Top Watch Questions Answered Pt. 2 | Crown & Caliber

Video Transcription

NATHAN: Hey everyone its Nathan with Crown & Caliber, and today I am answering questions and I’m answering questions that you guys have asked whether it was in YouTube comments or from some of our other social channels we basically went through and pulled together a lot of questions that have been reoccurring for other ones that we felt interesting or that we’ve heard often so what we’re going to do is my good friend and colleague Jonathan is sitting behind the camera.

JONATHAN: Hello friends.

NATHAN: There you go. And he has this list of questions. I’ve seen some of the questions but he’s going to go through and kind of just fire them off and we’re going to have a conversation and hopefully answer some of the questions that you guys have been asking so you ready man?

JONATHAN: Let’s do it.

NATHAN: Awesome.

Watch Question #1 | Which Panerai do you recommend as a first entry into the brand?

JONATHAN: Here we go. Here’s something that’s not Rolex oriented. Which Panerai do you recommend as a first entry into the brand?

NATHAN: Oooo. Ummm… Which Panerai?

JONATHAN: The good news is, there’s only two options. The bad news is we know there’s not only two.

NATHAN: Yeah. So, I think that the best entry level Panerai is the Radiomir. And I would say the Radiomir 1940. Now here’s why.

JONATHAN: Is that the wire lugs?

NATHAN: No. So this is what I’m getting to – yeah here’s exactly why. So, you’re either looking at a Luminor or a Radiomir and I think most people would associate the Luminor and it’s crazy crown guard protector as like the iconic Panerai and I’m going to say hey you know what I recommend the Radiomir and here’s why, and the 1940, is because if you go with the 1940 you get a more traditional crown, screw down crown. You get normal lugs. So, a normal Radiomir has the wire lugs, but the 1940 has traditional lugs.

JONATHAN: They’re kind of like Diet Luminor lugs.

NATHAN: Yeah, they’re kind of like Diet Luminor lugs. They kind of look like the Luminor and I think most importantly the Radiomir 1940 is like the OG Panerai, and so… I mean that’s why it’s the 1940. The Luminor is the 1950. The OG Panerai is the Radiomir, and so getting that 1940 for me is something that I think also works for multiple wrist sizes because it’s maybe a little less out of control but it’s just more of that classic Panerai look I love it and I think it is something that kind of speaks to the true history of Panerai. It’s just a great piece. I love those.

JONATHAN: Nice good answer. All right here’s one.

NATHAN: All right.

Watch Question #2 | What are your favorite straps?

 

JONATHAN: I wonder if we have an answer for it? What are your favorite straps?

NATHAN: Oh, I have many answers for this. Favorite straps? Oh boy. There… I’m going to have to put just a slew of links in the description for all these different things were going through.

JONATHAN: You hear that? A slew.

NATHAN: A slew.  All right so let’s start at the top leather straps. I think JPM is a solid strap maker. Funny enough a lot of brands use their straps. So, you can get them through people like Hodinkee, through sites like Watch Obsession Bulang and Sons. A lot of those leather straps are JPM. Plenty of options to choose from. Whether or not their shell cordovan, leather, lined, unlined. Just tons of leather straps. So JPM, if you want to take it up a notch, I think Camille Fournet is definitely like a heavy hitter. Camille Fournet white labels for the likes of J.L.C., Patek, Patek. So those are like… If you want to drop some coin on a really nice leather strap, alligator strap, crazy other leathers then Camille Fournet is the way to go. They are French and make some amazing straps. Let’s see other options. If you want to go more of like the NATO route? We’ll cover… Okay so I’m going to go ahead… We’ve done leather. I’m going to do NATO and I will also do kind of an oddball. So, we’re going to go to NATO two options. I love Maratac. No-nonsense fifteen twenty-dollar NATO straps. They kind of predate the what I like to call the fancy NATO. Which we’re going to get to but Maratac they’re awesome they’re cheap. You can get a couple of them and just beat the crap out of them. If you want to go ahead and drop some money on a NATO strap, I think PhenomeNato. They are… I’ve got I’ve got a couple of them. They’re great. It’s kind of that fancy NATO you know you’re now two three times as much so you’re forty fifty dollars for NATO strap but it’s that like seatbelt NATO weave.

JONATHAN: I have a couple. They are real nice.

