22 Modern Watches That Feel Vintage Affordable To Luxury

So I probably don't need to reintroduce the concept of heritage-inspired, where brands look back into their archive, will grab something, and then reintroduce it as this concept and maybe being reverent to the past. I like when brands do this, but it does happen quite often, and there are many times where it's done poorly. So what I want to look at in this video is slight spin on that concept, looking at new watches that feel vintage. And I'm trying to draw the distinction here of watches that are not just heritage-inspired, but really do an amazing job of feeling and preserving the past design and what it's bringing forth in like the present era that we have in watchmaking. I'm going to be looking at a variety of different styles. So different categories, variety of price points within those categories. So we'll send up with each one of these new categories and then restart with a new category. And again, my judgment here is mostly watches that if you saw it from afar, maybe you're handling it up close, but mostly from afar, just with its looks or some other element allows it to feel as if it could be like a new old stock piece from the past. Some of this is not going to be perfect because a new watch is going to feel ultimately like a new watch compared to a true vintage watch, but I do believe there are instances where this is going to fit appropriately. So before we jump in, AORUS just released a very cool new watch, the AORUS Big Crown Pointer Date Hank Aaron Edition, now available on teddybaldister.com. As someone who grew up as a huge baseball fan and had a Hank Aaron frame photograph hanging in my bedroom throughout my childhood, this watch is right up my alley. It takes the classic pointer date design and infuses colors worn by baseball legend with his many years playing for the Atlanta Braves coming in red, white, and blue. The watch has a unique embossed case back paying honor to the legend, a pointer date complication and pops of color that work well in this design DNA that dates back to 1938. A link will be in the description down below if you want to check out more. Now to kick us off here, we have the Casio A100. Many Casios could be put into this category, but for myself, this is one that stands out primarily for a few reasons. Now number one, it is emulating much of the digital trend of the period in which it's from, but it also is based on the F100 from the late 1970s that debuted on Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley in the movie Alien, which I think is a cool little tie-in. Also, the retro multi-color button format, it just feels so much of this era and I could imagine this looking nowhere out of place if like a costume designer put this in a 1980s movie. No one's gonna be like, oh, that's not period, correct? It just looks the part. And before we proceed any further, I totally forgot to put my watch back on. That is a weird thing. I felt naked for a second. I just looked at my wrist and I'm like, what is going on? And I don't do this often, but since I'm calling attention to it, I'm wearing the new SRPKs, the 38 millimeter Seiko 5 Sports. Next up, we have the Timex Q Rootbeer. So the Rootbeer, for some reason, that one feels the most vintage. I think it's just because of like the more golden hues. This is what many people associate with eras of the 1970s. So this is a watch that is vintage styling and looks back to the 1970s as a throwback color scheme, many different iterations to choose from. You can get an automatic one for $100 more. And with its mesh style bracelet design, very fine link, not only will it be maybe pulling a few hairs, it will also bring you back to the days. For our next watch, this is the Hamilton to me that represents this idea the most. This is the Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer. And despite being a mouthful, this is a watch that is very pure in its design style. If it wasn't for the mineral glass crystal, I think this would be one of the more popular Hamilton watches that gets mentioned time and time again. It's very small with its case size. It wears like a 36 millimeter on wrist. But one thing about this watch, apart from the dimension set and the style, is also it's really paying tribute to a watch from the past. It was a 1970s reference, the W10. It was a pilot watch made for the British Ministry of Defense from 1973 to 1976. And the watch is very true to that style from the case, the dial texture is beautiful to look at. It's still well finished, but the brush finishing and more matte type of look to the outside of the case makes it feel as if it could be a vintage watch and doesn't have this polished up look that might make this watch feel of a different era. One brand that absolutely deserves to be on this list a couple of times, and I believe they're going to be on here again, is Oris. But this is a watch that is a no brainer. This is the big crown pointer date from Oris. I don't know what it is about this watch. This is from a 1938 design. This is a famous design from Oris. One of the few brands that are using