The Grey NATO – 357 – Our Favorite Watches of 2025¶
Published on Thu, 11 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500
Synopsis¶
In this episode of the Grey NATO podcast, hosts Jason Heaton and James Stacey discuss their favorite watches of 2023. They begin by reflecting on the past year, noting their successful watch and pen collaborations, and discussing their upcoming holiday break. The main segment features an extensive rundown of their top watches of the year, including the CWN1 (their own collaboration watch), the Citizen Aqualand 40th Anniversary, the Arcanauterum Vancouver Speakeasy, the Gnomon Club Sport Pneumatic World Timer, and many others from brands like Zinn, Doxa, Clemens, Pollen, Halios, Tudor, and more. The list spans from affordable microbrands to high-end luxury pieces, reflecting their diverse tastes. They conclude with "final notes" where they recommend an OBD2 car scanner, a podcast called "Real Survival Stories," and a customized Benchmade knife.
Links¶
Transcript¶
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| Jason Heaton | Hello and welcome to another episode of the Grey NATO. It's a loose discussion of travel, adventure, diving, driving, gear, and most certainly watches. This is episode 357 and it's proudly brought to you by the always-growing TGN supporter crew. We thank you all so much for your continued support, and if you'd like to support the show, please visit thegraynado dot com for more details. My name is Jason Heaton, and I'm joined as ever by my friend and co host, James Stacey. James, how are we doing? We're approaching uh I guess the end of our recording year here in a couple of weeks, huh |
| James Stacey | ? Yeah, yeah. I think it I think it definitely is. We've got uh a few more QA's to get to. We're we're we're cutting through that quite quickly. Uh this episode goes up on the 11th. We'll do one more episode on the eighteenth, and then we'll be off until January the 8th. Uh so a couple weeks off to uh to kind of relax. We'll we'll probably still crank out the last of the um of the QA's, which should launch, you know, loosely around Christmas, maybe just before, uh, depending on the timing and and some other travel and that sort of stuff. But uh we'll get those out before the end of the year. But yeah, we've got uh three fifty seven, uh so this is our favorite watches of the year. And then if you look at last year, uh we'll follow that format and we'll probably do a greatest hits of final notes uh to close out the year uh before taking a little break until January. Yeah |
| Jason Heaton | , it's been quite a year, hasn't it? I mean in in the in personal lives and in uh in the T GN world we delivered some watches and uh and uh some pens and and some other cool stuff and have done bunch of episodes as as usual. So um yeah, it's been it's been a good year. Ye |
| James Stacey | ah, no it,'s been a crazy year for sure. Uh definitely for uh for both of us in terms of workload and that kind of thing, but also just yeah, for for T G N at large. Like I think sure we did the pre order for the C W N one in you know in twenty twenty four um and it is sort of a twenty twenty-four edition watch, but they you know they started shipping and and got to a lot of people in twenty twenty-five and it's just you know a watch I've worn a ton and then to be able to to do to have done that and then within a similar span of time, the uh the pen with tactile turn is quite a year for collabs, uh a whole new launch of merch, uh which we you know probably haven't been promoting uh as as well we should. Um but yeah we've got uh we've got a great run of merch on the site. So if you're looking for a last minute Christmas gift, uh that's always an option, be it a a great sweatshirt. I'm actually wearing uh one of our sweatshirts now, uh T shirts, jigsaw puzzles, mugs, all that kind of stuff. So there's there's a lot going on as far as as far as that sort of thing. But I'm happy that we're able to keep the show uh keep the show going and I'm I'm pretty proud of uh a lot of the episodes we put out this year. Some great gu |
| Jason Heaton | ests as well. Yeah, we really have.. Yeah It's been uh another banner year and and we'll see what twenty twenty six holds. But uh yeah, it's uh it'd be a tough act to follow. |
| James Stacey | I think so, yeah. And I I mean I I have to apologize if I'm sounding a little uh frantic. Uh I am over caffeinated at this point. I uh I had my normal couple of cups of coffee this morning and then really decided that I I needed another and thought I would test out that um Bioletti, the the the North Face edition Bioletti that you got me for Christmas. So I'm sipping my way through an exceptionally strong uh little espresso here and I'm I'm feeling a little bit over caffeinated. So my apologies uh on that front. But uh yeah, aside from that, I've got not a ton to report. Uh like I haven't been up to a lot uh since since Thanksgiving, just kind of keeping up with work and and you know kind of digging in uh to the end of year sort of prep for uh for Hodinki and all that. So there's some great stories on the horizon. I'll actually be packing my bags by the time you hear this to come home, but I I am shortly leaving for a couple days of just meetings, you know, end of year, kickoff for next year sort of meetings with Hodinki in New York. Uh so it'll be a a chance to see the team, which I'm pretty pumped about. But uh I'm I'm really looking forward to the holidays. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, yeah, me too. And that that quiet time uh as we approach and kind of get in between you know the th the twentieth and and as you mentioned, early January, you know, seventh, eighth. It it's this forced downtime that that I really enjoy, especially if you're having a proper winter like we are here. I mean it's been it's been cold and we've just had these kind of round after round of light snow that's staying on the ground and it's kind of enjoying it. It feels it feels like a proper winter quite early this year, which is um something we' havent seen in a while. But um it is nice. And then I I have to admit, I have this sense of dread about that ramp up in in January. I I always feel a bit of that holiday hangover afterwards. You know, it's a little hard to kinda get traction and I always feel like everybody else is off and running and I still feel like I'm kind of dragging into it. But uh anyway, won't do we'll cross that bridge when we get to |
| James Stacey | it in about a month. But uh Yeah, I don't know 'cause w what's the silly term they have for like the Sunday Sun the Sunday scaries. Oh yeah. Um I definitely have like the January scaries. And for me, it's because w we've already had brands. And this is a first for me. And the watch world is changing um a lot in the last two years. I would say even more in the last year, the more I think about it. But we've already had invites to dinners for Watches and Wonders, which is in April. Wow. It's the third week of April this year, sec second to third week of April this year. And I've already had people um write in to say like, hey, you know, we're doing a this or that that evening, can we can we book you in? And and you just go like, man, in not too much time I'm gonna have to organize all of that. Yeah. And uh and the team and every meeting and all that kind of stuff and you just go like I I can't I can't think about it 'cause I will have to curl up into a ball and you know, put on some Gordon Lightfoot or something to come back down to reality. But yeah, no, it's um for me that that end of December yeah is such a nice time f to have kids mm-hmm and and to h have time with them, whether you're building Legos or going to s you know, s tobogganing or or or whatever whatever it is you're getting up to with them, uh like activities indoor and outdoor. It's such a sweet time of year. So that's kind of where my focus is. I'm not thinking about watches and wonders and the emails and the scheduling and the flights and all that kind of stuff. But it comes up so quickly. Uh but yeah, I'm I'm really pumped that we're you know, we're recording this on the eighth. So by the time this comes out, we are in mid December and uh and that's uh that's a time of year where yeah, once once you get a few things check checked off the list, you can really start to relax a little bit. Yeah, yeah. Light at the end. of the tunnel for sure How about you? You said that you've been enjoying |
| Jason Heaton | the the weather? Yeah, I mean I haven't gotten the skis out, although I'm tempted to do that this week. Um it's you've got enough s you've got enough snow there in the right spots? Yeah. They're uh I'm talking cross country skiing in this case, but yeah they're grooming grooming trails, uh as I've seen a website that reports. Yeah, it is early. And I'm I'm it makes me happy for the the high school cross country ski teams around here, you know, that have a competitive season and uh I always wondered in years past, like last year we had so little snow that it must have been really challenging for them to get their pra uh practices in and so you know great to great to see that out there. Um other than that, I I this is quite quite funny actually. Uh I I got a direct message on Instagram yesterday from your wife, Sarah, and she sh she had forwarded me uh a And so her what she wrote to me was something like maybe this is you know motivation to pick up a new hobby or something. And it was the the the cover of the book that she sent me was called The Manly Art of Knitting. And it's it's a book that was written back in the early seventies. Um and it shows a cowboy sitting on the horseback um holding a ball of yarn and some knitting needles in ol and black and white photo from from that era. And the book was re-released or you know, a new edition came out a few years back. And uh Christy actually got me a copy of that book earlier in the year. I think it might have been my birthday back in April and and I've got a ball of yarn and two needles and it's been sitting on the table. And it's funny that that Sarah sent me that yesterday because the night before I had made my first attempt at uh what they call casting on, you know, getting getting started with the knitting. Um so yeah, I'm I'm I'm I'm all in. I I think that's gonna be my hobby this this winter is gonna be I'm gonna try to make a scarf. Yeah. So |
