TOP 5. My selection of watches
Yesterday the thought came to me: “Here I am selling watches. Now there is a pool of some models ... And what would I personally choose from these watches? At the same time, given that I have 10,000 UAH in my pocket. »
Therefore, today I want to show you the TOP 5 models that I would personally choose for myself.
Accordingly, we will move from the position that I conditionally like less to the finalist, whom I will show at the end.
I want to make a note right away that I made a selection only from microbrands and there are several reasons for this.
First . I personally love microbrands a lot. For me, this is something new, fresh, lamp. As if the manufacturer makes watches for me personally. That is why I am trying to develop the direction of microbrands in Ukraine. I really enjoy this watch!
Second . Having seen various popular Japanese and Swiss watches, I understand that it is simply impossible to buy something for 10k that will satisfy me in terms of the quality of the case, the quality of the bracelet and the availability of top features.
Therefore, make yourself some tea, coffee, and now we will slowly analyze everything.
5th position. Nethuns Aqua II
And the 5th position in my list is occupied by watches from the Nethuns micro-brand from the Aqua II collection. And this is a wonderful homage to the legendary Seiko "Turtle".
I will note the chic quality of the finish of the case in the combination of mirror polish on the sides, smoothly turning into satin on the upper part of the case.
The case has excellent processing. It is very smooth, nothing is cut anywhere and does not cling.
Very comfortable crown, which is screwed down just perfect. Very confident 120 click bezel with scratch-resistant ceramic insert. Perfect grip on the bezel, very pleasant traction during rotation, expensive sound.
The bracelet is absolutely consistent with the quality of the case. It is cast, has excellent geometry, does not break anywhere.
The only drawback of the bracelet and the watch in general is the visually outdated clasp. It is fully stamped. But this is more of a quibble.
In addition to what has already been announced, the watch has a sapphire crystal with an extreme thickness of 4.4 mm and an internal anti-reflective layer.
And that's not all:
- Japanese mechanical automatic Seiko NH35A
- Water resistant up to 300 meters
- Swiss Super Luminova on hands, hour markers and bezel
On my hand, 18 cm in girth, the watch looks great. Despite the small case size of 44 mm. Here, short lugs and a watch sit perfectly even on a small hand!
The price of the model in our store today at a discount is 9000 UAH. For this amount, you get a cool quality finish, a cool bracelet, a perfectly crafted dial, a set of top features.
Is it possible to buy something similar from the Japanese for this price? Definitely not. The same Seiko "Turtle" on a bracelet will cost you from 20,000+ thousand hryvnias, while in some aspects they will lose!
Position 4. Spinnaker Hull
Next in my top are watches from the Spinnaker micro-brand from the Hull collection. This model is a little out of the price range, but I still decided to include it in the selection.
The blue dial version has a price of UAH 11,500, and with a classic black one, it is sold for UAH 10,500 at a discount. Let's use her example and consider what is included in this price.
The body of the model has a vintage pillow shape. There is an excellent quality finish here which consists of a mirror polish on the sides and a satin finish on the top of the case.
A very comfortable crown with protective beading on the sides, an equally comfortable 120-click bezel with a ceramic insert. The bezel rotates perfectly, has a pleasant brace and an expensive sound.
The bracelet is completely cast. Geometry and finishes are top notch. The clasp, like the Nethuns, is a folding double-lock, but it has a more modern shape and is molded inside.
According to the characteristics stated:
Japanese mechanical Seiko NH35A
- Sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistant up to 300 meters
- Swiss SuperLuminova on the hands and hour markers and bezel.
The case size is 42 mm, the watch sits perfectly on my hand!
Even though I don't really like square and rectangular shapes, this model is made so interesting that I perceive it more as a round one. It has a chic quality finish, cool retro style and top performance. A real gift for a connoisseur of vintage watches.
Position number 3. Phoibos Wave Master
Here we come to the middle of our collection. The central, 3rd position is occupied by watches from the Phoibos microbrand from the Wave Master collection. When I was choosing my Phoibos watch, I hesitated between this model and Voyager. As a result, he gave preference to the second, but with a creak on his teeth and pain in his heart.
This is an old model that is no longer in production today. There are 2 dial colors available. Today, both versions in our store have a price of 8400 UAH, although officially the mother-of-pearl color is $10 more expensive.
The model vaguely resembles the legendary Omega Seamaster. From her, Phoibos borrowed the waves on the dial. Dials are an unambiguous feature of watches. Very beautiful colors and texture, all the elements are perfectly worked out, the date is at around 6 o'clock, which is very convenient.
The case of the model has an excellent quality of finishing in a combination of satin finish and thin stripes of mirror polishing at the joints of the side faces, which gives the look of the watch volume and high cost.
On the back of the watch, you can see a very deep engraving of the brand logo and characteristics. Engravings of this quality are not typical for watches in this price segment and this is of course very nice, although I can not help but notice that the polishing could be better, since the engraving of the characteristics is a little clingy.
The bezel, like in all previous models, is ceramic with 120 clicks. It is made to match the blue dial. The move is very soft, and clicks, I would say an amateur. I like a clearer and more clicky sound, but this is all for an amateur.
The bracelet is the cherry on top of the cake. It is complex and looks very brutal. Unlike the same Nethuns, where the bracelet seems to look the same, here each link is a separate part, when in Nethuns it is all a single link. Of course, such a bracelet is more expensive, and the fact that due to such geometry it feels like silk is generally a thrill.
The clasp, however, is again the last century, but here again, unlike Netuns, at least the inside is cast.
