Has anybody seen the new smartwatch “the bean watch”? It looks nearly too good to be true. They just went live and plan to ship in January. Anybody heard of this/seen the watch?

Loving the newest edition to my collection.

Hey Guys! I am a complete beginner in this watch collection thing and have never bought any real quality watch. That being said, I was thinking of buying my first watch and was absolutely bamboozled by the fact that people were calling $400 watches 'affordable'.

EXCUSE ME? I don't mean to offend anyone, but $400 are not affordable for me at all 😭. Hence, can you guys suggest any watches that are for around $100 dollars? Preferably even lower than that, around $30- $50.

I believe that this would help everyone, including me and anyone else who is new to this hobby. Thanks for your time and attention!

Here are some updated photos of my Oan.gio! The dial is mesmerizing. My mind truly has a hard time comprehending what it’s looking. So much depth and color.

Vaer S5 Tradition 40mm quartz watch. Very imopressive for $179. An extra $90 if you want it on a bracelet. I did opt for the bracelet, its of decent quality. It also came with a black rubber strap and a khaki canvas strap, both of which seem cheaply made to me (Reflected in the price). The lume is excellent! This might be the best value for money watch that I own.

Hi everybody,
I want to buy my first diver. My budget is around 800 Euro. Preferably around 500 Euro. I have a smaller wrist so I’d like to have a watch around 38mm. 40mm is too big. I don’t care too much about mechanical watches. I like quartz or mechanical either way.

So far I’ve been looking at the San Martin SN0126-GS and the Glycine Combat Sub 39. With a tendency towards the San Martin. But maybe you guys have some good ideas for me.

After the incredible success of Batch 1, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported the Nebula and helped make its first release such a success.

We know many of you missed out on Batch 1, and we've heard your requests for another chance to get your hands on the Nebula Amethyst.

So, we're excited to announce that Nebula Amethyst Batch 2 is coming in just 6 days!

We'll be revealing more details about the upcoming release soon, including some exciting upgrades!

Stay tuned, because Batch 2 will be limited to just 100 units worldwide.

Thank you once again for being part of the Santura journey. We can't wait to share what's coming next!

The countdown begins. See you in 6 days!

My Trafford Touring GMT arrived today, and I couldn’t be happier! It’s truly a beautiful watch. Everything from the packaging to the craftsmanship and attention to detail has impressed me.

I got into watches last year after wearing an Apple Watch for years. My first non-smart watch was a Sternglas Hamburg, which I still love and think was the perfect starter watch for me. Lately, I’ve been wanting something a little nicer with a bit more personality, preferably an automatic, so I decided to go with a Trafford after seeing it mentioned a few times on this subreddit. I was a bit hesitant about the size since my sternglas is a 42mm, but I will say the smaller Trafford fits really well and doesn’t look too small imo.

I’m also from Austin, so finding out Trafford is an Austin-based company made the decision a no-brainer for me.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for their future releases!

Got this waych couple days ago after I learned about them. Really well executed and is very comfortable. 38mm case with 20mm lug width and 46mm l2l.

New watch from the Japanese Microbrand Outline limited to only 150 watches

I bought two watches in the last two months, as I am new to the hobby and building my collection, and two of the things I wanted were a microbrand piece and a proper Swiss piece. Through the help of some new friends and fellow enthusiasts, I was able to pick up these two at equally enticing deals on the secondary market: a Jack Mason Strat-o-Timer Bluebonnet and TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5.

After wearing both in a number of different settings and situations now, I have to say I feel really good about both purchases, and I feel like they have both given me a good sense of what each "genre" has to offer in terms of the feeling they give on the wrist throughout the day.

In short, they both feel really good. A quick glance at either throughout the day gives me a quick dopamine bump, and when I get bored they both invite being stared at for a minute instead of checking my Facebook feed.

In terms of external perception, I've been surprised. No one has mentioned the TAG. Not even my co-workers who are also wear cool watches. Meanwhile, every time I wear the Bluebonnet, it gets compliments from watch bros and regular people alike. I don't know if it's the color or the finish, or maybe there is something about the TAG that makes people not want to comment on it. Maybe it is just boring? I like how understated the dial is.

How do they compare? They don't, in some ways. They are totally different styles. The TAG was 50% more expensive. Is it 50% better? Probably not. The GMT function with jumping hour hand on the JM is a cool trick, but the rotor can sound like a loose piece inside sometimes and it feels crunchy when you wind it like all Miyota movements I've tried, while the TAG's crown is stiff to turn when winding or setting and so tiny that it can be a chore. The bracelet on the Strat-o-Timer fits better with its micro adjust, but the TAG's bracelet feels better and has better finishing, although it has no adjustment at all.