| James Stacey | that's that's what I've been up to. Oh, that's awesome. You know, uh just as I was coming downstairs to sit down and, you know, get prep to record, Sarah's like, Oh, I wonder if Jason will talk about uh about knitting. Oh yeah. Uh 'cause she was she told me that she sent you the book and and I think she said that you guys had talked about it back in September. Yeah. When you were here. And uh yeah, I I mean it's among her prime hobbies. Uh she's made she's now gr graduated like full sweaters. Oh wow, yeah, I know. Yeah. She's you know, I have some incredible hats and that kind of thing, and she's made sweaters like full size adult sweaters, not just for the baby or that sort of thing. It's uh it's great a great hobby and something she's really enjoyed. So I I hope you love it. Yeah. Yeah. Well, let's jump into uh some wrist check because we've got a huge list of watches. If you remember this episode from last year, uh we basically just kind of thought us uh of as many watches that we liked from this year and put them in a big list. They're not in any specific order. We will get to them in a moment. Um but why don't we why don't we kick it off with a little bit of risk check for the week? |
| Jason Heaton | Sure, yeah. This uh th this this is a watch that I feel like I I pull out this time of year more often um and it was on the shortlist for my one watch tournament winner uh about a year ago when we started that. And uh it's my Omega Seamaster Diver three hundred meters. So it's the twenty two fifty-four, the Peter Blake, the sword hand um Seamaster, etcetera. And I've got it on this uh rubber bund strap that Le Forban, the the um the French w watch company, um small watch brand, micro brand, um they released this this rubber bun strap that I talked about a few episodes back and and I it looks really good on the Seamaster. So um yeah, that's what I've got on now. |
| James Stacey | Oh that's great. Yeah, I I uh I'll have to uh check out a picture of that on on the strap, but I love that watch. I mean that's that's among some of my favorite that I've ever owned as far as dive watches the 2254 is an absolute winner and of course you know couldn't be more exhaustively on record about my preference for the sword hands uh so that's uh that's a great choice for sure. And yeah, for me this week, I'm actually wearing the CWN1, both because it's kind of my watch of 2025, uh, but also because uh since getting to Pennsylvania, I was able to pick up uh a strap that one of the guys on this on the Slack, Chaz, made for me. You can find Chaz's work on Chaz in Time, C H A S dot I N dot T I M E on Instagram. Uh but he makes custom straps and and other little leather bits and bobs for uh for a handful of people. He offered to uh make a strap for me and I've, you know, who am who am I to say no? That sounds amazing. And he made me this absolutely gorgeous, super thin leather NATO. Uh and I mean when I say super thin, it's remarkably thin. It has uh a really nice simple buckle. It's got a little orange accent in some of the stitching. And look, I I get that people go a dive watch on a on a leather, whatever. Um, I really like this combo. It's super comfortable and it feels a little bit kind of fall winter, uh, because I'm not going to be, you know, dumping sweat into the strap and that sort of thing out cutting the grass or hiking or something like that. And I think just as a compliment to a NATO, I've absolutely loved it. It's and like I said, it's nice and thin. Um, I believe it is uh kangaroo leather, uh, which gives it the thinness and the strength. I have another strap that Hodinki used to offer that was also in kangaroo leather. The color is much better on this, much more brown, much, much less. orange And it fits beautifully. So a huge shout out to uh to Chaz for uh the strap. Um I will put uh a photo either on my Instagram or in the show notes. I included one in um in uh TGN recently with uh with some stuff that I'll talk about later in the show as sort of my titanium trio of uh the the watch and then the uh the CPN one and then I I I built out a knife that kind of complements the two, but I'll I'll get to that in in final notes in a little while. But yeah, CWN one on a uh leather NATO from Chaz. Uh so uh I'll include his uh Instagram in the show notes, so check that out if you're interested. Yeah, that' |
| Jason Heaton | s a good pick. Um and uh probably a good segue to get into our main topic because it actually is the top watch on our list |
| James Stacey | here, the CWN one. Yeah, I mean like I'm what what more is there to say? I mean it'd be silly not to include it on the list, but we have whole episodes devoted to this watch. You know, we we sold hundreds of them uh to folks in the Slack. Uh I've just worn it constantly uh since it came out. It's the watch that I sent my other watches to. It is currently running yeah, exactly on time, maybe a half second ahead of my MacBook. Yeah. Uh something like that. And I I found it to be really, really easy to wear when traveling. The modern loom is very nice. I love the twelve hour bezel, duh. I'm huge a 12 hour bezel nerd. And I I think the thing that that's hard to describe, obviously, if you don't know or hold the watch, is how little it weighs in person. Yeah. Especially on a lightweight strap. Yeah. It's like I think it's less than fifty grams. Yeah. Which like look for a titanium watch, just the head, that's that's about what you're in for with a quartz movement. But to have it all kind of fit and then I in my mind it really it really kind of fits the same sort of purpose as a Peter Blake, the sword hands, the MOD derived design, all that kind of stuff, and then just a few little a little hints, the channel lugs, you know, the eight the the twelve hour bezel, the the little tiny nod to uh TGN down at down at six PM uh I yeah, I'm just super happy with it. So I I mean like I said we've talked a ton about it. Uh we'll close out the year on a high note with this one, but we've got a ton of other watches. But you're still wearing yours a a fair bit. We see it in fo Yeah, I sure do. Yeah, it's uh it's great. |
| Jason Heaton | And you know, the fact that it is quartz um and high accuracy quartz just means that it's it's just ready to go and there's no date to fiddle with, so it's just you know, it's it's kind of that, you know, default watch that when you know, you just want to grab something and go, that's it's there for you. And I find I just I wear it a ton. And that the lightweight is I don't know, I don't want to call it the best feature about it, but it's the most striking thing, and it it just feels like you're wearing almost like a you know little Iron Man or G-Shock or something because it's just it weighs nothing. It's great |
| James Stacey | . Yeah, I agree. All right. Well, we've uh we've rambled on enough about our our own watch. Uh that includes all the other episodes this year where we brought it up. Uh do you would just want to pick one on the list or do you just want to go kind of top to bottom as I as I kind of brain dump them on uh onto our Google Doc? |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah I mean we I yeah, I I guess you, know we,'ve sort of built out this list uh over the past couple of days and it doesn't look like it's in any particular order alphabetical or otherwise, so let's just go down the list. For sure. Citizen Aqualand, the fortieth uh fortieth anniversary. That's uh you know, arguably the kind of I don't want to say the second most talked about watch this year, but it was one that we certainly gave a lot of attention to, I think, over the summer. Um Yeah, this was a watch that was released this year in in honor of the fortieth anniversary of the introduction of the Citizen Aqualand, our beloved analog digital dive watch, uh kind of funky classic from the uh 1985, and uh Citizen did it proper. They came out with this uh, you know, two-tone dark gray with gold accents uh on a on a beefy rubber strap. Um same form factor as eighty-five. It's just a it's just uh such a wonderful, spectacular piece that you know, really complements the the other offerings they've had in years past. I mean they ha they haven't really stopped making a version of this watch since eighty five. There's you can still get the JP two thousand, which is the steel version, and then of course the the loom dial um I think it was called the the 2007 JP two thousand seven um which is still available as well but um yeah they they knocked it out of the park with this one |
| James Stacey | . Yeah I I just love this watch and I think I think when people bring up their love of stuff like uh like a like a G-Shock, the my brain immediately goes to an Aqualand. Yeah. There's nothing wrong with the G Shock. I've just never found the one that I wanted to wear a lot. I had a a really good time in my pre-Garmin days wearing a ninety four hundred rangeman because it had a couple of features that were great for hiking and useful and of course it's plenty tough and you're not gonna feel that bad if you bash it on something. And now I I just feel like most of the time if I want a sort of I don't know, this it's a it's a little bit like a panor eye as well, right? Like it's just it's this big, characterful, kind of unconventional thinking towards a sport watch. Yeah. And uh I I absolutely adore it. I mean, I love the the loom dial one and now I've got the fortieth and and I'll be honest, I'm not proud of this necessarily, but I'll be honest, I am considering adding in a standard uh uh JP two thousand just be just because I I don't know, they I feel like they do kind of multiply |
