Two Broke Watch Snobs
The New Seiko Presage Style60s: Better Looking, Still Confusing
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Two Broke Watch Snobs · Page 11
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Timex x Bespoke Post Field Watch: A Retro Mil-Spec Revival for Just $150
If you're like me and you can never get enough of the whole vintage military watch thing, then Timex’s latest collaboration with Bespoke Post might be right up your alley. Based on a 1970s gem from their Viscount collection, this throwback is wrapped up in a 36mm steel case that’s just the right size for something that looks rugged without feeling cumbersome.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Bulova Marine Star Heritage: Quartz Precision with a Smooth Sweep
Quartz movements get a bad rap from mechanical purists-and I'll never get it. The ticking second hand can apparently leave you feeling cold, especially when you’re used to the smooth sweep of an automatic. But for me, that’s always been a bit unfair. The real question isn’t whether quartz can match mechanicals-it's whether it should have to. Bulova’s HPQ (High-Performance Quartz) Precisionist movement is out to prove that quartz doesn’t just get the job done.
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These New Orient Star Layered Skeleton Colors Are Flashy-in a Way That Actually Works
Orient Star’s been around nearly as long as Orient itself, but unless you’ve really dug into their catalog, it’s easy to miss just how far they’ve stretched over the years. The sub-brand’s usually the more polished sibling-slightly dressier, slightly more experimental-and this year, with its 75th anniversary humming in the background, they’re dialing up some seasonal flair with two new versions of the Layered Skeleton.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Timex 1995 Intrepid Reissue: The Affordable Sailing Watch You Didn’t Know You Needed
Timex, as usual, is still on a roll, bringing back some of its best hits from the past few decades. The brand’s recent reissues-like the Marlin and Q Timex-have become cult favorites, but now, Timex is going deep into the archives for something a bit more unexpected: the 1995 Intrepid Reissue. This isn’t just any retro throwback; it’s a nod to a time when sports watches were as much about functionality as they were about style. Designed for sailing and water sports enthusiasts, the Intrepid is back with a 46mm case, a highly legible white dial, and a history that’s a little more interesting than your average watch revival.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
ProTek Watches: Designed to Perform and Built for Life’s Challenges
With rugged watches, durability and functionality are not just a plus but also a must. ProTek is one of those brands that have tried to satisfy this demand with a range of reliable, performance-driven timepieces intended for those who need more from their gear. Be it across unforgiving landscapes, in emergency responses, or simply an active lifestyle, ProTek provides a cogent mix of utility and design.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Longines: Bring Back the HAQ
The grab-and-go quartz watch is a trope in this hobby. Similar to the line of thinking that “I have to have a chronograph, and a dive watch, and a dress watch,” the grab-and-go quartz is there to fill a niche, one which relegates the quartz watch to one of last resort. It’s a grudging admission of the functional superiority of the movement type, but doesn’t give it the dignity of something you would choose, if you had time.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Seiko SKX173 Review: A Unique Alternative that Now Fetches SKX007 Prices
The Seiko SKX173 is sometimes overshadowed by its more sought-after sister, the SKX007, but it remains a highly capable dive watch that offers a different dial while maintaining the same rugged dependability. With its distinct dial design and ISO-certified durability, the SKX173 has long been a favorite among enthusiasts.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Shanghai Watches and the Birth of the Chinese Watch Industry
In watch culture today, “tool watches” are those meant for physical activity; the gym, swimming, scaling Mount Everest, setting new freediving records – you know, the things we all do, all the time. In reality, every watch is a tool, regardless of its water resistance rating or its ability to survive a drop from a three-story building. Organizing human activity is a major logistical challenge, and many require timing and coordination, though the degree to which that’s true varies. Timing military operations to achieve maximum pressure on the objective needs a little bit more coordination than meeting with some friends for lunch across town (though that may depend on the friend group).
