Watches are the one item that should be a hand me down out of all your accessories, and while it’s not a crime to have several styles for the type of occasion, there is and should be one that is the go-to for daily wear. This day-to-day watch should be dependable, durable, and catch the eye without being over the top. Below are our style teams top picks for under the radar brands for a timepiece that simply stands the test of… well, you know the rest.
MOMENTUM / The Smoke Jumper 38mm
Momentum specializes in durable, waterproof watches for any environment. All of their field watches are designed to be taken outdoors and are waterproof tested to 100M (330 FT) or 200M (660FT). The Smoke Jumper is as cool as the name, featuring a vintage-inspired dial, domed crystal, and a stylish black-ion coating. The premium sapphire glass is virtually SCRATCH-RESISTANT, which is crucial if you’re into courageous antics, you’ll always have a scratch-free, crystal clear view of the time. It’s the perfect balance of vintage with a modern nod for everyday wear.
Movement: Quartz Japan, Seiko VX32G
ARMOGAN / The Spirit of St. Louis
Armogan is a Belgo-Luxembourg brand that aims to combine the best of two backgrounds – the precision of ‘little Switzerland’ with Belgian design. The result, seriously stylish watches that feel like navigational tools of the past. The Spirit of St. Louis is designed with some history in mind. The 3-dial chronograph pays tribute to the custom-built, single-engine monoplane that was famously flown solo by Charles Lindbergh, on the first-ever non-stop flight from New York to Paris.
Movement: Miyota OS00 Chronograph
CENTRIC INSTRUMENTS / Field Watch MkII
Within this brushed steel case comes a lot of attention to detail. The Field Watch MkII from Centric Instruments harnesses a solar-powered Quartz moment, which means it never needs a battery change. With stronger lume, wider hands, and a more legible dial than its predecessor, it’s quickly become a must-have. It’s got a 100-meter water resistance with screw-down crown and caseback, and ships with a silicone sport strap and a leather strap to swap from active day antics to a business casual dinner. Centric is known for creating watches that match modern versatility for work, play, and everything in between.
Movement: Solar Powered Seiko
VAER / C5 Heritage USA
VAER is founded in Venice, CA, and started because founders Ryan Torres and Reagan Cook couldn’t afford the watches they liked and didn’t like any of the watches they could afford, so they built what they couldn’t find—true trailblazers. The C5 is timeless and pure, constructed for adventure with extreme timekeeping accuracy, impressive scratch/water resistance, and assembled in the good ol’ USA. The everyday wear defines the company’s belief in an “ocean-to-office” lifestyle. Every VAER C5 is hand-assembled and tested in America.
Movement: Swiss Made Ronda 715 Quartz
FARE UNIVERSAL / Lander III
What stands out the most about Farer’s Lander III is the elegant dial color, the deep blue/sea green sunray triple step dial pops just enough to pay respect to the halcyon era of watchmaking when bold and contrasting textures were combined with the most excellent craftsmanship. Farer watches are built for free-spirited, modern adventures, so basically all of our readers. This one named after Richard Lander, who traveled out in 1825 on an expedition to West Africa where he became the only surviving European member to return home alive. The water-resistant 24-hour clock is marked with even numbers interrupted with Super-LumiNova markers for night glow, while a British pillar box red GMT hand while the extended sweeping second hand in burnt orange is capped with the Farer A.
Movement: Automatic Swiss Made SELLITA SW330-1 ‘Premium’
MILITARY WATCH CO. / MK III NATO
On the whole, it seems the whole reboot scene never really plays out the way one hopes, but the MWC MKIII is an outright phenom. The appearance is classic but the tech surpasses that 3030 mentalities and strapped to your wrist if you show up late, you deserve every bit of the forthcoming shame. The special covert matte black is a nonreflective PVD finish, which is important when you’re jumping from shadow to shadow and behind the main entrance ID check. And when you can’t go under it, you can’t go around it and have to swim through it, the MWC MKIII is waterproof up to a 100m and packs a surplus battery life of 41 hours. It almost seems irresponsible to hit the concrete without a watch like the MWC MKIII.
Movement: 24 jewel self-winding automatic movement
INSTRMNT / K-100
PVD coated with Sapphire crystal glass, the Instrmnt K-100 is simply sophisticated. The casting has been sandblasted to add the matte-like appearance and though we’re all confined to our homes at the moment, the second mandates are lifted this K-100 is going to shine out on the town. The vegan leather strap stems from Italy is going to be ever so supple on the wrist, to the point that you’ll forget that you’re wearing a watch. And regardless if you’re the watch wearing type or let us be the first to tell you that the Apple Watch is not suited for every occasion, the Instrmnt K-100 is sleek and extremely versatile.
Movement: Swiss Ronda 585 3H movement