| Jason Heaton | . Yeah, and they all have their own they all have their own character to them. I mean they all wear they wear. Yeah, right, exact |
| James Stacey | ly. You know, steel black with the orange hand is is in is in my future. So if you're listening and you've got one collecting dust, you know, do me a favor and don't message me, but feel free to message me. Yeah. Uh I don't I you know if we get it in before the end of the year, I don't have to talk about like watch resolutions for uh for twenty twenty-six. So there you go. But yeah, Aqu |
| Jason Heaton | aline 40, one of my favorite watches of the year for sure. All right, another one coming up here. Uh just another quirky, fascinating, wonderful piece from a good friend. Um tell us about this one. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, the arc and Alterum, Vancouver, Speakeasy. We're getting we're hitting my like uh best of the greatest hits for twenty twenty five, uh, very early on in this list, uh, as I was the one that started the list. Uh so we'll we'll get to Jason's in a moment for sure. Uh yeah, the the Arkhanal Terum, I mean, I was already a big fan. I have the loom dial version as well on a bracelet. And then I got to go to the timepiece show in Vancouver, one of my favorite places in the world, really where I I I got deeper into watches, you know, connected with lots of other watch guys in the area. And Ken from Arkin came in, and as he does when when there's kind of moments that his brand is connecting with, he makes these speakeasy pieces, which are kind of a ask and you can see it, but they won't be publicized in the moment, uh, sort of uh limited edition, special take, that sort of thing. So it's a it's a standard Arcanulterum, so that's your uh modified Miyota for two time zones, uh double double twelve hour displays essentially similar to like a um uh like a p a patec uh you know aquanaut travel time. So you get an AMP M indicator for each time zone and you get uh an additional twelve hour hand. I wouldn't call it necessarily a GMT because you're not factoring for offset, but what you are doing is getting a a nice dual time. And I found it to be quite useful. It's also nothing like any of the other watches that I have. Um, you know, they're not especially large, they wear really well. They have sort of I what I would describe as sort of uh uh an eighties style to them. Um maybe something in the vibe of uh of a an abel or a Vasheron overseas, but kind of modified uh to feel quite a bit more modern and then you have a dial design that's that's very kind of distinctive to the to the watch itself and then stack on top of that for the the speakeasy uh green Sarah coat with a black bezel ring. And you just have this very warm, kind of a goldish, warm sandy tone to the GMT hand. And then being a Vancouver Ellie, how could I not, right? Yeah. Yeah. So I've been wearing that a ton. Ye |
| Jason Heaton | ah. It's a good watch and I'm staring at your you linked out to uh to your Instagram post with it on your wrist and it's uh it really is a crisp, handsome looking watch. It's great. And I've I don't have an alterum. I've got the uh original instrumentum and nice. Ken was nice enough to put this rubber strap on my instrumentum, which isn't the way it came in initially. Um, but it's uh yeah, it's a great strap and and Ken just does everything with such not just enthusiasm but but um attention to detail and |
| James Stacey | it's uh it's great. It's a great piece. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Shout out Ken. Hope you're listening, hope everything's good, hope to see you soon. Uh it looks like the the the dates for Vancouver time piece show are pr pretty close to watches and wonders. Oh I don't know that I can do both with uh you know, with a young kid at home and all that kind of thing. So we it's gonna take some planning to figure out that kind of stuff. The then the show season, man. Yeah. You could be on the road the whole year, yeah, uh living out of a hotel. Yeah. The the next one on my list, this one's not a surprise. It's a little bit more time coordinated because it I I bought it in April when it released, but I didn't get it until the end of the summer. And that's the Gnomos Club Sport World Timer. Uh the Club Sport pneumatic, sorry, World Timer. Uh the Glacier. Uh I've talked about this watch a ton. I've got it on that sixty dollar Well and Dupe we're calling it. Uh kind of beads of rice style bracelet from Alibaba. And yeah, I l I absolutely love this watch. It's I think it's the most I've ever spent on a watch, or at least close to. And uh and I just I adore it. It's uh you know uh the rarity aside and that sort of thing, I've worn it a ton. It's got a couple of good scratches on the polished bezel and it's just a delight. Uh, you know, Gnomus has been a brand. I think we've talked about them a lot over the last decade. I certainly have thought about them, but could never there was never one where it's like, oh, that's's it. That the one. Yeah. Uh and when I saw this, I was like, oh, this is the one. And I just figured there was no chance I'd get, you know, was sent the email very quickly after they released. But I just figured like, oh I'll get either the blue or the gray, the standard editions, both of which I really like. And I guess it was early enough that I was able to claim uh claim one of the glaciers, which is awesome. And then since then they've launched three more LEs in the night navigation models, which are very cool. And then uh as you're listening to this just a couple days ago, they will have launched two more editions to kind of finish out the year called Rome and Reverie with champagne tone dials and kind of yellow or blue accents. So they're they're definitely definitely doing a lot of LEs for this and that's 11 LEs in one year, all limited to like 175 pieces. But I I so far don't feel like I'd like I would ch trade the glacier for anything else. I'm really, really happy with it. I'm wearing it a ton. Uh it'll almost certainly come with me uh to uh to New York. And uh and yeah, it's been it's been a delight to have so a a cool year for for watches like that |
| Jason Heaton | . Yeah, and I mean looking at these top four watches on the list so far, um yeah, you you have them all and I I see you wearing them all almost with equal time. So I mean the gnomos is a it's such a spectacular piece that that's a strong contender for watch of the year. Um you know, if we had to make a final pick after going through this whole list, uh that would be right up there. |
| James Stacey | It definitely would be. Yeah. I mean, I'll be honest, it's gonna be the C W C Oh yeah. Just for sentimental reasons and you know, you know, you and I look man, like uh maybe someday we'll tell the whole story of like the years that we talked about yeah doing an LE, the other brands we spoke to, the ideas we liked, we didn't like. Yeah. And to finally like land on one that I still want to wear more than a lot of my other watches. Mm-hmm. Like I was having this conversation with Sarah just the other day that like twenty twenty-six might be a sell-off year. Like you had one of these, what, about a year and a half ago? Yeah. Yeah. And I you know, I I it just might be something worth focusing on because I'm realizing I wear about six of my watches with any frequency. Yeah. Yeah. And there's not enough money tied up in the rest of these to be like precious about them. I should just let them go. Mm-hmm. I've had my time with them and I should let them go. And I you know, at this point I'm I've grown beyond a full size pelican and you just go like what what are you doing? Yeah. So something to consider for a future episode. We'll s we'll probably do a resolutions episode uh early January and who knows if I'll stick to it. But yeah, the I guess very circuitous way to say that it's been an incredibly fortunate year for me in watches between the CWC coming out and it being something that we actually really like and and continue to wear, but also with stuff like the |
| Jason Heaton | Well the next one on the list you put here and um I can't say it's to my taste but uh it's a it's definitely a looker. It's such an interesting watch. So yeah, |
| James Stacey | tell us about this denison. Yeah, so I I want to be fair. There's a few watches that I included on the list, but I haven't seen in person, but I either know someone who owns one or someone who has seen them in person. And Andy Hoffman and I, Andy, uh, you know, I've known Andy for some time. He's a big TGN fan, so thank you, Andy, for that. And then now he works with me at Hodinki as our business editor. And like he has such a fondness for this watch, as does Rich Fordin. And when you have two guys like that that really like the watch, and uh rich a as former colleague at Hodinky as well used to like bring a loop and some incredible uh in-depth you know watch nerdery uh for for the site. Um when you have those two guys that are in support of of the same watch it's got to be pretty solid and that's the uh Dennison ALD dual time. So th this watch is on the list. Uh if I had if I had found the opportunity to buy one this year I would have just just out of discovery. Um but this is a a uh sort of 70s style TV cased, dual time, dr sort of fancy dress watch, dress watch with a charm. I'm not sure how you describe it. It comes in a ton of different versions, and it's basically just two quartz movements. So you get a crown on each side and two, you know, four hands total. You set them to two different time zones and they come in a bunch of different versions. I really like this. I would have some trouble deciding one between the other, uh, but I I do really like these. And I could see owning one in the future, especially if one came up, you know, on the on the TGN Slack or something like that. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I mean it's uh it's it's not to my taste, but I admire them for kind of stepping out of the ordinary and and doing something with this case shape and those funky dials. Um I quite like it with the tiger eye and the gold sunray and steel. That's uh you know, that one stands out for me. But uh |
