State of the Watch Collection 2021

Calendar watches, chronograph, travel watch, Indie brands and dive watches

I have always enjoyed the watch collection reviews on YouTube, from super collections at Hodinkee’s Talking Watches, hundreds of informative collection reviews at WatchArtSci, to the humorous UptickWatchReviews.  I have learned a lot about watch brands and top models from these reviews and understood more deeply how excellent collections are sought and put together.  After three years into this hobby, including 1.5 years sheltering at home thus having more time for the hobby, I feel ready to write my first State of the Collection review.  I hope to share my love and joy in watch collecting and would appreciate to get comments and suggestions for timepieces that would fit into this collection.

I started out with the idea of “one watch per complication” and “one watch per brand”, aiming to experience as many types and brands of watches as possible.  This could be a good approach for new collectors to gain knowledge about watches and keep expanding horizons.  I began with mainstream brands like most folks but was fascinated by the independent brands soon after.  With hands-on experience and sharing with watch friends, I gradually formed my own preferences, opinions and tastes.  The watches I ended up falling in love with are generally wonderful creations combining functions, design and technology, or more specifically, interesting complications, appealing aesthetics, and cutting edge movements.   I love watches that keep accurate time, as it is simply amazing to have merely 1-3 seconds error out of 86,400 seconds per day with mechanical gears alone.  

Now, without further ado, here is my current 14-watch collection grouped by category.  

• Calendar watches

  • Perpetual calendar: Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin in stainless steel Ref: 1308470

  • Annual calendar: Patek Philippe 5205G-013

  • Weekly calendar: Patek Philippe 5212A

  • Day-date: A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus White Gold Ref: 363.068

• Chronograph 

  • A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph in rose gold Ref: 414.032

• Travel watch

  • Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer Ref: 220.10.43.22.03.001

• Independent brands 

  • F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain Nacre Collection in rose gold

  • De Bethune DB27 Titan Hawk V2 Ref: DB27TIS2V2PS

  • Habring2 Foudroyante Felix Date Manual Wind

  • Alain Silberstein x Louis Erard La Semaine

• Dive watches

  • Rolex Submariner No Date Ref: 124060

  • Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Professional Ref: 2220.80.00

  • Sinn U50 S Mother-of-pearl S

  • Seiko Prospex SRPA21 PADI

The first category is the calendar watches which represent some of the most useful and practical complications.  There are many choices of perpetual calendars but most of them are in precious metal and quite expensive.  The JLC MUT perpetual calendar in stainless steel presents an exceptional value to me in an ultra thin movement made by the “watchmakers’ watchmaker”.  The annual calendar is a more recent invention by Patek Philippe, so there is no better option than acquiring an annual calendar from the inventor. The Patek Philippe 5205G-013 in blue dial was released in 2018 and is simply a perfect masterpiece blending function with design.  The weekly calendar 5212A by Patek Philippe is a rare complication in stainless steel with a unique dial of hand-writing letters and numerals.  For the day-date complication, the Lange Odysseus in white gold could become a new classic.  

Calendar watches: perpetual calendar, annual calendar, weekly calendar and day-date

For the next chronograph category, the Lange 1815 3rd-generation chronograph is one of the best ever made by any brands. The dial was elegantly designed while the movement looks like a stunning 3-D mechanical city.  I have not written a review for this timepiece yet, as I feel that I need more time to experience and appreciate it thoroughly.  

ALS 1815 Chronograph 3rd generation in rose gold

I love to travel, so GMT and worldtimer are my favorite timepieces. The grail travel watch to me is a Rolex GMT Master II “Pepsi” or “Batman”, but it has been elusive due to the obvious reasons.  I have purchased a Tudor Black Bay GMT and enjoyed a few nice trips with it, prior to the Covid-19 lockdown. It was such an excellent travel watch that I gave it to my older son as a high school graduation gift.  I acquired the Omega Seamaster Worldtimer during the lockdown, so I have not travelled to any different time zones with it yet.  This watch is getting the most wrist time lately, as it is useful when I need to work with folks in other continents.  This is such a gorgeous timepiece that I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is looking for a world-timer.  

The ultimate travel watch with 24 time zones on the wrist

Recently, I visited a Rolex AD in a different city and the salesperson patiently chatted with me, although we both knew that the chance of my getting a GMT from them even within a few years was slim. The salesperson wore a new Rolex Batman herself and it was my first time seeing a shining Batman in the metal.  It was indeed a beauty few may resist!  Then the salesperson noticed the Omega world time on my wrist.  She had not seen this piece before, so I took it off to let her take a closer look.   The Seamaster worldtimer is a much more modern design with 3-D map of the globe, compared to the Rolex GMT.  It displays 24 time-zones, versus one secondary time zone of the GMT.  The salesperson liked it and was wondering if it must be hard to get.  It is true that nowadays some of the Omega models are in great demand too, like this world timer. I left the AD almost a happier person, realizing that we should appreciate and enjoy more what we already have at present time, rather than being bothered by what we cannot get. 

The next category is the independent brands I adore so much.  I was quite lucky to acquire a FP Journe when it was still possible to get one from an AD for a new customer.  The Chronomètre Souverain is an entry level model but it represents brilliantly what makes FP Journe timepieces so desirable, being the result of relentless pursuit of horological excellence accompanied with artistic endeavor.  The DB-27 is the entry level model for De Bethune too, and it captured the brand’s innovative spirit behind the avant-garde creations.  The Habring2 piece is much more accessible but not less intriguing in any way with a deadbeat second and a flashing second.  Lastly, the Alain Silberstein x Louis Erard collaboration offers the fun time of wearing a piece of modern art on the wrist. The smileys bring joy and relaxation to me whenever I look at the colorful watch.  

The independent brands: FP Journe, De Bethune and Habring2

A piece of modern art on the wrist

The final category is dive watches which is a popular theme in any watch collection.  I acquired a Scuba certification by PADI many years ago and my last dive was at the Channel Island near Santa Barbara.  That was the reason I bought the Seiko diver with PADI sign on it without any hesitation. The Seiko “Turtle” as it is called is my swimming watch now.   If I swim once a day with it, the energy gained will power it to tick for another day, before we go swimming together again.  

Three dive watches and a world-timer

The Omega Seamaster 300M Professional is a James Bond watch which was a birthday gift from my parents. This is the watch I have owned the longest time in the collection.  The Rolex Submariner is the new model that was released last year and it is an iconic piece to have in any collection.  The Sinn U50 with mother of pearl dial is my latest acquisition and it is still on the way to me.  I’m so proud to assembly here some of the best divers from Switzerland, Germany and Japan.  

Incoming Sinn U50 Mother of Pearl (image from Sinn website)

If you compare the SOTC with my earlier watch reviews in this Newsletter, you would know that I have sold quite a few watches.  It is part of the collecting hobby to move on and seek timepieces we really love.  The watches that were let go included ones with dials that were too busy to read and the watches that didn’t hack (I love to measure and track the timing accuracy, so non-hacking just got in the way).   

What new additions will be for this collection in the future?  One would never know until the time comes.  I would love to add a GMT in the travel watch category and additional watches from independent brands that are pushing the horological envelop. “One watch per brand” is still a nice collecting strategy to keep an open mind and experience what is out there. I may write another SOTC review in 2-3 years, I hope.  Please leave your comments if you have any suggestions and I would really appreciate that.  

Please check out my most read article so far: “Which Brands Might Be The Next F.P. Journe - 2022 Edition"