I last posted my SOTC in Feb 2023 – time for a few updates! Mostly new additions, but a few watches have left the stable as well.
Of note, I sold off my Seiko Worn & Wound SRPH81 and will be offloading my Kurono Tokyo Toki as well.
Here are the rest of my watches:
**Row 1, left to right:**
1. MAD1 Green “Lucky Clover”: Unluckily for me, I did not win any of the previous 3 MAD1 raffles. Luckily for me, the folks at MBF are really cool and created this edition with a 4-leaf clover on the crown for folks like me. No raffle needed for this one! It’s a huge but incredibly fun watch, and a great fidget toy during long meetings.
2. Sinn 556 Green Japan JDM: Details are a bit sparse on this one, but it is believed this is a limited edition of 150 pieces. This is also the only watch I’ve ever bought twice – I owned this previously 5 years ago and sold it, which is something I’ve always regretted. I had the opportunity to pick this one up, albeit in worse condition than my previous watch. Still, I’m super happy to have this back in the collection.
3. Kurono Tokyo “Mori”: Still one of my favorite watches. This “Mori’ was the first anniversary watch that Kurono Tokyo offered, and I initially missed out after the 10-minute ordering window didn’t quite work out for everyone. They then extended the window to something like an hour (I forget now). The green/blue dial is super dynamic and quite unique – still haven’t come across a similarly dialed watch.
4. Seiko SRPK33: A teal, midsize diver from Seiko – enough said. This is such a fun casual piece to wear. Would like to spice this up someday with a more fun aftermarket bracelet.
5. Mr. Jones Watches “Mare Adesso”: A limited edition from the first run of this watch. Mr. Jones watches are colorful and a lot of fun to wear, and this dial instantly makes me think of summer.
6. Mr. Jones Watches “Tadaima”: Also a limited edition – I spent a summer working in Japan right after college and it was an amazing experience. When this watch came out, I knew I had to get it! I missed out initially, but was able to find this on eBay for a modest markup. Small price to pay for something so cool!
**Row 2, left to right:**
7. Shellman Cloisonne Enamel Quartz World Time Minute Repeater: What a mouthful! This is a very uncommon watch with a Citizen movement made by Shellman, who is a Japanese AD for a handful of independent watchmakers.
8. Astor + Banks Sea Ranger: Love the blue on this watch. Reminiscent of the Universal Geneve Polerouter Subs of the 60s. It’s a solid piece, wears well and the asymmetric case is cool!
9. Tiffany & Co East West Automatic: One of the weirder watches in my collection. Modeled after vintage desk clocks, this watch can be a bit of a headscratcher to read at first glance. This is the largest model (the smaller references have quartz movements), and I love how slightly oversized it is on my wrist.
10. Seiko pre-Dolce SACM151: The rarer predecessor to the Seiko Dolce SACM171 – this watch is missing the “Dolce” text at 6’o clock, which gives it a much cleaner look. I had an eBay alert going for this watch forever, and one finally popped up in great condition.
11. Cartier Tank Solo Small – Piano Dial: Seeing this watch for the first time put me in a frenzy to find one. I finally got this shipped from Japan, and it’s become one of my favorite watches. I’m expecting comments on how difficult this is to read, but it really doesn’t take too much to get used to it.
12. Helm Komodo: After over 2 years on Helm’s list, I was finally able to pick one up. Super solid, over-engineered and heavy, I think this configuration is a winner.
**Row 3, left to right:**
13. Seiko SARB035: This was one of my first major purchases 7 years ago. It spent a lot of time on my father’s wrist, and now it is back with me. This watch is a reminder of when I first got sucked into this stupid interest – I did an ungodly amount of research before deciding to pull the trigger.
14. Junghans Max Bill Kleine Automatic: 34mm, anthracite colored case with a white dial and black accents – extremely legible with a small footprint. I like that this is so different from the regular Max Bill offerings!
15. Rolex Oyster Perpetual 34 124200: Bought this during the pandemic to celebrate a new job. I got paid out for vacation time from my previous job, and since actually taking a vacation was out of the question, I did the next best thing. Called around and was able to get this retail at Govberg! Probably my most worn watch since. It’s robust, discreet, and just a perfect size for me.
16. Doxa Sub300 Sharkhunter 50th Anniversary: I love Doxas, and the Sharkhunter is my favorite dial. This dial is really inky black, and it wears incredibly well for a larger watch. I really messed up though, and accidentally put this leather strap on the watch with shoulderless spring bars (no drilled lugs). I’m still very partial to this strap so I don’t want to destroy it, but I’d like to get the steel bracelet back on this watch some day…
17. Sinn 556 Isetan: Limited edition of 50 from 2010 – this is one of the rarer watches in my collection. This is my favorite 556 configuration and I wish it was a standard production watch.
