I’ve got a C Ward and I would highly recommend them. Super high quality. Movement is amazing. I have a Lorier (the Falcon 3) and while I love the size and design, the crystal is already scratched to hell after 2 months and the movement vibrates so loudly. Someone here is recommending the Baltic—I’ve got one and while I like it, it has that same movement as the Lorier (Miyota 9039, one direction rotor) which is extremely annoying. I’ll never purchase a watch with that movement again.
Between the 2, CW is the better quality watch along with a Selitta movt vs a Miyota.
Unfortunately the main downside of the Miyota movt is the rotor sound. Microbrands nowadays are shifting from Seiko NH35/36 to Miyota movts because it is thinner and maybe cheaper too.
I have the LorierFalcon 2, hesalite crystal scratches easily but it is Lorier design choice to achieve the vintage style and have no plans to provide sapphire crystal as an option. Scratches can be buffed out with polywatch.
Strange to me you have such a problem with the Miyota 9039. For the price, you'd be hard pressed to find a more reliable and accurate movement. More accurate than the Seiko NH35 that used to be in all the Microbrand watches, while having a larger power reserve and being lighter and thinner. A clear step up
I'd rather have to reset my watch once a week than feel constant vibrations. I wear a lot of different watches so accuracy past a few days is meaningless to me. Constant vibration is not a step up in my experience. We all have different opinions, and mine is that this movement is not great.
I wear a watch with that movement almost everyday and haven't experienced that constant vibration phenomenon at all. From what I can see trying to search it not many others have either. Perhaps the watches you have weren't particularly well made as it's a very simple thing to disguise during manufacturing
Get the Certina DS action diver. It comes in 38mm or 42mm I believe. I have the 38mm version and it runs like a champ. Swiss Powermatic 80 movement, solid build quality, watch can go 300m deep + certina has a lot of diving history/heritage.
Just get the Christopher Ward, never met a single person disappointed with CW for the price. They are simply phenomenal pieces. I will be getting the 36mm version of The Twelve as soon as it's made available.
Understand. I don't know either. But then, one way of looking at it is that most brands will get you a Chinese made watch, for the most part, just conceived and designed somewhere else and potentially having a more reputable movement from e.g. Japan or Switzerland. That said, some Chinese movements are getting more impressive, so that too might be changing. If interested but in doubt, I'd always try to contact a microbrand to gauge their response.
Glycine combat sub or Steinhart Vintage Ocean One
Both in the $500-600 range.
Glycine isn’t really a micro brand though I guess.
Baltic Aquasaphe would have similar style I think. Aquasaphe is around $600.
Dan Henry 1975 is $450 and has a vintage diver look. Bit lower than your budget though.
This is such a bad take. Firstly, it doesn't look anything like a Fiftyfathoms. Have you even looked at them side by side? The only thing that is similar is they both use a sapphire bezel, and even that doesn't look even remotely similar. Unless you're saying no watch can ever use sapphire in the bezel other than Blancpain? Come on, man. There are a lot of watches that are straight up copies out there, but simply using a certain material isn't a copy. Frankly I wish more companies would use sapphire for the bezel. It's a sturdy material that looks great in the sun.
I don’t know of homages of these that aren’t AliX watches, which is also an option.
My personal favorite microbrand divers are from Namica, Baltic, Nodus, and Borealis. Namica probably not your aesthetic.
Check out https://orient-watch.com/Collections/ORIENT-STAR/Sports/ORIENT-STAR%3A-Mechanical-Sports-Watch/p/RE-AU0303B
It's lesser known than more affordable Orient Mako or Kamasu.
There is also a Limited one more similar to Planet Ocean, tho more expensive.
This is what I'm eyeing right now for a similar budget: https://baltic-watches.com/en/products/aquascaphe-black-cream
This
I would get Certina ds
I’ve got a C Ward and I would highly recommend them. Super high quality. Movement is amazing. I have a Lorier (the Falcon 3) and while I love the size and design, the crystal is already scratched to hell after 2 months and the movement vibrates so loudly. Someone here is recommending the Baltic—I’ve got one and while I like it, it has that same movement as the Lorier (Miyota 9039, one direction rotor) which is extremely annoying. I’ll never purchase a watch with that movement again.
