August is a slow news month. It seems the world is either on holiday, getting the kids ready for back-to-school, or both.
And then…Timex!! In the watch world, perhaps the biggest story this past week is that Timex is taking pre-orders has now sold out its limited edition Superman watch. One thousand made, one thousand sold.
You’re not getting one.
Image: Timex
1000 watches? Really, Timex?
Watches of the Week -New(ish) Releases
The Singapore-based brand Boldr excels at crafting interesting, affordable watches that fit perfectly within our $500 wheelhouse. This one is no exception, with the dial featuring two lumed constellations: The Big Dipper (or Ursa Major) and Cassiopeia (or, um, Cassiopeia). 38mm titanium case (available in silver or black), 200m water resistance; the aventurine dial is perfect for a watch that channels the night sky.
Image: Boldr Supply
Image: Ubiq
From the night sky to the great outdoors: Ubiq's newly released Trek Field watch is an interesting, and, one might say, quirky take on the field watch. And you know what? We approve. Field watches hold a special place in every watch collection, but design-wise, they tend to revert to the mean, if you catch our drift. This one doesn't, in a good way. 38mm, titanium case, Miyota 9039 movement, four colours and ready for the field. Pre-order now.
Colorado-based Serket is another 'get-a-lot-of-watch-for-the-money' brand. In this case, you literally get a lot of watch: a 46mm case width, 50.5mm when you include the crown, 54.5mm lug-to-lug, and it takes a 24mm strap.
Andre the Giant could have worn this watch, but that's Serket for you. Big tough watches; this one is running on a Miyota 9015. Like we said, a lot of watch for the money. Check out the rest of the portfolio as well.
image: Serket Watches
Watch500 A to Z - Letter C Showdown!
Each week, we’re working through the alphabet to highlight watch brands that are doing innovative things, but may not be on your radar. Given the dearth of watch news, and since we couldn't decide which of these brands to feature, we present them both. Bonus!
Let us know what you think of these brands. Like one, not the other? Like them both? Neither? And anything else you want to tell us by replying to this email.
Colomer & Sons
Images: Colomer & Sons
What are they? A Madrid-based Spanish watch brand that's been commemorating Spanish history and culture since 2008. Colomer & Sons specialises in heritage and sports-themed watches, featuring collaborations with the Spanish Legion and watches celebrating the butterfly. Not the flying insect, the thing you do in a pool. They use respectable Swiss (Sellita, ETA) and Japanese (Miyota) movements, and offer what might be the watch industry's most generous warranty: a full decade. Ten years!
What's the vibe? An eclectic mix of culture and sports, with a serious nod to the Spanish Maritime world. From a watch that pays tribute to Juan Sebastián Elcano, the four-masted training ship of the Spanish Navy, to another that honours Padel, a pickleball-like sport played across the Spanish-speaking world. Colomer & Sons has made watches ranging from one for RC Celta football team, and another as a tribute to Isaac Peral, the newest submarine in the Spanish Navy. We really don't know a watch brand like it.
$500 will get you more than you might expect. Retail prices start at $175, with many watches falling well within our $500 limit. And that 10-year warranty is genuinely impressive: most brands offer far less. The movements are solid, the designs are genuinely unique, and you'll own something no one else at the office will recognise. Just be prepared to explain Spanish history at dinner parties.
Concentric Watch
Images: Concentric-Watches
What are they? A Swiss-based watch brand that's taken the concept of "limited edition" to its logical extreme: every single watch they make is unique. Concentric Watches uses AI algorithms to generate colourful, artistic dial designs, then produces each one exactly once before moving on. The brand is operated by Subwave, a company that's been in the Swiss watch game since 2004, so they know their way around a supply chain. If you want a unique watch that is, well, uniquely yours, Concentric is your brand.
What's the vibe? Colour. Lots and lots of colour on dials that are, as we said, literally one-of-a-kind. Each dial is a one-of-a-kind algorithmic creation by the Random Art Generator, where they are hand-selected and edited, making every piece genuinely unrepeatable. Now If we were to guess, the AI artist was fed heavy doses of Kandinsky, Picasso, Matisse, and Hockney (but no harm there). Sapphire crystal comes standard, in case some modern radical decides to throw a can of soup at your art-watch.
$500 will get you almost their entire catalogue. The brand offers three lines of watches: a 36mm quartz women's watch priced at approximately $250, a 41mm unisex watch for $330, and a 42mm 'museum' watch, also priced at $330. The offers change regularly, as one can imagine. The Website is a bit of a mess but that just makes the brand more endearing to us. This is a ‘Happening’, if you will.
And now….Watch 2.7 Million - A Watch or a Picasso?
In 2018, Franck Muller introduced the most complicated watch ever made (at the time), the Aeternitas Mega 4, which, among other things, will accurately keep time (including leap years) for 1000 years. Amazing kit that, and our friends at A Blog to Watch got to wear one (lucky.)
Alternatively, you could go back in time (we don’t think that is one of the Aeternitas complications by the way) and purchase Picasso’s Buste de femme, painted in 1944 and sold in 2014 for 2.7 million.
Swings and roundabouts, friends. Swings and roundabouts.
Subscribe for News on Watches that Don’t Cost 2.7 Million
Watch500 publishes twice weekly: Watch500 Weekly covers news, releases, and industry insights, while The Five brings you themed watch picks. Get the best of the $500 watch world - new releases, brand discoveries, industry news, and the stories behind timepieces that are eminently affordable.
