I dig IWC watches and all, but they are priced so far out of my world that I hardly ever pay attention to them. I’m sure this one will fall right in line with IWC’s rate sheet, but it’s so damned cool I can’t ignore it. A ceramic case, titanium case back, and a 168 hour reserve…

Dig it.

So remember that conversation we had on iPod watches? We knew it was gonna take off… and it did. So much so, in fact, that Apple actually designed new “watch faces” for their latest generation iPod Nano. And Hex? That are still at it – creating watch bands for the Nano. Hell, this metal bracelet ain’t half bad.

Still, I think I’ll stick to my autos…

Last week, I mentioned that I often dream about owning a Rolex MilSub. It is, however, ultimately a dream as financially an original MilSub is completely out of my financial reach. Even so, there are options out there. A number of companies make watches based off of the MilSub design and you can pick one up from anywhere between $50 and $1500.

The cheapest ($50 to $75) was recently discontinued by Alpha Watches. It’s a Chinese made watch with questionable build quality, but a decent look. I’ve owned two in my past, but each failed me. Another option comes by a small company that goes by Orange Watch Company. OWC’s offering is a fairly faithful reproduction that was released a few months back for a starting price of around $300. Online reviews have been pretty glowing. Yet another option comes from the famous Bill Yao at MK II Watches. Bill’s MilSub is a modern homage featuring highly graded ETA movements and swiss construction. Handing over around $1200 gets you in the game.

Recently, however, another option became available through a small company in Hagerstown, Maryland. The Hager Commando is a modern take on a 40mm MilSub homage. It features a Chinese made TY2806 automatic movement, a Chinese sourced case, a flat sapphire crystal, and a depth rating of 100m. Admittedly, none of this sounds ground breaking – especially at a $260 price point.

In fact, my immediate concern when hearing about the Commando was the movement. I have had two Alphas in the past that shared the same movement and both kept lack luster time and ultimately failed me. On top of that, I’ve never seen a Hong Kong produced case that spoke to me. I’m a fit and finish guy and the Chinese often don’t share my tastes for the finer things.

So this is starting to sound like a negative review – isn’t it? Carry on.

When I received my Hager Commando in the mail, I was actually quite surprised by what I found. The fit and finish of the case is quite good – leap years above anything available from cheaper Chinese brands. And the TY2806 movement does not share the jumpy second hand typical of this movement in other watches. It’s a smooth running machine that has actually proven to be quite accurate. Over 24 hours, I’ve been averaging about -7 seconds. Not bad.

More than anything, I really like the look and feel of the watch. Certainly, this is a homage to the famous MilSub, but it’s a modern take with it’s own sensibilities. The flat sapphire crystal gives way to a wonderfully machined and very steep chapter ring. This sort of sets the stage for the famous MilSub dial and the wonderfully lumed (blue!) sword hands. It’s a coherent package that speaks to me as being both of MilSub heritage and unique in its own way as well. It just works…

But how? Essentially, this is a Chinese made watch with the quality of something more. Apparently, this is due to Hager Watches being sticklers for the details. If they got a batch of cases that didn’t meet their standards, they sent them back. When their first set of hands and dials came back with lume that didn’t match, off they went. And what about that TY2806 movement? The Hager Commando uses the top grade Seagull movement and each is tested before placed.

At the end of the day, these are Chinese watches made to the standards of a small American company passionate about time pieces. It’s hard to say how this formula stacks up against a true swiss made watch, but it’s certainly a good value relative to the $260 price point.

That said, the Commando is not without its shortcomings. A “submariner” is, above all, a dive watch. With a depth rating of only 100m, the Commando falls short in this aspect. And while the case construction is really quite good and the bezel clicks firmly with little play, the pip on my watch doesn’t aligned perfectly with the dial’s hash marks.

Even so, you have to remember that this is a $260 watch. And while it might not appear on paper to be an exceptional value, once you have it on your wrist you begin to realize that really is.

To get yours and read more about the Commando, check out the Hager Watches site.

So someone asked me the other day what my dream watch was. Practically speaking, I own it… The Sinn 856. However, if you throw practicality out the window and assume intrinsic value is meaningless, I would have to go with the Rolex Submariner. But not just any Submariner – The Military Submariner. It’s not a practical choice simply because Rolex MilSubs go for around $50,000 these days, but what tugs at the soul more than a mil-spec vintage piece?

In the 1970′s, about 1200 of these watches were made for the Royal British Navy. Today, there are far fewer around and very rarely do you see them go up for grabs. Quite frankly, these pieces are reserved for the rich and dedicated. That doesn’t mean we can’ enjoy the images though…

There is something very visceral about an automatic watch. It’s a tiny machine that sits on your wrist and uses what amounts to simple motion to power itself. Open one up and you’ll find a wonder world full of cogs, springs, and other engineering feats in miniature. There aren’t many art forms in the world that are so purely mechanical. It all calls to me in a major way.

