it a contender for best value under $500, let alone $5,000. As the Cocktail Time is a model for the Japanese domestic market, you won't find it at Macy's alongside more familiar Seikos in that price range, such as the SKX007. But the Cocktail Time boasts finishing to rival that of a Grand Seiko and a robust, 23-jewel 6R15 automatic movement with hand-winding capabilities, hacking seconds, and a quickest date function.
And look at that dial. Talk about guilloché. I am enamored with the dial – the delicacy and the mutability of the color, appearing ice blue and slate gray as the light changes, like an Aviation cocktail.
Despite the domed Hardlex crystal, the watch sits close to the wrist. Its comfortable 40 mm diameter suits men and dainty-wristed ladies like myself. My only complaint about the watch is that the deployant clasp on the strap gets in the way of my desk-diving, so I switched it with a ladies crocodile strap.
I'll drink to that.
Pita Barcelona Oceana Diver's Watch
From: Evald Muraj, HODINKEE Contributor
If you caught last year's Watch I Wore the Most and other such pieces, then you know that I'd normally choose NOMOS any day of the week. But in an effort to be more didactic, I switched it up this time.
Many watch fans may not know about Pita Barcelona, the father-and-son duo in eastern Spain who, along with a couple helpers, churn out a few handful of watches per year. The builder in question is Aniceto Jimenez, a watchmaker obsessed with reinventing functionality and timekeeping displays. My proposition is the Oceana — on which I'll soon be bringing you more about, so stay tuned.
The Oceana is a dive-watch with 2,000- or 5,000-meter depth ratings. Its titanium case is undrilled, crownless and gasketless. How do you set the hands? Remotely, using a patented case-back that doubles as a magnetic regulator for setting time. Yes, that's very cool — like I said, stay tuned. Completely isolated from outside elements, a heavily modified ETA beats inside the Oceana.
By "heavily modified," I mean that Pita guts the majority of the original caliber, restructures it and adds to it other proprietary mechanisms that make each movement abide to the magnetic principles that are required for this unique diver to function.
A single watchmaker assembles each watch. Priced at €4,675 means that the Oceana was under $5,000 in April but, with FOREX being what it is, is just slightly over that mark today. There’s a lot to like (L) about the Oceana at this price (P), and that fits my personal equation for value (V), which is V=L/P.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
NOW WATCH: How you sit at work can have a huge impact on your health