State of the Collection — Part 2: New additions in 2022
Taking a dive into my latest acquisitions. Pun intended.
In part one of this series, I mentioned that one watch, the Seiko SPB143, changed the trajectory of my collection in 2022. Indeed, the SPB143 shifted my taste strongly toward dive watches. The experience of getting my open-water certification with the SPB143 increased my appreciation for the supreme practicality and versatility of dive watches. Like the do-it-all secret agent, James Bond, dive watches can handle just about anything you can throw at them. They look just as at home timing a decompression stop as they do timing your morning French press or strolling through the office to your next meeting.
Before having the epiphany about my preference for dive watches, my guiding philosophy in collecting was trying to have one of every core type of watch. One dive watch, one GMT, one dress watch, and one chronograph. One black dial, one white dial, one blue dial, one grey dial. You get the picture. There's nothing inherently wrong with this philosophy, but at the end of the day, it left me feeling pigeonholed to filling in “gaps” in my collection rather than pursuing the watches that really captured my curiosity. So I ultimately ditched this philosophy in pursuit of curating a collection that felt more like home, more aligned with who I am, or rather, who I aspire to be. Let's look at how this newfound approach shaped my collection over the last year.
Tag Heuer Aquagraph 2000 ref. CN211A
Kicking off the current SOTC with my most recent addition and the last acquisition made in 2022. My watch enthusiast acquaintances know I've been on an obsessive crusade to add a chronograph to my collection — specifically, a dive chronograph. For the unanointed, this would be a watch with a dive bezel and other dive specs combined with a chronograph movement. The kerfuffle with the Unimatic had dampened my spirits momentarily only before lighting a steadfast fire to conclude my search.
I spent weeks researching on forums, watching YouTube videos, and chatting with other dive watch collectors to find the perfect dive chronograph to add. I was hunting for a function-forward dive chronograph that was supremely legible while scuba diving and also safe to operate at depth. This latter criterion is a feature that many brands claim their watches can do and one might even assume that this is safe to do simply because of the coexistence of the chronograph and a reasonable depth rating. In practice, most chronograph pushers, if actuated underwater, run a serious risk of flooding the case and thus the movement.
Finally, my weeks of research had paid off and I landed on this Tag Heuer Aquagraph 2000. It features all of the hallmarks of a dive watch but it has a few other unique dive-focused features that make the Aquagraph stand out from the crowd of standard divers. The first notable feature is a locking uni-directional bezel that turns only when pressure is applied to the sides of the bezel. A small but admirable feature is a yellow ring around the crown stem to alert the wearer if the crown is left unscrewed before a dive. The most critical feature I had been searching for, which allowed safe chronograph operation at depth were the Aquagraph’s rubber-capped chronograph pushers secured by screws. Lastly, the proverbial cherry on top, is both a central chronograph second hand and minute hand, which provides superlative visibility and functionality when diving. In my opinion, this isn't just a dive chronograph, it's the ideal archetype of a dive chronograph.
Tudor Pelagos ref. m25600tb-0001
The Pelagos was the watch I originally wanted to get my open-water certification in, but at the time I couldn't justify the cost of the watch not knowing if I'd enjoy the hobby as much as I do now. As a more budget-friendly solution, the SPB143 would end up getting those honors but I made a covenant to myself that if diving continued to be a prominent part of my lifestyle I would eventually treat myself to a Pelagos.
In a sea of vintage reissues, the Pelagos carves out a divergent path. It is brutally modern, both in design and construction. One of my favorite features of the watch is the OEM bracelet and trick clasp, which features a bevy of micro-adjust systems (yes, plural systems). I also particularly enjoy the rounded triangle and pip on the bezel, a subtle design alternative from the sharper Submariner style that furthers its modern aesthetic. The dial also features unique architecture in its raised chapter ring and inset solid applied lume blocks for the hour markers. The dial lume blocks combined with a fully lumed matte blue ceramic bezel make the Pelagos absolutely scream in dark conditions.
There are a few elements of the Pelagos I dislike including the unnecessary amount of text on the lower part of the dial and the bi-color palate of the watch can, at times, present a stoic, sterile, and cold outward presence. At the end of the day, you have to admire the Pelagos for being unabashedly itself and for having a crystal clear identity as a modern diver.
Doxa Sub 300 Searambler "Silver Lung"
This was my most worn watch in 2022, bar none. After listening to James Stacey and Jason Heaton of The Grey NATO gush about the merits of Doxa and specifically, the Sub 300, I had to drink some of that sweet orange minute-hand Kool-Aid. It has the same endearing effect as a pug or bulldog — so ugly it's cute. The Sub 300 is a symphony of dissonant proportions and shapes that somehow work together. The case measures 42.5mm in diameter while the dial measures just 27.3mm in diameter. The disproportion of the small dial juxtaposed against the wide, flat cushion case provides a pure vintage charm effect that is uniquely Doxa.
Disproportion continues on the dial with the oversized orange minute hand and an undersized hour hand. These hands are set against a sunburst grey dial and the U.S Divers Co. Aqua-Lung logo (hence, the "Silver Lung" nickname). The dial is topped off with "DOXA automatic" and "SUB 300 searambler" text in the same vintage typeface from the original "Black Lung" of the late 1960s. The aggregate package results in a watch that is both immediately recognizable, supremely wearable and begs to be taken on your next adventure.