- According to the characteristics stated:
Again, the Japanese machine Seiko NH35A - Sapphire crystal with internal, triple anti-reflective layer
- Water resistant up to 300 meters
- 15 layers of Swiss luminova on the hands, markers and bezel.
The case diameter is 42 mm, but the watch on my hand 18 cm in girth looks larger than the same Spinnaker Hull with the same 42 mm. It's all about the length of the ears. In Phoibos Wave Master they are long and this should be taken into account.
In total, we have a chic casual diver with the coolest quality finishes, with a top-end bracelet and a set of bold features. Only 8400 UAH for such beauty. I think this is the perfect choice!
Position number 2. Phoibos Voyager
We are getting closer to the final and the 2nd place in my top is just the winner of my suffering when choosing a personal model Phoibos. Phoibos Voyager won that battle.
Why did I choose them? Apparently I had been waiting for their re-release for so long at that time that I simply could not help but take them. They have a very expensive look that does not match the affordable price, they fascinate with their dials, they have a cool 40 mm size and the shape of the case is reminiscent of the Rolex Submariner. What is interesting is that this stylish insert on the stainless steel bezel can, if desired, be replaced with ceramics from the same Saba and give the watch a new look.
Only 2 colors left in stock right now. It is a classic gold or bronze dial color and black. Unfortunately this version of Phoibos Voyager is no longer available. The price of the version in the gold dial is 8400 UAH, and on the black one – 9000 UAH.
So what do we have for this cost?
A very nice quality finish on the case, which consists of a mirror finish and a satin finish on the top. By the way, I don’t really like mirror polishing because it is very scratchy and requires more maintenance, but here, in combination with satin finish, it gives the watch volume and a really expensive appearance.
The back cover of the watch, like in the Wave Master, has the coolest engraving, but here the guys have already done a perfect job on finishing and the cover is perfectly smooth.
The bezel turned out to be very unusual. This is stainless steel with a matte insert and three-dimensional numerals. Initially, I wanted to replace the insert with ceramics, but in the end I realized that this monolithic color is the whole point! The bezel itself is confident and quite tight. Maybe even too tight!
The quality of the bracelet is excellent. It is complex, 5 links, has a chic geometry and a combination of satin with a mirror finish. I have already managed to compare it more than once with a similar bracelet from the Swiss Certina for both UAH 13,500 and UAH 25,000, and the Phoibos bracelet turned out to be better. When the Swiss have it stuck in some places, here the bracelet is just perfectly soft.
And of course, this model has my favorite Clapperboard clasp. It is completely cast and this is of course an obvious advantage along with the previous candidates in the TOP 5.
A stylish dial in the "Sunburst" texture deserves special attention. There are very unusual wedge-shaped hour markers here. They are high and give the right volume. The hands and markers are also coated with 15 layers of Swiss luminova.
In terms of characteristics, we keep pace with previous models:
- Japanese mechanical automatic Seiko NH35A
- Sapphire crystal with a triple layer of internal anti-reflective
- Water resistance at the level of 300 meters.
The watch just fits perfectly on my wrist. I love them and, by the way, I often don’t even take them off at home!
This watch is proof that a watch can look and feel like a premium watch for the money. I personally recommend it!
Winner! Spinnaker Cahill
Well, here we come to our finalist! And you know, perhaps this is a somewhat strange choice, since these watches lose in some respects to the previous participants, but they are very nice to me. This is again a model from the Spinnaker micro-brand from the Cahill collection.
The watch has a cool, vintage style and is somewhat reminiscent of the legendary Blancpain Fithy Fathoms.
The model has a very accurate size of 40 mm. The case is almost completely satin. There are inclusions of mirror polishing on the edges, which gives it volume and high cost.
120 click bezel. It is made of mineral glass, which gives the watch a very unusual appearance. Someone may worry that the glass is easier to break, but here the bezel is correctly located below the level of the glass, so in principle it is almost impossible to hit it.
Bezel travel is perfect. Exactly the way I like it. Moderately tight, cool “ratchet” sound, no backlash.
I like the bracelet too. It is fully satin, molded, has a cool geometry and feels like silk.
Folding clasp with double fixation. Looks good. She's molded inside
Until mid-2021, the Spinnaker font was vintage oblique. Now he is straight. Many fans of the brand are chasing after the very oblique font, and in this model it is the old one. The brand name can be seen on the side of the case and on the dial.
The dial of the model has Spinnaker's signature, grainy texture, which I really like.
It's not the most ideal application of lume on the hands, but I'm willing to turn a blind eye to this at the expense of the overall, excellent impression of the watch.
According to the characteristics stated:
Japanese machine gun from Citizen with Miyoya caliber 8215. This caliber is outdated and has some drawbacks. Firstly, the second hand can sometimes stutter, which is not a defect, and secondly, there is no Stop Second. And again, I’m ready to give up on this, given that I may never see such a “stuttering” and it does not affect accuracy and I’m not so fanatical that I ideally set the time to zero and use “Stop-Second”
In addition, the watch has a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, a rather unusual water resistance of 150 meters and Swiss luminova on the hands. Watch marks and bezel.
The watch just looks perfect on my wrist and that's why I give it my vote.
And not only because of this, in fact. After all, the watch has a cool, vintage design, a cool size of 40 mm, a chic finish on the bracelet and case, and a number of worthy characteristics. For a price of 9800 UAH, this is more than an interesting watch.
So what do you think of these watches? Write your opinion in the comments!
Well, as always, Stanislav was with you. See you soon! Bye!
