Episode 77 - The Objectively Best Chronograph for Under $500
Published on Wed, 15 Apr 2020 22:35:00 -0700
Synopsis
This is a podcast discussion between two friends about watches, drinks, and life during the COVID-19 quarantine. They discuss various affordable chronograph watches under $500, rating them based on criteria like aesthetics, movements, water resistance, and value. Some of the watches highlighted include the Pagani Daytona homage, Seiko SSB chronograph, Brew Retrograph, and models from Laurier and Dan Henry. They also talk about other topics like the ergonomics of camera grips, polarized sunglass lenses, and humorous stories about their kids.
Links
Transcript
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| Host 1 | Hello, fellow watch lovers, nerds, enthusiasts, or however you identify. This is the 40 in 20 podcast with your host, Andrew, and my good friend Everett. Here, we talk about watches, food, drinks, life, and other things we like. Everett, how are you? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | So good. |
| Andrew | Yeah? Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. No, I mean, I'm good. You know, uh, this sucks, right? It's not great. This sucks. Uh, so I'm dealing with that. I'm dealing with that, but everybody's dealing with that. So suck it up, Everett. Uh, outside of this sucking, everything's really good, man. I'm working. I won a, uh, a gigantic two year summary judgment this morning. Um, congratulations. Summary judgment on a two year case. Yeah. Cheers. Cheers. What are you drinking by the way? |
| Host 1 | Uh, I've got, Ooh, gosh, it's, uh, from a distillery in Portland. It's like, I call it Burnside Urban. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | It's pretty good. I've been to their tasting room before. They make really good, like holiday liqueurs, seasonal holiday liqueurs. |
| Host 1 | That tracks for a distillery out of Portland. Right, right. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | But yeah, other than that, man, just good. The kids are good. Kim's work is good. You know, we feel really fortunate to be in our situation. And our situation is good, right? Our situation is good. So that is something that we are really sort of feeling fortunate about. So it's hard to complain too much when all those things are good. |
| Host 1 | Yeah, I mean, we can still complain about the fact that we can't go buy beer at a bar and drink it there. Can't go hang out at your house in studio and record. Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | That's still a bummer. Are you going to, this coming Sunday, are we going to do a social distance deck recording? |
| Host 1 | We should. Yeah. I thought about that yesterday and then, or no, what day is it? Today's Tuesday. So I guess I, yeah. So I did think about that on Sunday, but just couldn't get it together enough to make it happen. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Okay. Well, let's, let's try to do that. You, you can come over, you can just show yourself in the back gate. And we'll just, we've got long cables, man. I've got like 50 feet of XLR cable, so. Perfect. I might just sit in my car then. I mean, that's an open beverage container and you're a cop. |
| Host 1 | No, I mean, the bed of my truck is, you know, that's not. Fair enough. Fair enough. That's what tailgating is about. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | We've got a deck. |
| Host 1 | I've got Adirondack chairs. I thought you were going to say Adirondack. I was like, what will that do to help? I've got that too. Yeah. Come on over. It'll be fine. Let's party. It'll be fine. How are you? My friend. Good. Same complaints. You know, we're, we're obviously both pretty lucky too, and that we're both, uh, essential employees. So, um, aren't dealing with the same level of stress that some folks are, but, uh, you know, the, the normal stress of having a kid home from school and, uh, trying to now be, uh, a homeschooling person, a home, an educator, if you will. I'm not good at it. I do not have the patience for it. And we're right in that window where we're working on literacy. I am not equipped to teach a person how to read. I barely can read. Uh, so yeah, that's, that's been a struggle. Uh, I have a whole new appreciation for early childhood educators. Uh, but we're, we're getting by, you know, we're just. Just plugging away and we're trying, we're being super, super deliberate about our social distancing because I still work and interact with people and tweakers and paramedics and Yeah, just all the normal people that are still out and about. So, yeah, we're trying to maintain our distance and make sure that I'm the most likely vector. So just trying to minimize that. And so we're just batting down at home and drinking a lot more beer than I used to and watching a ton more Netflix. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, yeah. You know, Eric of EA8 sent us a meme tonight that said, you know, something to the effect of, uh, we're going to have to rethink our definition of an alcoholic for, for, can we, can we revise the definition of alcoholic for the duration of COVID? I think, I think we have to. Yeah. Yeah. Right. I was reading about this, that like 60% of adults in the United States or, or maybe 60, maybe 60% more, I don't know. There's been some tremendous increase in the amount of people that are drinking in commonly accepted problematic manner. |
| Host 1 | Yeah, from like, wake up to bed. Right. All day, our day. Like, rosé all day is not just a college thing anymore. Right. It's actually just how we do. It's just, it's just life. Now, I read somewhere that beer sales are up nationally 40%, which seems low. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, well, it might be. It might be. |
| Host 1 | It just, I mean, you don't have to, I mean, people who are still working, generally are working from home for the most part. Ain't nobody going to care if you have a beer? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Well, yeah, but maybe, maybe there's an ethical dilemma there. |
| Host 1 | Maybe you shouldn't, but if you haven't put on pants in 18 days, like your, your, your, your problems are bigger than the beer in the middle of your workday. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I told Kim, uh, I told Kim on Sunday, I say, you know, this week I really want to, I want to focus on showering every day when I get out of bed. Like getting in the shower, you know, I run every day. So there's this part of me when I wake up, it says, well, I'm not going to run right now. Right. Cause that would suck. And I'm going to need to shower after I run. So I shouldn't shower now and then run at lunch or early afternoon and then have to shower again. I should just wait. But inevitably what happens is I have my run planned for, you know, one o'clock, two o'clock, somewhere in there, then something falls on my lap. and I work through and so I don't run until 6 30 and then I run and I come home and you know maybe eat some dinner real quick or whatever and it's like well I don't need to shower now to get in bed yeah I might as well get in bed skanky well you know so this has happened uh this has happened a number of times and I don't think actually that's good for sanity right I think just like not wearing pants for 17 days in a row or perhaps day drinking in your work day. I think those things probably have a mental toll. Oh yeah. And so I'm trying to be deliberate about, you know, fuck it. What I do when I wake up is I get in the shower. So why should it be any different if I'm working at the table? I should still get up and shower. I should, I should start training like I fight as it were. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. And that's one of the, that's, One of the things they talk about during your employment search, during extended leave unemployments, you got to maintain that normal work schedule routine. Wake up, shower, get dressed, get ready to go, and then punch the clock. Work your day, punch out, then do have you time. |
| Andrew | Yeah. |
| Host 1 | Cause getting, falling out of that routine just begets apathy and sadness and type two diabetes. Did we talk about what you were drinking? Yeah. What are you drinking? The Burnside distillery. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. Yeah. I'm drinking, I'm drinking this Pendleton. Uh, I'm drinking this Pendleton that we got from, uh. The Midnight? I'm not drinking the Midnight. I'm drinking just the regular Pendleton Canadian. So I've done a highball because I don't, it's, it's not a sipping, it's not a sipping whiskey. Uh, but in a highball. It's probably really good. Cause it's so sweet. It drinks real good in a highball. |
| Host 1 | So. I also have. One of these on deck. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Oh, man. Cryo Stash. |
| Andrew | Mm hmm. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Cryo Stash. So again, if you haven't had the Cryo Stash, try to find some. It is probably my favorite IPA, and it's certainly high up there for Andrew as well. Hot Belly. Cryo Stash. |
| Host 1 | An Imperial IPA. It's very good. The other one I drank a lot of this week. I mean, I drank six of them because I bought a six pack of it is Widmer's Deadlift IPA. It's another Imperial IPA that does not drink like an Imperial at all. It is so good, so smooth, but it's a puncher. Don't drink six in a sitting. Because you're going to get drunk. And throw up. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Did that happen to you? |
| Host 1 | No, no, no, no. No, no. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Well, that's good. Yeah, that's good. |