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Aquastar Benthos H2: Revisiting the Past, With an Eye on the Present
Aquastar's Benthos 500 holds an important spot in dive watch history. First unveiled in 1970, it stood out from the crowd with its unique chronograph-like functionality and slow-moving 60-minute elapsed-time counter. It was bold, unconventional, and ahead of its time-until the Quartz Crisis swept the industry off course. But what if quartz hadn't disrupted the market so quickly? The new Aquastar Benthos H2 wonders just that, providing a design inspired by archival drawings from the late '60s while moving it towards modern tastes and technologies.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Watches and the Warfighter
The uniform is uniform, but the watch remains an expressive blend of utility and aesthetic style unique to that military professional. Not exclusive to, but prevalent within the Special Operations community is the facilitation of relationships through common interests. The first SOF Truth states: “humans are more important than hardware”. For the Special Operations professional, people-not equipment, make the critical difference. Ironically, many of us are bonding over hardware…our watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
A Look at the new IWC Pilot Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Petronas Team
Let’s face it: when you think of Formula One, your first thought probably isn’t, “Gee, I hope IWC drops a new Mark XX today.” But here we are, and IWC is back in the F1 game for 2025 with yet another AMG Petronas tie-in. This time, we’re looking at a no-nonsense titanium Mark XX, a clean time-and-date piece decked out in enough Petronas green to make your Speedmaster a little jealous.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Longines Trolls Us With A $5,000 ‘Dive’ Watch Featuring a Fixed Bezel: The Ultra-Chron Carbon
Let me set the stage for you: somewhere in Switzerland, a Longines executive is sitting in a leather chair, sipping espresso, and staring out over the Alps. “What if,” they muse, “we take a perfectly good dive watch, strip it of its most basic functionality, make it out of fancy plastic, and charge five grand for it?” Cue applause from the boardroom, a slow clap from a guy in a turtleneck, and voilà-the Longines Ultra-Chron Carbon is born.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Panerai Luminor Marina Review: The PAM00777
Every watch has a story, but some watches come with adventures baked right into their DNA. If you've listened back to our older podcast episodes, you'll know that my Panerai Luminor Marina PAM00777 is one of those pieces. It wasn't just the culmination of years of quiet admiration for the brand; it was the memento of a whirlwind day in Florence that, for a moment, felt like a nightmare.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Finding Joy in Watches Again: Plans for 2025 and Beyond
It's been almost ten years since we've started the Two Broke Watch Snobs podcast and when I sit back to think about that, I can't help but realize how much this hobby has monopolized my time and headspace. It's not really a bad thing, well not all the time. But this year I really tried to be mindful about how much this deep interest impacted my day-to-day life, especially all the time that it takes up between family and work obligations. The truth is-and I think deep down we all know this-watch collecting is an exceedingly unnecessary endeavor when you think about life at a macroscopic scale.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Watch Spotting in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6; An early 90s Watch Fan’s Dream
In a shadowy world of spies, double agents, black ops soldiers, and even zombies, watches can be essential tools used to coordinate attacks, anticipate timed explosives, and a variety of other tasks, especially when it’s 1991. But in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and real life 2024, they are primarily a fashion statement.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Omega Expands Seamaster Diver 300M Line With New No-Date Models
The Seamaster Diver 300M has been a cornerstone of Omega's dive watch legacy since its introduction in 1993. This year, the Swiss watchmaker refreshes the beloved collection with a duo of vintage-inspired models, blending classic aesthetics with modern performance.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Timex x The James Brand Titanium Automatic GMT ‘Emerald Edition’
Recently, Timex joined forces with The James Brand to release what many consider a game-changer in the world of affordable GMTs: a titanium-cased automatic GMT that married the utility-focused aesthetic of The James Brand with Timex's watchmaking expertise.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT “Zulu Time” Unveiled
A looks at the new Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT with detailed specs, photos, and pricing. Check out this new non-limited military-inspire watch.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Seiko’s New Prospex SPB481, SPB483, and SPB485 Dive Watches
Seiko has an enduring lineup of "greatest hits" dive watches-from the rugged Turtle and Tuna to the angular Samurai. Yet with the release of the new Seiko Prospex models (SPB481, SPB483, and SPB485), Seiko introduces an eye-catching design that’s distinctly different from anything we’ve seen in its catalog, while still staying true to its tool-watch roots. I'm still not sure how I feel about these but I like that Seiko took a significant design leap with these new divers.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
A Look At The New Timex Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium Automatic
Check out the new Timex Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium Automatic - perhaps the brand's greatest dive watch ever with a titanium case.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Duxot Henri Review: A Worthy Seamaster Homage for the Price, If You Don’t Pay Retail
In my ongoing quest to find budget alternatives to the several thousand-dollar watches I pine over, I’ve discovered a new timepiece for which I’ve developed mixed feelings. The Duxot Henri Diver Automatic is the latest in my collection. I bought it after trying on an Omega Seamaster Professional 300m with the white dial and falling in love with it. Knowing it’d be a while before I could afford the Omega, and realizing it was just a little too large for my small wrists, I set out a suitable alternative.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Omega Launches New Speedmaster “First Omega in Space” With Cal. 3861
If you thought Omega had reached its limit with vintage Speedmaster reissues, think again. Meet the latest revival in the iconic line: the new Omega Speedmaster First Omega in Space Anniversary Series. Powered by the cutting-edge Co-Axial Master Chronometer caliber 3861, this release isn’t just about the movement-it's a nod to a bygone era, with a twist.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Tudor Black Bay vs. Rolex Submariner – What’s in a name?
