Well guys, today I bought my first "serious" watch.
I live in the land of cuckoo clocks and watchmakers, so finding a nice range is always easy. I chose a big jewelers in a large department store I know (I decided no Ebay/online shopping), and went to try some on.
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First, I tried on the
Longines Hydroquest 300m. I liked it a lot. Back to that in a bit.
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Secondly I tried on a
Tag Aquaracer 300m. It looked great in photos online, but there was just something about it on the wrist that didn't excite me, it just felt a bit "meh". It is perfectly sized at 39mm and classically (minimilistically) styled, but there is just a certain amount of detail lacking on the face. The strap is also
very thin and feels more womanly than the other watches.
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Thirdly, I tried on the
Rado D-Star 200. As nice as it looks in photos, in the flesh it's a bit of an ugly duckling. It is weirdly thick and bulbous, and the aesthetics as a result are all off. It is also a little larger at 41mm. It was on my wrist for all of 10 seconds before I asked her to get it off of me... I didn't even pay attention to the strap.
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So, back to the Longines with its' ETA 2824-2 movement. When I put it on again after trying on the other competitors, I immediately knew, as I had when I tried it the first time, that I had found my timepiece. When I first saw the photos I thought it looked nice... if maybe a little "old skool" in it's classical styling. However, photos do not do it justice, and on the wrist it looks simply fantastic. The styling is elegant and detailed with the larger numbers, yet not overbearing as a result; it doesn't feel crowded. The seconds ticker has a red dot on the end that not only provides a very nice subtle little detail, but also allows you to instantly pick it out on its way around the face. It is a watch that just has a distinct and imo distinguished look and feel about it.
Next, the strap. The strap is simply fantastic. it is wide and chunky so has the masculinity, while still managing to look elegant and dressy, and importantly the clasp seems solid and easy to use.
And the best thing? At £790 it was about 40% cheaper than the average looking and feeling Tag Aquaracer, and the bulbulous and toad-like Rado Dstar 200 which were both around £1250.
Some obligatory money shots:
In short: I am one happy horological camper.