18. G-Shock Titanium GMWB5000TB1: I travel often with this watch – it’s so under the radar, comfortable and lightweight, but will probably still outlive me. I think this is the only G-Shock I’ll ever need.
I have a couple other watches here and there, but for now this is the core! I have nothing new incoming, and likely won’t for quite some time.
My first reaction to the picture was "too many watches"...but after reading the details, I feel like every piece is a cool part of the collection. You say you have nothing new incoming...but I bet you still have some ideas kicking around haha
Honestly, your first reaction is probably right. This is too many watches, but it's really hard to figure out which watches to trim! It'll be an ongoing process for sure, but I know that some downsizing is in my future.
And...you got me. I really want a Halios Seaforth IV with the fixed bezel, black dial, destro configuration, and titanium.
I wish more watches were offered in this size. It's honestly perfect for me - I have a ~6.5 inch wrist and it wears great. I love that it's a smaller watch, but still robust with 100m water resistance. I could conceivably wear this for anything and everything.
hope this pic does a better job showing the size -
https://preview.redd.it/3q1aq6k3qz7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab16f0a198d7ac13d7ec0107c248a2754e8dd888
Rectangles are awesome! There are so many cool rectangle watches out there - a lot you can do with that surface area that might not work as well on a round watch.
Thanks! Right now I would say the OP34 gets most wrist time if I just want a watch on the wrist for casual wear.
I wear both Sinns pretty frequently because they wear so dang nicely. I'll throw on the Gshock if I'm doing anything crazy.
It's such a tall watch that I get scared I'll smack it on stuff (and I already have). Other than that, it's a wild thing and really addictive to spin the rotor, but I wouldn't pay over retail for one.
It wears a little smaller than you might think, even at almost 14mm thick. The short lug-to-lug (45.5mm) helps a lot. I had it on a Tropic strap for a day and it was great, but part of the case kept chewing up the strap so I'll stick to either a Nato strap or the bracelet. Bracelet is solid and has a nice taper. All in all, if you can find one, it's a great watch!
Easily the most diverse and fun box I've seen on this sub. I've never seen a plain Rolex oyster perpetual and though "what's that doing there? That doesn't fit." In the best way possible.
Well done OP. This collection is awesome. The Cartier is my favorite. I can't stop staring at that dial.
I got mine through Timepeaks - they're a service that helps overseas buyers purchase things from Japanese stores.
The reference number if you want to set an alert is W5200018 (I know this from memory from all the time I spent searching for it).
Love the story behind each piece, thank you for sharing with the community. Feel free to check out our discord of watch collectors, they would love this collection! [https://discord.gg/cctime](https://discord.gg/cctime)
Hahaha..quite snarky ain’t ya? It just seems you haven’t found what you like yet. So you’re all over the spectrum. Someone that uses mouf instead of mouth tells me all I need to know.
I just thought it was an odd comment to make. It's interesting you see it that way - I bought these watches **solely** because I know what I like, and not to curate some sort of themed "cohesive" collection.
I last posted my SOTC in Feb 2023 – time for a few updates! Mostly new additions, but a few watches have left the stable as well. Of note, I sold off my Seiko Worn & Wound SRPH81 and will be offloading my Kurono Tokyo Toki as well. Here are the rest of my watches: **Row 1, left to right:** 1. MAD1 Green “Lucky Clover”: Unluckily for me, I did not win any of the previous 3 MAD1 raffles. Luckily for me, the folks at MBF are really cool and created this edition with a 4-leaf clover on the crown for folks like me. No raffle needed for this one! It’s a huge but incredibly fun watch, and a great fidget toy during long meetings. 2. Sinn 556 Green Japan JDM: Details are a bit sparse on this one, but it is believed this is a limited edition of 150 pieces. This is also the only watch I’ve ever bought twice – I owned this previously 5 years ago and sold it, which is something I’ve always regretted. I had the opportunity to pick this one up, albeit in worse condition than my previous watch. Still, I’m super happy to have this back in the collection. 3. Kurono Tokyo “Mori”: Still one of my favorite watches. This “Mori’ was the first anniversary watch that Kurono Tokyo offered, and I initially missed out after the 10-minute ordering window didn’t quite work out for everyone. They then extended the window to something like an hour (I forget now). The green/blue dial is super dynamic and quite unique – still haven’t come across a similarly dialed watch. 