| James Stacey | Yeah, it's not not crazy in terms of the pricing. Uh and I in my mind I just you know I like the idea of maybe I'm going somewhere and I have to wear a suit and this this gives me an option where I still get my GMT nurtery on or you know dual time on without uh without having to opt to something that isn't really a d that dressy of a watch. And I also think it has, especially depending on the color way that you go with, it could be casual enough on the right strap to just wear |
| Jason Heaton | . You know, I'm looking at the even including the next two watches we have on our list. Everything up to now and including the next two all So it's really no surprise that that you made the first part of this list. Um Yeah. Yeah. Uh so let's jump into the the Zin, the six one three. I this is a watch you talked about even just on the last episode. This is a this is a big one for. you. Ye |
| James Stacey | ah Yeah. It I mean it's definitely on the list. And if I do that big sell off, it would be it would be that or I'm trying to decide like if you if I you know, could could I get my way into like a Miata or something like that? Yeah. I don't have anywhere to park a Miata. I can park us in. Uh but this is the uh the 613 UTC. I've talked about the last several episodes. One of my favorite watches of the year, so much so that I thought I had written a story about it. Turns out I just hadn't ever published said story. Uh so we'll work on that next. year But I absolutely love this watch. I think it captures some of like the easy M1 charm. And at the same time a little bit of what I had in the 144 ST that I wish it hadn't sold. And it has their their new bracelet and all this kind of stuff. So yeah, that's the the that's a a uh not overly large Zinn chronograph diver GMT. Yeah. Yeah. Check all the box as many boxes as possible |
| Jason Heaton | . Yeah. I I won't add too much to that 'cause we have talked about it quite a bit, but it's uh it's a great piece. Um yeah, having gotten my Zinn fix on this year with the one four four I got from Tom, I'm uh I'm I'm feeling some love there for for the Germans. That's great. For sure. All right. And |
| James Stacey | then another one that' weve talked a ton about over time, and I just don't I didn't want to miss the opportunity to bring it up, especially after we highlighted a new LE for the model last week, is the sub-250 T GMT from Doxa. Yeah. Uh this is a great. watch Uh I'm a big fan. I I haven't pulled the trigger because I own a 200. And like I said, they feel kind of redundant at a certain point. Like I understand you're getting I just don't think I could own I would need to own both. Yeah. And I definitely don't need, you know, severales dox all at the same time. Uh so I'm sticking with my two hundred for now. If that changes, I could see my way and do a two fifty T, but I think you have to praise them for offering, you know, the forty millimeter case. It's less than three thousand dollars. Uh you get the option of the bracelet if that's what you like, and the bracelet fits and suits the case quite nicely. I prefer like an Amazon mesh just for aesthetic. I think it suits the the Doxa quite nicely. Uh but I don't think you can go wrong and uh w I mean it's a doxa GMT. We took we talked about the seven fifty T for years and and now they now they come out with one that's largely similar in aesthetic but much more wearable and at a good price point and that sort of thing. So that's the shout out there. You gotta go Shark Hunter, right? Yeah, I think coloring coloring I would I would I think I would lean towards Shark Hunter. It's a little bit of a weird thing 'cause I I typically like my doxes, you know, bright, bold, sea rambler, diving star, that sort of thing. But I really like the way the Shark Hunter looks. Yeah. How about you? Which one |
| Jason Heaton | would you lean towards? Oh, of Shark Hunter for sure. Yeah. Even I mean, just that that vintage look. I I I like the fade on the dial and that that uh that GMT |
| James Stacey | hand compared to the other one. Nice. Ye |
| Jason Heaton | ah, yeah. All right. Next one is one that uh you recently wrote about, so I'll let you uh ramble a little bit. Yeah, the Clemens uh photock mark two. Um this is a watch. Yeah, I just wrote it up last week. It's on uh let's see here. I believe as of this episode um going live it will be the the pre-order will be over, but it'll still be available. Uh just uh a great piece from from a really great guy, uh Tom Clements, who we saw and chatted with quite a bit uh at the Toronto Time Peace show. He plied us with some good whiskey, which may or may not have influenced uh my good favor. I'm just kidding. Uh it's a great watch. Uh it you know, just even judging by the I was curious what the feedback would be uh to my article on Hodenki and it seemed almost universally uh positive. People really took to this watch. It got uh got some good press. I saw it reviewed in a number of other places and you know, Tom just has a knack for good design and um a good use of color. I think this doesn't really look like anything else while also still having some classic appeal. It's got a really great tapered bracelet that goes from 20 millimeters at the case to 16 at the clasp, two push buttons, um, on the fly, micro adjust. Really slim. It's you know, just a around ten millimeters thick, which puts it, you know, kind of at the at the top of its class in terms of t uh thin dive watches. And um yeah, it's you know, it's it's it's a sub thousand dollar watch. I mean, you you can't go wrong with this. It's just um really a a a wonderful piece and and and couldn't come from a better guy who who's really doing some great things. And this is as as the name suggests, this is the mark II. So he he had a a photic years ago that I remember checking out and liked that as well, but he's he's really made some improvements with this one in terms of antimagnetism and thinness and um the colorways |
| James Stacey | and things. So yeah, nice job on this. Yeah, it's another one of those watches that just kind of checks all the boxes um at a price point. And I think it's it's just a really nice, attractive, easy wearing sort of thing uh that he's offered. But we've talked about it in the past and uh we can certainly link your story uh in the show notes. This next one is also one that you have more experience with than I have, although I was thrilled to see it at the Toronto Time Peace show in September. Yeah, this is the Pollen Mara. So M |
| Jason Heaton | ara is an old Scottish Gaelic term for uh for C. Um and it's Paulens first dive watch. This came out of uh some discussions I'd had with uh with Lewis who runs uh on ordain and Paul and they were look interested in doing their first diving watch and we had some conversations a couple of years ago actually uh that um kind of got them headed in a certain direction that really this watch it it's it's funny because they they really threaded a needle of staying true to Paulins kind of fun, um, youthful, quirky design ethos with with a diving watch. And this is a this is a 300-meter uh steel case dive watch that has a bit of doxa, a bit of seiko in the shape of it, and yet it's got this beautiful domed uh sapphire bezel, um kind of a ghost gray um for the b for the black dial, and then there's a blue version as well with a a blue dial and a blue bezel. Um great uh kind of fun rubber strap. It also comes with a recycled fishing net um fabric strap, uh 39 millimeters. It's uh yeah, it's a it's a great piece. I I think you know, people kind of approached me and said, You you know, this this doesn't seem like your ki type of watch and and yet you had a hand in it. And I I I don't want to overstate my involvement. I kind of just talked with them early on. I didn't have any direct influence on the design, but I I I do'm quite smitten with this watch and I was involved with the launch campaign, went over to Scotland for that. But uh i I think what I like about it is that it doesn't look like anything else and it kind of it it doesn't take itself too seriously while while still being a really capable watch. And um to me, this is I'm glad it's on the list because it's definitely one of my favorites of the year. Yep. Yeah, yeah, for su |
| James Stacey | re. And then look, the next two on the list we can move through pretty quickly because we've spoken about them a fair bit. The first is the Halios C4th four. Uh I have the Loom Dial, which was a special creation made for um a community online. And then I was able to uh get one directly from Halios due to my both love of the the brand and their watches, but also Loom Dials. So that was a real treat and i've been wearing it a ton it's titanium it has a great bracelet it has the you know push button microadjust built into the bracelet and the loom dial i it's just one of my favorites uh it feels decidedly modern and and at the same time for a brand that I think I've owned almost one of every model they've ever made. Yeah. Uh over time, all the way back to the the very early, you know, the blue rings and that sort of thing. Um yeah, I I just absolutely love it. The level of refinement's very high. The pricing is still very realistic. And then the next one we talked a ton about just recently, so we can link that episode. But I don't think you can you can do something like this and not highlight Tutor's Ranger in 36mm, uh, a watch which I think will prove to be quite popular all through uh next year as well. And uh and you know, highlights their connection with uh Dakar and all that kind of stuff. So well wanted to at least get that one on the list as well. Have you haven't had a chance to see that in person yet, |
