These Are the Watches We’re Obsessing Over in August 2018

As watch lovers, we spend our afternoons poring over watches both new and vintage. When a new timepiece comes across our radar, one that particularly resonates with our tastes, we can’t help but obsess over it. So, here’s a taste of that process — six timepieces that our watch-loving staff are obsessing over right at this very moment.

Cyma W.W.W.

Though it’s one of the more widely-available of the “Dirty Dozen” watches produced during the last year of World War II, the Cyma is a perennial favorite of collectors due to its thick case and modern proportions (38mm with and 18mm lug width — quite large for the 1940s). While I’ve handled several excellent examples with intact radium lume, this one also happens to have a beautiful, slightly tropical dial. — Oren Hartov, Assistant Editor

Seiko World Time 6217-7000

The first Seiko World Time was introduced for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Seiko was the official timekeeper of the event, and to commemorate that, it offered these GMTs that came in a handful of different dial variations. They also featured either a stamped or etched case back with the Olympic torch depicted. Having one would be owning a piece of Olympic and horological history, and they’re flat out good looking watches. Some day… — AJ Powell, Assistant Editor

Learn More: Here

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf ZO9266

The under-$1,000 automatic watch market has a lot to offer guys like me who are relatively new to mechanical timepieces. But spend a little more and you start getting the level of richness, detail and narrative that you just can’t find for three figures. Case in point: I’ve been obsessed with Zodiac’s Super Sea Wolf divers since I saw a few new iterations at Baselworld earlier this year. This model was introduced in 1953 as the first purpose-built dive watch to be marketed to the uh, non-diving public, and probably has a lot to do with why we’re so obsessed with the category right now. Zodiac is also famously not afraid of color. In addition to the blue and orange you see here, you can also find versions with a pale blue bezel and neon green indices. There’s even a “melon watch” coming out later this year that looks almost like a piece of cantaloupe. –Justin Fenner, Senior Associate Editor

Tudor Black Bay Steel & Gold

When my wife got me my first Tudor for our anniversary last year, she inadvertently created a monster brand loyalist. Tudor was my foray into luxury watches, and the whole category was intimidating to me to some extent, not knowing many of the brands, outside of say, Rolex. To me, these weren’t price points I’d ever consider. That’s one of the reasons why I love the S&G so much — it’s actually attainable. I also love the brushed metal and matte black finishes compared to the polishing of its Rolex counterpart. It’s just a really great update on a classic look, so it pairs better with a t-shirt and jeans better than others in its class. — Jason Dakota Davis, East Coast Sales Director

Learn More: Here

Casio AE1200WH-1A World Time

I’m not one to obsess over watches — I either know I like it right away, or I don’t care for it at all. I only own two watches, one of which is an automatic, but I worry about both everytime I head out on a motorcycle. Even though each has held up just fine, between the vibrations, weather exposure and road debris, I constantly think each ride will be their last. As a result, for the first time ever, I’ve been on a genuine hunt for a watch that can take a beating on the open road and if it gets damaged, it won’t hurt my conscience or wallet at all. Some would immediately suggest a G-Shock, but personally, I’d never wear one. While I appreciate the over-engineered ethos, I think they’re painful to look at. It’s just too much. Frankly, the Casio AE1200WH-1A World Time is way more than I need — the F91W-1 Classic might even be the exact digital watch I’m looking for, but with all the traveling I’ve done this summer, for an extra three bucks, the world timer and digital time zone selector feature is impossible to beat. Not bad for a $15 timepiece.. — Bryan Campbell, Staff Writer

TAG Heuer Monaco

I like finding beautifully-made things that are a bit outside the stream, as far as “grail” items go, and despite the Steve McQueen hype around the Monaco I never (ever) see anyone wearing one. This specific example is more or less my dream watch; the black dial with contrasting white hands and markings would look great with anything from a double-breasted suit to a swimsuit, and I can tell even from this low-resolution eBay image that it would make me feel genuinely good, every single day, to put it on my wrist. What do you say to a watch that inspires excitement like that? You say yes, I think. Especially if you’ve already got the Baracuta jacket and Persol shades. — Andy Frakes, Editorial Assistant

Omega Speedmaster Professional Mark II

I’ve come to find I love icons and iconoclasts, which is probably why I have an affection for many of the Speedmasters made that aren’t your garden-variety Professional. This started with the smaller, automatic Speedmaster Reduced of ’90s and early 2000s, but in my digging for 1970s sports watches I’ve developed a newfound fascination with the Mark II. Designed as a way to keep the standard Professional looking up to date with the sleek, slightly bizarre vision the industry seemed to have in the early 1970s, the Mark II ditched the asymmetrical case for a rounded tonneau profile with shrouded lugs. There’s not much more to it than that — the watch still boasted the same hand-cranking movement as the standard Speedmaster Professional and a similar dial. Even though Omega makes a Mark II reissue today, the original Mark II doesn’t seem to have caught on with collectors and you can grab a fairly mint one for around $2,000 today. Not bad. — Andrew Connor, Staff Writer

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  These Are the Watches We’re Obsessing Over in July 2018

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