We asked the classic question of the watch review videos broadcast on Horobox TV for the popular models of the world of horology.
It is not an easy task to please everyone at the same time. However, being able to please Serdar OAL and Burak BAYRAM, the favorite duo of Horobox TV videos, about the newly released watches is a challenge. Those watch connoisseurs do not hesitate to talk about their experiences and share their criticisms about the watches reviewed in each new video. While they were conveying their views on the new models to their followers, I decided to ask the same question to the legendary models of the watch world.
One of the first things I pay attention to in almost all the watches I have owned and tried so far is the feeling when I wear the watch on my wrist. The first things that determine this feeling are the materials used to manufacture the watch, the surface workmanship, and the overall design. By saying design, I am not talking about the visual appeal but the transfer of engineering experience to visuality.
No wonder watches with integrated bracelets are so popular. Thanks to the end-link and curved lug structure that adapts to the natural form of the wrist, watches with integrated bracelets or straps can offer superior comfort compared to their competitors. On the other hand, how meticulously the surface workmanship of the watch is made reveals its difference in the parts that come into direct contact with the skin. At this point, I would like to draw attention to another point that manufacturers often ignore: Micro bracelet adjustment.
Today, what makes a modern Rolex Submariner unrivaled for me is the patented GlideLock adjustment system, which allows me to adjust the watch exactly to my wrist with ease. Thanks to the sliding mechanism on the folding clasp, you can adjust the watch to your wrist "exactly as it should be". Thus, you get rid of the adjustment that is neither tight enough to prevent your blood circulation nor loose enough to allow contact with the crown that will create a wound on your wrist. The system is there because it offers you the luxury of using the watch with a diving suit, but the main difference is when it eliminates the discomforts related to temperature, humidity, or weight changes in daily life. On the other hand, this flawless system is not found in other iconic models of the brand such as the GMT-Master 2, Daytona, or Datejust as those models are equipped with shorter folding clasps. Although Rolex aims to control this looseness and tightness with the cleverly designed EasyLink mechanism, the result is not as perfect as in the GlideLock. The interesting thing is that in terms of engineering, the GlideLock mechanism can also be adapted to shorter buckles, but Rolex does not prefer to make this adaptation for some reason.
This situation can become even more problematic in some legendary metal bracelet watches. For example, let's say you get your Audemars Piguet Royal Oak or Patek Philippe Nautilus watch, assuming you can overcome years of waiting lists and astronomical price tags. To adjust the watch to your wrist, you start to remove the links that make up the bracelet one by one. You felt a slight slack on the first try and wanted for another link to be removed. But, hey! It's too tight now. Solution? If you wish, you can wait a few more months and try to have one of the half or one-and-a-half size links again with an astronomical price tag.
Well, if you ask what entry-level models do when there are such simple problems even in luxury watches, the answers are interesting. Have you bought a Tissot PRX? Don't worry, half size links are already included in the bracelet. If you want, you can adjust your watch much more precisely. Did you buy a basic Seiko 5? No problem, you can be sure that your watch can always be adjusted to your wrist with the precision adjustment holes in the folding clasp.
Long story short, sometimes the fact that watch companies do not make improvements that they can easily do can directly affect the comfort of use. I don't know, maybe I'm being too sensitive about this. So what do you think?
