Your Bond watches

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  • edited August 1 Posts: 18,106
    mtm wrote: »
    My "daily wearer" is the Marloe Tay, which you can see in this video below. I think this specific model is manufactured in Japan, and it uses a Japanese Miyota movement, which I see is fairly commonly used in microbrand watches. Marloe Watch Company also uses Swiss movements in some models I believe – with those watches likely being manufactured in Switzerland. I also think they do some assembly in England, but I'm not sure how many of the watches are assembled in-house. It's an interesting watch brand, and although some of their watches are a bit too colourful to my taste, they do have several watches that look really nice.

    Oh wow, that's really stylish, I like that a lot! I've not seen that one before.
    It's one of those a bit like the Baltic Hermetique or Farer watches, where it's obvious that someone with a really good sense of modern graphic design and colour has worked on it.

    Yes, it does give off a little bit of Baltic Hermetique vibes, now that you mention it. Gordon, one of the two founders of Marloe, and the designer of the company, has a background in industrial design I belive, which translates well to wristwatch designs.

    To me, the Tay gives off a maritime vibe, which – in addition to a smaller size – made it a no brainer. I was also quite invested in the brand by the time I got the watch; it's not been the case more recently, but the guys at Marloe have been great at making videos about the brand, the challenges they've faced, and their process of manufacturing watches, which has been very interesting to see.

    mtm wrote: »
    Definitely agree on the finer details of the UNIVEX watch. You can quite clearly see that there's been no designer (or a proper one) that has taken part in the branding on the watch nor the packaging – the former being very obvious when you see David doing the unboxing. That's a shame really, considering the price (and likely the quality) of the product.

    Yeah, agreed. The watch might be fantastic, but the amateur quality of the website, photography and design would make me very nervous about the professionalism of the company and whether I'd see my money again. Design is very important with these things.

    With all the tools and services available to make decent websites, it surprises me that brands still have sites like this in 2025. It doesn't help how good the product is when this is the first impression you get…

    mtm wrote: »
    That WMT looks better in that regard, though I do wonder why they placed that six o' clock marker horizontally? That's just feels off to me.

    It's funny, even though I've looked at that photo before, I noticed that same thing for the first time when I posted the image! I can only assume it's a marker meant for a dial with a date window at the six o'clock position but I've no idea why they used it on that.

    My first thought was that they simply just flipped that marker to distinguish it from its inspiration, or to make more room for the text above, but it just comes off a bit wrong.

    mtm wrote: »

    I take it it's the Cronos L6036 you are referring to, @mtm? If so, that's a stunning watch too! I think it popped up somewhere when I was researching the Tudor Black Bay 54. Of new watch models, the BB54 is probably one of the watches I've looked at the most; it's retro looking without leaning too heavily into being retro, and at 37 mm it's probably the only real diver option out there that might fit my wrist – although the 46mm lug-to-lug size does probably make it just too large for my 5.71in wrist (damn that family trait of having small wrists!).

    Yes that's the one, I was really surprised how that Cronos feels a notch above other homages I've had (actually having an inoffensive name and logo helps a lot!), I really like wearing it.
    I totally agree about the BB54 too, I've had my eye on that for a while and it's not outrageously pricy either. When I see one in person I fall in love with it again, although I do hesitate slightly over whether it's a bit too retro, as you mention. And I even like older watches, maybe I just worry slightly about buying a new one like that. But it is gorgeous. There are some excellent homages of that (including Cronos' which I'm sure is great) but I must admit I think I'd want the real thing.
    I reckon you should try one on, sometimes the lug length can be deceptive and it's all about how the case is shaped.

    Otherwise if you like the Brosnan/Craig Seamaster 300M, my one is the 36mm version they made at the time. I'm not large of wrist either, and it fits really well and somehow doesn't look too small either (I know 36mm sounds tiny, and the first time I saw it I thought I'd made a mistake, but I think it really works). Have a look around, you might find one.

