The watch I'm wearing today is probably one of my most unique watches and definitely one of my biggest. Including the crowns it's over 2 inches across (over 56mm) but less than 12mm thick. From lug-to-lug it's 55mm and you can see in the wrist picture it's about as tall as my wrist is wide. I'd be lying if I said the ridiculous size wasn't one of the reasons I bought this watch, but it wasn't the only reason. First off, I have seen oversized "novelty" watches before from various manufacturers, typically "fashion watch" makers, like Nautica. Frankly, I don't like to throw away my money on junk (I throw away money on good stuff!) so when I saw that Sector made this watch, I was much more interested. They are a legitimate watch manufacturer, although not incredibly well known in this country. I've been very happy with my other Sector, and when I realized I could get this one on eBay for hundreds less than other similar watches and about half of retail, well, I almost didn't have a choice. It also comes with a similarly oversized box-o'-goodies that includes a spring bar tool, a wide velcro strap and a Sector-branded pouch containing an aluminum single-AAA flashlight and Sector-branded Leatherman-like multi-tool. But let's get to the design: It really shares very little with any other watches. Sure, you could compare the strap buckle to a Panerai buckle, or the case deign to the Bell & Ross Instrument Series watches, but the Sector is different enough to be judged on its own. It's definitely made to look like an aircraft instrument, and it would be just at home on the dashboard of an airplane as on your wrist. It has some nice little touches on the various dials that remind you of this, like the diagonal stripes next to the date and the red checked second hand. The plain black strap is quite an uninspired design with a lining more interesting than the visible side of the strap, but the buckle's not bad. It does have some features that you could call "practical", like the independent movement on the left, set by the adjacent crown, which I have set for west coast time. Or the compass on the lower left (which might be too small to be of much use.) Or, actually, the chronograph function, which works very well, is smooth and resets perfectly every time. I've really never had a complaint about a Japanese chronograph movement and this watch is no exception. So, in the end, this is an enormous, entertaining, unique conversation piece which you really shouldn't wear if you don't want attention. I'm sure opinions will vary between "hideous" and "cool" with more than a few people thinking it's equal parts of each, or feeling one way initially then the other later on. I think it's a fun watch, I look forward to trying some different straps on it and seeing what kind of reaction it gets out in the real world.
I'm wearing a Tauchmeister 1937 automatic diver today. This happens to be a knock-off of a Panerai design. You can't find many watches with the patented Panerai-style crown guard anymore because they've taken to suing the knock-off makers. I certainly have mixed feelings about this admittedly very cheap watch. On the one hand, it has a nice design (albeit not original,) is a solid chunk of stainless steel with a large domed crystal and is quite large (over 2 inches across including the crown guard.) On the other hand, I'm pretty certain the movement is a cheap Chinese automatic which could give up at any time and wouldn't be worth repairing. I also wouldn't trust it to be water resistant to any number of meters, let alone the 10 atmospheres (100m) listed on the caseback. And don't let the name fool you, nor the "Frankfurt, Germany" engraved on the back, it's definitely made in China (what many watch collectors refer to as a "Germasian", which is probably empahsizing the German connection too much. Also see Aeromatic 1912.) All that being said, I enjoy wearing it, and I'm constantly amazed at how solid it feels, how nicely finished it is and that it keeps decent time. I probably won't buy another Tauchmeister, but they're constantly putting out new designs (some more original than others) and can sometimes be picked up cheap. So, I guess, as long as you're an educated consumer and know what you're buying, you could make worse watch purchases.
The watch I'm wearing today is probably one of my most unique watches and definitely one of my biggest. Including the crowns it's over 2 inches across (over 56mm) but less than 12mm thick. From lug-to-lug it's 55mm and you can see in the wrist picture it's about as tall as my wrist is wide. I'd be lying if I said the ridiculous size wasn't one of the reasons I bought this watch, but it wasn't the only reason. First off, I have seen oversized "novelty" watches before from various manufacturers, typically "fashion watch" makers, like Nautica. Frankly, I don't like to throw away my money on junk (I throw away money on good stuff!) so when I saw that Sector made this watch, I was much more interested. They are a legitimate watch manufacturer, although not incredibly well known in this country. I've been very happy with my other Sector, and when I realized I could get this one on eBay for hundreds less than other similar watches and about half of retail, well, I almost didn't have a choice. It also comes with a similarly oversized box-o'-goodies that includes a spring bar tool, a wide velcro strap and a Sector-branded pouch containing an aluminum single-AAA flashlight and Sector-branded Leatherman-like multi-tool. But let's get to the design: It really shares very little with any other watches. Sure, you could compare the strap buckle to a Panerai buckle, or the case deign to the Bell & Ross Instrument Series watches, but the Sector is different enough to be judged on its own. It's definitely made to look like an aircraft instrument, and it would be just at home on the dashboard of an airplane as on your wrist. It has some nice little touches on the various dials that remind you of this, like the diagonal stripes next to the date and the red checked second hand. The plain black strap is quite an uninspired design with a lining more interesting than the visible side of the strap, but the buckle's not bad. It does have some features that you could call "practical", like the independent movement on the left, set by the adjacent crown, which I have set for west coast time. Or the compass on the lower left (which might be too small to be of much use.) Or, actually, the chronograph function, which works very well, is smooth and resets perfectly every time. I've really never had a complaint about a Japanese chronograph movement and this watch is no exception. So, in the end, this is an enormous, entertaining, unique conversation piece which you really shouldn't wear if you don't want attention. I'm sure opinions will vary between "hideous" and "cool" with more than a few people thinking it's equal parts of each, or feeling one way initially then the other later on. I think it's a fun watch, I look forward to trying some different straps on it and seeing what kind of reaction it gets out in the real world.
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