The three watches Buffy wore most in 2024 are…

Buffy Acacia

The state of my watch collection (among other things) has been a shambles all year. Long gone are my days of scouring eBay for the perfect bargain, because any disposable income was funnelled into my engagement plans. It was all worth it though, because the engagement was a beautiful success. I did treat myself to an engagement watch (more on that later) but I also ended up buying what could have been my favourite watch ever, only to sell it a month later. Ups and downs aside, let’s get into the watches.

Seiko 1320-5490

My connection with the Seiko 1320-5490 was a strange one, as it was one of four vintage Seikos that I snagged from an eBay bulk lot early last year. I didn’t think much of it originally, my sights set instead on the Tank homage that my fiancée now wears daily, but I quickly fell for its glittering, frosted dial texture, intricate steel bracelet, and the advanced quartz movement that gently swept the hands across the dial when you adjusted the time. It was my go-to watch in 2023 as I knew it would keep perfect time, it suited my style, and it always received compliments.

Unfortunately for me, someone else also fell in love with my Seiko 1320-5490. A reader reached out and explained that they’d been looking for this exact reference since their possessions had been burgled in 2010, originally having bought the watch on their 21st birthday in 1982. My year-long love affair with the watch couldn’t compare, but I felt too strange asking for money when the watch had effectively only cost me A$11. It turned out that the reader ran a gorgeous B&B in Launceston, Tasmania, the same island state of Australia where I was already planning to propose. So, I agreed to send them the watch in exchange for a night’s stay, and it was phenomenal. Hello to that reader if you’re seeing this, I hope you’re enjoying being reunited with the watch. And to anyone planning a visit to Launceston, I highly recommend booking at Ellie’s Place on City Park.

Cartier Santos Octagon Automatic 25mm

I may not have been scouring eBay this year, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t take a peek every now and again. It just so happened that I checked at the right time to see this Cartier Santos Octagon up for auction with less than an hour remaining. The condition was scratched to hell, one of the bezel screws were unoriginal and a poor match, and it was also listed as “for parts or repair” due to the crown being broken. Even still, with the bidding below A$800, it was worth a punt. I placed a bid hastily, pledging to myself that I wouldn’t fight for it too hard as I was fairly short on savings, and as luck would have it, I lost the auction. The next day, I receive a second chance offer from the seller. I do feel bad for sellers when auction winners don’t follow through on their bids, but it was my lucky day as far as I was concerned.

When the watch arrived, I was pretty shocked to see that the scratches didn’t look anywhere near as bad in person. Sure it was far from pristine, but the well-loved look paired perfectly with the spiderwebbed cracks in the lacquer dial. The crown was bent and unthreaded from the crown stem, but I’m not afraid of a DIY challenge. I removed the crown, disassembled the case and movement on my kitchen table, ultrasonically cleaned the case, straightened the stem, and used some Loctite to secure the crown back to the stem before putting it all back together. The late ‘90s ETA movement ran perfectly and kept time at around +10 seconds per day. Every day that I wore the Santos Octagon, it felt a little bit more like a part of me. Sadly, I realised that my purchase had been too irresponsible while saving up for a holiday and an engagement ring, so it had to go back on eBay. I kept the price low so that I could sell it quickly while still breaking even for the purchase and the time spent fixing it up.

Credor 2340-5000

And now we’ve come to my “engagement watch”. To be honest, I’m not sure that’s what it really is. I bought it just before my fiancée and I left for our trip for around A$250, and in theory, its two-tone case and Big Santos Energy were supposed to prevent me from spending more money on Cartiers that I always end up selling. I do think the Credor 2340-5000 is a gorgeous watch. The ultra-thin quartz movement makes for a supremely comfortable and elegant case, and the dial’s subtle patterning adds even more intrigue to its silvery-grey hue. However, it hasn’t filled me with the same spark that I got from the Cartier.

As much as I thought it would be my engagement watch, in hindsight, that may have just been another excuse to buy it. I must have been feeling particularly obsessive, because I even tracked down a vintage 13mm bracelet with chain links that look like the dial pattern. My fiancée had no involvement in selecting it, and I do also wear an actual engagement ring that we designed together. So, while the Credor 2340-5000 has been the only watch I’ve worn over the past few months, I don’t think it will remain with me very much longer.