| Host 1 | I don't know why I'm saying no like I'm disappointed. No, I should celebrate. No, I did not drink six in a sitting and throw up. Right. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You shouldn't have done that. No, you shouldn't have. I've changed my mind. I'm glad I did not do that. So I've had a fun. I've had a fun watch week. I had a fun watch week. Yeah. Tell me. Well, I so first first things first, I got my Swiss Army Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph back. It had been sent off for service to Nick of Orion Watches. Uh, and so it really just needed to be cleaned. It probably will need a full service at some point. Um, but it doesn't need it right now. Um, but I got that back. I got that back in the, the chronograph is working. Oh, so fine. Clicky clicky clacky, I think is the phrase Nick used when he, he described the condition to me. |
| Host 1 | Uh, and in, in, which is the medical terminology for that issue. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Right. It's now clicky clacky. So it did have, uh, quite a bit of, of gunk, uh, also a technical, also a medical term, quite a bit of gunk in the pushers, which was causing a, um, it would engage the chronograph, but it, it didn't have enough give to release the button to let the chronograph disengage. Hmm. So I turned the chronograph on and it would just run indefinitely until, until the wind wore out, uh, and it's an automatic, so that was fine. But, um, yeah, now the chronograph turns on, turns off, resets, you know, these 7750 movements are really an engineering, uh, an engineering marvel. It's one of the, I learned today, it's one of the first, uh, computer designed, if not the first computer designed mechanical chronograph movement. Hmm. So the, you know, when they, when they set out to design this, they had, um, time constraints, budget constraints, but they needed a fucking great movement. The 7750 is obviously what they came up with, but they wound up, you know, going from a column wheel to cam actuated, which was one thing that sort of saved them a lot of money. And then they also, um, they also computer designed the parts, right? So not a high horology movement in that regard, but, but, uh, uh, uh, uh, engineering feet on the other hand. So, you know, chronographs in particular chronographs in particular, I think are, um, able to be done. in multiple different ways, giving us an opportunity for fun movements. You know, chronographs, more than any other movement, I think people generally accept an affordable quartz chronograph, more than a three-hander, more than a Day-Date, more than a GMT. It's generally accepted that a quartz chronograph is cool. Because chronographs are cool. Because chronographs are cool. And something about the technology, I think there's, I have some theories, right? Something about the technology lends itself to quartz being more acceptable than it is for other types of watches. There's multiple ways to skin this cat, and I think people are more willing to accept these alternate methods. |
| Host 1 | I think part of it, for a chronograph specifically, is you're expecting super high precision in a chronograph. Yeah. And that's precision you're going to get out of courts. Yeah. Just by its very nature. And I think as a, just the functionality of a chronograph, people are more prone to acceptance. This is a spit ball in here. Also that they're more accessible. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. I mean, I think that it's, I think that it's, it's a combination really of two factors. Right. And I think that that's, that's maybe the first one. Um, is that we expect our chronographs to tell good time. And sometimes mechanical watches don't tell great time. A 7726 movement can be off, or a 7S26 movement can be off a significant amount, seconds per day. So I think you're right. One, we want that accuracy in a chronograph. And two, mechanical chronographs Fucking expensive. |
| Host 1 | And prone to faults. Yes. And all the extra mechanics, that mechanical movements are already dangerous in the service department. And when you add that extra complication, you're looking at a watch getting totaled because there's gunk that prompts your pusher to be clicky clacky. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You know, and it's not just the complexity. Right? Because a day-date complication is fairly complex as far as this goes. It adds almost, maybe not quite, but a similar level of complexity to the movement. But what it doesn't do is it doesn't hammer and vibrate and whack itself and fly back. You know, the chronograph movement by its nature is violent. It's violent, and so that causes all sorts of issues. And so, yeah, you're right. It's prone to failure. That's totally right. |
| Host 1 | What other watch news have you got? Or was that your watch week? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Well, so no, that wasn't my watch week, but it felt apropos, so I kind of rolled with it. Yeah. It felt apropos to the topic, but this now is a bit of an aside, and I didn't mean to present it this way, but in anticipation of this thing coming back, I have, well, in anticipation of two things. One, we're working on a sort of NATO straps, we like compendium YouTube video. So that's something that we've been talking to people who make you, you know, NATO straps and not just NATO straps. We always use that phrase NATO straps to mean generally speaking pass-throughs. Yeah, that's right. Nylon or even canvas. Some of the, some of the straps that we're going to look at aren't, aren't quote unquote NATO straps. Uh, but many of them are, but we've been, um, so I've personally purchased several straps here in the last few weeks. And we've been talking to some manufacturers about, uh, getting some of their straps in, but I have like in anticipation of this watch coming back, I've picked up like seven, uh, different 20 millimeter NATO straps. that I've got. I don't have all of them in hand, but I have four of them in hand at this point. And then today, when Nick sent this watch back to me, he included one of his NATOs. So I got an extra. So I have like five brand new 20 millimeter pass through straps. And I have been playing like Barbie dress up. Oh yeah. |
| Host 1 | And you're trying on different outfits and... |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yes. |
| Host 1 | Yep. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yes. I've been pretty deliberate too about ordering in different colors, right? Because what I don't want is 10 gray NATO straps. Although 90% of the time, if I'm wearing a NATO, it's great, right? Right. Because they just look so good. But, so I've got this beautiful red. I've got this wonderful Royal blue. I purchased a moose strap company, sort of traditional black and gray or a conservative black and gray bond out of their premium line, and it's killer. The gray on the bond is a little champagne-y. It's not quite champagne. It's great, but it's got just a touch. Just a little dash. A hint of tan in it, and I just am in love with it. |
| Host 1 | I love those straps. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | They feel like felt. Oh, yeah. Moose does great stuff. um so yeah i've been playing i've been playing barbie dress up that's my other watch news is i'm just really i don't think i'm ever going to be able to buy a watch that doesn't have 20 millimeter lugs again no because then you'd have to recreate your entire collection of straps i'm just locked in it's 20 millimeter lugs or nothing oh your watch has 22 fuck off don't care remake it right You know, some notable exceptions, I guess, but yeah, I mean, I'm going to, I just really, you know, not only do I really appreciate being able to plug and play, I think that the size is actually superior. Oh, I agree. A 22 millimeter NATO just doesn't, I don't like the feel of it anymore. It's too thick. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. It's too thick. Yeah. It's two millimeters. We're not talking about a lot of material here. but it feels, and I think particularly because there's no taper to it, 22 millimeter bracelets are a lot more comfortable for me, but because there's no taper, just having that slab around the entirety of my wrist is noticeable, and I don't want it to be super noticeable. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Right, right. I've got a couple of watches that take a 22 millimeter strap, so my Vostok, my Vostok 710. Boktok. Boktok 710 ministry case. Uh, takes a 22 millimeter strap. Also, um, my, um, Bertucci, my Bertucci field watch takes a 22 millimeter pass through. And my, my AMW three 20, that Casio Denzel Washington Arnold Schwarzenegger watch is 22. The Bertucci I'm stuck, right? Yeah. Uh, I gotta wear them on a pass through, but more and more, I very rarely wear either the Vostok or the Casio. on a NATO because I just like them on rubber so much more. So yeah, it's interesting. Well, we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens. You never know. I, I hate to say, you know, sort of broad definitive statements like that, but is there is a thing that's happened where I'm actively avoiding watches that have 22 millimeter lugs. |
| Host 1 | Cause they're usually bigger too. Not just the lugs, obviously the watch case is bigger. Yeah. Or the proportions look kind of weird. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | That's right. Yeah, that's right. I would rather have a 42 millimeter watch or 43, 42 to 43 millimeter watch with 20 millimeter lugs, like a, like a Seiko, um, like a Seiko Sumo, right? I appreciate that smaller lug width. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. I would, I would love if the Mako had 20s. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. Anything new for watches for you? |