the pointer date complication in a watch, especially in this price range. They really own it when it comes to under $5,000 for a pointer date, and they do a beautiful job. A few things that make this watch feel this way, I mean, it's certainly a new watch when you feel it on the wrist. It has some substantial elements, but from afar, from the look on the wrist, it just does an amazing job at preserving this model's DNA. The coin edge style bezel, the cathedral handset, the typography text, the railway minute track, all of that comes together to create a package that just feels vintage in its expression. If you looked at one of these versus one in the past, it just feels very on point. Now, there are different versions of the big crown pointer date. I would say some of the best at representing this are going to be like those rich burgundy dials, some of those classic pointer dates that really represent that modern collection from the brand. Also, throwing the bronze, even though that is a different material, there's something about that with the cathedral handset with the case that also does the part. Now, Rado is an interesting one because they lean into all these eclectic just materials and types of designs that are more avant-garde in styling. You could put a Captain Cook on here, but even for me, a lot of the Captain Cook feels like a new watch with a lot of their adaption of ceramic. Instead, here, we're looking at the Rado Golden Horse. This is a classic 1957 release from the brand with that Golden Horse logo on the dial. This is the watch of all their watches that really leans into this lane. 37 millimeters, so pretty true to classic wearing dimensions. Is going to wear pretty true to that size, but a couple other reasons why this watch to me feels this way is the dome crystal, the effects and typography, and that Golden Seahorse logo. Then finally, the beads of rice bracelet. There's something about a beads of rice bracelet. You just put it on a watch and it automatically becomes decades older. Just looks that, and I just love the pairing of these vintage inspired watches with a beads of rice bracelet. It's just a joy to look at. Now, this could probably fall underneath the dress category as well. We just have it under the everyday, but I wanted to get this closer to the front of the video because this was the watch that inspired me to even think of this whole concept of doing this video, and this is the Volkane Cricut. This is a recently revived creation from the famous 1947 Cricut. If you've not seen the review of this watch, I'd recommend checking it out. I adore this watch and I think it's very cool. It is a alarm watch, a mechanical alarm watch, and really in 1947, this was kind of the first mechanical alarm watch to hit the mass market. There were other attempts beforehand, but this was the one that really took off and they were able to scale production appropriately. It also is known as the President's Watch because of many different presidents that would wear it over the years. Lyndon B. Johnson loved the watch so much and apparently he gifted it 200 times to different individuals. How the watch works, you have an additional hand for your alarm, you press the pusher, you set the alarm, and then once you wind the barrel for the alarm and the hands reach that point, you're treated with a noise that absolutely sounds like Cricut. So this watch is going to be controversial to be put on this list just because it doesn't really feel vintage, but I think you can make a case. I also wanted to use it as a point to maybe discuss this brand in general when it comes to deviating away from this idea, and that is Rolex. Now Rolex nowadays, it's kind of taken a different approach when it comes to their watches. It's not as much about preserving the original design. There's still, of course, some reverence to the past and what they're doing, but the brand has evolved to change to a different type of consumer. The Rolex buyer of the past is a smaller percentage of the Rolex buyer currently in the market in 2023, but the one watch that I can make an argument for that you could say still feels like the original to some sense, and there's a purity to it unlike pretty much anything else that they're doing. This is the Rolex Explorer 36 millimeter. This is the classic DNA, and you could argue the least amount change of any of their contemporary watches. Maybe you can make some arguments for the Rolex GMT Master, but even something like the Submariner, it doesn't feel like a mid-20th century Submariner. This watch, at least when you put it on the wrist, despite, of course, you have the loomed numerals and markers, raised applied markers as well, the bracelet, of course, is going to be night and day. You're going to be able to tell that this is a modern Rolex, but there are many elements here that remain as part of the original ethos of this watch. 