I did it!
After lots of internal debate, and a trip to a competing jeweler that had the Bell & Ross watches in stock, I finally settled on my original favorite, the IWC Aquatimer in titanium.
I came really close to going with a Bell & Ross BR01-94. I really liked the square case and super-readable face of the B&R, plus I was worried the Aquatimer might not be big enough. However, even the saleswoman at the store that carried the B&R advised me to get an IWC instead.
My biggest concern with the B&R is that it’s quite trendy, being large and square, so only time will tell if it turns into the watch equivalent of bell bottom pants. And although I found the rubber strap to be quite comfortable, I really wanted a bracelet. What ultimately convinced me to go with the IWC, however, was a detailed look at the watch catalogs from the respective manufacturers. The IWC book is an interesting read. It talks about the history of the company, significant watch models they’ve made, their manufacturing steps, visiting the factory, and more. The B&R catalog, on the other hand, is pure fluff. It has very nice pictures of the watches, but it really just feels like an extended ad.
Now that I’ve had the watch for a couple weeks, I’m entirely happy with my decision. My concern that the Aquatimer would be too small was totally misguided: it’s a great size, and I don’t think I’d want anything larger. I also find it to be extremely readable, and very comfortable to wear.
So far the watch seems to be running about four seconds per day slow. This would be in spec for a COSC certified watch, but IWC claims to always adjust their watches to be on-time or fast, which seems preferable to me. So if it continues losing time after I’ve had it a couple months, I may take it in for an adjustment. Other than that, I have absolutely no complaints.