| Host 1 | Nope. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Just rocking that Seiko Q, Q Seiko? |
| Host 1 | Yeah. I've been, I've been wearing the shit out of that. And then obviously I work in the, in the, uh, 5600, and I really like that Q Timex. It's money. It's super comfortable. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the mesh bracelet, because I've tried on some mesh bracelets before and been kind of, oh, hummy about them, but this one's money. It, it, it, it lives up to, I don't know if it quite lives up to the hype, but it's a, it's a good watch. I like it a lot. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. You know, occasionally people get it right. Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. I have another piece of watch news. Oh, do me. I got the, uh, Uncle Seiko U.S. Mexico Holzer bracelet that he just released for, I mean, he released it, I think last Friday. I ordered it the morning it came out. It got to my house like three days later, uh, for the Omega Speedmaster. So a hashtag jingle jangle hollow end link bracelet for my for my Speedmaster, my modern Speedmaster, which feels really odd to me. It feels like a really odd decision to make, but I will tell you that bracelet has not come off that watch since I got it. And I just don't see it coming off anytime very soon. I do love the Speedmaster OEM Speedmaster bracelet, but it's heavy and chunky. Uh, you know, I stuck that Mexico Holzer bracelet on this thing and, oh my gosh. It feels faster, doesn't it? It does. It feels speed masterier. It's more master speed. So that was my other watch news, uh, minimally relevant to our show, but more, more procurement happening too. So that was just sort of a one-off. It came out and I was like, I'm going to have to have that. |
| Host 1 | What can I do about this, you know? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | And I have it and I love it. And if you've got a Speedmaster, you should really take a look at it. I think he's got a bucket load. I don't know. Um, I don't know what sort of orders he's, what sort of quantities he's ordering in, um, or what his stock levels are like, but last time I checked, he had them in. He's also got a 19 millimeter first Omega and space version too. So yeah. Yeah. So something to look at. Uh, check out the Uncle Seiko website on his Omega page. Uh, fantastic. It's really just fantastic and lovely. |
| Host 1 | I'm looking it up right now. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. It's so the story is kind of fun. I'll, I'll tell the story real quick, but there was a, uh, this, this story is sort of uncertain. Uh, but there was a batch of Speedmasters that got shipped to Mexico. I want to say in the sixties or the seventies. Um, And they got shipped as head only watches. So no leather, no bracelet, no nothing. And they were shipped to the Holzer company, which was a watch company in Mexico for the purpose of Holzer attaching their own bracelets. And the bracelet they attached was this very similar to Uncle Seiko's US Mexico Holzer bracelet. As far as I can tell, the design is basically identical. There's some question about whether the two sort of middle links were polished, and he made the decision to brush everything, which I think is a good, I appreciate that decision, but I think he maybe was on the fence on whether or not to polish those. Yeah, it's just, it's very comfortable. It's got the same exact, comfort level or a very similar comfort level to my z199 that he released which is as money yeah as everyone knows i love it i i barely wear anything else on my skx anymore so yeah i like it real jingle jangly i'm gonna have to try it next time i uh i'm able to come by you know i want you to try it i think that uh it's not gonna change your mind on the 42 millimeter Speedmaster, but I think it may, I think it may be, uh, I think it may be you saying, huh, I like this better than I would have thought. |
| Host 1 | Oh, I believe it. I like it. I just, it's the, it's the lug to lug length on the Speedmaster that just isn't quite right for me. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You're going to have to try it. I'm going to try it. It shouldn't change the lug to lug length, but somehow it does. |
| Host 1 | It shouldn't. The shape of the end link might |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I don't know. I don't know what it is. I think it's a feel thing more than anything. It shouldn't make it feel like a smaller head, but it does. So yeah, you'll have to, you'll have to try it. So I'm intrigued. |
| Host 1 | We got to get to this topic or we should go an hour and a half. Uh, we may anyway. I mean, who knows? Yeah. Fuck. We're in quarantine. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Nobody has anything to do, but they're in their cars less time. So, uh, our, our lessons are down. Makes sense. |
| Andrew | Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. So why don't you introduce us? Tell us what we're talking about. |
| Host 1 | So here's our watch topic today, because we're talking about watches as per usual. Oh, yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | So we're talking about watches. I'm sorry. |
| Host 1 | I made a mistake. No, that's okay. We'll survive this. Okay. We're going to present to you the objectively best chronograph for under $500. And we're going to use our trademarked scoring system, as we always do. The rubric. The rubric to determine The objectively best chronograph under $500. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Objectively. |
| Host 1 | Yes. Now I take issue with one that you brought up. So I think what we should do, we should each hit like two honor roll mentions and then do our top, like not, and just not talk about those watches, but just hit them and give them their score. Give our... One, two, three, four, five, six, yeah. And then we'll do our top three each. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Okay, well, so there's a couple problems. Yeah. One, I want to do my honorable mentions last. Okay, okay. And two, I have two watches tied for third. Okay, then that's in your top three. I mean, I could just pick one of them, but I don't want to. |
| Host 1 | No, so you'll do nine watches, because I don't know how many you have tied for first. yeah so okay so we'll let's let's let's ascend what we'll both start our number three so you start first because you've got two number threes yeah and then we'll get we'll go from there fine so so I've got two number threes one of those being the the Gavox the Gavox squadron mmm so you can do that tell me why I think it's too expensive oh is it |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I think it was, I think it came under. |
| Host 1 | I mean, on the Gavox website, the squadron, okay, the squadron stainless is 383. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, why, why you do this to me? Why you totally, now you've totally killed my flow. I'm not even going to go anymore. I'm just. |
| Host 1 | No, go for it. And it's good that you're doing this because. I just don't even want to talk about it anymore. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, you know what? Okay, so look, the Gavox squadron is. What was the score you gave it? Well, I gave it a 56. Okay. It came in at 56. So we noticed something different this time around. My scoring was higher. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Which is different for us, right? |
| Host 1 | Yeah. Usually my scores tend to be about three to four points on average higher. And we found the exact opposite today. And I want to get into, I wonder why. And I think we can use this Gavox as a good example. after we talk about the Squadron. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Right. So, so 383 bucks. This is a sort of military style dive chronograph, a dive chronograph. So what you get there is you get a 41 millimeter case, a very conservatively sized case, a 10 atmosphere water resistance case. Um, and it's just good looking, right? |
| Host 1 | It's just attractive. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | With screw down crown. With screw down crown, that's right. |
| Host 1 | Super, super slim. Even for, I mean, especially for a chronograph at 12 millimeters. Rhonda movement. Yes. I'm curious about the, I always wonder why chronographs have dive bezels on them, but I mean, I'll take it with, with the added water resistant. This is a dual purpose watch. This is a dive watch and a chronograph. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. I mean, I think that's right. I don't know that it's a pure dive watch, but there is some functionality. There is some functionality to a dive bezel beyond just diving. But yeah, it's a decision. It's a decision that Michael made when he made these, and who knows? And who knows? You know, this thing came in particularly well for me in a couple of categories. I was surprised to see it do as well as it did. Um, obviously water resistance, it gets a 10. It does. It does relatively well in size and eight that the, the bracelet, the bracelet, the movement, it's got an alarm movement. The pure aesthetics are phenomenal. And, uh, durability Sapphire, a hundred meters of water resistance. So it just comes in high everywhere. It's not. It's not a standout anywhere. It's just a very good watch. I don't, I would rather it had a, maybe a Mecca quartz movement, but give me an alarm. Give me a 12 hour alarm. I'm good. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. And so I, I'm just going to jump right into my, my number three, which is the Gavox Rhodes. And I chose the Atlantic ocean road with no date. also coming in at 383. So mine struggled a little bit in the durability. In the actual physical durability, I agree completely with you that it's going to score really well, but in the way that a watch has a versatility, these felt a little bit too sporty, too big for me to give them any... So it scored a six for me because this is a single purpose weekend, this isn't really a very, this isn't a great option for wear and to work in most professional environments. People are going to wear it, but it's just not quite right to be worn. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You took away on the durability score? |