36 millimeters, I think returns to form. This was the watch that I think announced the concept that, hey, smaller watches are cool again. When Rolex gives the co-sign and they make a bold move of moving 39 millimeters to 36, that is something that the rest of the industry is like, wait, okay, maybe we have to actually make this a thing now. Not to say that they started this trend, but I think they did solidify it as being an idea where other brands are catching up on this idea. But across the board, this watch is just simply clean. It is a testament to classic Rolex and the Explorer. Explorer is that framework that every other sports watch later followed, the Submariner and those afterwards. For Grand Seiko, I want to look at a watch that looks directly back to 1960. That is the SBGW259. This is based off a 1960 release when the brand was initially unveiled. It upped the case from 35 millimeters on that original to a 38 millimeter, but the silhouettes, the typeface, the handset, the linear markings on the dial, it is still very true to the past. There is something about the rounded case, the lug design, as well as that dome crystal that just makes this feel very much of the period of the 1960s. A lot of the sharp angles of the Zaratsu finish on some of their other watches create a more modern approach. It is almost like this aerodynamic supercar type of look with some of their lugs. This is more rounded. It is more romantic. This to me, of any of the Grand Seikos, reminds me of the past. You can also look at some of the different SBGW models. This is the lineup that starts to have more of that looking to the past rather than always looking at more aggressive types of lines and finishes. There is a delicacy to how this watch is finished and presented. For our final watch here, we have the Vacheron Constantin 222. This is one of those watches, if you are talking about a one-to-one and it being hard to identify the difference, this is up there, absolutely. It was crazy. When they were unveiling this watch a year ago, they had an original model and then they also had the new model. If you did not look twice, it was very easy to confuse the two with one another. I remember when we were putting the video together and we were giving feedback to the editor on a shot, like, oh, wait, no, that is the wrong one, that is the right one. This is such a faithful one-to-one of that 1977 release of the 222. This is their watch of the integrated style. It's not a Gerald Genta design, but one from the big three that absolutely deserves a lot of kudos in this era. Unique design style with its bracelet and just how it looks. It's a beautiful watch. Also, the oversees would not exist if it was not for the 222. And we can show a photo with this one compared to the previous. Come on, you can't tell me that that is not hard to tell. This feels like a vintage watch, although the gold is quite heavy and it is substantial in both cases. Now, shifting over to dive watches, I want to kick us off with the Bulova Devil Diver. So, this is a watch that is referring to the water resistance rating of 200 meters or roughly 666 feet and why it's called the Devil Diver. Available in a 41-millimeter option as well as a larger case size of 44 millimeters. But this watch, you could argue, is one of the most 1970s feeling dive watches on the entire market. The case is very rounded with its lug tops, very broad in its positioning. But for me, why this watch really leans into this feeling of looking to the past is the logo, the crosshair design, but then also the handset and how it's a bit smaller with that inward minute track and then the bubbled markers for those hours. This is just so unique and it just feels retro as can be. Now, we shift into a Seiko watch and this is the Seiko watch that feels the most vintage, both from a design style because it is emulating the 62 Moss Diver from 1965, but also from the case size. This is the Seiko SPB 143. I love this watch. I know some people have some issues with the price and positioning of it. I still think for what it represents in the styling and for someone with my wrist size, it is a dream Seiko watch for myself. 40.5 millimeter case, 47.6 millimeter lug to lug, classic mid-20th century wearing dimension while still getting 200 meters of water resistance and a design style that is very pure to that classic 1960s style of Seiko divers. As they promised, AORUS is going to make another entrance on this list and I don't think you're going to argue with this one. This is the AORUS Diver 65. As the name suggests, looks back to the 1960s of their classic dive watch design. Even with the things about this watch that are not as tidy in terms like the bezel action, has a bit more play compared to the Aquus, not as snappy, has a good audible feedback, but in terms of being sharp and tactful with how it rotates, not to the same level as the Aquus, it feels like a watch of that era. The bronze incorporation also can be let in here. The hue of the foam markers also is a nice little touch that you can include. I think they do a nice job with the foaming of their markers compared to some brands out there that just feels like aged tritium. Next we have the Longines Legend Diver. This is the watch that you could argue in the past decade was the watch that brought forth the heritage collection from