| Jason Heaton | eh? Oh not yet. That's probably a good thing. Yeah, I'm I'm still quite smitten with the I'd go 36 black dial. It's just uh it's a great I think I would too. It's funny too, you know, looking at our list, w a lot of these watches, you know, Docs is a fair sized company. Um, and so is Zinn, but you know, a lot of these are really and well of course Citizen is huge, but a lot of these are kind of small, maybe not the the the first thing that comes to mind for a lot of kind of watch enthusiasts, but uh I like that we've you know tutor's kind of the first big big brand that we've we've featured here besides citizens. So um yeah let's keep cool keep rolling here. You've got the Ming thirty seven here. This is a this is |
| James Stacey | a a a cool pick. Yeah, the Ming thirty seven so it's the 37.11. It's one of their GMTs. Ming is on that list of brands, kind of like I had for Nomos for a long time, where I I do need to own one. I like the aesthetic. I love their dive watches. They sell out very quickly. I think the GMTs are quite cool, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And then the other side of this watch, uh, the watch I think is is quite interesting, but this is also kind of the first application we saw of the poly mesh strap, which is a titanium strap. I'd I you could call it a bracelet, and and I guess in some ways you'd be right. It's my understanding, although I haven't seen one in person yet that it wears more like a strap. And this is a uh essentially a 3D printed laser centered titanium strap. So it's it loose and and has the flexibility and pliability of like a leather or a NATO or something like that. And it's made up of almost 1700 components and has an included, you know, a built-in buckle uh for the strap. I I I just this is it's fifteen hundred bucks or fifteen hundred Swiss francs. And I've been on been on the fence. I mean if they open up ordering I would definitely consider picking one up just for the just for the experience. Yeah. Uh it's it's expensive, but at the same time, it's feels so reasonable compared to what bracelets can cost from other brands. And for what this is, but I'm very excited to see one of these in person at some point. And I I think it had to be on the list. Both my love of 3D printing, which has been become very strong this year, but also titanium and and this sort of idea of it being it's almost like a chainmail or a mesh, if you will, but in in these little uh sort of triangular forms. Uh if if you don't know the strap, I'll include the the sh include in the show notes. But it's such a wild thing to see created. Yeah. Yeah, that's a good one. |
| Jason Heaton | The watch is good too, for sure. Yeah. All right, next one's a clock. Um got a lot of uh well, something similar to it got a lot of publicity recently. But uh yeah, this is the the the submariner desk clock that you sa |
| James Stacey | w in London, right? I did, yeah. So we walked into London and I've told this story so we can include the show notes, but so Tantan and I walked into the uh old Bond Street, watches a Switzerland Rolex store, uh, and saw this in a in a cabinet and we're like, What is that? 'Cause it had a price tag. It wasn't like just you know, like having a Rolex ashtray or something around. And then we got to see it 30 minutes later downstairs and I just blew me away. So if you didn't check out this story, the clock is uh, you know, a a quartz powered secular perpetual calendar with a display on the back that's fully hidden by the shroud of the clock. It's a totally insane thing. Totally insane. Uh it's you know, it's it's uh what what do we find the and the US price is ten thousand two hundred and seventy dollars. Wow. But it's basically a desk clock that's made to a a standard that feels quite Rolex. So it was one of the greater like watch moments for me of the year was getting to sit and take the case off this thing and kind of discover it because there wasn't like a press release that came with it. We didn't know that it was around and uh and we got a chance to see it and it w it was a just a delightful moment. What a truly insane thing. That's great |
| Jason Heaton | . All right. Next up you got two from uh RZE. RZE, I believe they go by. Um the resolute and the and the the digital one, the UTD |
| James Stacey | . Yeah, RZE uh is a brand that kind of was new to me uh largely this year. I had heard of them. We'd we'd had a couple stories on Hodinki in the past, but I hadn't spent a lot of time with their product or had met their people. And I've now met uh Huey and some of his team. And uh yeah, their resolutes like a small sort of field watch, but hypermodern with a dial that's totally not what you'd expect from a field watch, uh with a really kind of novel luminous application and a great price point. And then the UTD eight thousand is their sort of G Shock style tough titanium digital watch and I've had great experiences with both. I've I was just wearing my UTD this past weekend and uh have really enjoyed it. Uh nice, tough, easy to wear, lightweight, all the kind of stuff you want from yeah, I would say like uh uh if if you're if you're in the the vibe of like a G Shock, this is a an alternative from like a small micro brand, which is uh which is great and they make some great uh other products as well. So I'll I'll include some links in the show notes, but wanted to get a shout out in there for uh RZE. They're making some nice stuff. And they're based here in Canada. All right. Funky Seiko next. The uh what do they call this thing? The rotocall? The rotocall. Yeah, I I didn't write down the uh the um you know it's the SMGG two one is the blue one. There's a blue, blue color, a black color and one with yellow accents. And then I believe there's like a a gold tone L E in Japan, which would also be very cool. Uh, you know, these are under 600 bucks. It looks like five fifty on the bracelet. And it's basically a digital watch, but you rotate the bezel to change the functions. So whatever function you put at twelve is kind of reflected on the screen, which I just I think that's great. They kind of also have the vibe of like a I don't even like loosely of a yacht timer. Mm-hmm. If you love yacht timers, I think you know what I mean. Mm-hmm. It's it's the color, it's the layout, it's the, you know, little triangles and stuff like that. And uh yeah, I I thought these were really fun. Um I would love to see Seiko do more of this kind of stuff. I would like to see it at a more competitive price point. I think, you know, maybe a hundred, hundred and fifty bucks less, and this would have felt really quite exciting for for people. And that's just, you know, price sensitivity is very high in twenty twenty five. Um, but I think there's a really cool, you know, they include uh they're obviously quartz, um, but you get a chronograph, uh that goes up to a hundred hours. Uh you get an alarm, you get a second time zone, and uh and uh you know uh a nice you sort of hard Lex crystal on there and a steel bracelet. They measure thirty seven millimeters, so a nice size in person as well. Uh yeah, these these got me excited for sure. |
| Jason Heaton | All right. And the next uh longing, uh more of an update than than an an all new watch. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, so these ones again is just wanted to offer a shout out as I think Langines is quietly becoming a major player in a certain type of like elegant sporty dress option. And with the I think they they really established that with the first iterations of the spirit, but now with the the latest iterations of the spirit pilot no longer having the stars on the dial and having a few other refinements, just wanted to offer them a shout-out because I think both the the standard model and the chronograph look really good. And in my mind, these offer a lot of competition against uh Grand Seiko, against a tutor, uh that sort of thing. And and it's it's small refinements. I think you know, Tantan has a nice story on Hudinky kind of covering both and some of the adjustments that they made to the lineup. And then especially as we've seen the continued kind of offering of the Legend diver in 39 millimeters, and then now a progressive launch of the Hydro Conquest uh GMT in 43 millimeters and then also in a 41 millimeter. I just I think they're in a really good spot and I and I didn't want to build a list like this and not mention them. So yeah, good good work to Langines. Looking forward to seeing how they evolve the the sport watch offering as well. Because it's a it's like a different sort of voice than a tutor. You know what I mean? |
| Jason Heaton | Oh, for sure. It feels a little more nostalgic or something. Yeah, even even next to the Black Bay, it feels still more classic, I guess. Yeah. Yeah, the classic, a little bit more dressy, a little |
| James Stacey | bit like kind of all the longines stuff, all the marketing stuff we know for lo from long jeans, right? It's a little bit more dressy, it's a little bit more yeah, classically minded. Yeah. Um, but I think they've really got their proportions locked down, the price point feels really strong. Um you it's obviously we're talking about a premium watch, but you know, within that within that world, within the the world of the maybe where Grand Seiko was a couple of years ago, under five thousand dollars, and then also stuff like the the tutor, I think they've I think they've got a good lineup building for sure. |
| Jason Heaton | All right. Next up something completely different. Another microbrand, another analog digital. This is the brew metric called the digital blend. Yeah. You know, leave it to leave it to Jonathan at Brew to come up with something so avant-garde and wild and retro and also futuristic. It's it's just um this feels like a watch that you know you you might find um that was made back in the 70s, you know, when in the in the heyday of kind of early digital when everybody was sort of wowed by this stuff and it has that funky shape. This is a a watch that has a an analog dial at the top, very simple with just three squares for twelve, three, six, and nine, um, some pretty blocky kind of hands. And then the lower third of the dial or so is this little digital screen with um red, you know, red numerals and and a little coffee cup icon. And you just press a button and it times a 30 seconds. It's just a 30-second countdown timer for timing your espresso shot, which is true to Bruce Origins as kind of a coffee-oriented brand. Um you know, they they don't lean too heavily on it. I think when they first came out, I thought brew, you know, with the kind of a coffee bean logo. Um I thought this feels short-lived. It feels like, you know, how can you squeeze much out of a kind of a coffee connection? But he's done it. And and this is such a specific piece, but you know, thirty seconds is good for timing other things, but it's just such a such a different watch and for four hundred twenty five dollars it's it's just pure fun. It's |