| Host 1 | Yeah, I always, I tie in durability and versatility in the same category, but the aesthetics it scored well, the bracelet looks money, the movement it scored well, but still a 51. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Mm-hmm. And so that 51, I think that's something probably about the same as my 56, if we have to average these things out. So very similar watches, right? These two are similar in many ways. Similar case. It's not the same case, I don't believe. And I don't believe he's using different movements on these. They're the same alarm movement. dive style bezel, so very similar watches. I was going to say they both have those syringe style hands. Similar watches in a lot of ways. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. And I like them both. One thing that I really like about the Squadron, and I know it's a little bit controversial, I love cutout markers for sub-dials. I like that a lot. I don't know why. It's just something I dig. Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | No, I like it a lot too. I like that you get some funky, uh, he gives you some funky options with the squadron. You know, I think that the amount of variety offered on these watches, because he's connected them to, he's connected them to units, to military units. Um, I think that that's a fun way to have a little versatility. I always thought it was a little weird, like, Would I buy... Would I watch, for instance, this Belgium Air Force squadron? Does that make sense? I don't know. I'm not sure. So that might be something I'd have to think about. |
| Host 1 | But, yeah. I bet a ton of cops wear the thin blue line edition. Oh, yeah. And all it is is a blue NATO. Or blue striped NATO. How about that, right? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I don't know. Michael's like, I'll just release a different watch and just change the pass-through strap and call it the Thin Blue Line. Yeah, that's a cool watch, actually. |
| Host 1 | I mean, it's the PVD squadron. Sure. That's all it is, right? Yeah, it's the same watch. Yeah, that's right. It just has... I really like the PVD bracelet, but that was... You know, I don't know. I must have been drunk when I was looking at Gavox's watches. I swear that there was a lot of these that were... out of the $500 price range? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. You know, I think that some of the special editions are more than 500, but by and large, I think his run of the mill standard issue watches are about 350 to 400. Yeah. |
| Host 1 | I don't know. Must've been day drinking or something. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | All right. So my other number three, tied for number three, the Brew Retrograph. Okay. The Brew Retrograph. You knew it was gonna come up. And I'm gonna say, this watch is here in spite of having some defects, I think. Mm-hmm. We love John, we love these watches. But these watches don't have very much water resistance. Nope. Their lume is okay at best. |
| Host 1 | Which makes sense, because it's super small lume markers. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Mm-hmm. The case is not... I don't think it's going to be particularly durable. I think that it's a fairly dressy watch, and I think that those polished sides are going to be scratch magnets. Oh, yeah. So this thing got hurt in those places. Notwithstanding that, it still managed to beat out a bucket load. I mean, there are, what, 13 watches on this page? And it managed to beat out like 10 of them. Mathematically, yeah. You know, and that's because it just does well. It just does well everywhere, right? It's got a great movement, Mecca Quartz movement. |
| Host 1 | The VK64, which is a movement that everyone uses, and it's so good. Yeah. One thing that I noticed about the RetroGraph was that it felt like it took a lot more rotation. We came to the same quarter turn rotation covered 20 minutes versus, what, 30 minutes on the SSB? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, and I talked to John about that. It must have been an issue specific to that watch. Oh, okay. Yeah, I think that... Because it kept fine time. |
| Host 1 | It just was a strange manipulation of the mechanism. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Something was happening in the gearing where it had been split or something, so... Um, but yeah, you know, we've got a fantastic movement aesthetics. It gets, it gets a killer score in aesthetics. It gets a killer score on X factor. And this is not just us guys. We're not just in love with, with John, although he is love him too. Very handsome. Yeah. He's got really good hair. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. Yeah. I don't have good hair. No, you've got very little hair. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. Uh, but it's not just us, right. You know, Jason Lim, uh, Jason Lim has, has been public about buying brew watches. Uh, the guys that notice are, are into it, right? Uh, people in the watch industry all feel the same way. It's not just us, right? We're not just, and, and we've not never gotten anything free from, from John. I mean, he sent us a watch. We just loved the fucking watches. |
| Host 1 | We just send it back to, to be clear. Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Right. He sent us watches to review that we wore and then had to send back. Right. So he's not, we're not, we're not selling these because we have any reason to sell them other than the fact that we love them and we're not alone. They're just fucking great. If you haven't tried them, you got to try. What color did you pick? Um, for, for this, for this, I didn't pick it. Not only did I not pick, I did not even separate the retro graph and the master graph. Ooh, interesting. Yeah, and I thought about it too. I went through the categories and I was like, is it any different? The one place that I thought may be different, I gave it a nine on aesthetics. And I started to back off and I was like, well, I think the Master Graph is a nine, but the Retrograph might not be. And I was like, nope, it's a nine too. |
| Host 1 | So I, in pictures, thought that I would like the Master Graph more. And I... The dive style. Yep. Did not like it. I mean, I like it, but it's not for me. It's not a watch that I could buy. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I'm exactly the opposite. |
| Host 1 | The Retrograph, oh boy. I could buy this, and this will segue nicely into my number two, which is the Retrograph, specifically the Technicolor with the Beads of Rice bracelet. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Aha, yes. |
| Host 1 | And when you get that option, when you go and you buy a Retrograph with the Beads of Rice, It also comes with a leather strap. You don't have to choose. No. Well, you do. You have to pay a little bit more. It's $395 money for the bracelet option and $350 for the not bracelet option. So you're paying $45 for a beads of rice. And I've never put on a beads of rice that wasn't good. |
| Andrew | Yeah. |
| Host 1 | I don't know what it is, just about the texture of a beads of rice. I mean, I just, I don't know. They just all seem to be comfortable. I think maybe because they're so flexy. They just, they just wrap around your wrist. Like you remember when you were a kid and you had those, there were those, uh, look like little plastic stands with the hundreds of, of little metal pins that you can make imprints in. That's what a beads of rice feels like to me. Like you can put your face in it and you'd think that those metal pins would hurt, but they don't. You just leave a face imprint. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. That's a good, that's a good, uh, that's a good visual. I think that's right, yeah. |
| Host 1 | So my retro graph, coming out on Beads of Rice, comes in at 51 and HIFE. So barely beating out the Gavox, but still beating out the Gavox, which is a watch I think I like more. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, and see, I have those two exactly tied. I think I like the Brew more than the Gavox. I've never handled a Gavox, I think I like the idea of the Brewmore, but this is the objective ranking, right? That Gavox gives you a lot of objective stats for the money. |
| Host 1 | And there were a lot of watches on here that I wanted to do better. Like there's watches that I was like, how can I, how can I score this higher to, but the problem is the Retrograph scored so well, even with only getting five points on water resistance. |
| Andrew | Yep. |
| Host 1 | It scored so well that I couldn't cheat my way into getting the the boulevard a15 into my top three yeah yeah and this this is a money watch y'all this is this is a watch i i was unsure about until i handled it in person and when i did i'd be totally comfortable pulling the trigger on buying one yeah and it's interesting that you said that the that the that you thought you were going to like the master graph it went up liking the retrograph |
| Host 2 (Everett) | When I first connected with John, I was talking to him just via the internets, and said, you know, I know you don't have the retrographs in stock right now, but I'd really like to try a retrograph. And he's like, I got one I can send you. And my gut was that I was going to like the retrograph more than the MasterGraph. It had the exact opposite experience you did. I got that MasterGraph on my wrist, and I was like, fuck, dude, this is it. I think a copper MasterGraph, |