Longines, which I would argue is maybe the best in the entire industry or up there at the top echelon. Classic compressor style case, beautiful to look at, variety of different dial colors to choose from. I would say the classic black dial feels the most. It does have more of this glossy type of tone with the internal bezel and its dial, but if you look past that, the rest of the watch does feel from a different era. So Tudor needs to be on this list. The question is what Tudor? But I would say the obvious one now is the Tudor Black Bay 54. Variety of reasons. All the characteristics of those Tudor watches from the 1950s, absolutely here. And then the case size as well, 37 millimeters for a dive watch. Who would think that this would be the dive watch that would be the talk of watches and wonders? Like if you said this out loud before this watch was released and you said, Tudor should come out with a 37 millimeter dive watch, everyone would be like, I guess. I mean, I don't know if we really want that or need that. But then when it comes out, you just see it and you're like, all right, that works. I'm actually kind of interested now. I actually like that size and that wearing dimension set. This when trying it on, there was something about just the bezel and how it was marked. Also, just the subtle elements of vintage styling just came together for this piece to create a package that of any Tudor watch that I've handled, and that's saying a lot because a lot of their watches do have a bit of this feel, made it feel like it was a watch straight from the mid 20th century. And for our final watch in the dive category, we have the JLC Polaris Date. This is a watch that is straight shooter when it comes to delivering on a classic design DNA from JLC. There's simplicity in the design, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way. It's just beautifully balanced. The date is incorporated in a nice way. And I remember when going through their archive and visiting JLC, you saw some like new old stock type of examples of their Polaris models. And when looking at those models, you noticed how their newer creations of the Polaris Date are pretty true to that design. Now, I do think there are some things that some collectors are looking for to continue to progress, different case sizes as this collection continues to expand, but there's no question the look and feel from just looking at, visually speaking, what this watch represents does the job. Next, we shift over to chronographs and we're going to be looking at Breitling with the Navitimer B02. So this is a retro classic purist approach to the Breitling Navitimer, B02 movement on the inside. But for me, why this watch feels vintage compared to most Breitling, now most Breitling Navitimers have been going through more of that bling era effect, but not as much anymore. That was more of a classification you would probably have to associate with them closer on 2010. Now in 2023, they have now shed off much of that feeling in my opinion, but this watch in terms of the Breitling wing logo, the case size, the approach across, it feels like a watch from the past. This next watch I own personally, and I think about this all the time, especially when you have it on a strap. This is the Zenith Chronomaster original. There's something about Zenith chronographs. Now some of their watches like with the DeFi 21 El Primero, like that's no way you're going to be confused with a vintage watch, but the Chronomaster original, this is a beautiful watch top to bottom, the layout of the sub registers, how they overlay on top of each other. I love the tri-color type of design too. This was the watch that so many consumers of Zenith or lovers of the brand were waiting for. A mid-size automatic steel case variant of an El Primero chronograph. It's true to the original with its five Hertz beat frequency, and then a 38 millimeter chronograph is as cool mid 20th century, 1969 as it comes by. And I think that's really its secret sauce. Outside of having one of the most iconic movements in the history of watchmaking on the inside, you're getting an automatic chronograph with a thickness under 13 millimeters, and this is under $10,000. And this is an automatic, again, I'm just gonna remind you, look at all the other watches out there on the market. That's something that doesn't typically happen when you're talking about chronographs. And then also a 38 millimeter case with a five Hertz beat frequency. This has a unique lane that I don't think enough people recognize what it represents and how true it is to some of the original designs and original premise of the El Primero. Now a watch that has remained pretty unchanged, and why would you change it? It's an icon. This is the Omega Speedmaster. But the one I want to talk about here is the Ed White, the 321. This of any of the Speedmasters to me feels the most just pulled from the past. And you put it on the wrist and you're like, yep, I feel like I am ready to go on my next NASA mission. It just feels like that type of watch when you put it on the wrist for the first time. Beautiful in its design, the