Looking for The One Watch

So I'm coming up on one of the those life milestones, and am looking for a 'one watch,' i.e. one that I'll keep for years and years. I'm making this page to provide amusement and see if anyone on the lazyweb has any ideas (please add a comment if you do!)

Goals

• Thin and light. While I love my Marinemaster and Halios Holotype, years of watch geekery has slowly taught me that I prefer thinner and lighter watches. The OWC 5517, which is about 40mm by 12mm, with a tapered profile, is enormously more comfortable to wear. So I'm shooting for
  • 12mm thick
  • 38-42mm in width.
• High-grade movement, such as 2892, Soprod A-10 or the like. Second best would be a top-grade 2824.
• Metal case with Bracelet. Titanium preferred, 316L as second best.
• Ceramic bezel if possible. Sapphire also good.
• Crystal: I want high visibility and durability.
  • Sapphire is a requirement
  • Domed shape helps
  • AR coatings strongly preferred, at least internal and if possible double-sided.
• All-night lume on hands, hour markers and if possible bezel. We're expecting our second child in July, so I need to know at a glance what time it is all night. (It helps to keep track of how often they're eating and such early on.)
• Legibility, meaning hands that contrast well against the dial and are visible in poor light, e.g. sunset.
• Must have a movable bezel. Just too useful to not have one. Full 60-minute marks strongly preferred.
• Not too flashy - no Rolex, no Tag Heuer, more brushed finish and less polished.
• GMT would be nice but not required.
• Comfortable; I like to leave my watch on for biking, sleeping and showering, and plan to wear this for weeks at a time.

Candidates and commentary

As I think of 'em and add 'em to the page...

IWC Aquatimer 2000 3568-02

(Image credit: Tom Byars on TZ)

Yum.
Specs from the IWC site:

• 44 by 14mm. Larger than I'd like, but they changed to standard lugs with nice curvature.
• IWC 30110, modified ETA 2892 movement
• Sapphire crystal, dual-sided AR coating, convex
• Sapphire bezel with 6 layers of Superluminova. Niiiice.
• Cartier quick-change-system strap.

Currently around 3k used.

Omega Planet Ocean 2201.51.00

(Image credit: Omega)

Roughly 3,150 from Amazon..
Omega product page is here.

Specs of interest:

• 42mm by 13mm
• 600m rating, co-axial movement, ETA 2892 base, highly modified, COSC chronometer.
• Double-coated domed crystal
• Nice orange highlights. Love those.

Minuses:

• 15-minute bezel
• Separate helium escape valve - just one more thing to fail
• A bit flashy, even in this black-bezel version. A bit too recognizable, perhaps.
• Omega charges waay to much for parts and service - like $500 for a leather strap and even Otto Frei wants $650 for an Omega bracelet. Highway robbery.

Summary:
About 2k used, a bit more common these days with Omega's increase in advertising and product placement, but still the front runner from a design and legibility point of view. A gorgeous watch; I love the numeric fonts and arrow hands. Beautiful.

Grand Seiko Spring Drive SBGA031/029

(Image credit: Seiya's store)

SBGA031 is titanium, 029 is steel. About 2k in price delta for titanium.

If I win the lottery, crazy expensive but the very ideal of what I'd like. SpringDrive, sapphire, ceramic, titanium case, amazing finish work and priced accordingly.

Specs:

• 44.2mm by 14.2mm; a bit larger than I'd like

Minuses:

• Utterly unaffordable at $7,218.

Links:

• Seiya
• Molle's page

Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT SBGE001

Ahh, what a beauty. Spring Drive, sapphire bezel, fantastic lume, the works. The only problem is price, and they almost never show up used.

(Image credit: Seiya's store)

Specs of interest:

• Spring Drive movement, 9R66
• A bit larger than I'd like at 43.5mm by 14.7mm
• 125g on leather, 175 on bracelet, 19mm lugs.
• A/R coated sapphire crystal, flat
• Amazingly cool sapphire-coated lumed bezel.

Minuses:

• Price: $5938 on Seiya's site. Ouch.
• A bit large

Links:

• Molle's review

OWC 9411

(Image credit: twigfarm on WCF)

The 9411 is offered with Soprod A-10 and AR crystal, and also with ceramic bezel. Win!

Specs of interest:

• Movement is ST1812 or Soprod A-10
• 40mm by 12mm - perfect
• Blue or black dial
• Ceramic bezel
• Sapphire xtal with AR
• $695

Minuses:

• 15-minute bezel
• I like sword hands more than snowflake.
• No date

Questions:

• Lume on 5517 is poor - will this be better?
• When will it ship?
• Dan had talked of a vintage hi-beat version for review - still possible?
• Motor City Watch Works has sword hands for 7S26 - ask if available for ETA?

Best price, and especially given the ceramic/AR/A-10 combo. Those hands are growing on me.

OWC 5517 rev 3

(Image credit: WatchOtaku)
(That's the rev 1.5 version: aluminum bezel, non-coated crystal, crap lume material.)

The older 5517 lacks in a few areas and excels in others. Intriguingly, Dan Fock tells me that the limitations are going away, so this is my new front runner.

Specs of interest:

• Movement choice between ST1812 or Soprod A-10.
• Flat sapphire with A/R
• Ceramic bezel
• Improved lume
• 40mm by 12mm, even thinner perhaps possible
• New dials are in the works; he ran afoul of Orange Pty Ltd and had to rename the company to 'OWC,' requiring new dials and such.
• Cost probably $700 or so, I'd be happy up to 800.

Links:

• Discussion and news on the excellent forum board.

Timefactors Precista PRS3

(Image credit: H20falls on PMWF)

This is a homage to the Omega Seamaster 300, which is a really cool vintage watch that, these days, is often faked. That and I don't want vintage - too much work, I want a workhorse. So the PRS3 might work:

• 42 by 12.45mm - good size, a bit wide but ok
• 300m water resistant, 4,800A/m magnetic (stock, probably no soft iron casing)
• Flat sapphire with inner A/R
• ETA 2824, standard grade, date window at six
• A bit heavy at 205/125g
• Plain (probably aluminum bezel)

Links:

• Factory page
• Review on WUS
• PMWF review
• Used one for sale

Update: bought and sold. meh.

Update and discussion 3/29/10

After selling (sigh) my Omega X-33, I've contacted Dan Fock and ordered a rev-3 MS-5517:

• AR-coated sapphire crystal
• Ceramic (TBD) bezel
• Soprod A-10 movement

It'll be some time before its ready to ship, as Dan's working yet on sourcing and the bezel in particular. Maybe someday if I have the money I'll get the Planet Ocean; still would like that.

Update 4/8/10

Removed the MIH, Archimede and U2. Narrowing down...

Update 4/27/10

Added PRS3 - ordered used from PMWF sales. I doubt it's the One Watch, but affordable and available.

update 8/22/10

Added iwc.