Please help: The quest to my perfect small seconds / three-hander dress watch

Jones in LA · Feb 9, 2016

I'm going to put this out there anyway, as it checks off nearly all the boxes perfectly (alas, the small seconds dial is not recessed).The MSRP is about 25% higher than that of the Tresor, but look what you get! Case diameter is 38mm.

billyblue · Feb 9, 2016

To be honest, this Patek looks like somebody just changed the diameter +10mm and forgot to the rest. Those lugs look tiny and narrow, kind of like the opposite Rolex did with the six digit sub.

Tony C. · Feb 9, 2016

If that is case is 38mm, then the movement is tiny! Not my cuppa tea, but YMMV.

DirtyDozen12 · Feb 9, 2016

Buy a Nomos Orion Weiss and save up for the LF. The Galet Micro-rotor is the ultimate 3 hand dress watch in many people's opinion so I would not waste the fund on other expensive options if you agree.

billyblue · Feb 9, 2016

DirtyDozen12
The Galet Micro-rotor is the ultimate 3 hand dress watch in many people's opinion so I would not waste the fund on other expensive options if you agree.

Why are you saying that!! That reminds me of how it looked on my wrist and in my dreams since then...

DirtyDozen12 · Feb 9, 2016

The above picture says it all. LF's aesthetic is so unique and so perfect that no other watch will come close.
As you can see, they haunt me as well. 🥰

billyblue · Feb 10, 2016

Please stop

Kobus · Feb 11, 2016

That Patek with the non-recessed second hand does not look right. Go for recessed.

Syrte · Feb 11, 2016

Modest_Proposal
You might consider IWC's reference 3531 line. They are reduced in size, at 35mm (a proper dress size) and come in several variations.

Better still, they come equipped with Jeager Lecoultre's excellent and beautiful automatic movement.

They no longer sell new - and it might take a bit of time to find the one you want, but they're not exactly rare.

Interesting, they're all quite clearly revivals of 1940s designs.... As is the Nomos and at least one of the Lange & Sohne.

billyblue · Feb 11, 2016

Kobus
That Patek with the non-recessed second hand does not look right. Go for recessed.

For me that is the exatly its design flaw. Several watches have this, e.g. TAGHeuer Carreras, too.

billyblue · Mar 22, 2016

Ok, now that Baselworld is over the quest continues --> What a nice watch that is!!

Foo2rama · Mar 22, 2016

What about a Junghan Max Bill?

billyblue · Mar 23, 2016

Foo2rama
What about a Junghan Max Bill?

Let me think about it...hmmm...no [emoji1]

Nothing wrong with a Junghans, but nothing exciting about it either.

dx009 · Mar 23, 2016

I think you guys have confused him even further. So many beautiful watch suggestions...

pcdubc · Mar 23, 2016

For me, a three hand dress watch should be 35-36mm at most, and hand-wound. This is clearly personal preference. Given this preference, I think my Saxonia is as good as it gets. Here is my review

https://omegaforums.net/threads/ode-to-the-saxonia-35mm.32122/

At the moment, there are only maybe 1 or 2 watches that I would be interested in replacing my Saxonia as my go-to dress watch. This is one of them (from interwebs).

Jminchoi · Mar 23, 2016

I know that you said rounded in your original post, but I always had a soft spot for JLC Reversos. How about a JLC Reverso Duo? You'd get both a black face and white face in one watch?

billyblue · Mar 24, 2016

Thanks for the suggestion. I've tried the reverso for several times in the past, secretly hoping for it making "click", but it didn't. Sorry for no more reasons, but that's just the way it is.

adam78 · Mar 24, 2016

Maybe a little small for modern tastes, but you can't beat the styling of this 1928 Meadowbrook (14K white gold). Now if only it were 33mm instead of 27mm...

ekel · Sep 24, 2017

Modest_Proposal
You might consider IWC's reference 3531 line. They are reduced in size, at 35mm (a proper dress size) and come in several variations.

Better still, they come equipped with Jeager Lecoultre's excellent and beautiful automatic movement.

They no longer sell new - and it might take a bit of time to find the one you want, but they're not exactly rare.

billyblue
Hey guys, I like it! Thank you very much.

From IWC ref. 3531 (which I didn't know existed) I'd prefer the left one...

(picture taken from IWC Forum)

...as of one of my rules above "gold hands only go with gold cases". This reference instantly eliminates the over-dimensional 5454.

Still not the ONE but close (numbers on dial...).

Please keep it under 10.000 €, those Patrimonys and Breguets are nice, but then I'd buy a used Calatrava instead ;-)

So far we have:

- IWC ref. 3531-001 (rosegold, see above left)
- JLC Master Grande Ultra Thin ref. 1352420 (redgold, see bottom)

(picture taken from aBlogToWatch)

If the JLC had nicer hands (read: more shaped like the IWC) it would be the ONE.

Same two watches I'm considering at the moment (but the black dial versions of both) - in particular because of their use of metal cabochon markers.

Photobucket user: jksoegaard

Though I would prefer cabochons used sparingly as hour markers like the unique 530 below. Apart from the 530, just curious to know what other small-seconds dress watches employ a judicious use of steel cabochon markers - bonus points if they are set against a black dial.

Hodinkee - https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/patek-philippe-reference-530-most-important-2017

Also curious to know what the OP @billyblue settled on in the end.

ekel · Apr 1, 2018

Decided on the black dial 3531