My New Watch

As anyone who knows me can attest I thoroughly and painstakingly research anything that I plan on buying. From snowshoes to video games to cars, I read reviews, check Consumer Reports, ask people who own an item about its performance, and try on or test the item(s) multiple times. Normally this process only consumes my time with multiple trips to REI or lost man hours at work researching online. But recently Ariel offered to buy me a watch (and get sucked into my OCD reserch habits).
I am not sure when my love for all things horological began, but at some point I began desiring fine timepieces. It started with a few Swiss Army watches, evolved into any watch that looked nice, then became more technical. Of the watches I wear most I have an automatic (self-winding) Hamilton for fancy events, a Swiss Army with a black face for daily use, a Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph for daily use, and a Seiko automatic dive watch for ocean use (the rubber band fits over wetsuits). I like all of these watches for the niches they fill but I really wanted to make a step up into the fine timepieces world.
So when Ariel offered to get me a nice watch I began the search by determining what criteria I wanted the watch to meet. It needed to be a certified chronometer, have a metal bracelet, be fashionable enough to wear daily, and preferably be a chronograph (stop watch). So I searched high and low and narrowed it down to six semi-finalists then to three finalists:


IWC Portuguese IW371401





Tag Heuer Carrera CV2A10.BA0796





















Omega Seamaster #2225.80

I decided the IWC was too fancy and not great for everyday wear (the crocodile bracelet is almost too nice), the Carrara just wasn't nice enough, and the Omega was just right.
My lovely fiance was kind enough to head over to the downtown LA jewelry district where her office is located and pick up the watch at wholesale prices. She surprised me with it on Friday after telling me that it would have to be shipped from New York. She almost died from having to keep the secret.
The watch is exactly what I hoped it would be. It is heavy enough that I am aware of it but not so heavy it is bothersome. It has a handsome face, nice bracelet, and is perfect for everyday use. It is a certified chronometer and has a chronograph functions. On top of that it is a dive watch to 300M which means I could take it into the ocean if need be. It has the sophisticated Omega 1164 movement which is based off of a famous ETA 2824-2 movement. It meets all of the technical and aesthetic requirements that I have been searching for. I just love having such an insane amount of handiwork and engineering go into such a small case on my wrist. Click on this link to see a video of an automatic watch.

Thank you Ariel for such an awesome present.