Since Jeff threw down the gauntlet earlier this week, like many of you I’ve been attempting to whittle my nearly 15 years of collecting (currently at ~ 30 watches) down to 3 favorites that I wouldn’t/couldn’t want to be without… everyone will have different criteria for what they view or want to see as the perfect watch, whether it’s history or size or looks or functions, so I’m excited to see all your selections as this is what makes our hobby fun, and of course, the world go ‘round ☺ but it should be a tough decision for any serious/seasoned collector to pick only 3 desert island favorites…

I’ve been around hanging around OTD since nearly its beginnings, around 10 years I’d say… of course I was trying to research some Heuers and found the site, and I have been admiring/acquiring vintage Heuers (and chronographs in general) since 2000, that after owning a couple of TAGs through the 80’s/90’s… I’ve definitely gone through my fair share of great Heuers in nearly 15 years, buying & selling many at ridiculously low prices compared to what we are seeing the last few years, but c’est la vie ☺ I still own a handful of lovely ones and will always admire and respect the brand and its great history… but unfortunately no Heuers made my desert island list ☹

My tastes have changed in the past 5 years where chronographs are no longer the primary focus, and although I still own a few nice ones, I find myself favoring time-only watches for daily wear, especially the vintage divers for their cool style, easy legibility and rugged functionality… I’m a big ‘form follows function’ fan…

Sooo… Top of my list would have to be this early 70’s Eterna KonTiki Super IDF-issue… a great watch from a great house in Grenchen (right down the road from Enicar in Lengnau and Heuer in Bienne) with real-life military credibility… some really bad-ass Israeli Naval Commando heroes wore these… a near perfect diver tool watch imho… and I enjoy it even more on my favorite weathered DED rally… bought this from a US Navy SEAL in Coronado, CA... one day I’ll find the correct Eterna NSA bracelet ;-)
more info here: http://milspectime.com/?p=318#more-318

#2: I have developed an affinity for vintage Squales the past few years (Swiss-made, based in Neuchatel but designed in Milano) with many of their diver classics produced during the same era many consider Heuer’s finest, 1965-1975… well-known for both their 500m and 1000m divers, both functional and still stylish over 40 years later, they were to dive watches what Heuer was to chronographs, ahead of the curve…

I love their use of multi-color luminous acrylic bezels, high-domed acrylic bezels, robust yet comfortable cases and the very distinctive orange minutes hand… of the 5 that I own, I’m choosing the most recent acquisition, this cool Berios Squale 500m, which uses the same ‘fat’ Squale case as the Blancpain Bund divers with flat glass and similar dial/hands layout… I’m a big fan of PVD and the acrylic bezel, darkened chapter ring and stealthy legibility make this an instant favorite for me! The condition doesn’t hurt either ☺ I can see why many here covet the Monaco ‘Dark Knight’… this could well be the diver version ;-)

and the 3rd? yikes, well that was a very tough call… I did want to add a chronograph into the mix, but again, no Heuers made the cut ☹ the final slot goes to my Orfina (also from Grenchen) Porsche Design Bund chrono… an iconic, clean functional beauty with a tough Lemania 5100, super comfortable NSA spring-loaded bracelet and military pedigree… nearly a perfect chronograph (imho) that I could be very happy wearing every day! (also shown with his PD civilian PVD brother) ☺

hope you enjoyed… I'll now sit back and 'watch' the fun!!

cheers & great w/e to all!
Peter