Gnomon's April 2022 Lookbook // My Five Watch Draft

Welcome back to our monthly lookbook, where we showcase our top 5 picks of the month and give you a little bit of an insight into Team Gnomon’s personal ethos when it comes to our favourite hobby – watch collecting. This is kind of a special lookbook for me. As a new member on the team, this will therefore be the first lookbook that I’ll be writing, with more incoming. You too, might find my taste in watches wildly mismatched from yours, or that it aligns perfectly with what you enjoy wearing. Either way that’s fine. After all, aren’t we in this hobby to collect pieces that we enjoy and personally like wearing?

This month’s lookbook might seem to be a personal journal, as the watches featured are pieces that I’ve yearned to add to my collection for a while. They too, would befit perfectly into an awesome 5-watch collection in my honest opinion. Let’s dive right in.

Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military 39 – Gnomon Exclusive

The first watch of the lookbook needs no further introduction. A homage to the legendary British military watch issued in the 1970s, this piece speaks volumes on wrist. That’s not to say that it wears large. Quite the opposite in fact. At 39mm, it is a “sweet spot” size for many, from our larger wristed to smaller wristed friends. Apart from the perfect size, the watch is also a serious looker. Whether you’re a diehard fan of military watches of yesteryears or you just enjoy the simplicity that a military watch brings, this Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military 39 – Gnomon Exclusive will be right up your alley.

Powered by a Selita SW200 movement, it ensures reliability and timekeeping will never be a concern with this timepiece. With a sapphire crystal and screwed down crown, the watch is also certified to 300m of water resistance. With its suave looks and solid specifications, the Steinhart OVM 39 Gnomon Exclusive can and will readily accompany you desk diving, actual diving, and anything else in between. On top of all that, you will also be able to own a piece of history on your wrist, without the exorbitant price tag. What’s not to love?

Yema Wristmaster Adventure Blue

The next watch in our Lookbook is a relatively new release. Yema has been enjoying quite the resurgence lately, reintroducing popular models like the Yema Superman and also having interesting collaborations with Kavinksy and the famous Marine Nationale. The French watchmaker is seemingly growing from strength to strength, with the Wristmaster Adventure Blue further cementing the brand’s place in the watch industry.

Drawing inspiration from its 1960s namesake, the Wristmaster Adventure Blue is the modern brand’s first foray into “dressier” watches. At 37mm, it is what many deem as the perfect size for a dress watch. The gorgeous blue dial, combined with the highly domed hesalite crystal gives the watch a certain vintage charm that instantly draws a smile from my face everytime I look at it. But wait, this watch is not just all looks and no substance. It houses the impressive in-house calibre, the YEMA2000 movement.

Through extensive research and development, Yema’s movements are all in-house and are said to be of a higher accuracy and power reserve than the average Swiss counterparts of the same movement grade. To round things off, the Wristmaster Adventure Blue has 100m of water resistance – you could even swim with this dress watch! Looks are indeed, deceiving.

Rado Golden Horse Automatic Blue – Ltd Ed 1957pcs Ref. R33930203

Rado. Ah yes, the big gun owned by the Swatch Group. Of all the watches in this lookbook, the Rado Golden Horse Automatic Blue has got to be my favourite. (I know, there’s no ultimate favourites forever when comes to watches, but sorry I just can’t help it.) Oftentimes, people would associate Rado with their line of Captain Cook dive watches, and rightfully so. However, in my opinion, the Golden Horse collection deserves to be right up there, or even surpassing the Captain Cook. Before I get cancelled, hear me out.

The Rado Golden Horse Automatic Blue cannot be written off as merely a dress watch. In fact, I would categorise it as an everyday timepiece – here’s why. Great build quality, sapphire crystal, an extremely comfortable beads of rice bracelet, and 50m of water resistance (come on you don’t need anything more than that unless you’re swimming all day everyday). When you hold the watch in your hands, you automatically will know that this piece is well made. At 37mm and equipped with a workhorse Swiss ETA C07.611 movement, this watch will sit comfortably on your wrist all day. Add the charming beads of rice bracelet and you have a winning package. If you have not had the chance to wear a watch on a beads of rice bracelet, you are truly missing out. It brings impeccable style and comfort.

All that said, I’ve yet to even mention the breathtaking blue fumé dial! I am a sucker for fumé dials and Rado executed this one superbly. The top-hat sapphire crystal adds to the charm of the dial and in all honesty, it is one of the best mass produced dials I have seen. Oh Rado, you have certainly charmed my socks off with this one.

Seiko Prospex 200M Automatic Black “Baby MM Reduced” Ref. SBDC125

How can a collection (I view this lookbook as a whole watch collection) be complete without a Seiko diver? Released by Seiko in 2020, the SBDC125, or more affectionately known as the MM200 or the MM Reduced, became an instant hit amongst Seiko fans. I’ve heard this watch being called the “Baby MM” but I just don’t agree with that nickname – its a 42mm dive watch, there’s nothing “baby” about it. One thing is for sure though, you are getting a lot of Marinemaster without spending Marinemaster level of monies with this piece.

It comes equipped with the 6R35 movement that has a 70 hours power reserve (wow). Also in the package is a sapphire crystal, delightful case finishing and Seiko’s proprietary Diashield coating on the case and bracelet. Diashield is a coating that makes the steel tougher and more resistant to scratches. This allows the timepiece to look as good as new for as long as possible. With that level of case finishing, you definitely want it to last. Combining a clever mixture of polished and brushed surfaces, the 42mm watch wears like a 40mm on wrist. The different finishes also enable the MM Reduced to catch the light at different angles, allowing for great photos and terrific light play. Throw in a great bracelet and a generous coating of Lumibrite (Seiko’s proprietary lume coating) and you get an excellent dive watch that can be taken into the harshest of conditions whilst maintaining its dashing good looks.

With new releases like this, some people might view Seiko as moving “upmarket” and neglecting the entry level market. While that is true to a certain extent, Seiko still has their amazing Seiko 5 lineup for the new enthusiast. And, if introducing a killer watch that would command a higher price if it was made in ahem another country is Seiko’s way of moving “upmarket”, I am all for it.

Squale 30 ATMOS Tropic GMT Ceramica – 40mm

The final watch pick on the lookbook is certainly not the least worthy. As a brand, Squale might not be as well known as some of the powerhouses in this list. However, they actually have a prestigious history as a legendary case maker for big brands like Blancpain. The brand then decided, hey since we are already making such high quality cases for other companies, why not make our own watches as well? Make their own watches they did. Since then, Squale has introduced some amazing watches like the 101 ATMOS and the 1521.

The watch that we are looking here differs slightly from the aforementioned watches in that it has a GMT function. GMT function, a great case design, and a reliable Swiss movement. Triple check them. Coming in at 40mm with a 47mm lug-to-lug that curves down splendidly to the wearer’s wrist, the Squale 30 ATMOS Tropic GMT Ceramica will fit most wrist sizes like a glove. Powered by either the ETA 2893-2 or Selita SW330-1 movement, you are almost guaranteed that the timepiece will tick reliabily fuss-free, for a long time to come.

The main draw of the watch, however, is the gorgeous ceramic tropic bezel insert. Sitting on the bidirectional bezel, the insert is a unique pale-grey and greenish-blue colour. It makes me wonder why did no other brand thought of this bezel colour before? It blows my mind how creative Squale got with the bezel, coming up with a colour combination unheard and unseen of before. Full marks to Squale as they have yet again overdelivered in terms of their watch offering.

The Squale 30 ATMOS Tropic GMT Ceramica – 40mm is labelled as the perfect tropic GMT on our website and honestly, it is that perfect.