I am a watch collector I guess. My eye is drawn to “tool” watches – watches built for a singular purpose rather than for fashion. I like watches that are built to be ignored and abused until they are needed in a pinch. What time is it? A single glance and you know… No bullshit, no buttons, no fashion.

The epitome of this nature is built by a small watch manufacturer in Germany – Sinn. Sinn makes a number of different model watches for different activities such as diving and flying, but they are all driven by simplicity of design and usability.  For years I have wanted my own Sinn watch, but I have never been able to afford one. Last week, I through caution to wind, sold a number of my watches, and bought a Sinn 856.

The 856 is built on a stainless case that features something Sinn calls “tegmenting.” Essentially, “tegment” technology hardens steel to the point that it is up to 5 times harder than untreated steel. At the end of the day, this just means your watch is incredibly scratch resistant. It’s not uncommon to see a Sinn that is worn daily for a number of years, but still looks fresh.

Inside the durable case is a swiss made ETA 2893-2 movement. This is a GMT movement that is known to be durable, reliable, and smooth. I’ve been wearing my 856 for four days now and as I write this, my watch is averaging +.5 seconds per day. You simply aren’t going to get better accuracy than that from an automatic.

And this accuracy is protected in a couple of different ways past the case. For one, the 856 features magnetic field protection of up to 80,000 A/m. While I don’t really have a clue as to the number, I do know that this amongst the highest rated of any mechanical watch in the world. If you work around speakers or big magnets of any kind, this is protection worth noting.

Secondly, the watch features a copper sulphate capsule (viewable on the plain side of the case) that reacts to moisture and keeps humidity out of your watch. In other words, your crystal will not fog no matter the conditions.

However, all of this science and all of these statistics isn’t what makes a Sinn watch. It’s the fact that all of this technical stuff creates a watch that gets the hell of your way until you need it. Technically, the 856 is a pilot’s watch. It was built to be highly readable, very comfortable, and unobtrusive. The case is just about 40mm wide and just under 11mm tall. The watch has the heft of a mechanical, but it’s not heavy. When you wear it, the watch simply feels like an extension of your arm. It’s natural.

As mentioned, the 856 is also a GMT watch. For those of you not in the know, in its most simple of terms a GMT watch is a watch with two hours hands that allow you to track two different time zones. I travel quite a bit and figured this would be useful. Plus, I really fell for the looks of the second hour hand. The simple face combined with the aircraft inspired hands creates a look that is not all that different from an altimeter gauge on an airplane. I love that.

Despite all of the technology used to create this machine, this is still a very simple watch that was built with functionality in mind over any kind of style. So simple, that I bet a number of you aren’t quite as enamored as I am with the piece. This one doesn’t jump out at you and kick you in the teeth like a Rolex or Breitling would. And I think that might be a big reason that it calls to me. This one is a lifer.

It all comes at a price, of course… The 856 on a bracelet comes in at just over $1800 while on a strap it is a tad over $1500. Certainly not Rolex pricing, but a hefty chunk of change for a working man like myself. There is only one authorized dealer in the US and they are an “online only” organization. This might be a put off to some of you, but I found Watchbuys to be a really thoughtful dealer. After my order, they called me on the phone to pamper me a bit and that was very much appreciated. I get the feeling that like Sinn, Watchbuys is a small and family run organization.

In any case, that’s the review of the Sinn 856. I hope you guys enjoy the photographs…

I’m on one of those dorky watch forums quite often and recently, the question was asked – What’s the best watch in the world for under $300. As you might imagine, answers came from every direction and arguments developed from all sides. After over 300 posts from watch nerds across the word, the Traser H3 P6600 had the most votes.

Admittedly, I’m more of a traditionalist when it comes to watches. I prefer swiss mechanicals and all of their glory, but I do have a Traser. And despite the resin case and the ultra modern mil-spec quartz movement, I have to admit that this is a proper time piece.

You can get yours here.

You forget that Timex is actually a pretty classic American watch maker. I’m sure they aren’t so American anymore, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t tip their hats to that old style. And they have… The new Timex Originals brand is pretty rad.

Check them all out here.

We told ya it wouldn’t be long… and it wasn’t. The Hex Watch Band is a silicone strap that your iPod Nano drops into – making it a fancy iTunes using watch… FOR DORKS! If that describes you, get out your $25. You are gonna need it.

Details here.

We’ve reviewed Lum-Tec watches before. I like the brand simply because they are built like tanks and feature clean military styling. A while back, Lum-Tec announced a new limited edition chrono based on the ETA 7750 movement. They call it the “Combat F” and frankly, I love it. Initially they were offered at almost $1500, but they have since dropped the price to $1,270.75. That’s a pretty smoking deal for a nicely finished 7750 watch. A Breitling with the same movement would easily run you four or five times that…

Get the details here.

Wanna be a huge dork? Get yourself a Zulu strap and mount your new iPod Nano on your wrist.

I dunno fellas… I know that would be great functionality in a small package, but really? Really?

I’ll stick with my obsolete swiss auto.