NATHAN:  Yeah, they’re really nice. They are worth it. PhenomeNatos are great. So lastly, curve ball. Eulit. E-U-L-I-T. I’ll definitely have to link to it. German manufacturer. They are one of the, I think maybe the original manufacturer of Perlon, and that’s kind of become more popular in the past couple of years and it’s most notable for this kind of like woven pattern but there’s a distinction. So Perlon is actually a material like nylon but they’re different and Perlon is a much, I think, just like chemically a much more plasticky material and so inherently to create a strap they had to do this more open weave design. But what you have is you have a strap that does not retain water, will not stretch, or kind of deform over time and they’re usually really thin so they’re perfect for summer and they have got a great vintage appeal. The reason I said go through Eulit is Eulit actually uses Perlon to make their Perlon style straps and in recent years that, I think, trademark or something kind of expired so people could make straps that look like Perlon, had the weave, but they’re just using nylon to do it. So, you don’t necessarily get the benefits of Perlon.

But I absolutely love Eulit straps. I even put them on a Datejust. Like it’s just a cool kind of vintagey looking summer strap. You can find them in cool colors and it’s just a cool looking weave that you’re really not going to find somewhere else but I think it’s imperative that if you’re going to do Perlon go ahead and get something that’s actually made from the original material Perlon because you get the benefits of it. So those are super cool. So, recap: you’re going leather go JPM, you want to break the bank, go Camille Fournet, you want to go kind of more of that nylon route then I say you go either Maratac for a cheaper NATO or PhenomeNato for a nice NATO, and kind of my curveball is Eulit Perlon straps. Those are awesome. I’ll definitely put links in the description for all this stuff. Tried and true, tested all these, wear them all the time, so one man’s opinion. They’re pretty solid.

Watch Question #3 | Rolex Sea Dweller or Rolex Submariner?

JONATHAN: Alright here we go. Might be a quick one, might be not. I know you. Sea Dweller or Submariner?

NATHAN: Hmm… Submariner. No wait. What’s it for? No!

JONATHAN: I mean that’s just what the question says.

NATHAN: Okay. Okay. I would say daily wear: Submariner, and I would go as far to say I would say a modern-day 114060 No Date Submariner. Daily wear boom. Done. That being said my hesitation was I think that the proportions on the newer Sea Dweller are better, but it’s a 43 millimeter. It’s big so it’s not for everyone. It’s thick. It’s just a monster. So, I think proportionally that but if I were to get one, I’m going to wear it I’d say No Date Submariner 114060. Yes, That’s my… That’s it.

JONATHAN: That’s pretty good

NATHAN: It’s what Steve McQueen would be wearing. Would be.

Watch Question #4 | Best way to clean a watch?

JONATHAN: Yeah, I think so… I could… I buy the logic. All right next question. Rolex again. Best way to clean a watch. Specifically, a Datejust forward slash with a jubilee bracelet.

NATHAN: That’s a good question. Man, the amount of… So, there’s… You’ll see watches that have been worn for a while and not cleaned and there’s an affectionate term called wrist cheese.

JONATHAN: Oh God

NATHAN: And it’s like the amount…

JONATHAN: It makes me uncomfortable.

NATHAN: Yeah, it’s like the amount of stuff that collects… you’ll often see it in like hollow end links or often in Jubilee bracelets and it’s just like…

JONATHAN:  I mean it’s just dirt and sweat.

NATHAN: Dirt, sweat, skin over years of people not cleaning their bracelets. So…

JONATHAN:  You… I think you’d be… I’m surprised how often or how quickly it builds up. So, like my Rolex. Ugh, I didn’t like the way that sounded. My watch has an oyster bracelet and I’ve had it for actually almost coming up on a year now. A little less than, so ten months so and it like in between the links and all that I can see it building up and it doesn’t look great it’s not dirty it’s not awful but looking at it looks it looks like I’ve worn it harder than I have.

NATHAN: Yeah

JONATHAN: So, you would be surprised at how easily and how quickly that sort of
thing can build up.

NATHAN: I would say… Question was: How do you clean? We have a video on it. I’ll link to that video. This description is going to be massive.

JONATHAN: SEO!

NATHAN: Yeah! But I would say I think for me I clean it probably every six months and usually that’s probably when I’m making like a big like I may take the bracelet off in the summer and give it a big clean and what I usually do is I just set out a towel like next on my kitchen counter and have like a bowl of warm water and an old toothbrush that’s only been used for that.

