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I must say Ben. As a young man with super tiny wrists (15 cm) and a wallet not to thick, your channel is the best thing to have happened to me as a watch lover. Greetings from sweden and please keep making these type of videos they are absolutley great
I can not get over how high quality your video are, every shot you cut to is stunningly composed, whilst all the information you're delivering is so detailed and informative. Your video's must take so long to make.
Citizen Chandler is a great smaller sized (39mm) chronograph that gets overlooked. If you're okay with quartz and mineral crystal it's a good option especially for the price.
Yeah, totally agree with you plus it is an ecodrive. Seiko used to have smaller chronographs like the SSC001 to SSC004/5 at 40mm but no longer produce anything at 40mm and below, well until recently but the price is way too high, at least for me (the Seitona)
Yes! It’s my best kept secret. Too bad Citizen discontinued it. 39mm nice lume and mine is super accurate, like within 5 seconds a year. My only gripe is the chronograph only measures 1 hour at a time. I wish it would measure 12 hours but take the chronograph away and you have a perfect sized solar powered field style watch which you could often find for under $100 US for a refurbished model on eBay.
With a 6.5 mm wrist, I too am drawn toward watches criticized as ‘small’ by the contemporary aficionado. And although I’ve traded/given away all my chronos, some of these are tempting.
Glad you said 'contemporary'. To me there is too much of a fixation on size at the mo. My wrist is one size. And I have various size watches. Medium, big and small.
Great list. Its confirmed to me that on the affordable end, the Seagull movement is the only mechanical option. I optioned my wifes 1963 with a mesh and leather strap, best option
Hey Ben... Thanks to you bought the Certina. I absolutely love it. It's wearable, tough and great looking. I have a few Certina watches and they are the best value for money in Swiss watches. Good call! Hard to get a great watch in the $200 range!
Don't know what price you're looking to pay. But Christin Lars are a cheap Euro brand with a couple of white dial faces I have about 4 various designs, latest one a tank style. I like them as they are thin with a clean design. Don't have/like any in the gold finish mine are silver.
Ben wish you a Very Happy New Year 2022. May this year see us all climb out from under the COVID cloud. I love your channel. I have a tiny wrist and I adore Casio and mechanical watches. So now you know what makes me come back here again and again.
Usual excellent reviews Ben. Watches for those of us who reside on planet Earth. I can definitely vouch for Dan Henry watches - excellent quality and looks for not much money. I did use my Seiko chronograph at the 2007 Indy 500!
Just picked up a Sugess 38mm mechanical hand winding chronograph watch. Really like how well it wears on my 16.5cm wrist. Also joined WatchCrunch a few weeks back because I liked the content from Max. 👍
Great list and also could have a part 2! My suggestions would be the Brew Metric or Mastergraph and also the Hoffman Racing 40! I have a 6.5" wrist and fit perfectly! The Christopher Ward c3 grand tourer and the new Seiko "Seitona" SSC813 and it's color variants. All 40mm or less!
My fave thing about chronographs is how busy the dials get. But it's one of those things that's hard to get right. Multi-scale chrono's are my jam. I love when you have a spiral dial track with print that's placed inside the sub-dials (like the Omega Speedmaster Chronoscope for example). Especially when than spiral is red on white, or gilt on black. It really pops. The only 'cheap' chrono that really pulls this off is the Dan Henry 1939, but neither colour quite pulls it off for me. If they made one that had the dial printing of the silver, with the colours of the chocolate, it'd be perfect.
It isn't just people with tiny wrists who like a smaller chronograph option. I don't have an exceptionally small wrist as my wrist is about 7 5/8", but I came of age in a time when a full size watch was 34 or 35 mm across, and a sporty watch was maybe a bit bigger. I don't want a watch that small anymore, but I don't feel the need to wear a watch of Brobdingnagian proportions, either,. Especially since I am not wearing my chronograph on the outside of a space suit or flight suit. Usually just regular clothes, and every now and then, with a suit or sports coat. Therefore, a case size around 38 to 40 mm wears just about perfect for my taste. Anyway, thanks for your rec of the Rotary. I found one for a good price here in the US and ordered it. You don't see Rotary much over here, so pretty anxious to get my hands on one.
The Nezumi Tonnerre is a cracking good watch. I have the silver dial on a mesh strap. The all-silver look is stunning and looks far above its price point. Maybe it's just my honeymoon phase but it's the only watch that I frequently find myself reaching for over my Omega Aqua Terra. The fact that it's a mecha-quartz, making it very convenient as a grab and go watch, is just icing on the cake.
I ordered the Sea Gull 1963 in the Panda version. Got rid of the nato strap and replaced it by a milanaise strap. Looking gorgeous … Was so blown away that I ordered one more Sea Gull 1963 straight away. This time with that vintage green dial on a brown leather strap … can’t wait to get it … my recommendation - go for mechanical instead of quartz
this channel is a blessing for guys with small wrists. that being said, if anyone is looking for something more luxurious and money isn’t a problem then i’d suggest taking a look at the Omega Speedmaster Co-axial 38mm in black dial. only downside it doesn’t feature an in-house movt.
