As 2025 is well underway, I bring forth a watch collection that started in 2021 but I’ve always been interested in watches. In highschool and college I sported various Fossil and Casio watches, and had several GA100 G-Shocks – one of which I still own. But it wasn’t until these past few years that I really fell in love with watches and the industry as a whole. Now as I’m sure most of us can attest, our collection looks vastly different from when we first started and some pieces have stayed and some have gone. Through this state of the collection, I will mention some watches that have come and gone, but mostly watches that still find a happy home on my wrist. And a few that I am actively trying to sell.
guess
Flashback to when I was about 16 only owning an all red GA100 walking around Macy’s with my mom looking for Christmas presents for the family, when I stumbled across a glass case filled with watches. I was quickly drawn to what would fuel my initial watch buying habits – a black and gold Guess digital watch for $100. Just like a Christmas miracle, a few weeks later I opened that watch and it became an everyday watch for school, work, and church and now looking back it really became my transitional watch when making the leap to the $500+ pieces ten years later. Surprisingly the original battery still works but will need replacement soon as I can’t change time modes and using the back light makes the whole display disappear for a few seconds. Regardless, it’s a fond memory of how far I’ve come in watches, and all the possibilities that the future will have.
G-Shock GD-100GB-1
Now I love G-Shock. The first watches I remember wearing were at the very least Casio but most likely G-Shocks and this one was one of them. About ten years ago, my family and I went to Monterey for a weekend trip and we found our way into a nearby Tilly’s to look at their watches and found this GD-100GB-1 for about $100 and I wore it everyday. Of all my watches that I have ever owned, this watch is by the far the most complemented and the one I constantly catch people looking at. But now, it sits quietly in a watch box at the bottom of my closet reserved only for use when doing any yard or house work, with a “custom” paint job from painting our house last year.
My Grandfather’s Seiko SQ
Probably the most sentimental watch in my collection, is my grandfather’s Seiko SQ watch from 1999 that he was given as a retirement gift. My grandfather passed away in 2007 when I was 11 years old and even though I have plenty of fond memories of him, I don’t remember him wearing this watch. But that doesn’t take away the uniqueness and special feeling I get when I wear it – even more so that I wore it for my wedding last November along with my late grandmother’s crucifix. We found the SQ cleaning out our grandparents house a few years ago and I was chosen to keep the watch but unfortunately the watch didn’t work but with the help of 3D Lanes, we sent it off to a bay area horologist to be fixed. Before I knew it I was putting on a new StrapsCo bracelet and wearing it with pride, remembering my grandfather, and most recently sporting the original bracelet.
Seiko 5 Sports & Evisen Skateboards LE SRPF93K1
One of the first watches in my collection and my first Seiko – definitely not my last. I am a sucker for anything limited edition, combined with anything samurai or Japanese related – take my money. Thus I present my limited edition Seiko & Evisen Skateboards collab SRPF93K1, limited to 1500 pieces. Now, with that amount of watches, is it really considered limited? There is some debate on this subject in the watch industry but I digress. In this collection there are three options all paying homage to different parts of the Japanese culture, starting off with Sushi, then black and gold, and lastly to Evisen skateboards themselves. I personally have ridden/rode skateboards and longboards for many years so I naturally was attracted to this version the most. With its cream colored dial, brown calfskin strap, and oof that bezel for $450 I was sold and after three years is still a watch that I wear on a daily basis.
Seiko 5 Sports SRPD53 “Pepsi”
Being born and bred in the US from immigrant parents, we regularly traveled out of the country to Mexico, Spain, Portugal, and the Azores Islands. But after being engulfed in the watch phenomenon, I thought it would be a great achievement to purchase a watch overseas and I had the opportunity in 2022 when our family went to Portugal. Traveling through Lisbon, Porto, Nazare, and back to Lisbon I searched profusely for local watch shops on Google Maps. Then one afternoon we met up with some friends for lunch on the beaches of Porto and along our walk I stumbled across a beautiful boutique with handbags, jewelry, but mostly watches and I went straight in like a kid in a candy store. After trying on several pieces I ended up purchasing the SRPD53 “Pepsi” on a steel bracelet for around 350 euros and now after two years of owning it, it’s lightweight, comfortable, and easy to read. But I don’t always find myself wearing it. It is undoubtedly a great introductory watch for those just getting into the hobby but maybe I’m outgrowing it or part of me wishes I got something a little more unique on my travels abroad.
G-Shock gM2100
By far my favorite G-Shock with the ever popular octagonal shaped case famously coined the Casi-Oak but this with the stainless steel case and black resin straps, this quickly became an everyday watch and my go-to when I didn’t know what else to wear. It combines everything I love about G-Shocks with a digital and analog display, stopwatch, light, all in a smaller package that is surprisingly versatile. This is one of the few watches that will never leave my collection.
G-Shock GAB2100CT-5A & GAB2100FC
Speaking of the Casi-Oak, I got the itch to obtain a few more but I wanted a couple models that were a little more different and not just the standard colorwaves. I first purchased the GAB2100FC because I really wanted that all white G-Shock since I had an all white Casio back in highschool, and then I purchased the CT-5A for it’s different colorwave and that the colors of the strap were derived from recycled coffee beans. I hardly ever wore the brown CT-5A and quickly sold it on eBay. Now as for the all white FC, I love the look of it but the entry level resin straps are just not that comfortable for me and I hardly ever wear it. However, almost every morning my step-son helps me choose a watch to wear and pretty much always tells me to wear it and it’s easily his favorite watch. So needless to say, I’m saving this one to give to him once he gets a little older.
