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About : Double Time is for guys who like watches, but don’t necessarily want . What we’re going for here are two watches, at different affordable budgets, which as a team can fill just about any style need in every-day life. A casual watch and a dress watch. Those are basically the parameters.
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This is the new, more svelte version of Orient’s Bambino, their flagship line of dress-watches. Compared to the original’s 41.5mm case, the new 38mm with it’s 20mm wide lugs will be more wearable for more customers. (.) Still comes with an in-house automatic movement which hacks and hand-winds. The croc-embossed leather strap seems to be a step up in terms of quality compared to the original Bambino line, with a slight taper keeping things dressy and smart. Crystal is a domed mineral, caseback is exhibition, and if this black strap/silvery-white dial isn’t your favorite combination, they have a few others () available . Link above goes to Amazon since at post time the model shown is on sale. Shown above on a 7.5″ wrist, and remember that in . So it wears a bit smaller in real life.
. The 1953 is the new standard for entry-level automatic sports watches. At 40mm in diameter it’s comfortably wearable for most wrist sizes. The automatic movement hacks and hand-winds. With gilt-bordered hands, indices and script on the dial, greenish blobs of lume, and a fully brushed oyster-style bracelet, it’s a classy diver with aesthetics ripped from the wrist-watch history books. It also avoids any garish over-branding. The dial is mercifully uncluttered. There’s no silly engraving on the side of the case like its . There’s also no glaring polished links (inset or otherwise) on the bracelet. It doesn’t even have a date window or crown guards. The one bad bit is the bracelet’s clasp. The oyster-style bracelet is great, but the whole thing connects that feels like it was ripped off a beer can. But… it works. And considering the rest of the watch and the price charged to obtain it, the thin metal on the clasp is far from a dealbreaker.
Total Cost: $400ish
Got a wristwatch duo you’d like to recommend for Double Time? Send those in to joe@dappered.com.
Want to see the entire series? . For those keeping track at home, this is now our second “round” of double time. First we did the hundreds ($100, $200, $300, etc…) This time we’ll be doing , , , etc.