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Ended up going a totally different direction. Over the last year I’ve been slowly downsizing my collection with the thought that I wanted to go after something more high-end. The goal was to have fewer watches, but higher-level ones. I had sold off quite a few mid-range watches from Breitling, Omega, Zenith and some other brands. I thought for sure I was going to get a Vacheron Constantin Overseas chrono in blue. I love the bracelet, overall finishing, quick change strap system and that deep blue dial which really needs to be seen in person to be appreciated. The dial and the watch itself are stunning.

When I had sold off enough watches to purchase it, I went to an AD numerous times to try it on. In the case and in my hands, it looked even better in person than the internet pics. The overall finishing of the watch and the blue dial are just amazing. But when I put it on my wrist it just sat too flat and too wide for my tiny wrists. Due to the integrated bracelet, the bracelet flared out beyond the width of my wrist and looked too large. There was space between the bracelet flare and my wrist. It was the same problem I had when I tried on the AP Royal Oak Chrono which is the other watch I had considered. The bracelet does not drop straight down from the case to accommodate smaller wrists but rather flares out causing it wear large. The rubber strap and leather options fit better as they didn’t flare as much, but the goal was primarily to wear it on the bracelet because why buy a watch with such an amazing bracelet and not use it. So, after trying it on numerous times I decided that I couldn’t pull the trigger on it and went to plan B.

Instead of buying 1 watch with 3 interchangeable straps I ended up with 3 watches with 3 different straps. One to be worn on a bracelet, one that could get wet like a rubber strap, and one on leather. The total cost of the 3 I picked up was within a couple hundred dollars of the cost of the VC so it was essentially an even swap.

The first watch I picked up was the GO 70’s chrono which I got new from an AD. Love the look of the integrated bracelet on this one as it goes straight down and doesn’t suffer the same flaring issue as other integrated bracelets I tried on. Having a square case is unique in my collection which adds a nice new element. The micro adjustment is perfect on this one and makes finding the perfect fit easy. The dial is a beautiful blue sunburst with a very unique layout. At first glance it looks like a 2 sub dial chrono, but it has the hours totalizer in the small disc at 12 and it also has a power reserve indicator in the seconds sub dial. In general, I’m a huge sucker for the GO big date as I think it’s the nicest executed big date in the industry. This also might be the most cleanly executed chrono out there. The balance and symmetry of the dial is perfect. It was able to squeeze a full chrono, big date function and power reserve on what appears at first glance to be a 2 sub dial watch. So, this one with the unique case shape, integrated style bracelet, nice in-house movement and unique dial design is one I have admired for a long time.







The second watch was a JLC Polaris chrono which I got new from an AD. This one also has a beautiful bracelet which is what I purchased it on, but this will be worn on a brown strap for the most part as this one is a bit of a dressier chrono. Just haven’t picked out the right brown strap yet to go with it. This watch really needs to be seen in person to be appreciated. It’s really hard to photograph this dial and I was much more impressed by this watch in person that I was in any pictures I had seen online. The hand finishing on the case is clearly evident when handled and might be the nicest finished case I’ve ever had. And the dial is really cool with the 3 separate blue finishes. The textured part with the applied indices is the most difficult to photograph, but it almost shimmers in the sunlight as the light catches the rough finish. Again, this dial has a perfect symmetry as it does not have a date. At 42mm this watch fits my small wrist perfect and it’s thin for a chrono which allows it to be worn with dressier clothes on the rare occasion I ever need to even wear a dress shirt.





The third watch I ended up with was a BP Bathyscaphe Ocean Commitment which I picked up used. I always wanted to try a ceramic watch so I jumped on this one when I saw it. It has a really nice dark grey or gunmetal ceramic case, a liquidmetal ceramic bezel and beautiful high-beat movement. This one will stay on the sail cloth which can get wet. I like that they color matched the date wheel with the dial as I’m not a huge fan of when the date wheel stands out like a sore thumb at 430 (which is the only minor knock I have against the VC as it has that white date wheel). The movement is really nice on this one as it beats like the El Primero at 36000vph and is anti-magnetic with the silicone parts. I really like how light the ceramic is and even though this one is probably 5 years old, due to the hardness of the case and bezel, it looks like it just came off the shelf of an AD. The BP was never on my radar until I was at an AD looking at the Zenith Defy in ceramic and asked what other ceramic watches they had and they showed me the black version of the BP. Once I handled it, I loved it, but liked the grey case and blue dial combo better than the all black.