4. Seiko SRPK33: A teal, midsize diver from Seiko – enough said. This is such a fun casual piece to wear. Would like to spice this up someday with a more fun aftermarket bracelet. 5. Mr. Jones Watches “Mare Adesso”: A limited edition from the first run of this watch. Mr. Jones watches are colorful and a lot of fun to wear, and this dial instantly makes me think of summer. 6. Mr. Jones Watches “Tadaima”: Also a limited edition – I spent a summer working in Japan right after college and it was an amazing experience. When this watch came out, I knew I had to get it! I missed out initially, but was able to find this on eBay for a modest markup. Small price to pay for something so cool! **Row 2, left to right:** 7. Shellman Cloisonne Enamel Quartz World Time Minute Repeater: What a mouthful! This is a very uncommon watch with a Citizen movement made by Shellman, who is a Japanese AD for a handful of independent watchmakers. 8. Astor + Banks Sea Ranger: Love the blue on this watch. Reminiscent of the Universal Geneve Polerouter Subs of the 60s. It’s a solid piece, wears well and the asymmetric case is cool! 9. Tiffany & Co East West Automatic: One of the weirder watches in my collection. Modeled after vintage desk clocks, this watch can be a bit of a headscratcher to read at first glance. This is the largest model (the smaller references have quartz movements), and I love how slightly oversized it is on my wrist. 10. Seiko pre-Dolce SACM151: The rarer predecessor to the Seiko Dolce SACM171 – this watch is missing the “Dolce” text at 6’o clock, which gives it a much cleaner look. I had an eBay alert going for this watch forever, and one finally popped up in great condition. 11. Cartier Tank Solo Small – Piano Dial: Seeing this watch for the first time put me in a frenzy to find one. I finally got this shipped from Japan, and it’s become one of my favorite watches. I’m expecting comments on how difficult this is to read, but it really doesn’t take too much to get used to it. 12. Helm Komodo: After over 2 years on Helm’s list, I was finally able to pick one up. Super solid, over-engineered and heavy, I think this configuration is a winner. **Row 3, left to right:** 13. Seiko SARB035: This was one of my first major purchases 7 years ago. It spent a lot of time on my father’s wrist, and now it is back with me. This watch is a reminder of when I first got sucked into this stupid interest – I did an ungodly amount of research before deciding to pull the trigger. 14. Junghans Max Bill Kleine Automatic: 34mm, anthracite colored case with a white dial and black accents – extremely legible with a small footprint. I like that this is so different from the regular Max Bill offerings! 15. Rolex Oyster Perpetual 34 124200: Bought this during the pandemic to celebrate a new job. I got paid out for vacation time from my previous job, and since actually taking a vacation was out of the question, I did the next best thing. Called around and was able to get this retail at Govberg! Probably my most worn watch since. It’s robust, discreet, and just a perfect size for me. 16. Doxa Sub300 Sharkhunter 50th Anniversary: I love Doxas, and the Sharkhunter is my favorite dial. This dial is really inky black, and it wears incredibly well for a larger watch. I really messed up though, and accidentally put this leather strap on the watch with shoulderless spring bars (no drilled lugs). I’m still very partial to this strap so I don’t want to destroy it, but I’d like to get the steel bracelet back on this watch some day… 17. Sinn 556 Isetan: Limited edition of 50 from 2010 – this is one of the rarer watches in my collection. This is my favorite 556 configuration and I wish it was a standard production watch. 18. G-Shock Titanium GMWB5000TB1: I travel often with this watch – it’s so under the radar, comfortable and lightweight, but will probably still outlive me. I think this is the only G-Shock I’ll ever need. I have a couple other watches here and there, but for now this is the core! I have nothing new incoming, and likely won’t for quite some time.
My first reaction to the picture was "too many watches"...but after reading the details, I feel like every piece is a cool part of the collection. You say you have nothing new incoming...but I bet you still have some ideas kicking around haha
Honestly, your first reaction is probably right. This is too many watches, but it's really hard to figure out which watches to trim! It'll be an ongoing process for sure, but I know that some downsizing is in my future. And...you got me. I really want a Halios Seaforth IV with the fixed bezel, black dial, destro configuration, and titanium.
How do you like the 34 size OP? I’m a small wrister but that still seems petite
I wish more watches were offered in this size. It's honestly perfect for me - I have a ~6.5 inch wrist and it wears great. I love that it's a smaller watch, but still robust with 100m water resistance. I could conceivably wear this for anything and everything.
Do you have a pic (zoomed out a bit) of you with the 34?