| Host 1 | get into me. Yeah, and I dig the color scheme. That copper color scheme is so money. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | So number... It's not it for me. Number two for me is... I think it's a watch also on your list at number one. Yeah. Yeah. So maybe I'm going to skip number two. I'm going to skip number two. |
| Andrew | Yeah. |
| Host 1 | And let's do the controversial. Let's dig right into this, because we could spend the next hour talking about just this. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, this is problem, right? This is a problem for us. This all of our credibility is shot. It's gone. Five, four, three, two, the Pagani Daytona, objectively the best chronograph for under $500. Not only that, but it's 80 fucking Dollars, Andrew. |
| Host 1 | And I went ahead and scored it too. Oh, you did score it. |
| Andrew | Yep. |
| Host 1 | It also wins, but I'm not putting it on my list. And I'm not putting it on my list because of two reasons. Number one, I think it scores well in aesthetic, and I think it scores... I think it gets a 10 in aesthetics, but because it's a straight rip. |
| Andrew | Yeah. |
| Host 1 | I think it gets a zero. Yeah. I think it gets a zero in aesthetics. I think it gets a zero in X factor. Yeah. And I, I think that's how the world comes back into balance. Yeah. Because yeah, the Daytona is going to win this competition and the Pagani they're doing somehow, I don't know how they're affording to do it. They're doing it right. We're talking Sapphire. We're talking a good movement here. We're talking like, how are they doing what they're doing? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | And actually, and actually Sapphire, right? Jody's done, Jody's done the tests on them, right? Yeah. Uh, it's really Sapphire. It's really a, uh, um, a, uh, which movement is in there? |
| Host 1 | I can't remember now. As I sit here, I can look it up. I'm looking it up right now. I don't remember. I remember looking at it and being like, you gotta be fist fucking me right now. Like this cannot be real. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. You know, it's really hard. It's really hard to understand what's happening here. It's not a watch I would ever buy, Andrew. There are... Thousands of watches I would buy before it. Yeah. I mean, I've got 13, I think, or 14 watches that I scored. I would buy at least 12 of those before this one. Maybe 11. It's just... not the type of watch I would wear. It's not the watch type of watch that I would feel joy putting on. Right. And that's what this is about. And that's, and that's why I included this watch in, that's why I included this watch in my list because it's, we've always said that objective measurements. |
| Host 1 | PK or VK 67. That's the Seiko Meca Quartz. Yeah. Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Sure. Sure. Um, You know, we've always said that that's not the be-all end-all, right? I've written an article about the SKX that says that very thing, and that's on the... Oh, what's the name of the... The Columbia Watch Society, their webpage, it's called In Defense of the SKX. I think it's a good piece of writing, and if you Google that... It's okay. It sort of gets at this point, Which is why I bring it up now, not to brag about the writing. But the point is, these things don't matter. The numbers don't matter. The joy of the watch is going to be something different than what's written down here. |
| Host 1 | Are you trying to invalidate our objective, scientifically proven rubric? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yes. |
| Host 1 | Okay. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, yeah. not even subtly so. I think that this exercise, more than any other time we've done this, has shown me that there is a problem with looking at watches this way. It's problematic. Now, it doesn't mean it's not valuable. It doesn't mean it's not valuable, but what it means is this type of by the numbers, evaluation, leaves something to be desired. |
| Host 1 | A lot to be desired, like wearing the watch. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | That's right. That's right. Now, the Pagani obviously looks fantastic because it's... A Daytona. Because it's a Daytona, that's right. |
| Andrew | It's a straight rip. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | And I don't actually begrudge anybody who wants to wear one of these, because I think if you want that look, it's beautiful. And I think objectively, it's good. For me, it's not going to work. I know that. So I included it in my list and I left it there, right? It scored one point higher than my number two pick, which is your number one pick. It scored one point higher than that watch. And I thought, well, fuck, that's valuable. That's a good conversation to have. So I'll leave it there because I We're at the, we're, we're at the risk of saying there's something wrong with the Pagani. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I just know it's not for me. |
| Andrew | Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. So number one, AKA my number two. No, it's time for my number two. You didn't do your number two? |
| Host 1 | No. Oh, okay. Well go have at it. My number two. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Is the brew. No. |
| Host 1 | Oh, it must, I must've been lying. So the, the brew was my number three. Hang on. Oh, yeah, I just talked about the Gavox because it was my number four, actually. Uh-huh. I have two pages. Yeah. So flipping back and forth. I don't know why. |
| Andrew | I got it. |
| Host 1 | Whatever. So we're going to get to my actual number two. So the brew is my number three. My actual number two, the Laurier Gemini. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Y'all. Yes, sir. |
| Host 1 | We have not been shy to sing Laurier's praises here, because they're doing something terrific. They're pumping out great vintage inspired modern interpretations of watches. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | And they're doing it with white loom. |
| Host 1 | They're doing it with white loom, which we learned last week. We may not have talked about it, but we learned last week that white lume is white lume is white lume. Now, the reason old lume aged was because of the radioactive decay. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. Or just sun decay, right? Which could happen to super luminova as well, but it's probably not going to turn brown the way radium does. |
| Host 1 | Or tan. Right. Yeah. It's just, it's not going to, it's, it's going to decay, but it's not going to change in the same way. So there's something to be said now for if you want to get faux teened watches, You can't patina it on yourself. Like it's put it under a UV lamp and leave it there for 50 years and it's not going to turn faux-tened. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | The dye. Which is why people are doing coffee, coffee treatments and baking it and doing that. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. And, and ghosting their bezels and shit. But I don't understand that. Um, I don't, I don't understand buying a perfectly good pair of blue jeans and washing it with bleach. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You know, it takes all types. It takes all types, I guess, yeah. I sometimes see these coffee-treated dials with a ghosted bezel, and I think, that is fucking sexy. So I get it. I get it at that level. |
| Host 1 | Yeah, but you know what? You didn't earn that level of sexy. That's going and getting Botox and all kinds of prosthetics installed. Sure. I guess you earned the money to get that installed, but earn it. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I'm going to do Botox on my lips. What do you think? |
| Host 1 | I think you probably do. Yeah. I'm going to get hair plugs too. So I mean, we're not, we're not, we're not far off. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Um, you should get that. You should get that spray paint stuff. |
| Host 1 | I have a friend, his hair is really similarly colored to me. It's a little bit more red. So I'm a, I'm a day Walker y'all for, for those of you who haven't caught onto it yet. Um, I don't have any hair right now, but that's a whole other thing. Um, so he's, he's pretty gingery and he, he's got a lot of gray in his goatee. Uh-huh. And he wanted to cover it up. So he hit it with some Just For Men. Oof. And then was playing video games. Oof. I forgot about it. And his goatee is black. Oh, fuck. It's not brown. It's black. And I social distanced in a backyard with him a couple of days ago and couldn't look at him. It was so distracting to see his ginger hair and black beard. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You cut that shit off, man. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. No, you give it up. He just thinks it's never mind. Well, so we're going to move into the, uh, we're going to move into the Laurier Gemini. So they are killing the vintage inspired modern interpretations of watches. We've got the Siegel ST19 hand wound mechanical movement. We've got the perfect sizing. 39 millimeter case, 10 millimeters thick. I don't know how you're going to force a chronograph into 10 millimeters of thickness. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Well, there's no, no rotor, right? It's not automatic. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. I mean, that's the only way. We've got a 47 lug to lug and 20 millimeter lug width. This is, this is it. This thing is the fucking truth. And it's got 50 meters of water resistance, which is lower than I'd like, lower than I think they could have done. But I get why they did it this way. |