I’m really happy with the 3 watches I ended up with in lieu of the VC as I think they provide a nice variety and are different enough to justify having within my collection. I didn’t realize it at the time, but each watch is a modern salute to a different decade. The BP is inspired by the 1950’s bathyscaphe, the JLC Polaris is a modern interpretation of the Polaris which originally launched in the 1960’s and the GO which is obviously based on a 70’s watch. So, three different styles of blue chronograph watches with modern movements and beautiful finishes. I honestly don’t miss not getting the VC at all. I’m very happy having 3 completely different watches that are each unique rather than 1 watch with 3 different straps to change up the look.

Congratulations on the new acquisitions! I love the JLC and the Blancpain and would love to have them in my collection. Although I love Glashutte as a brand, the 70's chronology doesn't do it for me, my choice would be the Panomatic Lunar with a Blue dial. Enjoy the new additions!

Thanks!! Totally get the appeal of the blue panomatic lunar. That is hands down one of the most beautiful watches out there. I love that watch and have come close to getting it so many times. Problem for me is that it's a dressier watch and I can't even tell you the last time I even wore a button down shirt so I was always afraid that if I got it, I would love the look of it but never wear it. But everytime I see it, I'm still tempted by it!

Wow Nate! You must really love blue dials. All 3 are stunning and I think my favorite is the BP. The JLC looks great and I’ve heard that dial is hard to photo.

So where does this leave your collection at?

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Justin
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Excellent writeup, thanks Natesen. As you say, the complications discretely worked into the GO are remarkable.

Ha, yes, blue is my favorite dial color. It looks weird all in one post, but in the overall collection it's not that crazy to have picked up 3 blue dials. Jury is still out for me on which one I like the best as each one has it's own positives. I might give a slight edge to the BP as well as I really like the grey ceramic case.

Since the last SOTC last year I've gotten a few other things. I remember you saying you would have had a hard time parting with the GO panoinverse. That was the only watch that I sold that I even remotely missed, but I ended up getting the panomatic inverse instead. This one solved the legibility issue I had with the manual wind version. The dial is silver rather than rhodium and they used blued hands and indices which can be seen in any kind of light rather than white gold which got lost in the sun. Also prefer the rose gold details on the engraving vs the white gold on the other version. Makes the engraving stand out much more. And I like the big date on the automatic version better than the power reserve of the manual version.




Also picked up this zenith with an anthracite dial, but not sure if I'm going to keep it or not. I'm only going to keep 1 chronomaster and I'm not sure which one yet.




Got a zenith pilot as I always loved this style, but they only released a few in the smaller 40mm size so I grabbed this off ebay when I saw it.




Will be parting with my black dial Navi 01 as I ended up with the Japan Mecanique with the black dial:






And missed the panamerican bronze dial of the TO I sold so I ended up getting it in the Navi instead since it has much shorter lugs than the TO despite both being 43mm:




Also ended up picking up this JLC Duometre as I got an amazing deal on it used, but it was the yellow gold chrono version when I really wanted the rose gold moonphase version. So I resold it already. But wow the movement on this thing was so nice.






I have a few more watches to sell now as I bought more than I expected so I'll do a full new SOTC once the selling is complete

Wow, natesen -- I hardly know where to begin!

I guess, first off, big congrats on your recent acquisitions. Really nice pieces!

So glad to see the Seventies Chronograph in your collection! For all of the reasons you state, I think it is an absolutely magnificent technical and aesthetic achievement -- just a beautifully integrated piece. From a distance, it's hard to see that it's even a chronograph at all, given the way that the pushers are integrated into the case design. And, the bracelet is just fantastic, as well. Good on ya!

The JLC is another great choice -- the various dial textures really make this one interesting. I had been looking at a couple of the Polaris worldtime options, but, for various reasons, decided not to pull the trigger. The chronograph of yours is a fantastic piece. The BP is also very nice, and the ceramic case gives you something different and looks great with the blue dial. For me personally, I'm just not a fan of syringe hands -- but, I certainly respect the technical aspects of this watch.

