Tool Watches
Anyone who has known me for very long knows that I tend to end up collecting tools. My garage is rather full of them, and their uses are many. Some are generally handy, and some are highly specialized. I am not entirely sure where this habit came from, but I suspect it may be encoded in my genes. There should be no surprise then that my primary interest in time pieces is in what are referred to as tool watches.
There are a near infinite number of complications possible on a watch, and almost all of them are of no interest to me. My concerns are in measuring time on a scale that includes my waking hours. The offerings across the watch market make it pretty clear that I am in the distinct minority. Watches with no day, date, or day-date complications are few. Even fewer if one does seek a chronograph. Fewer still if you wish to be able to approach a puddle of water without major concern in a watch without a half-dozen complications.
Fortunately, it seems that German watch makers have not forgotten the tool watch with Sinn, and Hanhart still making a number of uncluttered offerings:
- Sinn 556I
- Sinn 356 Flieger Classic
- Hanhart HD12
- Hanhart 417ES Flyback
These all sport Swiss movements, but maintain a more "classic" pilot aesthetic that I rather enjoy. One or more of them will likely make it to my wrist at some point.