As I explained in my last piece, I am something of a Black Bay collector myself (picture the meme), having fallen for the 79220N Heritage Black Bay in 2015. Prior to this, however, I had already decided two years previously that I would buy a Rolex Submariner one day, somehow. Today, I want to focus on the 79220N Heritage Black Bay, the 79000N Black Bay 54 and the 124060 Submariner in my collection.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Hands-On Video Review: Citizen Promaster Aqualand Depth Meter JP2007-17W
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
Introducing the New 2024 Raven Trekker
It's hard to believe it's been over a decade since the Raven Trekker was introduced to the watch world. Back then, it was a watch I read about constantly, and I was always drawn to the value the watch presented as an early collector. Over the years, it's been a pleasure to see Steve Laughlin's brand grow-as it brought us hits like the Venture and newer co-branded projects like the TrailTrekker. But in my eyes, the Trekker has always stood at the heart of his brand. We were always hungry to see how the model would grow with each new iteration, and now, Raven has announced the latest 2024 lineup of Raven Trekker models along with a version that calls back to an earlier Raven model-the Raven Vintage.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Rado Over-Pole Review
In 2022, Rado re-released the Over-Pole as a limited edition of 1,965 pieces. The diameter remains as svelte as the original at 37mm. The height of the case is 10.4mm, and the lug-to-lug is 43mm. The lug width is 19mm, and it has a water resistance rating of 100m, though it does not have a screw-down crown. The case is fully polished. Interestingly, Rado chose to use a manually-wound movement for this reissue, rather than the automatic movement an original Over-Pole would have used. The movement is known as the Rado R862, and is modified from a Powermatic 80 found in other Swatch group watches. It has 80 hours of power reserve, and the Nivachron hairspring to increase its anti-magnetic properties. The movement is well finished, and can be seen through the watch’s transparent caseback.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Nailing the Details with the Belhamel Contra A39
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
Seiko Announces New Prospex 1968 Diver’s Modern Re-Interpretation SLA077 And SLA079
The Seiko Marinemaster rings a lot of bells when it comes to dive watches. Since its very inception, with the reference SBDX001, the Marinemaster was tagged as a robust, professional-grade diver. Fast forward to 2024, Seiko again reaches into the heritage that made the Marinemaster a legend by introducing the SLA077 and SLA079 as part of their Prospex collection.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Nine Years of Tudor Collecting
I found my way into watch collecting in 2014, with the ubiquitous SKX009J. I agonized over spending a “huge” £135 on that watch for days, after scouring the reviews and forums, before pulling the trigger from a certain Asian website. This was where it all began, and for a time, I was satisfied with this fan-favourite diver. 2014, coincidentally, was the year that Tudor came back to the UK, after its global hiatus and slow return to other markets from 2010. I remember seeing the 79220R Burgundy Black Bay for the first time and thinking - “Eww”. It was a gaudy colour, and the hour hand was a stupid shape! Some forgotten cousin of Rolex? ETA-2824 calibre? £2330? No thank you, sir, I have ALL THE SEIKOS to buy, which I promptly set about doing.