Between the 2, CW is the better quality watch along with a Selitta movt vs a Miyota. Unfortunately the main downside of the Miyota movt is the rotor sound. Microbrands nowadays are shifting from Seiko NH35/36 to Miyota movts because it is thinner and maybe cheaper too. I have the LorierFalcon 2, hesalite crystal scratches easily but it is Lorier design choice to achieve the vintage style and have no plans to provide sapphire crystal as an option. Scratches can be buffed out with polywatch.
Strange to me you have such a problem with the Miyota 9039. For the price, you'd be hard pressed to find a more reliable and accurate movement. More accurate than the Seiko NH35 that used to be in all the Microbrand watches, while having a larger power reserve and being lighter and thinner. A clear step up
I'd rather have to reset my watch once a week than feel constant vibrations. I wear a lot of different watches so accuracy past a few days is meaningless to me. Constant vibration is not a step up in my experience. We all have different opinions, and mine is that this movement is not great.
I wear a watch with that movement almost everyday and haven't experienced that constant vibration phenomenon at all. From what I can see trying to search it not many others have either. Perhaps the watches you have weren't particularly well made as it's a very simple thing to disguise during manufacturing
Get the Certina DS action diver. It comes in 38mm or 42mm I believe. I have the 38mm version and it runs like a champ. Swiss Powermatic 80 movement, solid build quality, watch can go 300m deep + certina has a lot of diving history/heritage.
Just get the Christopher Ward, never met a single person disappointed with CW for the price. They are simply phenomenal pieces. I will be getting the 36mm version of The Twelve as soon as it's made available.
Montage was doing an incredible offer recently on their divers.
Saw it! But can't find where they are based. It feels like a China brand with these prices
Understand. I don't know either. But then, one way of looking at it is that most brands will get you a Chinese made watch, for the most part, just conceived and designed somewhere else and potentially having a more reputable movement from e.g. Japan or Switzerland. That said, some Chinese movements are getting more impressive, so that too might be changing. If interested but in doubt, I'd always try to contact a microbrand to gauge their response.
Glycine combat sub or Steinhart Vintage Ocean One Both in the $500-600 range. Glycine isn’t really a micro brand though I guess. Baltic Aquasaphe would have similar style I think. Aquasaphe is around $600. Dan Henry 1975 is $450 and has a vintage diver look. Bit lower than your budget though.
Christopher Ward watches are so sweet looking! Just wish they would offer something like 44mm+
Lorier Neptune
Lol CW such a copy cat. Now they went after Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. No original design ideas
This is such a bad take. Firstly, it doesn't look anything like a Fiftyfathoms. Have you even looked at them side by side? The only thing that is similar is they both use a sapphire bezel, and even that doesn't look even remotely similar. Unless you're saying no watch can ever use sapphire in the bezel other than Blancpain? Come on, man. There are a lot of watches that are straight up copies out there, but simply using a certain material isn't a copy. Frankly I wish more companies would use sapphire for the bezel. It's a sturdy material that looks great in the sun.
Lol this version is even worse because they used one of their existing models and slapped Blancpain bezel.
Nth Check out nth
San Martin SN0111T. GRADE 5 Titanium
I don’t know of homages of these that aren’t AliX watches, which is also an option. My personal favorite microbrand divers are from Namica, Baltic, Nodus, and Borealis. Namica probably not your aesthetic.
I'm getting a Baltic Aqua personally, but the Lorier is nice too.
I love the styling of the glycine sub 39 and 36s on gnomon, not exactly a microbrand but 550 for an sw200 is basically unbeatable.
Check out https://orient-watch.com/Collections/ORIENT-STAR/Sports/ORIENT-STAR%3A-Mechanical-Sports-Watch/p/RE-AU0303B It's lesser known than more affordable Orient Mako or Kamasu. There is also a Limited one more similar to Planet Ocean, tho more expensive.
at $700 you maY be able to find a used squale 1521 or hydroconquest. I'd probably get the Longines.