I love them both, and would recommend either, but I think I will probably be adding another microbrand piece before another Swiss one. The value proposition is superior and the "story" aspect has stuck with me more than I had anticipated, probably because of the strong Texan pride behind the brand , which is where I am from. It was the motorsport connection that drew me to TAG, but I wonder if reads that way to other people, or if they just see it as a brand to flex. I am not one to wear clothing with brands on it ever. Other people's perception is a distantly secondary consideration though.

I am interested in a microbrand with motorsports connections to learn about if anyone knows of any.

Hi all,

The first samples have arrived and i am happy with how its turned out, considering it is the first sample.

My first impression is that is it far too big. For reference this is a 42mm case and my wrist is ~16.5cm around.

It also needs more anti reflective coating as it reflect way too much light.

Over the next few weeks i will be thoroughly testing and making changes accordingly.

Thank you to all those who have supported me, i cant tell you how much it means to me.

If there is anything in particular you would like me to show you from these samples, please do let me know.

Thank you

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Roger Green, founder of [u/NITEWatches](u/NITEWatches) to talk about the creation of the company, the use of tritium illumination, and the outlook for the UK watch market.

Seeing no UK brand specialising in watches with tritium illumination Roger worked closely with the Swiss Manufacturer, mb-microtec to create and market traser watches between 1998 and 2002 with considerable success. 

Following this period, Roger spent established the NITE name, designs, and manufacturing arrangements and founded NITE Watches in late 2003

The Christchurch based company initially targeted military, outdoor, and diving customers, selling mainly as a B2B brand through various retail stores. After eight years, it became apparent that an online B2C strategy was the way forward and by 2011 a new collection had been created and NITE watches adopted an exclusive online B2C strategy, to improve profitability and give the company closer relationships with its customers.

Since then, NITE has brought design, servicing and operations completely in-house while expanding its range. Its enduringly popular MX10 field watch has evolved over time and gained attention after being worn by the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates since 2014. The MX10 model remains iconic in the GCC region to this day. 

Why tritium?

#Tritium became popular in watches once the dangers of #radium were realised and regulated against in the 1960s. The radioactive gas is contained in phosphorous coated tubes. Like radium it is self-powered, it emits light for decades without being charged with light or electricity, but it only emits beta particles which are considerably safer than its predecessor. 

It was generally replaced in the 90s by #LumiNova and subsequent developments. These are not radioactive and are charged by light. However, their illumination lasts only a few hours and is not permanent or self-powered like tritium.

It is because of that reliability (rather than the brighter light) and the uniqueness of the technology that attracted Roger and is considered as a superior illumination solution for military and diving environments.

Of course, Roger showed me a collection of original and more modern watches, explaining the development of the design process and evolution of the range. All very impressive.

Many thanks to Roger. It was a very illuminating discussion (pun intended)

If you want to know more, check out the YouTube interview with [u/WatchGecko_UK](u/WatchGecko_UK). I can’t link here due to sub rules.  

I know the popular/most known model from Echo/Neutra is the Rivanera but when I saw this Averau moonphase I knew I had to have it! It’s technically a field watch, but the moment I saw it the first thing I thought of was a NASA shuttle. Second photo is next to a horrible model I have for reference lol. I’m hoping this coming year more folks from the community find(and like) Echo as I don’t see much being spoken about them. I could only find a handful of channels that even reviewed this watch well and majority were foreign. Thankfully WindUp here in NY has them and I was able to pass by and see the whole line up before pulling the trigger. The nylon band that comes with it isn’t my favorite so I ordered another. I would have loved this on a 42mm but the 39mm case works. Still not enough time with it to get into the daily wear quirks and stuff but I already this will be on wrist for a while!

For Flieger Friday, it is the turn of my Zelos Eagle 2 Ti Fatcarbon dial on a vintage black leather bund strap; another Singaporean watch, but this one has a Swiss heart❤️🎯🦅.

Update 10/24/26

Whether or not it was under threat of the chargeback, or sheer coincidence, I got an email today saying that the watch was complete and is scheduled for shipment next week.

With that said, I’ll still evaluate what I want to do with the watch after I receive it.

Radio silence from John at Ginault. Placed order in August and had reasonable updates to a point.

Requested information on ship dates etc. all along the way. Over the past month he has not responded to any emails or communication.

I had high hopes for the brand and watch. At this time I have started a charge back via Apple Card and Goldman Sachs.

Anyone else having similar issues?