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The 5 Watches That Almost Wrecked My 2025 Budget
I spent much of 2025 trying to be more disciplined about how I collected. That meant fewer impulse buys, longer pauses between purchases, and a genuine effort to interrogate why I wanted something before convincing myself I needed it. On paper, that kind of approach sounds responsible and even calming. In reality, it turns every well-executed release into an internal debate, especially when your taste has matured, your curiosity remains relentless, and your budget is very aware of both.
Halios Seaforth Review: How a Microbrand Dive Watch Won My Year
I didn’t come into 2025 looking for a watch to crown. The goal, if there was one at all, was to slow my own reaction time, to spend less energy being impressed and more time paying attention to what earned wrist time once the novelty wore off. I wanted the year to feel calmer in my collecting, even if the broader release cycle had no intention of doing the same.
Kiwame Tokyo’s Iwao Is a Field Watch That Avoids Microbrand Gimmicks
I’d buy this over a Hamilton. Field watches tend to expose a brand pretty quickly. There isn’t much room for theater. Proportion, legibility, and restraint do most of the talking, whether the brand intends them to or not. That’s the context in which Kiwame Tokyo introduces the Iwao. The brand is based in Asakusa, and it leans heavily into process rather than novelty. Even the name points in that direction. “Kiwame” refers to taking something toward its ultimate form through refinement instead of escalation. Choosing a field watch as a proving ground feels deliberate.
This Affordable Stone Dial Watch Proves You Don’t Need a Luxury Budget
I’ve been trying to remind myself lately that interesting material choices aren’t supposed to be locked behind five-figure price tags. Somewhere along the way, stone dials became another luxury signaling device instead of what they actually are: texture, color, and personality on the wrist. By 2025, they were everywhere, but mostly in the hands of brands more interested in status than substance. That’s why the AC2 Volcán from Anders & Co. caught my attention. It feels less like a flex and more like a correction.
The State of My Watch Collection at the End of 2025
I used to think a state of the watch collection needed a point to prove. An argument about taste, restraint, value, and growth. Over time, that way of thinking stopped feeling useful. What mattered more was paying attention to what remained once I stopped trying to force the hobby to feel a certain way.