    If I had a penny for every time I've seen a watch that looks interesting, just to notice an incredibly ugly logo – or just as bad – oversized logo! There are so many brands that get this so wrong. I could almost put the San Martin logo in the ugly logo category, but they get away with it simply because they've got the proportions of watch vs logo size right. Plus, San Martin makes me think of George Martin of LALD, so there's that! :D

    The BB54 is at a price point, especially if buying pre-owned, where I might be able to afford one given a bit of time. I've seen a few Youtubers point out the "retroness" of this model, and I feel every argument for or against this is valid. It's "within reason" for me, but I'm not 100% convinced how much I like the grey numbering and details on the bezel, against the golden details and lettering on the dial. The BB58 on the other hand, has golden details on the bezel, but on that watch I don't like the red "triangle" on the bezel.

    Maybe if the BB54 had less golden details, or alternatively included a golden coloured "pearl" on the bezel to include some golden detailing like it's inspiration, the Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner reference 7922, it would have been a no-brainer.

    TUDOR-OYSTER-PRINCE-SUBMARINER-7922-vintage-3.jpg

    The fact that the BB54 has a bit of history attached to it, is also an argument for why this is a great watch. I also think they've got everything proportionally correct with the design – plus the fact that I've always liked Tudor's "Snowflake" hands. Trying one on might be the way to go if I get serious about the BB54. Ulike Rolex, you might actually find these on display, even in smaller towns like where I live (or live close nearby).

    I will definitely keep an eye out for any 36mm Brosnan/Craig 300m's. And you're right, a 36 mm watch might seem small on paper, but feel just right on the wrist. Going with a fabric strap or a Milanese mesh strap rather than a chunky bracelet might make the watch look more proportionally right even on my teeny tiny wrist.
    mtm wrote: »
    I'd love to see a wrist shot that WMT's LALD tribute! Googled it right now, and it looks great – even more so than the "Connery" one above, in my opinion.

    It's a lot of fun. It's quite accurate to the original, which means it comes on a slightly shonky pressed-clasp bracelet(!), and playing your inner Roger and making the indices turn red never gets old :D (It's quite clever; they've just hooked a sandwich dial up to the date wheel of the movement, so pulling out the crown and setting the date spins the wheel under the markers and turns them red). My only slight issue is that it has a black enamel dial, which I usually love on anything, but feels a bit off on this one.

    Here's a couple of pics I took of my little collection of Bond homages including the LALD:
    ME18K95T_o.jpg

    ME18K95U_o.jpg

    Quite clever indeed! The red markers doesn't look bad in the picture above either. I would have thought that detail would have been hard to pull off, but it seems WMT have done everything very well here!
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited August 1 Posts: 18,743

    The BB54 is at a price point, especially if buying pre-owned, where I might be able to afford one given a bit of time. I've seen a few Youtubers point out the "retroness" of this model, and I feel every argument for or against this is valid. It's "within reason" for me, but I'm not 100% convinced how much I like the grey numbering and details on the bezel, against the golden details and lettering on the dial. The BB58 on the other hand, has golden details on the bezel, but on that watch I don't like the red "triangle" on the bezel.

    Yeah I really come and go on that red triangle. Sometimes I think it adds something, something I think it looks too much.

    The fact that the BB54 has a bit of history attached to it, is also an argument for why this is a great watch. I also think they've got everything proportionally correct with the design – plus the fact that I've always liked Tudor's "Snowflake" hands. Trying one on might be the way to go if I get serious about the BB54. Ulike Rolex, you might actually find these on display, even in smaller towns like where I live (or live close nearby).

    Yes, I think they're usually in stock too, unlike Rolexes. I think my next purchase would be likely to be a Tudor as they're so nice. I have to make sure I don't try one on or I might get tempted! :D
    I will definitely keep an eye out for any 36mm Brosnan/Craig 300m's. And you're right, a 36 mm watch might seem small on paper, but feel just right on the wrist. Going with a fabric strap or a Milanese mesh strap rather than a chunky bracelet might make the watch look more proportionally right even on my teeny tiny wrist.

    I don't have a big wrist either but it looks just right, and on its original bracelet which is super comfortable.

    Here we are on our hols together a few months back:

    ME1BEX5R_o.jpg

    Quite clever indeed! The red markers doesn't look bad in the picture above either. I would have thought that detail would have been hard to pull off, but it seems WMT have done everything very well here!

