These models offer such unique attributes, sometimes at such killer values, that at least one of them just may end up in my collection one day (spoiler: one of them already has!), and if you are far enough along in your watch journey to ignore the “fashion watches = trash” trope, you may find yourself wanting to add at least one to your own collection.

I have not tried all of the world’s hobbies, but I have a hard time thinking that many of them could be more addictive and bottomless than watch collecting; one day you’re thinking “I’m looking for a nice watch, that’s all I’ll need”, and the next you’re weighing out different GMT options because you’re driving over to your in-laws’ place for the weekend.

The truth is that if you love watches, you love, well, watches plural, and it will be very hard to commit to just one watch for the rest of your life. Like Jason (and probably every one of you reading this), I’ve tried many, many times to commit to just the idea of one watch, and every time I’ve failed miserably.

When we dismiss a watch as a “fashion watch”, we’re making two criticisms at once. First, that the watch is designed to look good for a brief moment in time, in keeping with a trend, after which point it will no longer be needed. Second, because of the fleeting nature of the watch’s looks, it doesn’t have to be made well, so it must inherently be a cheap, disposable object.

Unlike the dive watch, the pilot’s watch has not become ubiquitous in the public view, and when a company like IWC tries to sell a Big Pilot based on how authentically designed and functional it is, I feel as if I’m being sold a costume accessory.

If you’re still unconvinced, consider that I also like to wear aviator sunglasses and Schott bomber jackets. These are two items that, like dive watches, have shed almost completely their military origins, but would I ever wear them together?