| Andrew | Yeah. |
| Host 1 | But more water resistance. Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | That's how they maintain that 10 millimeter thickness. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. But that's more water resistance than you're getting at a lot of chronographs, because a lot of chronographs, you're looking at 30 meters or less. The case shape is beautiful. The coloring is beautiful. Everything about it just screams sexy 70s inspired watch. Bracelet is killer. Yeah, their bracelets are money. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I love those flat link bracelets that they do. |
| Host 1 | Yes, yes. This is what I'm going to buy with my STEM check. Yeah. All the entirety of the Gemini line. I'm going to buy them all, everything they have, and then I'm going to resell them at a price that will be reasonable to sell them at, and it'll make a shitload of money, because these are $499 money. Yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. These guys are killing it. I like the amount of microbrands that are using the Siegel movements right now. I think that it's a great, I think that it's a great move. You know, this, this is something that I thought I'd talk about a little later, but I think this is a decent time to talk about it. There's a, a little bit of a, um, I think a backwards thought process that happens in watch movements at this price. Uh, it happens in three handers for sure. But I think more frequently it happens when people start talking about mechanical chronographs, which is the idea that why would I buy a $500 mechanical chronograph that is not, when it comes time to service this thing, it's not going to be worth it to service it. The service price is going to be the value of the watch. Uh, and so it presents this sort of, uh, It presents this sort of pickle, right? |
| Host 1 | It's a classic tough decision. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Right. You know, what do I do? Do I replace the movement? Well, I've got memories with this movement. Do I not buy the watch at all? Because at some point down the road, it's going to be broken and I'm going to have to make this decision. What do I do? |
| Host 1 | Or do I spend 10 times more to make it reasonable to spend $500 on a service? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, right. Because that's the answer, right? If my Speedmaster needs a service, it's worth it for me to spend $600 on a service for that thing, right? Yeah. It's worth it. Or you could just give it to a friend. I'll have to make some friends first. |
| Host 1 | Yeah, no, obviously. Real friends. Yeah. Do you have interviews going also? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | for friends. Yeah. |
| Host 1 | It's not going well. Oh, my good friend interview list is getting deep. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | So, yeah, you know, what do we do with the seagull movements? People say, oh, well, they break, no one will work on them. That's true-ish. That's true-ish. I know that there are some people, I know Ed, HK Ed is familiar with some people that will work on these things. |
| Host 1 | Because he worked on yours, right? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | did, uh, I'm going to throw up some finger quotes and say work on it. I'm not sure what he did. I think perhaps they just swapped it out. Uh, I don't know that for sure. Uh, but, but yeah, you know, it's this conundrum. Uh, if you want mechanical at this price, you have a watch with a disposable movement. That is the, that is the, the be all end all. |
| Host 1 | And the movement is an, how much does an ST 19 cost? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I think that you can probably get in these things for under $150. |
| Host 1 | Let's see. I'm looking at it right now. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Okay. So yeah, that came up today just mentally as I was thinking about this episode. You're going to, at some point, run into that. $85 on eBay. Perfect. That's not bad at all. No. That's not bad at all. You know, I had the same issue. I've got the 7750. I had to send it off to Nick to repair it. And I, I had some gut check, you know, what do I do if, what do I do if this thing needs to be serviced? Right. Or what do I do when it does need to be serviced? Cause eventually it will, I suspect I'll just replace the movement. I'll find a movement and, and, and swap it out. Uh, but yeah, it's a thing, right? It's something that you're going to have to think about when the time comes. So, um, Well, that leads us just to your number one watch. And your number two watch. |
| Host 1 | And my number two watch. Which I think we can unanimously agree is the true number one of this list, right? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Right? I think perhaps. Yeah, I think perhaps. In spirit at the very least. |
| Host 1 | Yeah, at the very least. And you all know what's coming. It's the Seiko SSB031 or 033 or any of the other variants that the SSB O-X-X family. That was a really loud cork. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | It was a super loud cork. I opened it in an inappropriate place, too. It was just right by there. |
| Andrew | Yeah. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. So, y'all, we've talked about this watch. Probably, I mean, it has been dubbed the 40 and 20 chronograph. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Seiko is changing the name. Not by us, may I add. Yeah. Yeah. |
| Host 1 | Not by us. We wrote Seiko. Send them your comments. They're renaming it the Seiko SSB4020. That's just what it is. We've got the perfect sizing. Objectively not true. We've got a 40 millimeter case, 20 millimeter lugs. We've got true water resistance, a hundred meters of water resistance. It's a Mecca Quartz movement. It's a money bracelet. It looks good. It's not versatile. But you can wear it in most environments. Seiko Lume. And it's such a, it, it's got everything. It's got the X factor in every category. What's, what more is there to say? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, no, I don't know. It's, it's fantastic. It's just a great watch. |
| Host 1 | Oh, here's what's more to say. It's $138. We've talked about watches ranging from $499 money to $80 money. This is $138. This is crazy. And for me, the X-Factor Max Out came in that ion-plated bezel. It's terrific. Every time I wear this watch, I just gently rock my wrist back and forth to see the way the color plays on that bezel. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Love it. Yeah. I mean, I think that, I think you can do a lot worse. You know, if you're in that position, you know, I think you just, you have to at least have it on the list. Uh, if you're buying one of these watches we're talking about today, there's probably only a couple of watches that we've talked about that I consider before it. Or even alongside it certainly the brew watches are a different thing You know both of my honorable mentions. |
| Host 1 | I think I would consider before it Even even in the purchasing world even if I didn't have one in my watch box right now I would consider both of my honorable mentions ahead of it. I consider the Gemini ahead of it Mm-hmm me too Because this is a super sporty watch. It's a pure racing chronograph This isn't. That's why I think that the versatility is kind of lacking. But shit, I took this watch to Mexico and wore it every day. Like from the pool to dinner, this carried me. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, that's right. That's right. So do you want to give any context to these honorable mentions? I think we should blast their own, but do you want to give any context? |
| Host 1 | So these honorable mentions for me are watches that I wanted to score better than they did. And I just want to call out these two watches for me because I cheated already and gave one of them away. Oh, God damn it. I was looking at watches. So that's my context. These are watches that I think ought to have done better than they did. But because of our rubric, they do shitty in size, they do shitty in water resistance. Okay. Okay. Yeah, that's right. How many honorable mentions do you have? Just two. Okay. My first up, the Dan Henry 1972. This thing is dope. I think this deserves to be a top three best chronographs you can buy for under $500. Yeah. It has a timer. It looks money. It is Beautiful. It is such a good interpretation homage watch. It's 350 bucks. The size is spot on. Yeah. It's coming from a dude who knows watches. I wish it had done better. I don't get why. It's got a sapphire crystal. It's got 50 meters of water resistance. There it is. 50 meters of water resistance and it's 41 millimeters. Yeah. It can't hold up against some of these watches that carry some water resistance and drop into that 38 millimeter to 40 millimeter size range. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You know, I had this thing, this thing only came in a point behind my tied for third place watches. So it was right there. And if it had a hundred meters of water resistance, it would have been. Gosh, it would have been the top scoring watch on my list. So You know, it's a really cool watch. It's really dynamic. I love it. It suffers from some of the things that we discussed when we talked about the Pagani, though, right? It's an homage. It's a rip, even. But it doesn't have that same feeling. It doesn't have the same feeling. I'm not sure why you discuss in the comments, but I don't really care. Yeah, it's a good honorable mention. What's up next? The 1962. Oh, yeah. Another another Dan Henry? |
