For $4,550, Would You Buy a Single Premium Watch or a Swarm of Affordable Ones?

To be a viable alternative to our GADA Tudor, the value collection has to include a travel-time watch. We looked at Farer’s 36-mm Lander IV, with its preppy color scheme and distinctive character, but ultimately we went for another cult favorite from the affordable end of the Swatch Group stable.

The Mido Ocean Star Decompression Worldtimer costs $5 less than the Farer, at $1,490, and brings its own eye-catching dial to the table, as well as a 200-meter water resistance rating and a version of the same 80-hour movement as in the Hamilton. Perhaps the clincher was the world-time bezel, which shouldn’t be confused with a true mechanical world-time complication, but does give at-a-glance timekeeping around the world.

So far we’ve spent $3,905, which means we still have $645 burning a hole in our pocket. The obvious gap in this collection is a chronograph of some kind. It would give us the decisive edge over the Black Bay, but for this budget most mechanical chronographs are out of reach. We could buy a MoonSwatch—in fact, at $285 we could buy two and have enough left for the Uber home—but we’re on our mission to find something more substantial, more interesting, and (let’s face it) more likely to stand the test of time.

And that something is the Brew Super Metric ($475), a hybrid mecha-quartz chrono from a New York microbrand with more personality than every MoonSwatch put together. The unashamedly loud retro styling isn’t for everyone, but we think that the cushion-shaped case and steel bracelet help broaden our stylistic options, and although it’s not a pedigree mechanical chronograph, it costs less than $500 while looking and feeling like no one’s idea of a compromise.

That brings the challengers to a grand total of $4,380, which means we’d be able to buy a six-watch case to keep our collection in (of course it’s got space for one more …) and maybe even a couple of spare straps.

There’s no doubt the Tudor is in a different league, but could a crack squad of specialists tempt you to part with $4,550? Or will the lure of singular luxe prove too tempting? Over to you. It’s decision time.