CASIO BP-100
At the start of 2025 I very quickly was infected with the digital watch bug after reading Worn and Wound’s article on the Timex Skiathlom and proceeded to spend an embarrassing amount of time on eBay, Instagram, and YouTube looking for vintage digital watches, specifically from the 90s. I soon purchased a women’s Timex Ironman Triathlon from 1996 (my birth year) but returned it within 24 hours because it was way too small for me. None the less it’s a really cool watch with the 90s feel and colors I was looking for, but the search continued.
I looked high and low, looking mainly at vintage Timex and Casio (crazy that the 1990s are now considered vintage *tear*). What I love most about digital watches from the 80s and 90s is there multitude of real life and sometimes quirky functions like a thermometer on the Casio TSR 100 or calculator functions on the Casio Databank. I ultimately found my favorite and most affordable of these options in that of the Casio BP-100 in which BP stands for Blood Pressure. And yes, you guessed it! It can read your blood pressure. Kind of.
CASIO F91-W
Following and pretty much ending my digital watch craze at the start of 2025, is the classic and legendary F91W, with it’s small rectangular shape and that thin green line surrounding the watch. For only $23 off Amazon, need I say more?
sEIKO PROSPEX SPB143
My most recent watch, and a wedding gift from my wife is the Seiko SPB143 – an homage to the 62 Mas. What a beautiful watch and definitely leagues above the Seiko 5 Sports that I had previously. Immediately upon picking it up, you can feel the higher quality craftsmanship and attention to detail from the steel bracelet to the dial, and the bezel. With its 40.5mm case it wears a lot smaller than you would think, powered by a 6R35 movement it boasts a 70 hour power reserve and is so satisfying to unscrew that crown – if only it was mechanical. Most new watches I will wear for a day or two and include in the weekly rotation of watches, but the SPB143 I wore for five days straight – which is a lot for me. Not to mention this guy is a strap monster, with its 20mm lug width, it just eats straps for breakfast!
nezumi corbeau chronograph
Previously my everyday watch and most worn watch of 2024. First off, I love a chronograph but the way Nezumi has crafted this watch is done so impeccably well, with a simple design that has just enough color to be versatile for pretty much any occasion. I have worn this with Nezumi’s jubilee style bracelet for fancy events like my engagement photo shoot, with William Woods green firehouse straps for that comfy-cool look, and with several NATO straps for that extra versatility. Paired with a Seiko VK63 movement all for under $400, this Swedish designed-German made watch is a steal and one of my favorite watches for the past three years.
William wood green valiant le
Flashback to 2021 at my first Wind Up Watch Fair in San Francisco, I did a deepdive into William Wood Watches and was enamored by what they were doing with the brand and what they stood for. Getting deeper into watches, buying a watch from someone you actually know and bond with and who designed that piece makes it all the more special. I was able to meet the founder and owner Johnny Garrett and we clicked immediately and I regularly have Instagram conversations with him and we reconnect at each Wind Up since then.
A full review of this watch can be found HERE but in summary, the rich firefighter and first responder history paired with a beautiful design and workhorse Sellita SW200 movement made purchasing this watch an easy decision.
g-shock dw6900-ms1cr
With all my G-Shocks that I’ve owned, I still felt I was missing something in this digital collection. Something smaller but with the same design of the models I had previously owned. After some research and a few convincing Instagram comments later, I purchased my first 6900 series G-Shock off Amazon for around $75 and yeah, I love it. It’s different from all my other G-Shocks but also simple and very comfortable, combining it’s matte black finish with subtle additions of color, its quickly becoming one of my favorites.
Seiko Automatic 7006-8059 (1974)
2025 has quickly become ‘The Year of the Watch’ as I’ve purchased about one watch per month so far (it’s May 7th today). And especially the year of the vintage watch or even the vintage-inspired watches, all stemming from my grandfather’s Seiko and the aforementioned 90s Casio BP-100. Because of course, a vintage digital watch wasn’t enough, I needed a vintage analog watch for the collection and I went back and forth through a few vintage Russian Vostoks and Seikos. I ultimately landed on the 1974 Seiko Automatic 7006-8059 with day-date to boot – all for under $80. This thing was beat up and scratched up, but thanks to some 1000 grit sandpaper and some polywatch, it looks amazing for a fifty year old watch.
PaulIn zapata – night edition
One of my favorites times of the year isn’t the winter solstice or the leaves falling – it’s the Wind Up Watch Fair in San Francisco and this year was no exception. As my third year attending but the first time I got to see the show in the new Fort Mason venue, it was double if not triple the size as previous years with just as many brands to fill out the space. And one brand I was eager to see in person was Paulin. They were put on my radar when they’re “Oh No” collaboration watch was released and since then, I was hooked on their designs and vintage inspired cases. Now at these watch events, it can be easy to go to a booth once and then you’re onto the next without a thought in between. But for me, I can’t make up my mind and couldn’t decide on which watch I wanted, so I visited their booth three times. I ultimately chose the Zapata Night edition, their newest collaboration with Chicago-based artist Crystal Zapata. I went in wanting something more fun and playful, that didn’t break the bank but also didn’t sacrifice on quality and craftsmanship, and I got just that.
With the rest of this year in bound, I don’t have super specific goals for a specific purchase, even though purchasing a Rolex, Tudor, or Omega this year would be amazing – I won’t lose any sleep over it. However, my main goal is to continue streamlining the collection and maintaining a core collection which is why I have been selling the Bulova’s and maybe even the Seiko 5s in the future. I often struggle with having a large collection of different, unique, and versatile watches or keeping a small core set that I know will always be in my rotation – but alas, this is the struggle of any collector and especially a watch collector.
-Cristian
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