The three watches Borna wore most in 2024 are…

Borna Bošnjak

When initially thinking about this article, I was almost convinced that it would look no different than last year’s. After all, I didn’t buy many watches, and those that I did add to the collection weren’t exactly daily wearers. Sitting down to actually photograph them, I opened my watch box and realised I couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, two of my three most worn watches were new additions to the collection, and the third went from being a very special occasion wear to a dressy daily. The most noticeable difference for me is that these three watches represent a distinct shift in my wearing style. Last year, my trio was composed of gilt-toned, vintage-inspired pieces, two of which actually were vintage. With two quartz watches on the list this year, and one of them coming in at a whopping (for me) 40mm, I may not be the vintage fiend I’d been happy to introduce myself as. Don’t worry, though, a Seiko still made the top three. Kind of.

Grand Seiko Heritage Collection SBGN013 Quartz GMT

Undisputedly taking the number one spot is the Grand Seiko SBGN013, a watch that’s been with me since the start of the year, and would feature on my wrist almost daily. Whether it was something I could pick up in the morning without worrying about setting the time, being my travel companion thanks to the GMT complication, or anything else in between, I found it infallible. I also kind of love that it’s quartz. A large majority of the collecting community scoffs at the mention of it, and I honestly can’t understand why, especially when it’s as good as Grand Seiko’s 9F.

And though this is a luxury watch that I’ve owned for less than a year, it didn’t take me long to lay into it. The clasp, bracelet and bezel are full of scratches and dings, and I have to say – I absolutely love how it looks. I’ve gone past the point of remembering where they were picked up, and apart from the watch that’s to come later on the list, the SBGN013 is the only one I can truly say I wear without worry. I never thought I could become a one watch person, and I still absolutely do not, but this Grand Seiko is about as close as I ever think I’ll get. I know I’m laying it on a bit thick, but it’s simply a fabulous watch.

Cartier Tank Française ref. 1840

When I wasn’t wearing the Grand Seiko, chances are high that my wrist was occupied by this stunning Tank Française. Funnily enough, even though it’s a relatively small, precious metal watch, it was never the default dress choice – that honour went to the Seiko Crown Special or Credor featured in my previous most-worn-of-the-year lists. The Tank Française’s proportions give it so much presence on the wrist, with the wide brancards and stubby lug-to-lug somewhat negating its 8mm thickness (or thereabouts). This, coupled with the fact that my partner (whose watch this actually is) has generously decided to never wear it, meant that the Tank became part of my usual work attire, replacing the GS on pretty much any occasion I wore something that would suit the warm tones of gold.

The more I wore it, the more I became enamoured with its details. The guilloché dial is reminiscent of the CPCPs that would follow in the late 1990s, made all the better by the chameleonic blued steel hands and cabochon. But my favourite aspect of wearing it so much is that the gold has begun to patina, subtly changing to a burnt orange around the crown.

Casio G-Shock GWM5610

As much as I didn’t baby the Grand Seiko, there were also continuous occasions requiring something lightweight and ultra-tough. For me, this meant a watch that I could take to the gym and/or play badminton most days of the week, move furniture in, get dust and debris on from DIY projects, or take on hikes and not have to worry about getting it sweaty or soaked in spring water. Should it really be a surprise that I chose a G-Shock? For the other two watches on this list, I gave them a courtesy polish with a microfibre cloth before shooting. For starters, that wouldn’t even work that well with the resin case of a G-Shock, but more importantly, I wanted to show it off in the state that it mostly found itself throughout the year.

I’m actually ashamed to say that I was G-Shockless for over a year, as I ended up giving my DW5600 to my mum, who found herself in need of a rough-and-tumble watch, but refused to buy one. At the time, I thought it’s no big deal, as I’d just pick another one up somewhere down the line. It ended up taking 15 months, and my partner who got tired of my muttering to myself about how “I should just go and buy that G-Shock already“. Lucky for her, I had this solar-powered square G in my Amazon shopping cart for months, so the choice was easy.