If you’d like to skip the preamble to review the ground rules of this five part series that discusses what my grail watch could be, scroll to the bottom of this part.

Watch collecting, like many things in life, isn’t so much about the destination as it is about the journey. I know, it’s lazy to lean on platitudes – but, I’m too busy dreaming of the next watch that will temporarily defer my insatiable appetite.

Many of us kid ourselves that there is a promised land, where we will be able to retire from the hunt and consider our collection complete – our thirst at long last quenched, once and for all. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation for anything in life. Happiness never comes from the realization of an accomplishment – it comes from the pursuit of those things that cannot yet be attained. The truth is, we’re always in search of what’s next.

While that tangent is nothing short of anecdotal rocking chair wisdom, it does speak to the theme of this series. Ever since this hobby became my obsession, I’ve had several grails. For each one, now possessed, I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent striving toward owning them. However, the more I bought and sold watches and as the landscape of my collection remained in flux, the more precisely honed my tastes became. I began to zero in on exactly what I enjoy with greater accuracy. Slowly, I was becoming more and more discerning.

Of course, like most watch lovers, I’ve had many watches leave my collection. While only a select few have stood the test of time, I don’t regret purchasing those pieces that have gone. I enjoyed them while they were mine and each of them taught me what my preferences are (and what they are not). As the parameters of those preferences constricted further and further inward, what I want in a watch has become all the more specific.

However, a grail isn’t just some watch you want. It is “the” watch you want in your collection – your crown jewel. We all have one in mind. Actually, you might have a couple. But we all have a grail of grails. That one watch that, to each of us, is perfection. I know I do.

Unfortunately, my grail watch doesn’t exist. Well, not yet anyway. But I have the ability to be optimistic from time to time, so I’m holding on to hope. For now, I’ll enjoy dreaming about it and telling you what I think it should be.

If you’ve read any of my blogs, you’ll know I’m infatuated with the Rolex Explorer Reference 1016. However, the 1016 is not my grail. I love vintage watches, but my grail is not a vintage watch. For my grail, I have to be the first and only owner. Not only that, it has to be up to the task. I don’t want something I need to baby. What I’m really looking for is the design of a 1016, in a completely new reissued version. In my mind, there are a few ways this kind of release would succeed in satisfying my vision of what my grail watch is (would be). More specifically, there are exactly four outcomes that would meet my criteria for my imagined grail. I will detail each within this series and rank them from a passing grade to my most preferred.

Prior to trickling each part of this series out, I should first set the ground rules for my grail. Each of the four options mentioned within this series will, at the very least, meet the below criterion. If I were fortunate enough to see a release that met the majority of these requirements (but not all), I would certainly consider it. I don’t need to get everything on my wish list. However, this is my grail, so I can be as picky as I want in conceiving what it should be (or could be).

Must Haves:

The watch will have a steel oyster style case and be no more than 36mm in diameter.
Lug to lug, the watch will be no more than 44mm.
From case back to crystal top, the piece will be no thicker than 12mm.
Its dial will be an “Explorer dial” configuration (i.e., 3-6-9 Arabic numerals). A 3-6-9-12 configuration would be acceptable as well.
The dial will be matte black (non-reflective).
Extremely vibrant and long-lasting luminescence will be featured.
There will be a smooth, unmarked bezel.
My grail will feature a branded screw-down crown, located mid-case.
Water-resistance must be at least 100m – preferably 150m.
The case back will be screw-down and will be unmarked (without any branding or specifications).
The watch will be a three-hander, with no date.
Whatever movement is inside, it must be COSC certified.
The movement will be an automatic one with at least 48 hours of power reserve.
When setting the time, the seconds hand will be hackable.
Domed crystal, instead of flat. My preference is acrylic, but I understand that’s not as marketable as sapphire. If it’s sapphire, there can’t be a milky ring around the outer edges of the crystal. If for some reason, that can’t be made to happen, the crystal should be a domed acrylic. If that is deemed incompatible with market demand – stick with flat sapphire. A domed sapphire crystal with a milky ring is unacceptable. It would break up the flow of the design.
This dream piece will be fitted with a steel oyster style tapered bracelet.
Endlinks will be solid.
The clasp will feature a system that allows for quick, toolless micro-adjustment which empowers the wearer to slightly extend the bracelet on the fly.
There will be no gold (yellow, white or rose) or platinum on any part of the watch.
Printing on the dial will be minimal, with the logo positioned just below 12 o’clock, and some additional text located above 6 o’clock.
The MSRP will be no more than $8000 CAD (approximately $6000 USD).

Nice to Haves:

If the crystal is sapphire – anti-reflective coating should be applied.
Believably colourized faux patina on the numerals, markers and hands.
Blue luminescence instead of green.
Drilled lug holes.
The watch should come in a fully featured set, including presentation box, alternative brown genuine leather strap, alternative admiralty grey fabric nato, spring bar tool, and leather watch roll.

Now that we have the ground rules, I will publish a part of this series once a week in a countdown style. In each part, I will go into great detail - describing the features for each of the four options I believe would best suit my grail watch dreams.

To read Part 2 in this series, please click here.