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So you're saying the movement in this NWC is technically better than say... the one in a SKX013 (another diver I was looking at)? What makes one movement better than another? I actually have no idea.
Is there an advantage to buying from a big brand like Seiko vs one of these smaller brands? Or vice versa?
in terms of accuracy you won’t see too much difference between these movements, especially not in this price range. The SKX013’s downfall, or should I say its movements downfall, is the inability to hack and hand wind.
Hacking means that the second hand stops when you’re setting the time, if it doesn’t hack the second hand will continue to move even when you’re trying to set the time. Not really the be all and end all of automatic watches but it is a handy function. Hand winding on the other hand is a bit of a deal breaker for me because it means you can’t manually wind the movement to keep it charged, you need to shake it (or give it the seiko shuffle). Not so much of a problem if you’re quite active (your natural movements will charge the watch throughout the day) but kinda annoying if you work at a desk... at least I’m my opinion. Other than that I think the SKX013 is a very solid watch and it will certainly last you a long time with little/ no maintenance. I just think the prices are a little inflated these days now that has been discontinued and especially since it essentially has the same movement as a $80 seiko 5. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s other specs and its legendary status in the watch world aren’t to be taken lightly.
As for micro brand vs well-established brand, this will really come down to personal preference. At this very moment I’m wearing a Nodus so I dig micro brands too but the main drawback is going to be parts. Sure, any watchmaker could replace the movement in a NWC if it breaks, but what happens if they disappear and in 5 years time you need a new bracelet? Even in a zombie apocalypse, you could still get parts for the SKX!!!
Quality is another issue too and unless the micro brand is well established, it’s hard to judge the quality at least in the long term.
Personally I think it would be better to build your collection around 1 solid watch that can hold its own (like the SKX) and then have other watches that compliment that one watch of that makes sense?
An SKX013 with a few different strap options could easily be a one watch collection and any watch nerd worth his weight will be able to recognize the significance of the watch you are wearing. Not that that really matters in the scheme of things (wear what you love) but the SKX, despite its high prices these days, gets love for a reason. NWC I don’t know too much about, but they seem like they have heavy homage vibes. I don’t hate homage watches, but they are trying to be something they are not, for better or for worse. You have to make up your mind how you feel about that; if you like the look and can’t afford vintage (and for something like a real Rolex milsub that =100k), then they are definitely the way to go.
I also want your watch to last the test of time which is why I kept harping on at
@jay_nev tp get a citizen NY0040, he wanted something classic that would still look good in 10 or 20 years and that watch will 100% fulfill that role imho... and it will look awesome when it’s all beat up and old!
I’ll let you digest that wall of text for a second, do let me know if you need anything else.