JONATHAN Yeah. That won’t scratch it up?

NATHAN: No. Stainless steel you’re fine. Even I would say precious metal you’re fine. I don’t I don’t use soap. I don’t think there’s really a need. Just the water just warm water, take the bracelet off, go through kind of just scrub it in between the lugs. Scrub there. Yeah and I do that over the towel, and I think you’re ready to go. Did that work? Does that answer that question?

JONATHAN: I think so.

NATHAN: Okay.

JONATHAN: Yeah, I think so I mean just a toothbrush. Got it. All right. The best entry-level chronograph or best chronograph under $2,000?

Watch Question #5 | Best entry-level chronograph?

NATHAN: Best entry-level chronograph? I don’t know if these are under $2,000 but the first thing that comes to mind is Speedmaster Automatic. I don’t have a specific model number. I’ll do some research after this.

JONATHAN: Like the like 38s?

NATHAN: No.

JONATHAN: The racing?

NATHAN: I think so. Here’s where I thought about that. Best Chrono… You said automatic chronograph?

JONATHAN: Best entry-level chronograph or best chronograph under two grand.

NATHAN: So, I think automatic chronograph. OMEGA caliber. I think it’s the 3330. It’s a fully integrated, column wheel chronograph based on I think it’s on in the 7750 but it’s like a workhorse of a movement and they put it in a Speedmaster and its I think it’s a 40-millimeter Speedmaster and…

JONATHAN: The Reduced?

NATHAN: No. It’s not the Reduced.

JONATHAN: What the heck I’m lost.

NATHAN: Those are 39 and those are… Those are… They have the module on top. So, the I think it’s the Omega caliber 3330 has fully integrated chronograph movement and it has a coaxial escapement. Like that is a killer movement but I think because the Speedmaster is so… Such a historical piece like if it doesn’t look like the normal Speedmaster people don’t necessarily like it as much, but I think it… Yeah Omega Speedmaster Racing. It’s that. I’ll do some research and I’ll make sure to put it in the description. But those watches may not be under $2000 but I think as far as chronographs go, like you have an automatic chronograph movement, like and it’s from Omega, it’s a solid movement. Like those watches are great. It’s 40-millimeter, like checks a lot of boxes. May not be the quintessential Omega Speedmaster but full stop that’s what I’m going to say.

JONATHAN: Yeah. I can’t think of a better one. alright.

NATHAN: That was a long-winded answer. We got there.

JONATHAN: I mean they all were.

NATHAN: Yeah.

Watch Question #6 | Holes or no holes on Rolex Submariner?

JONATHAN: Let’s see. Holes or no holes case for five-digit references?

NATHAN:  Hmm…

JONATHAN: That is quite a specific question.

NATHAN: That one yeah… You may have dug deep for that one. So that refers to, for people that are watching, that refers to whether or not there are actual holes in the sides of the lugs on the case. So, lug holes and those existed in the Submariner until about 2003. They went away. I think collectors will say it kind of took away from some of the heritage of the timepiece. Where now it’s a little bit more dressed because there’s not lug holes. I think the best five-digit Submariner would be a Submariner from like 2000 to 2000… maybe 2001-2002 and here’s why. And this would only… This doesn’t apply to the No date. So, we’re assuming that this is a Date Submariner because you get holes, but you get a solid end link bracelet. So, you kind of get rid of some of that rattle, but you still have the pierced lugs, you have the holes in the lugs. So, it’s kind of like best of both worlds.

You get like some of the modern touches of a newer timepiece with the solid end link bracelet, but for a few years there were still pierced lugs. So that I’m going to say the five-digit Submariner is going to be probably 2000 2001 to 2002 2003 before they closed off those lug hole so you’re looking at probably a P or K serial five-digit Submarine. That’s my… Staking my claim on it. Boom!

JONATHAN: Cool that’s all we got.

NATHAN: That’s all we got?

JONATHAN: Yeah.

NATHAN: Awesome. Well, hey guys that is going to wrap it up for Nathan answering a bunch of random questions about watches and hey we’re willing to do this in the future. We’ll go through and ask questions in the comments. If you have just the most obscure questions don’t hesitate to ask them about watches. Go ahead and ask them on social media and we’ll do our best to round those up and answer them in another video so as always guys thanks for watching.

JONATHAN: Bye.