| James Stacey | really cool. Yeah, this is another one that I haven't gotten to see in person. Uh but I just love I love the sense of humor, the levity of it all. You know, broadly only useful for one purpose, but such a cool little thing. I love the style. I think the metric that like the format of the metric, the bracelet, the case has a flexibility that maybe you wouldn't have assumed. Yeah. Uh, without Jonathan's ability to go between color and finish and then weirdo uh you know, complications like this. I love the the little coffee cup symbol and the the like that it's not a a you know a quote unquote like an L C D display. Yeah. It feels more like a vintage LED or uh or you know a a backlit segment display. Just something fun. Uh I the metric was already great watch. We've talked about it before. Uh, you know, we just had a question about Mecha Quartz uh on a recent QA and we chatted metric for a little while. And I just think this is just silly and fun and cool and exciting and weird and all that kind of stuff. And and like you said, a nice nod to the like the brew of it all. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, definitely. That's uh it's a fun piece and uh just kind of a real oddball for our list here. Yeah. All right, next up we have watched we I don't think we really talked about much on on T G N, but it it's it's definitely in our wheelhouse and I I really like the look of this one. This is the Nivada Grentian Antarctic GMT limited edition for Hodinki. Yep. Um have you laid hands on this watch |
| James Stacey | ? So I finally have. That's great. This this sort of was launched when I was offline for, you know, baby related uh time off. Yeah. And then th when I was in New York just recently I finally got to see, you know, the the office version of it, the the one that they have in the office. And dude, I I probably should have bought one of these. You know, it it's awesome in person. 36 millimeter case, 11 millimeters thick, 100 meters water resistance, a really cool luminous application. And if you didn't I'm we're not selling you anything, obviously there's a bias here. This is an LE for Hodinky. I work for Hodinky. Uh my wife works on the LE team that came up with this watch, just make sure all of And you know, we had one of my favorite photographers shoot this, Brett Curry. So shout out Brett if you're listening. These sold quite quickly, um, for a little over a little under 1750, 1740 is what they went for. And, you know, it's a it's a Nevada Grentian GMT. Uh I think it's the right size. It's the right you know, it's it's the gray on gray with a cool loom, great gray NATO. You know, how more bias could one be? Uh in this statement, cool Leica's in in the in the photography for it. Uh but yeah, I kinda this is one where I think if if I eventually see one and the timing is right pop up somewhere I could I could see picking one up. 'Cause like, you know, Sarah could wear this, one of one of my kids could wear this being thirty seven millimeters. It's uh it's a cool thing. I'm I'm quite proud of it. Yeah. Yeah. It's a good one. All right. Next one's cool. This is the this is the uh Yeah, this is one I put on for you. I I love it as well, but I remember you mentioned it when it c |
| Jason Heaton | ame out. You know, I've I've long loved the the Pro Pilot Altimeter and uh and this is the the Oris Bamford Pro Pilot Altimeter Mission Control. So a a a watch that that Oris did with uh with George Bamford's uh group. You know, he always does these kind of interesting collaborations. Uh eighty one hundred dollars US, so not a not a cheap piece, but it's uh it's got a lot going for it. So it's a forty seven millimeter watch, big thing 'cause it has a mechanical altimeter built into it. Um I used to actually own the steel version that that Oris made and it's a it's a monster, but it is uh such a fun watch. This one is multi-piece carbon fiber and titanium with a a gray PVD plating, um, some really wild loom uh, not surprising in a Bamford edition. Um I don't know, it's it I'd be you'd be hard pressed. Uh there's there's some cool watches, you know, with depth depth sensors and things like this, but I don't know, mechanical altimeter. I still think this is just one of the the neatest kind of very niche uh complicated watches you c you can get. And uh this is just a really fun watch. And the strap they put on it is cool. I mean it's just it it's I I it's one of my favorite aurus is you know, full stop. |
| James Stacey | But I would love them to do some of the luminous treatment, and maybe they will, maybe this is in in the future with Bamford, but some of the luminous treatment from from the Pro Pilot, uh, this special edition on on something in the the new Pro Pilot date. It's uh it's quite a thing. There's not really any other watches like it. And then to see this insane luminous treatment and uh you're kinda sold right on the first photo. It just looks so cool. So yeah, definitely worthy of a shout out uh to uh to the folks at Oris. They had a big year, lots of lots of refreshes, new Pro Pilot and all that kind of stuff, and uh and and it's it's been good. But this is the one that like stayed in my brain. |
| Jason Heaton | All right. Next up we have uh uh another big watch, uh another big titanium watch or with titanium elements. This is the the Blanc Pan 50 Fathoms Tech uh watch that was foreshadowed by well, a couple of watches actually. The the fif the 50 Fathoms Tech Gombessa, the the one with the three hour complication and bezel, uh co developed with Laurent Ballesta, and then they released a fifty fathoms tech ocean commitment four, which uh I had a chance to to play with and be a part of the the launch for that, and that was back in the Philippines back in February and then now they have that was an L E and now this is the standard kind of production version of the fifty Fathoms tech. So a a regular sixty minute uh dive you know count up bezel um in the the classic domed sapphire that we're familiar with from blonde pen. Um forty seven millimeter uh titanium case with an integrated rubber strap um you know deep black dial, anti-magnetic, you know, hundred and twenty uh hour power reserve uh movement. It's i it's it's just kind of a tour de force for for Blanc Pan. I I had a chance to dive with the the Tech Gombesa again. Um I, you know, was at the launch event a couple of years ago and then had had one on the Channel Islands trip recently. Um and, you know, just I I love the form factor of this watch. I think it blends a lot of uh you know what the features that we like Blanc Pan for, but it's uh you know, it's just kind of their modern take on on kind of a direction that they're headed. So we don't dabble much in the twenty five thousand two hundred dollar range uh with watches that we talk about, especially on this list today, but um in its form um and the brand, I mean we're we're big fans of Blogpan and and what they do and this is this is a great piece and had to be included because it was a big release this |
| James Stacey | year. Yeah, I agree. I look it it it isn't a T GN we're not saying go out and buy one or you absolutely have to have one, but it's a cool flagship. Next up we've got uh a great collab from one of our favorite guys |
| Jason Heaton | . Yeah, the Jacques Bianchi Marseille um deep sea EDC, their version of the the Profond JB 300 from Jacques Bianchi. And it was done in collaboration and partnership with Brock Stevens, who's been a past guest on TGN. Uh I've been diving with uh with Brock in uh Chicago um at a wind up a few years back and uh he partnered with them on a watch that he spec'd out with a left hand uh crown. It has this titanium case, this this really beautifully kind of matte, you know, sandblasted or bead bla bead blasted finish. Um great kind of coloring and and you know, oversized markers, big arrow uh arrow minute hand and uh some yellow accents kind of comes on a uh MN style elastic strap. Um it's it's just a great piece. And I I I it looks like it's out of stock, so it sold out uh immediately. There weren't many made, and that's uh that's great. They're a hundred and fifty made actually. So um, you know, hats off to to Brock and uh and Jacques Bianchi. This was a real winner and and a neat pie |
| James Stacey | ce. Yeah, absolutely. I think uh I think a solid one. You know we covered it when it first came out. A great looking watch and uh a very cool collab. So that's uh that's a good one as well. Now, this this next one on the list, I feel like I saw this in the slack and didn't fully understand what I was looking at and then just moved on. Uh so I'll I'll let you take this one 'cause I'm not entirely sure what it is and I don't recognize the um I don't rec |