I'm in the thin wrist club. Just purchased a 37mm Citizen eco drive (BM8430-59EE). Very small lug to lug also. It wears small, too small if I'm being picky. It wears like a dress watch. Suitable for even the smallest men's wrist. It's a very very well made watch, second hand hitting the markers every time & catches the light very nicely. Although not a dive watch it's 1 to consider for small wrists.
My biggest complaint regarding most chronographs is the minute tracking sub-dial. I cannot read 60 minute subdials as the markings (if present) are too close together and many subdials hands aren't quite aligned. I'll consider only 30 minute subdials, as long as they have a mark every minute and larger markers every 5 minute. You won't believe how many subdials I've seen with few and far between markers. Obviously the designers didn't count on them being used. My favorite budget chrono is the Zeppelin LZ 127. Not only is it great for small wrists, the minute subdials ticks over one full minutes as the sweeping second hand passes 12. Almost unheard of as most subdials creep along and the slightest misalignment can confound the reading. As usual, good coverage of the topic, thanks!
I found a great chronograph for small wrist. The 40mm Citizen CA0450 that comes with a lug to lug of about 45mm. The dial and case design makes it look like a 38mm and it is a hassle free eco drive. The Asia/JDM version comes with sapphire crystal. A great bargain
As a matter of fact, I actually do use the stopwatch function quite often. I didn't know most people just like the looks of it. In fact, it would be better if there was a mechanical chronograph with a dive time bezel. That would be my perfect 1 watch collection.
Absolutely loved that list. But if I may... Forget the small size thing, most of those didn't have misplaced date window! Unheard of. The more I find about seagul the more I like them.
Ben, I love your videos. I was interested in watches before but mostly as a fashion thing. With thin wrists and thinner wallet, I couldn't justify fashion watch brands even as a watch "noob". But thanks to your videos, I have found a new appreciation for watches and entered the horology world.
I have the Citizen Bullhead. It is small but I it on a bund strap. I also picked up a Sugess, I really like it. A mechanical column wheel chronograph at quartz prices.
Just a correction for the video, the Zeppelin mentioned in this video is not the LZ129 chronograph, it's quartz moonphase model. I own this in this model and although they do make a similar chronograph LZ129, the one in the video is not it. There is the LZ127, 100 year edition, LZ126 that have more chronograph variants. They all come with swiss movements and are finished quite well, they are made in Germany by Pointtec and share manufacturing with Iron Annie and Bauhaus.
Sea-Gull looks very appealing now that it is slimmer. I might get one; will put it in the list of things that always end up overlooked. Where did you get the strap, BTW?
The 270€, 38mm Boldr Venture Rally / Field Medic (Chronographs ofc) would be my choice. Not only are they cased in titanium, they also feature premium Superlume. Only problem with them is the 14mm case thickness.
I was considering the Seagull 1963 some time ago (mainly because it is a mechanical chronograph for under 1000€) but my family were saying that doesn't fit my style (aka its a watch for old men). But the Geckota seems much closer to my style and i didn't know they existed...Thanks Ben!!
Legend has it, whenever watch ads get out of hand on RU-vid, somewhere near Stoke, a mythical creature named Ben's watch club awakens from his slumber. Egard ads have been everywhere, and now Ben has a new video. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
First of all Ben Happy New Year, and thank you again, for this new thread as well. Is my personal opinion about this fashion making watche's spheres so giant. I don't like it personally. Is the watch a men's complement but not the opposite. With a feeling of sadness I confirm that a brand from my country found a place in this list you have brought today. A sad feeling because this brand, born in Switzerland many years ago really, now in hands of a powerful spanish group, a very specialized one truly, is not given to the public that quality they deserve for its price, is a loose of prestige and I cannot find another answer than and non proper management practice to get incomes as fast as possible. Yes, also in Spain generally, people doesn't understand well about watches. Publicity makes the rest. So thank you Ben, and many others, for bring to us light. Saludos!!
The seagull is a nice watch. Mine came with some small optical QC issues though. Also the lug to lug is rather long for the watch, so on slimmer wrists it doesn't wear as tiny as the diameter suggests. judging from my 15-16 cm wrist.
Awesome recommendations, Ben! If I can also shoutout an honorable mention to the Alpha Paul Newman Daytona homage piece as well for anyone looking for that vintage charm (also only 39mm) using the Seagull handwind mechanical movement. I personally really dig that Nezumi model out of this bunch. Cheers! 😎🍻👍
Nicely done Ben, thx! And as always, the best comes last! The Geckota is really amazing. In this video (or in another) the Jacques Lemans 1-2068. small and retro, would fit in nicely!
I recommend the pagani design 1644 - its 40mm with sapphire and 100m water resistance from ali express. I love the budget daytona look and its comfortable to wear too.