    Yeah it's really fun: the only slight issue with the 'magnet'/'bomb' function using the date wheel is that at midnight every night all the markers gradually turn red by themselves :D
  • edited August 1 Posts: 18,106
    mtm wrote: »

    The BB54 is at a price point, especially if buying pre-owned, where I might be able to afford one given a bit of time. I've seen a few Youtubers point out the "retroness" of this model, and I feel every argument for or against this is valid. It's "within reason" for me, but I'm not 100% convinced how much I like the grey numbering and details on the bezel, against the golden details and lettering on the dial. The BB58 on the other hand, has golden details on the bezel, but on that watch I don't like the red "triangle" on the bezel.

    Yeah I really come and go on that red triangle. Sometimes I think it adds something, something I think it looks too much.

    The fact that the BB54 has a bit of history attached to it, is also an argument for why this is a great watch. I also think they've got everything proportionally correct with the design – plus the fact that I've always liked Tudor's "Snowflake" hands. Trying one on might be the way to go if I get serious about the BB54. Ulike Rolex, you might actually find these on display, even in smaller towns like where I live (or live close nearby).

    Yes, I think they're usually in stock too, unlike Rolexes. I think my next purchase would be likely to be a Tudor as they're so nice. I have to make sure I don't try one on or I might get tempted! :D

    It's those few little details that has made me go a bit back and forth re. the BB54. Who knows, by the time I have saved up enough to get one, they might have released a version where they have toned down those details – or the design might have won me over!

    In any case, be it a Tudor BB54, an Omega AT or a vintage Omega watch – it will take some time to afford one, so I just have to use that time to see what pops up.
    mtm wrote: »
    I will definitely keep an eye out for any 36mm Brosnan/Craig 300m's. And you're right, a 36 mm watch might seem small on paper, but feel just right on the wrist. Going with a fabric strap or a Milanese mesh strap rather than a chunky bracelet might make the watch look more proportionally right even on my teeny tiny wrist.

    I don't have a big wrist either but it looks just right, and on its original bracelet which is super comfortable.

    Here we are on our hols together a few months back:

    ME1BEX5R_o.jpg

    That watch looks great on your wrist, @mtm! I guess the advantage with an original Omega bracelet is that you are unlikely to find something as comfortable. From what I understand, they take great care in making good bracelets as well – not only watches.
    mtm wrote: »

    Quite clever indeed! The red markers doesn't look bad in the picture above either. I would have thought that detail would have been hard to pull off, but it seems WMT have done everything very well here!

    Yeah it's really fun: the only slight issue with the 'magnet'/'bomb' function using the date wheel is that at midnight every night all the markers gradually turn red by themselves :D

    Hahaha! I guess you just have to forgive a few quirky details when you have such a watch in your collection! :))
  • edited August 2 Posts: 18,106
    It's not a Bond watch, so it's only relevant in that it is an Omega, but this particular model, the Seamaster 60 “Big Crown” from 1969 has popped up in my searches on Chrono24 a few times the last few days. It was apparently conceived as a transitional model, which might explain why it isn't as recognisable as other Omega dive watches from the same era, but with it's oversized crown, and a bit different kind of look compared to the other dive models they've made, I think this is a really cool watch!

    It's 37 mm, with a lug-to-lug of just under 42mm, so not the most practical diver, perhaps. I saw one comment in a blog post calling this a "desk diver"! :))

    2077-Seamaster60-Lifestyle_1024x1024.jpeg

    Maybe a watch like this could have featured in a Lazenby era or late-Connery era watch collection?
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 18,743
    That's very cool indeed, yeah.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 18,743
    A very nice new homage to the Tudor 7928 has just gone on sale, and as that watch is very similar indeed to the Rolex 5513, it kind of works as a tribute to 007's Live and Let Die watch!

    It comes in three variants and looks very nice to me.

    introducing-the-new-thorn-t023-finally-arrived-v0-hc3py1ys5lhf1.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=044455e7313c0a5bb8de57ffa26c7d4a12548d75

    Click the image for link.
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