| Jason Heaton | ognize the the brand. Yeah, this um this is a watch I I remember when the the first version came out and then um earlier this year I I got a hint of of this one that was coming. And it's sold through um a group called Watch Angels. And uh the watch is actually called the Buhlmann Decompression O2. So O2 meaning it's the second generation of this. Um and you know, we're going to throw a link to this to their website in the show notes because it goes into a lot of detail um into the development and kind of the background of of Buhlman, who um was, a scientist that w was kind of one of the pioneers of developing decompression tables um for for technical diving. And uh his algorithms uh are actually still used largely worldwide by most of the kind of dive training organizations for for decompression and no deco limits and that sort of thing. But the watch itself is just this crazy thing. It it runs a a Solita SW300 automatic movement in a stainless steel case with a sa uh ceramic bezel. But it has this window in the bottom where it's a bullhead orientation with the crown at 12 and then an internal rotating mechanism that you can use to track uh decompression times. Um it tracks your no-deco time. Uh it's it's got some funky colorways. I I uh I'll be honest, I have not really dug into this entirely thoroughly because I just saw that it was released just a couple of days ago. But I did see it also pop up on the Slack and I just wanted to include it in the list because I figured people would probably um you know tell us that we we missed out on this one if we didn't include it. But uh it's um it's just a wild thing and I hope I I get to see one someday because it actually has a dual bezel. Um there's a an outer outer ring on the bezel that rotates independently of the time elapsed bezel on the inside, which is I believe a first. I don't think we've ever seen that. And they both lock in place somehow. So again, a hands-on would be really helpful with something like this. But it's it's a really, really cra |
| James Stacey | zy Yeah, if you're if you're able to score one, let's let's get a story together. We can uh we can make that happen for sure. Let's uh and may maybe somebody listening has a connection to the brand, but the it's a wild thing. Just I was scrolling around while you were talking and yeah, I don't think I've ever seen that feature set. And uh would love to see one when it's uh, you know, a commercially available product for sure. Speaking of commercially available product, a couple of things we saw at uh the Toronto Time Peace show, and one of them was brand new that weekend. It sure was, the the the Bal |
| Jason Heaton | tic Aquascaf, the Mark Two there. Um you know we talked about the photic Mark II and we saw that at Toronto Time P show as well. But uh the Aquascaf, you know, Baltic is they're just such good designers. I mean it's just that they make such a clean watch in any watch that they make. And this refinement of their dive watch with a fully hashed bezel and just these bold kind of 3D uh you know loom plots on the dial. I mean it's just uh it's just a beautiful thing. I I particularly linked out to the the Mark two green. I I'm usually not a huge green watch person, but I think it looks really handsome here. Um I don't know. We're we're we're big fans of Baltic and and the new aquascaf just kind of continues the the winning streak. They still offer them the the original version, it looks like, on their website, but uh |
| James Stacey | I like what they've done. Yeah, no, I I absolutely agree. I think that the I think that this is a great refinement uh of the aesthetic and you know the sizing, the price point's still under a thousand dollars. I I I think that it's just another brand, kind of like a lot of the ones we've mentioned over the last, you know, forty five minutes now, that that is just offering a lot for the money. I I love the fully graduated bezel. I really like the new kind of milled block style markers, the big hands. We got to see this in person. I I thought it was quite attractive. Uh so I I absolutely get it. Uh this was already uh a popular watch, the the aquascaf. So I I can't imagine that that this new model is going to be anything but uh you know continuing in that trend |
| Jason Heaton | . Yeah, definitely. I the next two that I put on the list, um, one is another Baltic and then another is the Mayrod and Tigua. And I'm just gonna quickly go through these because they're both actually quite similar in form factor. The the scalograph or the scale graph from Baltic is um uh kind of a sailing uh oriented watch or at least the one version of it the one that I like particularly is the the Transat Cafe Lore Limited Edition, um which is in honor of a of a long distance uh sailing race that Baltic uh had some involvement in. And it's just a really cool kind of regatta style, kind of harkens to the skipper from from Hoyer and that type of kind of form factor with a tachymeter bezel that's marked in the nautical miles. And then it's got one big countdown uh colorful register for kind of a regatta start comes on a beads of rice bracelet um w with some kind of gorgeous blues and and tan dial and then some orange accents. It's just it's a really beautiful watch. So I wanted to highlight that. And then uh similarly, Mayrod, um, which is a brand that you know we hardly ever talk about, flies under the radar that I remember their Bonaire dive watch back and you know, probably eight years ago or so now. They came out with one called the Antigua, which is their take on kind of a regatta watch with a rotating elapsed time bezel um kind of a classic looking chronograph also with a regatta um timing uh subregister as well. And I'm I'm really quite taken with this one as well. I'm a I'm a sucker for a good regatta piece. And uh what's neat about this one is that they actually bu built it with vintage Landeron two forty-eight hand wound calibers. So um just a a fun watch that I wanted to incl |
| James Stacey | ude. Absolutely. Yeah, I think those are all great picks. And uh and then brings us kind of to uh the the final one on the list which is uh from Jack Mason who we also got to see at uh you know shout out Peter uh Jack Mason who we got to see at um the Toronto Timepiece show |
| Jason Heaton | . Yeah, my first time um seeing in person or or really paying any attention to Jack Mason watches, you know, they were kind of always in the my peripheral vision, but to kind of be able to chat with the the folks from the company and then handle the watches, this one particularly the Pursuit Pro. I I particularly like the Hunter one with the Hunter green dial, some orange accents, a great uh you know hook and loop strap, um, you know, rotating uh countdown bezel. Um just a really handsome watch. It's a thirteen ninety nine. Um felt really high quality. The the bezel worked really well. Um uh Le Jou pure, you know, G one oh one movement that's uh kind of dialed in or regulated for for good accuracy, anti-magnetic, uh good loom. Um yeah, just a a brand. I guess uh for me it was kind of my introduction to the brand and one that I want to pay more attention to in the future and I wanted to include this on the list because it was uh it was a |
| James Stacey | nice surprise. Absolutely. Yeah, good pick. I I definitely really enjoyed seeing their new GMT diver at uh or I guess it's more of a dive format with a GMT at uh at Turn of Time Peace show. So I I think they're definitely a brand to keep on the radar uh, of,fer.ing a strong value But yeah, that's the Strat O timer, uh, which they offer in steel and titanium and uh was just very impressive. Good bezel, felt really good on the wrist, minimal dial text, all that kind of stuff. So yeah, that's uh that's a good one. And and look, I'm gonna say I'll probably you could go back and and see if it's the exact same thing I said last year. We wouldn't have gotten to everything. Uh this is the start of a list. We'll we can do the rest on the slack. I'm sure there's things that we forgot. Uh these are the watches that kind of had the the biggest, most lasting impact. Uh, but that doesn't mean that something won't slip our sort of uh you know over caffeinated mines or or you know, that sort of thing as you as you build a list like this. So I'd be more than happy to see this uh continue on in the uh show notes as we get to uh take a look at some of everybody else's favorite watches uh from 2025. But uh a pretty good list, some solid stuff on there. Certainly that first half was uh was a lot of the highlights that I had uh from the year and Jason, I think the second half kind of represented the same for you. Yeah, definitely. |
| Jason Heaton | I just did a quick count. I think we did uh twenty seven watches. That's uh that's a pretty good pretty good showing. That's a good list. Gre |
| James Stacey | at year for watches. Once again.. All right Well look, we're a little over an hour at this point. We still got to record a QA as well. Uh so why don't we jump into some final notes? I have two, so how about I'll go first? Sure. Yeah. All right. So my first one is uh something I recently recommended to you, Jason, but it's uh something I've been using all year and have really found it to be quite useful. Uh and it wasn't that expensive. It's the V Gate iCar Pro 2. It's an OBD2 scanner that uses Bluetooth. It's currently $27 on Amazon and it's a little so the cars made after a certain date, um, loosely modern cars, have um have a a little port that's usually just above your left foot um in in the wheel well called an OBD2 port. And a lot of you listening will know all about this already. So I don't need to go into any any more depth. This is a little dongle that clicks into there. It lives in that port and then it Bluetooth to your phone. And when you combine it, I had to try a few different apps, uh, but when you combine it with this app that's simply called Car Scanner or Car Scanner Pro, uh I'll include a link. I believe there is uh iOS and Android versions, I found it to be really useful um in running uh not just OBD2 scans, but also checking all sorts of other data from the car. Um if if you're dealing with a car that maybe you're servicing yourself or you would like to know what you're in for before you take it to a garage. Uh I think this is absolutely worth the, you know, we'll call it under $40, depending on, you know, your currency and and the rest of it. I've used it several times, uh, recently switched to a new vehicle for the family and uh and it's been quite useful in that as it was a used vehicle and it's had a few codes uh since we picked it up. So but yeah, it's the V Gate iCar Pro OBD two Bluetooth device and then this car scanner app. I'll link both in the uh in the show notes. Ye |
