Guide: 5 dress watches for every wallet
Summer is on its way and it is starting to be time to think about which watch will sit on the arm during the sun holiday. We have picked out five divers under 25,000 kronor that are perfect for the summer's adventures!
Text: Aleksandar Mladenovic
In this guide we at Eqotime list 5 watches of a dressy character for every wallet and budget!
Grand Seiko SBGW231
Grand Seiko needs no closer introduction. The Japanese manufacturer is well known for its high finish at a comparatively reasonable price tag.
This model, SBGW231, is a very popular one from their range. With a diameter of 37mm (37,3mm to be exact) and a clean aesthetic on the dial where nothing other than their logotype is to be found, matched with a cream-coloured dial. An extremely popular model from their Elegance collection. The dial and the case in steel make it rewarding to match this watch with a range of different straps depending on your mood, everything from a more dressy dark brown alligator leather strap to a slightly more dressed-down approach with a calfskin strap in, for example, taupe.
With a well-balanced size, their well-known manual in-house calibre with 72 hours of power reserve and a clean dial, the Grand Seiko SBGW231 becomes an awesome all-round option that can be both dressed up and dressed down depending on the occasion. The list price for the watch is 49,950kr.
Read more about the watch at Grand Seiko
Cartier Santos Dumont WSSA0046
An interesting novelty from Cartier that was presented during Watches & Wonders 2022 and which we wrote a bit more about here.
The watch comes in three executions: steel, rose gold and platinum, where the two last-mentioned are limited editions and where the one we focus on here is part of the regular range.
Inside the steel case, which is decorated with lacquered lugs and a bezel ring and measures 31,4 x 43,5mm, ticks the manual 430 MC (based on the Piaget 430P). Thanks to this thin movement the watch measures only 7,3mm, which contributes to its elegant appearance.
The list price has been raised somewhat since the most recent price information we have and should at present be somewhere between 70,000 – 75,000kr.
NOMOS Glashütte Ludwig 33 duo
The most wallet-friendly option we find at NOMOS Glashütte, a manufacturer we write a lot about here at Eqotime and that delivers very high quality and finish for a reasonable price tag.
The Ludwig 33 model is a pared-back model in true NOMOS spirit. It measures, just as the name hints, 33mm in diameter but thanks to the long and straight lugs that are found on most NOMOS models it will probably be experienced as somewhat larger on the wrist.
What we like about the Ludwig model is that they have chosen a white enamelled dial (where there is also a variant in silver) and where you can choose whether you want it with or without a sub-second. Thanks to their in-house calibre Alpha.2, which is manual, they have been able to keep the thickness down to only 6,5mm.
The size also makes it wearable for slightly smaller female wrists, sharing is caring!
The price tag for the NOMOS Glashütte Ludwig 33 duo is 1,060 euro and you can read more about the model here.
Longines Master Collection 190th anniversary
A model we acquainted ourselves with earlier this year is the Longines Master Collection 190th anniversary. The model was launched in connection with Longines turning 190 years old this year.
Here a slightly larger case of 40mm in steel is combined with an exquisite sandblasted dial in silver with engraved so-called Breguet numerals. The blued hands contribute both to an elegant touch as to good legibility.
Inside the case ticks an automatic movement and they have managed to keep the thickness down to under 10mm (9,35mm), which means the watch slides nicely in under the shirt cuff.
The Swedish list price for the Longines Master Collection 190th anniversary is a humane 24,900kr.
Armin Strom Tribute 1 Rose Gold Edition
For the person who is looking for something a little more unusual and extravagant we want to make a case for Armin Strom's latest model Tribute 1.
We acquainted ourselves more closely with the brand earlier this year at their Swedish retailer INDP Watches where we took a look at large parts of their collection and also talked with their owner Serge Michel.
The model is a new interpretation of a dress watch with clear Armin Strom DNA. Something they are well known for is their skeletonised watches and here too there are elements of this, since the barrel and its bridge are visible on the dial. It is found both in steel and in rose gold, where we have chosen to focus on the version in precious metal.
The case is made in rose gold and measures 38mm in diameter with a very high finish both on the case, the dial and naturally the movement. Inside the 9,38mm thick case ticks their in-house calibre with a full 100 hours of power reserve.
The price tag for the Armin Strom Tribute 1 Rose Gold is 300,000 kr and it is limited to 100 examples, contact INDP Watches if you are interested in the watch and read more about it at Armin Strom.