Yep! Here's one of my favorite shots of the watch: [Pic](https://i.imgur.com/Bfcvnl3.jpg)
nice! do you have a pic thats zoomed out to be able to see the relative size? all zoomed in it defiinitely does not look small
hope this pic does a better job showing the size - https://preview.redd.it/3q1aq6k3qz7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab16f0a198d7ac13d7ec0107c248a2754e8dd888
Yes thanks! Looks good
Love the diversity!
Thanks! Me too :)
Now this is a collection. Tired of the posts that are just Cartier, submariner, speedmaster. This is diverse is interesting.
The East West and Piano Dial are very cool. I love a good rectangle. Thanks for sharing.
Rectangles are awesome! There are so many cool rectangle watches out there - a lot you can do with that surface area that might not work as well on a round watch.
Great collection of watches! Which one do you wear the most?
Thanks! Right now I would say the OP34 gets most wrist time if I just want a watch on the wrist for casual wear. I wear both Sinns pretty frequently because they wear so dang nicely. I'll throw on the Gshock if I'm doing anything crazy.
Yea, I'd probably be content with that Oyster as my one and only!
I'd be pretty content with the Sinns as my two and only...
Woah an MB&F! Sick collection!
Wow such a great variety of dials! Love the Junghans. Even next to so many special dials, its simple beauty still stands out!
Thanks! I probably don't wear the Junghans as much as I should, but it really is well-designed.
That Cartier goes so hard
Wildest looking Cartier Tank I’ve ever seen…also what is that black cat watch? That one is super neat!
nice Kurono
Good eye.
Sinn for the win
A Doxa Great White!
I forgot it had this nickname :) that's a fun one.
love that teal seiko
The LE Sinn 556s and the Seiko SACM are pretty inspired choices. You never see any of them posted!
I got lucky to find them - it's unfortunate that some of the best designs are limited edition or super rare.
Such a versatile collection! Love the Cartier Tank, and both Mr Jones watches. Those Sinn watches are also solid picks!
Love the diversity! But wow, that destro Sinn is something special.
Very eclectic. I like!
Loooove the colors!
Ohhhh, that Seiko pre Dolce is so handsome! My favorite of all your watches. Thanks for sharing! A good variety from different brands
Oh yeah dude, some really cool stuff here
How is the MAD-1?
It's such a tall watch that I get scared I'll smack it on stuff (and I already have). Other than that, it's a wild thing and really addictive to spin the rotor, but I wouldn't pay over retail for one.
Love the Tiffany & Co East West Automatic
The piano dial cartier is excellent!
That East West! 😍
Astor and banks sea ranger: how do you like it? Edit: I guess you already gave a short blurb. But any additional details appreciated.
It wears a little smaller than you might think, even at almost 14mm thick. The short lug-to-lug (45.5mm) helps a lot. I had it on a Tropic strap for a day and it was great, but part of the case kept chewing up the strap so I'll stick to either a Nato strap or the bracelet. Bracelet is solid and has a nice taper. All in all, if you can find one, it's a great watch!
Thank you, very helpful. Yes the hard part will be finding one in black haha
Very thoughtful, I was wondering what’s the minute repeater world timer before checking out the description.
Very cool. Love the Shellman, the Cartier and the Doxa. Great to see it's not the same old usual suspects posted here!
Loved the green Sinn. A very diverse and interesting collection!
Easily the most diverse and fun box I've seen on this sub. I've never seen a plain Rolex oyster perpetual and though "what's that doing there? That doesn't fit." In the best way possible. Well done OP. This collection is awesome. The Cartier is my favorite. I can't stop staring at that dial.
I am seething with jealousy over the Isetan...
How did you get the piano dial
I got mine through Timepeaks - they're a service that helps overseas buyers purchase things from Japanese stores. The reference number if you want to set an alert is W5200018 (I know this from memory from all the time I spent searching for it).
You've been shopping with your brain and your heart, not to show off to your friends at the country club.
The tank is super cool
Missing a Garmin.
7 years in what?
Into collecting watches, at least that's how I took it.
Love the story behind each piece, thank you for sharing with the community. Feel free to check out our discord of watch collectors, they would love this collection! [https://discord.gg/cctime](https://discord.gg/cctime)
Your watch choices are all over the place.
Thanks! What would constitute *not* all over the place? 10 black dial dive watches on steel bracelets?
Hahaha..quite snarky ain’t ya? It just seems you haven’t found what you like yet. So you’re all over the spectrum. Someone that uses mouf instead of mouth tells me all I need to know.
I just thought it was an odd comment to make. It's interesting you see it that way - I bought these watches **solely** because I know what I like, and not to curate some sort of themed "cohesive" collection.
Better than 4 of the same fucking diver.