| Jason Heaton | ah, good pick. It's uh served me really well already in uh Christy's Prius to uh dial in some uh evap and uh other issues um that have been able to clear codes and kind of do some troubleshooting. So it's that's a good pick. Good stuff. And what have you got this week? Yeah, I've got a fun podcast actually. Um it's called Real Survival Stories and I just kinda stumbled upon it. I think it was a suggestion through Apple Podcasts. And and I'm kind of a sucker for these you know real life survival stories. I used to watch a show called uh I shouldn't be alive that used to run that you know I kind of dramatized these real life scenarios where people would, you know, fall off a cliff and break a leg and still manage to get home or, you know, the I don't know, the sailboat would sink and they would be floating at sea and whatever. And and that's kind of the format that this podcast takes. And I've been listening, I've listened to three episodes. One was about a diver who was in a a deep cave in or sorry, in a deep lake in Russia and ended up getting the Benz and had to be evacuated and it was kind of all about his ordeal. And then uh another one was about a guy that gets attacked in British Columbia by a grizzly and he's on a mountain bike and has to get his way out of that and fight off the bear. And then the one I'm currently listening to is about a woman who's diving a wreck, the HMS hood in the UK, and uh gets trapped inside the wreck. And I'm I'm halfway through and I still don't know how she gets out. So it's it's really quite good. These are all true stories. They they interview the people um that you know, to whom these these things happened and as the name suggests, uh, you know, it's a real survival story. So these are people that actually made it so that there isn't a spoiler alert that, you know, they're they actually die in the end. Um but it's it's quite good. And the the the funny thing is it it there is a bit of an over dramatic tone to the narrator's voice. He has a a a voice that I've thought sounds like he's a British and it sounds like Timothy Dalton. If you remember, Timothy Dalton has this very particular way of speaking, um, former James Bond actor. Um and and I I don't know what this guy looks like, this narrator of this podcast, but it's he he lends this great gravitas to the to the stories um, and a a bit of kind of maybe slightly over dramatic tone, but uh it just makes a lot of fun and the stories are good. It's it's a really well produced podcast. So real survival stories |
| James Stacey | . Nice. Yeah, that's a good one. I I remember as a kid we used to get a lot of readers digest. Oh yeah. Occasionally w I don't remember if it was a series. This was a long time ago. I don't remember if it was a series, but there was in most of them there was a story about some something like this. Oh yeah. Uh I remember strongly one of a guy being, you know, having to deal with a grizzly and getting hurt. I remember another one of a guy I don't know the things that stick in your mind when you're a kid, right? Yeah. Um but I remember uh one of a guy working on a tractor and like a chisel slipped and hit him in the neck and he was gonna bleed out and like you know, I'm may maybe I'm six or seven when I'm reading this. It's amazing. Oh yeah. It's just absolutely fantastic. But yeah, so that sounds that sounds awesome. And I've actually been on the hunt for a for a new podcast. So uh that that could be a a good one to add. in And it might be another great thread for the Slack is just people to share additional podcasts. I'm I've kind of feeling like I'm I I don't know if you find this, but like I'll I'll go I'll go a while, a year, a year plus where all of my podcasts are one sort of topic or one tone, like all comedy. And then I'll then I'll realize like, oh, I'm a hundred behind on this one, I'm ten behind. I'm not doing this. Yeah. I'm not even keeping up. Yeah. And I w and then I want to go back to like a maybe a Tim Ferris or yeah, maybe real survival stories or the all the you know, you've a you've mentioned some really good adventure ones recently. Yeah. Yeah. Um and maybe some of that will come up in uh next week's uh greatest hits uh for final notes episode. Yeah. But yeah, that sounds uh that sounds pretty good. Yeah, I recommend it. Good for dog walks. That's where I've been using it. For sure. Yeah. All right. You got one more. I got one more. So this is uh I want to make it very clear product that I paid my own money for. I paid full price for it. And so it's it's literally just a recommendation of an interesting uh good experience and a product that I'm quite happy with. And uh it's a new knife. Did I need a new knife? Absolutely not. Um but I wanted something uh to replace a mini griptillion, which is a an inexpensive version. I I'm not even sure that it might have been replaced by the bug out. Maybe they still make both from a knife maker called Benchmade. You know, kind of a big brand, a US brand that makes uh a a wide range of knives at at a bunch of different price points. And I wanted something to replace the uh the Gryptillion for a while. I've been carrying um a couple different options from from giant mouse for the last couple years in including their incredible GMX. And this is not in a comp competition space for a GMX. They're two different kind of levels of knife. Um but I wanted something from Benjamin because they have this thing called an access lock and it's now available on other knives, but for a while it was only available on theirs and it's a little bar that you can push down to lock or unlock the blade action. Um, so they kind of flip open and flip closed very easily. And so I ordered a custom version of their 945 mini Osborne. So the Osborne is a uh kind of well-known ranch derived folding knife um that's been around in benchmaids lineup for I think over twenty years at this point. And then the minis just a little bit smaller, a little bit more reasonable for the the laws, regulations, that sort of thing here in Canada. Um and so I ordered that. And you can still do it in a custom program. So it's almost like spec out a car, but you're speculing out your knife. And so I was able to pick the scale color. I went with like a green G10 scale and you can pick things like the the finish of the hardware. So I went with all kind of steel, white metal, if you will, uh hardware for the screws and and the access lock and the the uh uh pocket clip. And then I was able to spec a uh a higher end steel for the blade. So it's an S90 V blade. And then I got orange accents for what's called the backspacer, which is some of like the structure of the knife's handle, and then on the thumb stud and combine that with another purchase I made, which is called uh to these titanium scales from a company called Fly Tanium. I now have a knife that kind of matches my uh CPN one. Oh nice. Uh it's a a a cool looking sort of it now has full titanium scales, a few orange accents. And I I gotta say, like these are I think about upwards of about two hundred and sixty bucks all spec'd out. So it's not a cheap knife. Um and and certainly, you know, we talk about Swiss Army knives and that sort of thing. This is more of like a what feels like a tool or a higher end uh knife. And then you've got the the higher end steel which you have to kinda care for. Um but I I'm absolutely happy with it as an upgrade, not over something much less expensive, like not over something at the entry level, but as an upgrade over a a mini grip or a bug out, which are are some of the lower end models from uh benchmade that are often very well reviewed and with good reason. I'm super happy with this. And in the titanium scales I got for $25 as they were on clearance. So I'm I'm in for a little under $300 US and I I've been carrying it constantly for the last week and I'm just thrilled by it. It's uh it's fun to kind of fidget with it. I have cut myself, uh as you'll do. Uh but uh the thankfully a nice sharp blade led to a a a nice clean cut and uh and yeah so that's my my bench made uh custom nine four five mini Osborne |
| Jason Heaton | . Very cool. Yeah, it's a it's a nice look. It's fun to be able to customize too. And I would I would just say without uh giving too much away, if you find yourself mountain biking in British Columbia where around Grizzlies. Uh you might want to carry this because uh it does play a factor in that real survival story podcast that I listened to. So Against a Grizzly you might want a full size Osboard. Well, uh you'd be surprised if you listen to that episode. It's uh pretty wild what he does with a actually a two-inch knife. But anyway, I. won't give too much away That |
| James Stacey | 's nuts. Yeah. All right. Well, there you go. A whole lot of watches. Some pretty good final notes. And uh second to last episode of the year. Keep in mind uh we'll do one more episode in about a week. We've got a few more uh QA's that are going to come out and then we're gonna come back January eighth uh for uh what will be the tenth year of the show. Yeah. Uh which is is wild. Uh you know, we kicked it off in January of twenty sixteen. Uh we don't have any specific plans or celebrations uh for uh no TV deal, no Netflix calling uh for for our our decade. But uh you know we're we're super happy to have you all listening. And yeah, as always, thank you so much for listening. Uh, if you'd like to subscribe to the show notes, get into the comments for each episode, consider supporting the show directly, which can get you a TGN sign NATO, or even just some access to the Great Slack, please visit thegreynato.com. Music Throughout is siesta by Jazz Ar viat the free music archive. |
| Jason Heaton | And we leave you with this quote from Peter Drucker who said, if you want something new, you have to stop doing something old. |