So I've decided that I want a nice mechanical watch after never wearing a watch pretty much my whole life so now I'm agonizing over what the right watch for me is. Some details that I think are important: I'm a mechanical engineer (late 30's) so I love and appreciate how complications work, but value a clean dial face more than adding complications that I most likely won't use. I have relatively small wrists (~6.5" diameter) so large watches look out of place on me, and I'm looking for a watch that I can enjoy, but won't draw too much attention to it. So the three options I've been tossing around are:

Omega Seamaster 1948 (either the version released for the 2012 Olympics, or the new 70th anniversary version)


NOMOS Tangente neomatik 39



Christopher Ward C5 Malvern Automatic MkIII

Obviously these watches are all at very different price points, so my question is should I just go all in and get the seamaster (without ever trying it on), or would the NOMOS or Christopher Ward be better to start. Or is there a different option that I'm not even considering that might be a winner?

Any help deciding would be appreciated.

 

May I suggest moving this to the Open Discussion forum since none of these watches are vintage and only one is an Omega?

 

FWIW, I like the Christopher Ward C5 Malvern of the three presented. Just me. Good luck.

 

Try 'em on. What might look good to you in pictures might look and feel awful to you on the wrist.

 

I would also say to try them on. They all wear differently, and which aspect you value most is something only you can answer. For instance, some NOMO’s measure small, but many feel they wear large due to the fact that the dial is large with very little bezel, giving it the appearance of a larger watch. It’ll be tough to know until you try them on.

 

I've tried on the NOMOS and it is a little big, but I think it looks pretty good. Unfortunately I don't think there is anywhere that has a vintage 1948 seamaster(or the re-released version) that I could try on, same goes for the Christopher Ward, so I would be going blind into both of those purchases.

 

May I suggest this IWC. Mark XII. Fits your criteria quite nicely

 

Does a mod need to do that? I don't see any options for me to be able to move this thread.

 

Great suggestion thanks, I do like how that looks with a leather band.

 

The Nomos aesthetic is fantastic. I put on the Nomos Ahoi in 40mm and 36mm and found the 40mm too large even though my wrist is ~ 7 1/3 inches and I can wear other 40mm+ watches comfortably. If you found the 39mm a little big I suggest trying some of their 36mm because they should look bigger on your wrist than the diameter suggests.

 

Swing for the fence. This is a watch for a mechanical engineer.

 

Are you set on getting a new watch or would you consider vintage?

The simple time-only small seconds dial can be found in many vintage examples and are perfect for the size you want. I’ve recently picked up a few and most were less than $1,000 USD.

 

The new Omega '48s with a sub dial are all accounted for according to my local OB.

 

Go find an AD (authorised dealer); push your nose right up against the glass; then, try some watches on.

Personally, I'd go with the 1948. And I don't mean any damn re-issue.

 

You’re a mechanical engineer!

You should go big [purchase all the watches you pictured] or go home...and when you go big, do big physics.

 

I owned the CW for about a year. Nothing bad to say about it but I just found myself wearing my montblanc more. The white dial is easy to read and the size is nice. If you order from CW get an extra small strap or regular size strap if upgrading to the Bader (deployment). My wrist is about 6.75 so photo for reference. Price is nice on the CW and it would leave you some cash for a different watch (black dial?).

 

I'd go for the vintage Seamaster 600 with the so called "technical dial " and the natty/unusual red omega logo.

 

Thanks for all the great suggestions, definitely open to vintage as they have the look I really like. I’m really warming up to the idea of getting the CW and a vintage black dialed watch to give me some versatility. I really like the IWC mark XII and Seamaster 600 but I am partial to having the small second hand instead of the central second hand.

Now just need to get the CW and then spend some time doing more research, trying on a few more, and figuring out what the perfect vintage black dialed one is for me.

 

If your not used to wearing a watch... may I suggest the Bambino by Orient with the small second? Really cheap way to get a great watch to test it out. It does wear a little large though.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ablogtowatch.com/orient-bambino-small-seconds-ss-watch-review/amp/

 

Go big or go home.

As you are an engineer, I’d suggest the new style IWC Ingenier. The brand has a very rich history, like Omega, and the design and size is similar to those you posted.