“You want me to do what?!”
Seems I heard right; I’ve been tasked to choose five watches I’d love to have in my own collection. The only rule: they must come from the WatchGecko store. It sounds easy enough, but it seems to have slipped by mind that WatchGecko have a rather vast number of incredible brands and watches available. Choosing just five has been a lot harder than I initially thought…
In the end, I chose five models I’m confident I would actually wear. Not watches that would just be “cool” to own, and ultimately sit stagnant in my watch box. These are designs I would pick up regularly and would add value to both my life and my watch collection. So, without further ado, here are my top five dream watches from WatchGecko’s store…
Formex Essence 39
As this list may quickly prove, I’m a big fan of bracelet sports watches, but finding one that suits my 5-and-a-half inch wrist is not always easy. One that suits it perfectly however is the Formex Essence 39 and the model with the white dial has been a tempting purchase for quite some time. As its name suggests, the watch comes with a 39mm wide and 10mm tall stainless steel case so its incredibly compact and wears low and comfortable on the wrist. To match, the bracelet is machined from stainless steel and includes Formex’s patented deployment clasp with a fine adjustment system.
The dial is beautifully executed, finished in bright white and detailed with the Essence’s defining horizontal lines. Each line is individually CNC machined and catches the light nicely. The mirror polished bevels and Superluminova indexes and hands ensure easy legibility. The time and date functions are powered by the COSC-certified SW200-1 automatic winding movement, which is a surprisingly add-on considering the Formex Essence 39 retails for no more than £1,500.
Geckota Ocean-Scout Frost
Until recently, I’ve struggled to find an outdoor adventure watch that felt suited to my wrist. I’ve found that most watches in this genre are rather masculine in their execution, both in sizing and overall design. That was until Geckota launched their new Ocean-Scout Frost watch. It’s definitely not aimed at a specific gender, but it’s monochromatic ice blue and steel aesthetic feels classic and a little feminine. I could see myself wearing this watch as a day-to-day adventure companion as well as to more formal occasions.
It’s probably obvious, but the most notable feature of the Geckota Ocean-Scout Frost is the dial. Inspired by the texture of ice and freshly fallen snow, the three-dimensional, pastel-blue display is stunning in person, and it cleverly changes from light blue to off-white depending on the lighting. Matching the dials crispness is the bezel, which for the first time for the Ocean-Scout, features a steel insert and a white engraved 60 minute scale. It’s also nicely sized at 38.5mm wide and comes with an adventure-worthy 200 metre water resistance.
Nodus Sector Sport Salmon
I love a salmon dial, but they are typically reserved for luxury watch brands with equally luxury prices. Then there’s the Nodus Sector Sport Salmon which mixes a contemporary sports watch housing with a dressy sunray-brushed salmon dial for less than £500. It’s another compactly-sized timepiece at 38.5mm wide offering stainless steel construction, a smooth fixed steel bezel and a matching metal H-link bracelet.
The dial is the centrepiece, finished in a stunning salmon pink with sunray-brushed finishing extending across both the sunken centre and raised hour track. The large white numerals, applied indexes and hands are effortlessly legible thanks to Superluminova and come fuelled by the automatic winding Seiko NH38 movement. The Japanese made movement offers a healthy power reserve of 41 hours.
Sinn 356 Sa Pilot III
Another genre of watch that is greatly lacking in my current collection is the pilot’s watch and of all the brand’s out there, Sinn has always been a huge temptation. There is no shortage of impressive pilot’s watches in their portfolio; the brand was founded by a former World War II pilot and pilot instructor after all. Of them all, I’ve always found the Sinn 356 Sa Pilot III appealing, for a number of reasons.
To begin with, the watch is reasonably sized at 38.5mm wide and has a fine satinised finish that brings a sophisticated element to the durable pilot’s aesthetic. In the same way, the dial has a rather dressy appeal with guilloche decoration off-set by sporty snailed chronograph and small seconds counters. The watch arrives in stainless steel and has highly domed sapphire crystal glass, a matching glass case back and a 100 metre water resistance. To power the Sinn 356 Sa Pilot III, the German watchmaker have elected the SW500 automatic-winding chronograph movement.
Geckota Pioneer Aurora
Geckota Pioneer Aurora Aqua Sunburst
Finally, a watch I’m very likely to purchase soon is the Geckota Pioneer Aurora. I’ve always loved the Pioneer collection; it speaks to my love of vintage-styled timepieces with colourful dials. Of the latter, the Pioneer does not disappoint and comes with displays in deep red, green and my personal favourite, bright blue.
The sky blue sunray-brushed dial of the Pioneer Aurora adds a bold, contemporary touch to the retro aesthetic. It’s the perfect backdrop to silvered cathedral-like hands for the hours and minutes and a needle-tipped seconds hand. To match, the 42mm wide case is engineered from stainless steel with brushed finishing and a brightly polished bezel. Very impressively, you also get domed sapphire crystal glass, a 200 metre water resistance and the Seiko NH35 mechanical movement for less than £400.
So, there you have it, my five dream watches from the WatchGecko store. Did I choose right? Or do my tastes differ completely from yours? Let us know what your dream team of watches would be in the comments below!