Just moved to Tokyo and there is a Citizen bullhead in a store near me. It looks even better in person. Been eyeing it like crazy. Also, fits the homage genre, but the Invicta Speedway is great. 200m WR, screw down crown and pushers. Looks great for the price (~$150 CAD when I got it) if you don’t mind the big carving of INVICTA on the side.
Just a month ago, I bought Seiko SBTR 013. The sbtr series fits the description in this video. 39mm diameter and looks more expensive than its $160 price tag. It's a JDM model though.
I would like to see Ben Arthur include some chronograph i feel like he forget, if he stretch the budget to 500 USD, my pick are: the Yema Meangraf Super Y70/R70/B70 and the Yema Rallygraf (my favorite version is the Blue Tarmac), the former has a case diameter of 39mm with a thickness of 13.3mm and a lug-to-lug is 45.5mm, the latter has a case diameter of also 39mm, though it is slightly slimmer than the Meangraf at 13mm thick, however the lug-to-lug is 2.5mm longer than the Meangraf at 48mm. Both has 20mm lug width and a 100m/10bar/10ATM water resistance, both comes on either a mesh band or for 20 usd less the leather strap (both are priced at around 349 USD in mesh band or 329 USD on the leather strap though the Michel Vaillant version cost 429 USD on the mesh band or 399 USD on the leather strap). The only sin (aka cons or issues) with these (and any other watch from the brand) is Yema's questionable customer service (which i mention in the comment of Ben's review of the Spinnaker Piccard about the Helson Turtle). The other choice is the Boldr Venture Field Medic & Rally, both have 38mm case diameter, 44mm lug-to-lug, but for some unknown reason Boldr gives out two different thickness measurement, the Field Medic (the one with the pulsometer) measure at 12.2mm thick whereas the Rally measure at 14mm thickness (can someone explain the discrepancy for me?), both are priced at 299 USD. Another choice is the Straton Curve Chrono, the Straton Comp Driver and the Straton Speciale. The measurement for the (Curve Chrono) (Comp Driver) (Speciale): Case diameter: (39.5mm(42mm case is available)) (42mm) (42mm) Thickness: (13.9mm without the domed sapphire, 14.5mm with) (13mm) (13mm (meca-quartz version)) Lug-to-lug:(46.5mm (39.5mm version), 47.4mm (42mm version)) (45mm) (40.8mm (note: the case shape is like a TV from the 70s hence that unusual lug-to-lug because the lugs are hidden)) The three Straton mention above are priced at 499 USD. Those are my pick, what are yours?
Hey Ben, I had the Geckota gifted to me on Black Friday last year, would you want to get hands on and do a review on it? Its a great watch as are all the others shown here, great job
Great list Ben. If you can budget up to £500, the Seiko Speedtimer reissues are a good shout too- Solar mechaquartz movements with a lovely racing aesthetic in a 39mm case. The Pandas are getting scarce in the UK though.
Nice list, I prefer my Edifice Casioak though. It wears perfectly for me and the thinness of the case just seems to be perfect, though of course quartz movement. Makes for a great everyday wear
The new citizen bullheads look nice and 38mm. boldr do 38mm titanium chronos. Yema have the 39mm rallygraf and meangraf super. Lorier have the 39mm Gemini. Seikos new speedertimer at 39mm.
Great video and informative as usual. I love the chronograph look and a few of these are gorgeous, especially the Dan Henry 1937 and Zeppelin. Sadly though, many of these would look miniscule on my bestial sized wrist. I just, the other day, received my Orient 42mm Chronograph that I picked up for a (I think) bargain $145 AUD and after ditching the (surprisingly) shit leather strap for a nice French NATO I think it looks fantastic👍👍
When a dive watch, or one that looks like a dive watch, has a bezel insert whose number are upside down (meaning they're the right way up for you to read) from the 20 to the 40 minute numbers, it means the bezel is just eye candy and won't turn.
I agree. Finding a decent chronograph without ripping your wallet in half was near impossible. I finally got a Marloe Atlantin Fortune chronoscope. It's beautiful
The Maen Skymaster is a great option for people willing to spend a little more. It’s priced at around $1000, but it’s a great looking watch and is only 38mm.
Ben, I was lucky enough to procure one of those Citizen bullhead reissues at a reasonable price, and I have to admit, I hadn't realised just how small it actually was. The first time I took it out of the box I wondered if I had been ripped off and sent some sort of midget clone. After wearing it a few times, though, I've come to really like it, and it has given me a new appreciation for smaller watches. The only downside is, at that size the chronograph is just to small to be legible. But then, like you said, I'm one of those people who just like how chronographs look.
I'm sorry but that add felt a bit overwhelming with all the imaging, and I've watched many ads from Vpns to that rpg game everyone has done an ad for other than the add great video
Hey Ben, watching your Chrono video, it gave me an idea. What if we submit watches we have bought, and you tell us your opinion and at what price you would consider it a good deal (or not at all as the case maybe be!). That would be some fun content :)