| Host 1 | Another Dan Henry 1962 and and honestly this this scored the same as the HK 63 both the sapphire version and the non-sapphire version. This scores the same as the DL 63 from EMG and it scores the same as And actually, it scores lower than the EMG Horizon, but this is such a classic racing chronograph that is super versatile, that is able to be dressed up or down. It doesn't have the water resistance that you want out of a really versatile watch, but it's got the versatility and the places that you can wear. It's so perfectly sized. These are coming in at... The 62 is coming in at... 39 millimeters, poor water resistance. It's got the VK63 Mecaquartz movement, which is, I mean, we know that money movement, great aesthetics, great versatility. I wish it had scored better. Needs some water resistance. That's really the issue here. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. Dan, you know, the 72 has a screw-down crown. |
| Andrew | The 72 does? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. So it surprised me that it wasn't a 100-meter watch. But with that screw-down crown, I wear that thing in the shower. I don't even stress about it. So I think that there could be point of entry at the pushers, which I assume is why the lower score in terms of the specs. But I feel really confident just wearing that fucking thing. So I've got a couple. I'll sort of blast through them. Well, I'll blast through one. I highlighted the Ed 63. That is the HK 1963, which is HK Ed's version of the very famous Seagull 1963 Chinese Air Force watch. You know, this thing doesn't do well in our rubric. In fact, it does poorly in our rubric for a couple of reasons. It's got no listed water resistance. It's got a zero. It's got no loom. None loom. It's a dress watch. none loom. So right there, when it's comparing, you know, when it's, it loses 15 points, it loses 15 points to the SSB right off the bat or, or 14 perhaps. Um, you, you know, it just can't compete. However, however, at the 300 bucks or 285 or 65 or whatever Ed's offering these things for these days, uh, I take it every day over, over the SSB. |
| Host 1 | The Sapphire, you're going to grab it at? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Load what the hell I'm and I'm taking on a hassle light to I'm taking the plastic the plastic crystal that's coming in at two or excuse me 380 and the sapphire is coming in at 290 yeah, you're getting exactly the same options the only difference is gonna be sapphire How much for the for the for the plastic 380 oh I thought it was less than that I think it was. I've got him at 260 and 270 for those. I'm on his website right now. Me too. |
| Host 1 | No, you don't. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | No, you're not. I am. HKED. |
| Host 1 | Oh, I'm on the 42 chronograph. 260 for the ED63 cream and black. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | What's happening right now? Why are you so broken? Okay, so the other watch I have, this made an honorable mention because it's not readily available right now. It's something that is from the past. Uh, and so you're going to have to hunt for a little bit and it's going to be a vintage watch and it's going to be used and all those things. Uh, so honorable mention, however, it scored very well. I'm not going to give the score in relation to anything else. Cause I think it's a different enough that the score doesn't matter. Although I will say it did very well. The Tag Heuer Formula One plastic bezel chronograph from the olden days from the nineties, um, comes in very often on eBay right at $450 to $500 in fantastic shape. These watches, I think, are as cool as anything else we've talked about today. Say what you will, some people don't like Tag Heuer for any number of reasons. |
| Host 1 | What's the reference on that watch? Oh, fuck. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I don't know. They made a whole bunch of them. But if you eBay plastic formula one Tag Heuer, you'll find it. These things are just cool. I've talked about them before on the show because I think they're cool. |
| Host 1 | Oh, yeah. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I think they're fucking cool. They come in anywhere from 37 to 40 millimeters. There's some different sizes in there, but they have great water resistance. They're a 200 meter water resistance watch. They've got Etta Quartz movements. I mean, dude, they're cool. |
| Host 1 | I'm looking at one right now for $399.95. Buy it now? No, plus $9.95 shipping. That's some dog shit. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | I think that it's very cool. I think that if you're looking for something a little bit different, luxury, affordable luxury, It's a really great place to, it's a really great place to start. And I'd recommend you look in that direction. So, uh, that's it for Honorable Mentions. Uh, that's it for Honorable Mentions. Uh, Andrew, other things, what do you got? |
| Host 1 | For my other thing this week, I've got a company out of Portland, Oregon called Revant. R-E-V-A-N-T. Optics. Okay. They are a company that makes, man, I'm looking at their website right now and they have a sale going on. It says 30% off lenses. Use code, save 30, excludes prescriptions. I wish I had read that when I ordered my lenses two days ago. So this is a company that makes sunglass lenses for most of your favorite brands. I'm going to name a couple. We've got Adidas. We've got Maui Gym. We've got Nike. We've got Oakley, Ray-Ban, Spy, Smith, Wiley X. Tifosi, Bole. Yeah. Basically, if you own sunglasses, They almost, and if you own Normal People Sunglasses, I mean. L'Exotica or whatever. Yeah, if you own Normal People Sunglasses, they make replacement lenses for your specific frames. And they make lenses in three categories. They make just general, standard replacement lenses. They make some polarized lenses. And then they make a tier called Elite Performance I don't know what that is. They have a little chart that explains the differences and they said the difference between polarized enhanced is air quotes enhanced and elite is high definition clarity and specialized lens tint. Now I'm not smart man. So I don't know what that means. I just grabbed some polarized lenses for the sunglasses that I wear for work. and have worn for, like I wear them fishing. I do all kinds of terrible things to these sunglasses. So they desperately needed replacement lenses. And I got a pair of replacement lenses for 28 money and 80 cents. Polarized sunglass lenses for the sunglasses that I wear all the time. 28 money. Check these guys out. They have every color. Like if you're the type of guy who or lady who likes the orange mirror sunglasses, two things. Number one, they have them. Number two, feel free to unsubscribe, unfollow, go elsewhere. Um, they've got those available and then they've got all the normal people, but they have the whole spectrum of colors. They have the whole spectrum of, of sunglasses. They've got Oakley's whole portfolio. They've got Ray-Ban's whole portfolio. It is... I came across them because I have a pair of sunglasses that I wear all the time. I wear them for work. I work in law enforcement. I do terrible things to the things that I wear. I've closed in the door. I've stepped on them. I've dropped them on the ground. I've fallen down. All manner of things. So these lenses are basically I was at a position where I was like, I guess I have to buy new sunglasses. And I went on the hunt to see if I could buy replacement lenses. I went to Govex, I went to Oakley Standard Issue, and through that rabbit hole, I found Revant Optics. I'm giving them a try. Super easy replacement. Take a look if you're looking for some new sunglass lenses. 28 bucks. And if it sucks, I'll just buy new sunglasses. And I'm out only 28 bucks. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | And I'll say they've got a, uh, they've got an option for prescriptions. I've got an old pair of five squared. I can get prescription. Prescription lenses for 115 bucks, which is, which is a pretty good deal. Now you add money when you go polarized, you add money when you go AR, uh, but $245 for lenses for my five squared, uh, out of pocket. before any insurance, which I could probably get reimbursement for my insurance too. That's a good deal as well. So cool, man. I'll be excited to hear the update. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. I should get them in the next couple of days and I will plug them in. And I also, for those of you who are like me and have been buying just normal lens sunglasses because you don't see the value in polarized lenses, like the extra 50 to 75 bucks, I recently Tried my first pair of polarized lenses. Holy shitballs. I see better in polarized lenses than I do with my regular eyeballs. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You know, especially if any sort of, I mean, fishing, dude, it will change your life. |
| Host 1 | It has changed my life. I've only worn them in the backyard playing with my kid. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You know, being able to spot a fish in the water because you're wearing polarized lenses is a huge advantage. Uh, yeah, I would just never go back to wearing non-polarized lenses ever again. |
| Host 1 | So try those out. You can get, I mean, the polarized lenses range based on the frames that you're wearing, but try to pair polarized lenses. If you take nothing else, just try some polarized sunglasses. Just put somebody else's on. You will not go back to regular lenses. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | All right. So I've got another thing. This is a weird one. It feels oddly specific, but anybody who shoots Fuji, this will apply to you. What are Fuji? Fuji? Fuji? It's a random camera. |
