Watch Lives, I Don’t

Some watches are built to withstand more abuse and exposure to harsh conditions than any person can possibly endure or survive. “Super watches” take a ride on your wrist and aren’t particularly concerned about where you take them. Call them “wrist tanks” or just plain durable timepieces, but these help complete your ultimate action hero fantasy whether or not you ever decide to subject these timepieces to situations that you don’t have a very good chance of walking away from yourself.

Ariel Adams: Charmex Swiss Military 20,000 Feet Diver (Reviewed here)

James Stacey: Sinn 857 UTC Tegimented

Kenny Yeo: Casio G-Shock Mudmaster

Maximillien: Rolex Explorer I

Smart Looking Smart Watch That We Would Wear

Smart watches have become ubiquitous among both watch enthusiasts and the general population. Some are no more than fitness and health trackers, while others perform a vast host of tasks. As a niche but rapidly evolving segment, we see smart-mechanical hybrid watches entering the market, producing some of the most interesting (and debated) watch releases of late. Wonderfully divisive as a subject, here are some of our favorite smart watch picks.

Ariel Adams: Kairos Smart Watch (Hands-on here)

David Bredan: Tag Heuer Connected (Hands-on here)

Rob Nudds: Mondaine Helvetica No.1 (More on the Manufacture Modules Technologies smart watch platform it uses here)

Kenny Yeo: Apple Watch (Reviewed here)

Future Family Heirloom

Since the holidays are mostly about getting gifts for loved ones, it’s tough to justify buying something exclusively for yourself. A great way to get around this is to buy something that you think the next generation will appreciate – and yes, you get to wear it until you pass it on to someone else. A watch might not be quite like an estate, but it can send a message to future generations about the type of person who acquired it, and how that person’s values can be conveyed to future generations though the spirit of a timepiece that should work equally well then as it does now.

Ariel Adams: Roger Smith Series 4

James Stacey: F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu

David Bredan: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1

Rob Nudds: Vacheron Constantin Harmony Chronograph (Hands-on here)

On behalf of the aBlogtoWatch team, we hope that you had a fulfilling “watch year” in 2015 and look forward to feeding your passion for timepieces (and continuing to tempt you with too many nice things to buy) in 2016. Wishing you all a sincere “happy holidays” and more wisdom, relaxation, and comfort in the new year.