layout, the hue of all the markers. It's very subtle. But if you see it in person, it just has the perfect shade. It feels natural and represents an era of the past and is buttoned up all through the details. You flip the watch around, 321 movement, beautiful to look at. Nothing more needs to be said there in terms of its iconic nature. And at 39.7 millimeters, feels great on wrist. It's funny too, because the Speedmaster 57, which is a killer watch, absolutely adore that watch and what it's doing. I think it's probably one of the best positioned Speedmasters in their current collection. But that's all about reverence to the 57. That watch still, even with some of the faux aged loom, it feels like a modern watch to me. This watch has that nice balance of new and old, and they're perfectly encapsulated. And now we shift over finally to dress watches, and this is a funky watch. We have the Accutron Legacy. So this watch is paying tribute to a 1971 Day-Date Q model, and it stays true to that vintage size. It also has this cushion style case that is unique to look at, and is quirky in its execution that only could be from the 1970s. 34.5 millimeter case with a 40.5 millimeter lug to lug, and a unique Day-Date position that is true to form. So you could probably include several Longines here, but one I'm going to mention is the Longine Flagship Heritage, specifically the black dial. Reason being, there is something about gold tone markers on a black dial that just feels more vintage to me. I mean, I don't know what it is. There's just something more romantic about that color combination, in my opinion. Now, this watch does wear a little bit larger than the size might indicate. So apart from that though, everything else feels like it's from a different era. The typography, the medallion on the case back, which I think is one of the cool features of this watch with its just golden tone with the blue, it's beautiful to look at. Also the minute track, the linear markings of the hour markers, the handset have like this Dauphine style with this slim facet, and then the small loom that is tight roping on that facet. It's very faithful down the board to the original 1957. Another watch we have to include here is the Cartier Santos Dumont, and this one specifically because of the Roman numeral set, the jeweled ornate crown, its sizing, and the Alberto Santos Dumont name and affiliation here looking back to 1904 and being a friend with Louis Cartier. And he had many flying exploits and flying around Paris and he asked them for a watch and that's when the Santos was created and seven years later became available to the public. Not to say that this is not a substantial watch, but there is a delicate nature to this piece whenever you handle like this watch specifically. The Santos in some ways, if you look at some of their modern collection with some of the two-tone models, the Santos Des Cartiers, like those feel like a contemporary watch. These feel romantic to the past and honoring that with flying colors. And finally, we have a brand Patek Philippe, and I struggle to think about what watch from Patek Philippe is giving off this feeling. And I did struggle with it because many of their watches would be good on the board. For one, I don't think any of their integrated sports watches fall in this lineup and can fall under this criteria. Many of their grand complications have more of this bling factor to them. Also, even the Calatrava now with some of the different creations, they feel more contemporary than they did in the past. If you looked at the 3919 or the 5119, like those watches felt like they could be from long ago, but now modern Patek Philippe is shifting lanes and not to say that's a bad thing, but when you're thinking about this video, it makes it more difficult. The watch I decided though, Patek Philippe, the Ellipse, the 5738R. This was the one that, you know, when you look at this watch because of its simplicity, its purity, its case shape, it creates a different feel on wrist that doesn't feel contemporary by any means. If you look at a vintage Ellipse and a modern Ellipse, the gap and the chasm between those two watches is not as wide and vast as some of their other models. But all right guys, that is my list here today, looking at some contemporary modern watches that feel vintage. If you like this video, please give it a thumbs up, subscribe, hit the bell icon, really would appreciate that. Also check out teddybalancer.com, full authorized dealer of 30 brands, quick and fast fulfillment, dedicated customer support, a full factory warranty for all the products that we offer. If you want to support the content also, if you're in the market for a watch, it really is the best way to do it. It's how our business operates. If we don't charge the brands for creating any of these videos on this channel, how we're able to do that is through selling watches. So if you are in the market, we'd love to have your business because it allows us to keep doing what we're doing. We love what we do. Guys, thank you again so much for watching. Be well, and I will see you all very soon.