Interesting approach you have taken by essentially designating particular bracelet/strap options for each watch. Early on, I was all in on changing out straps on my own watches. As time went on, however, I found that I would reach a decision as to what particular bracelet or strap looked best/worked best with any particular piece, and then left it alone. So, your approach makes complete sense to me.

As for the other pieces you have posted -- again, Wow! The GO Panomatic Inverse is just spectacular! Love the Japan Mecanique Navi, as well. I'm a fan of the Zenith Pilot, and like the 40mm version you have on your wrist -- looks great. As for Chronomasters, I could never own a Zenith that had the overlapping hours subdial issue. That being said, I think that an anthracite dial is a really nice and different take on an El Primero, and sets off the colored subdials nicely. I am very drawn to the Classic Cars version, which gets the subdials right and also has some interesting texture on the anthracite dial -- it's a nice piece.

Well, enough gushing for now. Again, big congrats!

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Cheers,
Jim

Holy smokes Nate, you've been busy, in a good way .
Love the big date on the GO and the sportiness and readability of the JLC. Obviously your into blue these days.

I surprisingly like the Zenith chrono, nice splash of color and easy to read. I've looked for the 40mm Zenith pilot in the past, love that clean design, way to go!

Congrats .

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Thanks Jim! Honestly your blue GO 70s chrono in photos was my first exposure to that watch so I have you to thank, or maybe to blame , for the fact that one was on my radar. I've had my eye on this one for awhile and made the move after GO lowered their US pricing by about 20% across the board. Add that to the normal discount I could get and it was honestly a great deal for brand new.

The world time Polaris is incredible and I thought about that one as well, but I wanted to keep the total cost to what I had allocated to the VC originally so that one priced me out. I also liked the fit of the 42mm better on my small wrists. If I had larger wrists the 44 world time would have been the way to go.

Agreed on the strap/bracelet point. I used to change out my straps all the time on various watches but eventually I started looking for the "right one" for each of them and they ended up staying that way. And I figured if I took this approach it would give me 3 very different blue dialed watches for very different situations. I was kind of doing this in lieu of having the 3 strap options that came with the VC.

The classic cars looks outstanding in person as well. I thought about that one, but it has the similar dial finishing to the GO panomatic inverse and the AP millenary so even though in a vacuum I like the classic cars better, I thought the anthracite might fit better in my collection.

And thanks again for the kind words as well!

Thanks Terry! That was not all at once. The selling and downsizing started over 2 years ago so it has actually been quite a long process. The picking up of the 3 blue ones happened rather fast though once I ruled out the VC as I was ready to make that VC purchase and really wanted something new by that point. Fortunately I have access to all the watch boutiques in Manhattan so I can literally see everything under the sun in one afternoon so I shifted my focus off the VC pretty quickly. I had sold off so many watches that I had dropped down from about 20 to about 5 so I was definitely ready to start pulling the trigger on stuff and adding a few back into the mix.

All the pieces outside the GO 70s and the JLC Polaris were purchased used so I could turn them back over and get my money back out if need be so I didn't feel as bad about trying some of those out just for fun and to see if they stick. Like that Duometre was just to try it out as that wasn't the version I would have kept long term and sure enough I ended up just passing it along without losing anything.

All excellent choices there Nate, the GO is superb and that ceramic Blancpain is incredible (except for the date position, but we ALL know that's just a personal hate of mine! ), but my personal fav of your new three is the JLC Polaris Chrono. Just an absolutely stunning piece.

(By the way, I don't know how you managed to part with that Duometre! )

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Driver8

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Thanks! I'm generally with you on the 430 date window but the rest of the watch I loved so much I let it slide. But at least the BP isn't the worst kind of offender with the non color matched date wheel!

Don't get me wrong that duometre was incredible and definitely next level stuff. But I've never been a big fan of yellow gold so it wasn't the version I really wanted. And it's a lot of money to be tied up on a version I didn't love. Maybe someday I'll have it again in rose gold.

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Congratulations on your acquisition.