Watches

I believe in having quality, purpose-made tools. I appreciate good craftsmanship, quality, and the focus on making things the best they can be for the purpose they were made for.

There are, in my opinion, a few things that I hold as must haves that I pay special attention to and find that having a good quality version of it makes all the difference. Having a good knife, a good watch, a good pair of sunglasses, and a good pair of shoes makes that difference.

I like watches. Old time readers know this. In the case of a good watch, I'm partial to mechanical watches. I find the complexity of the mechanical movement that is hidden from the relative simplicity of the output - to tell time - fascinating. The mechanics and careful attention to details that go into making each gear, springs, and plates is just amazing. You might not get the precision of modern quartz or atomic watches and clocks, but you get very close to it with technology that is several hundreds of years old.

I believe in tool watches. Pieces that were created to serve the user and were born to be used and abused. Over the past few years I've settled on mostly wearing those kinds of watches, and investing in them, focusing on getting the best I could afford.

In the realm of quality, purpose-built watches I settled on two: the MKII Paradive and the Tudor Pelagos FXD.

The MKII Paradive

MKII watches was created by Mr. Bill Yao, a military watches expert. His idea behind MKII was to reimagine successful vintage military watches - watches created with a very specific purpose in mind - with modern technology, materials, and usability in mind. The name says it all: MKII, stands for Mark 2, as in the second generation.

That alone makes me a fan.

But MKII's watches are so much more than that. Bill's attention to details, precision of build, choice of material, and the movements selected for each model bring the best you will expect from a watch built to be used. Like their forefathers from WWII to the Vietnam war, MKII's pieces are born to be tool watches.

The Paradive is the perfect example of this.

Based on the Benrus Type I watch issued to Special Operation Forces units and some CIA forces during the Vietnam watch and up until the 1980's, the Paradive enhances the already form factor, usability, legibility, and field serviceability.

The Paradive has better water resistance, a much more durable sapphire crystal, and a simple, yet durable mechanical movement. MKII chose to use the ubiquitous Seiko NH35 movement to power this watch, a movement that is relatively accurate, easy to maintain (any competent watchmaker in the world can service it), and its parts are readily available everywhere. A perfect choice for a watch destined to be used in the field.

Coupled with the low key, bead-blasted finish of the case, and the "sterile" dial (no markings except for the very tiny MKII under the 6 o'clock index), the Paradive is my go-to watch for everything that calls for action. The more I wear it, the more I find it as a good contender for the “one watch”.

But I'm not a one watch man.

The Tudor Pelagos FXD

I have been a fan of Tudor for years. I remember my dad wearing a vintage 60s Tudor Submariner and thinking that one day I would get a very cool watch like that one. Unfortunately that watch was lost.

Tudor has a long history of providing time pieces for the military, from the US Naval Special Warfare, to the Israeli Naval Commandos, and the French Marine Nationale, Tudor watches are hard wearing and durable. The most famous vintage military Tudors continue to be the ones given to the French Marine Nationale during the 70s. With the "snowflake" hands and indexes, purposely built for better readability under murky waters during combat dives, the old Tudors are just awesome.

In 2021, Tudor launched a new version of the already successful Pelagos (I owned the original back in 2012) and working with the French navy, created the FXD. Crafted to be durable, it was purpose-built for the rigors of military dives. Sporting fixed lugs directly cut into the titanium case, the FXD (as in "fixed") is a tough, simple, and purely utilitarian watch. Perfect!

The original FXD in 2021 was launched in blue, as a homage to the original Marine Nationale watches, but last year Tudor launched the black version. Ah... Now it's better. So, after saving some money I got one, and I'm not disappointed.

Lightweight, easy to read, snowflake hands, and tough, this watch is just the quintessential tool watch.

The reason it would not make my list of "one watch" possible watches is (aside from me not being a one watch guy) the size. I wish Tudor would have made it 40mm, or even 41mm. But 42mm to me is borderline too big. Honestly, for what it was designed to serve 42 is perfect, but as an everyday watch... Ah... I would have loved it if it was 40. Still, it's an amazing watch and I have been wearing it more and more since I bought it.

Super happy to have one.

Simple watches

Yeah, tool watches. Simple, utilitarian, and purpose-built. It's one of those things I appreciate and don't mind spending the time (and money) trying to find the right ones. Like a good knife, a good watch can make your life better.

Yes, there are some quartz options out there as well, but I prefer the mechanical ones. I prefer better craftsmanship.

A good watch will make the difference.