| Host 1 | You're talking like Johnny Appleseed kind of shit? |
| Host 2 (Everett) | No, I'm talking like the giant Japanese camera company that makes the cameras that like 20% of our listeners shoot. |
| Host 1 | Oh, I was thinking some Johnny Appleseed, like shooting apples off heads thing. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Well, so I say that, you know, not everybody shoots Fuji. I shoot Fuji some of the time. I normally shoot Nikon, but I shoot Fuji as well some of the time. I think that this applies to everybody else too, but probably with a different brand. Um, but I have an old Fuji X20 camera. I have an old Fuji X20 camera. It's really a shitty camera. It's well, that's not true. It's a very nice camera with a very dated sensor and processor. It still takes phenomenal pictures when I'm in the right place and doing the right thing. |
| Host 1 | Because lighting is the key to good photos. Yeah, that's right. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | That's right. Lighting and exposure, you know, megapixels and resolution sort of a secondary to that. Anyway, I've had for years and years, I've had a cheap eBay aluminum universal thumb rest for that and a cheap eBay Shutter, soft relief shutter, shutter switch. And those have been fine. Those have been fine. They've increased my enjoyment of the camera. Uh, they made the camera more useful. That thumb rest is really very useful in those small format cameras where you don't have a good grip. Having a thumb rest is, is a huge thing. Anybody that shot a X 100, um, or, or an X 20 or an X T 20, even perhaps, uh, will know. right? You, you will know this feeling. So I, for years and years and years shot this with just a shitty eBay aluminum $9 thing. And that's been fine. Well, I, uh, the thing has a, the, the cheap eBay thumb rest I have has a set screw and it stripped the set screw stripped. And so that the, it was sort of loose in the, the culture or the hot shoe as it were. Uh, and so I needed to replace it. Right. Um, And so I started looking at eBay and a few of these things popped up and they were shaped for my camera. They were shaped for my camera, which did a couple of things that I thought, I don't really need. I don't really need this. I think when I, when I ordered the first time, when I ordered the first time, which is why I spent the last four years with this shitty eBay aluminum thumb. So this thing came in the mail on Tuesday and the company is called lens mate. LensMate makes accessories for Fuji cameras specifically. So I think just about any Fuji camera you can buy. In addition, they make accessories for the Sony a6500, a6300, and a Panasonic LX10, LX15. And the ZS200 as well. And they make some Leica, they have some other stuff, RX100, just some other stuff, but by and large, it's Fuji accessories. So I bought one of their thumb rests. And it ain't cheap. It ain't cheap. It was 40 bucks plus shipping. So I think $49, all things said, and I got it and it was kind of, I was like on the fence, right? Shouldn't I just get another cheapie? Right. Cause you should in your head. I should. Yeah. Uh, but anyway, I bought this thing and I also bought a soft release button because I know, I know. And I was going to get the soft release. |
| Host 1 | Might as well. Yeah. You're already doing it. You pay shipping twice. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Oh my gosh, you guys. |
| Host 1 | Why didn't I do it before? You were lazy and cheap. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | And cheap. Buy a nice hat twice, man. I put this thing on the camera and I put it in my hand, you know, a thumb rest. Do you know how a thumb rest works, Andrew? I do. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Well, for those of you who don't, it plugs into your, on a small sort of range finder style camera, it plugs into the hot shoe mount. and lays against the back of the camera and then flips out right where your thumb is. So, so that your thumb can gain some leverage on the back of the camera. It just makes holding your camera significantly. It's an extended grip. Exactly. Well, so I plugged this thing on and I put it in my hand and it's like, you know, you know, when you read about like a, like in a fantasy book, and they talk about the first time they pick up the sword that was destined for that person, right? That's not where I thought you were going. This 25-year... You've had a different kind of fantasy. Yeah. You know, the 2,500-year-old sword that it set in their hand and became an extension of their arm. |
| Host 1 | We're still talking about what I think we were going to talk about. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | That's how this felt, man. I put this thing on and I put it in my hand and I was like, fuck. |
| Host 1 | Ergonomics could be one of the least appreciated design disciplines. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Seriously. Seriously. Ergonomics, for fuck's sake. All of a sudden, this thing is such a joy to shoot. The soft release button is kind of like, meh, it's just nicer than the one I had, but it's basically the same. That thumb grip. Holy fuck. Totally changed the camera for me. This camera is, I've been carrying it everywhere I go because it's so comfortable to carry now. |
| Host 1 | Everything's about ergonomics, man. Everything. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | So that's it. We're, we've been recording now for seven hours and 17 minutes. |
| Host 1 | And you guys have been drinking beer with us for six hours and 59 minutes. So you drunk. Yeah. So are we. Well, maybe, I don't know. I'm not, I don't know how you're doing, but. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You know, I stayed sober this week. Look at you. It doesn't always happen. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. You showered today. Sober right now. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | It was a couple of weeks ago. You came over the day after we recorded, and I was like, fuck, man, I got shithouse last night. You were like, oh yeah, I knew that. Like, yep, I knew that. |
| Andrew | I don't know. |
| Host 1 | I wonder sometimes if the folks who listen to us know us well enough to be able to tell the difference. Like, I know. Everett's house. I know when you're drunk. And I can see it in your face. I can hear it in the tone of your voice and in the types of things that you say. But I just wonder now if what we're on, this is episode 60 something. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | 70. 76, 77. |
| Host 1 | Okay. We're closing in on a hundy. I just wonder if people can hear it in our voices. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Maybe. The ones who listen maybe can. |
| Host 1 | Or in the things that we say. Like that was weird thing for him to say. I heard seven beers open. So. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Well, yeah, in any event, I stayed relatively sober tonight, so. |
| Host 1 | Getting up early tomorrow to shower, man. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah, we'll see what happens. Andrew. Do you got anything else for me today? I don't. All right. Stay safe, y'all. Stay safe. Seriously. Stay in your house and don't breathe on people. |
| Host 1 | Definitely don't sneeze on produce. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Cough in your elbow. Isn't that the thing? |
| Host 1 | I was making pasta with my almost five-year-old a couple days ago because one of the things as a homeschooling parent now I've been trying to introduce like life skills so he's been cooking with me a lot so we're making pasta the other day. He always sneezes into his elbow. I'm talking always like if I sneeze on the dog because one of my dogs freaks out when I sneeze on her She just like, she loses it. She hates it. She's nervous the rest of the night. So when I have to sneeze, I sneeze on her. I'm a dick. He will look at me and go, sneeze in your elbow. And I tell him, I'm the daddy and this is America, so I can do what I can do. This little asshole, we're, we're, we're kneading the dough in our KitchenAid. We're kneading the dough in my KitchenAid. And this little dick sneezes right into the bowl of dough. No, no attempt to cover up. And I look at him, I go, what was that about? And he's like, I have dirty hands. It's like, what? In the last two years, you have covered every sneeze until there's a ball of dough in front of you and you sneeze into it. So we rolled it out. We cooked it when I'm still eating it. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Yeah. But yeah, that's how you do. Yeah, that's how you do. Well, I think we should let these folks go. |
| Host 1 | Yeah. Y'all have a great day, night, afternoon balance of your day. Rose all day. If you're not working or Rose all day, if you are, I don't know. This is America. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | You can do what you can do. Thank you for joining us for this episode of 40 and 20. Check us out on Instagram at 40 and 20. Also, please check us on a patrion.com slash 40 to 20. That's where we get the support for the show. That's how we pay for hosting. That's how we pay for microphones. That's how we pay for the things that we do. We really appreciate you, those of you that are on there. And if you're not, we'd appreciate you taking a look. Don't forget to tune back in next Thursday for another hour of watches, food, drinks, life, and other things we like. |
| Andrew | Bye-bye. |
| Host 2 (Everett) | Our music today is Bummin' on Tremolo by Kevin MacLeod of incompetech.com. licensed under creative commons by attribution 3.01 |