Doxa Army Watches of Switzerland Limited Edition
Not long after acquiring my Silver Lung, I was scrolling Instagram when I came across a post by James Lamdin of the popular secondary reseller, Analog:Shift. The post was a series of pictures of the newly minted Doxa Army reissue. It was only after I determined I had to have one that I realized the watch was a limited edition of just 100 pieces and Analog:Shift had already sold out of their allocation. After calling our local WOS boutique to find a similar outcome, I conceded defeat and moved on. Not long after, I stumbled on an opportunity to purchase one through the popular buy-sell-trade subreddit r/WatchExchange and pounced on it.
The Army, especially this limited edition with its black ceramic case, is the black sheep of the Doxa family. Pun aside, its case has the same supreme wearability as the Sub 300 but its construction fits somewhere between the case profile of the 300 and 300T's case. The Army also trades Doxa's signature no-deco bezel for a uni-directional count-down bezel that is fully-lumed. It may be my imagination but the bezel knurling on this feels noticeably sharper than its steel-cased siblings and it adds a welcome tactical feel to its already tactical appearance. The dial is encased in a flat sapphire crystal which bears resemblance to the 300T's crystal. The color palate of the dial plays off the black ceramic case to terrific effect and the orange splash of the handset offers some much-needed dimensionality and contrast that coalesces the whole package. My favorite design element of the watch is the short, fat arrow hour-hand. It almost looks like it ate the Sub300's undersized hour-hand for breakfast. The Doxa Army provided a much-needed palate cleanser from the steel case majority in my collection. The weight difference of the Army's ceramic case from comparable steel cases in the rest of the Doxa line-up is palpable and further leans into its stealthy vibe. If I were to endow this reference with a nickname it would be the Doxa Army "Rambo". You heard it here first folks.
Doxa Sub 300 Sharkhunter "Black Lung"
If you need an indication of how much I love the Sub 300, this is it. The more time I spent with the Silver Lung, the more I realized my desire for Doxa had not yet been satiated. When I began searching for the Sharkhunter Black Lung, I knew it would be difficult given it was made in a limited run of just 100 pieces. After a few failed attempts to acquire one, I finally found a willing seller on WatchUSeek who was selling one at an attractive price. I actually pulled the trigger on this while hiking Acadia Mountain with my Silver Lung out on Mount Desert Island, Maine, which made for a more memorable moment in the effort to bring this piece into the collection.
The Sharkhunter Black Lung has all of the same lovable elements as its silver-dialed brother — the cushion case, the disproportionate handset, and the no-deco bezel. To be fair, it is the same watch as the Silver Lung aside from the black dial, white hands, and white hour markers. That being said, the subtle change in the color scheme has a drastic effect on the character of the Sharkhunter Black Lung. The Silver Lung feels like a free-spirited adventurous younger brother whereas the Black Lung feels like the more buttoned-up older brother. They're both excellent and make for a good one-two punch.
Citizen Promaster Aqualand JP2007-17W
The Aqualand was yet another purchase influenced by my devout followership of The Gray NATO podcast. Jason Heaton's long-time praise singing of the Promaster Aqualand was certainly what got me seriously considering this watch, but it was actually James Stacey who passed his example around at Wind Up Watch Fair in Chicago this past July that gave me a hands-on experience with the Aqualand. That was it — hook, line, and sinker. Within 24 hours of returning from Wind Up, I had submitted my order to a retailer in Holland (due to this reference not being available domestically) to join the ranks of Aqualand loyalists.
The appeal of the Promaster Aqualand, much like the Pelagos, hinges on its clear-cut identity as a dive watch. However, what makes the Aqualand unique is the added functionality provided by its digital display at 12 o'clock. This digital display adds a bevy of standard functions including a day-date, alarm, chronograph, and secondary time. These added features could be appreciated by any watch enthusiast, but it provides scuba enthusiasts further fun and allure in a feature set designed just for those of us who venture below the surface. Its dive features include a dive log (for storing up to three dives), elapsed dive time, current depth, maximum depth, and an alarm if your rate of ascent reaches a rate that puts you at risk of decompression sickness. To top it all off it features a 60-click dive bezel that is very precise and a full lume dial.
Considering this whole package is available for around $400-$500, the Aqualand presents a value proposition not easily rivaled at this price point. I acquired mine for less than $400 and I'm hard-pressed to think of another watch in the sub-$500 price category I'd rather have. Citizen's Promaster Aqualand is rugged, capable, and downright fun. Just like my Sub 300 duo, I'm already considering adding another Aqualand in a different flavor dial, and possibly, one of another era.
Conclusions on New Additions
As you can see the SPB143, despite departing the collection, left its mark and noticeably impacted the trajectory of what I acquired in 2022. I leaned hard into dive watches and, unexpectedly, into the Doxa brand. I was pleased to be able to add the Aquagraph which, at least in the short-term, satisfied my desire for an analog chronograph that was whole-heartedly dive oriented.
In part three of this series, I'll take a look at the stalwarts and flag-bearers of my collection. If you missed part one of this series, in which, I reviewed watches that departed my collection in 2022. I would welcome you to go back and read that post to get the full perspective of how my collection journey pivoted throughout the past year.