Face Off: Classy Travel Watches

Sometimes a tool watch just doesn’t cut it and you need to go a touch classier. We love our tool watches, but we’re not cartoon characters that wear the same outfit everyday. Of course, it’s also nice to have a slick looking watch on your wrist that doesn’t necessarily look like it could have survived a war.

In today’s Face Off, we’re bringing you three classed up travel watches not only for your next business trip, but also for just about any occasion that calls for a slim, sleek wrist presence.

Nomos True Blue Zürich Weltzeit ($6,100)

Nomos is foremost known for its heavy Bauhaus theme; rarely do they stray very far. A few years ago, they released the Zürich Weltzeit, which maintained the Bauhaus aesthetic, though in a busier fashion than we were used to. Although the name indicates a world timer, it’s really more of a fancy GMT watch. The inclusion of a rotating city disk typically confuses the eye, but when combined with Nomos’ ability to keep things simple, legibility is no issue.

With absolutely perfect timing, Nomos has updated their Weltzeit with a galvanized blue dial, and featuring their in-house escapement. We loved the white dial, but the blue dial really pops. Check it out in all its blue’d-up, Bauhaus glory.

Assessment: When talking about value, Nomos often comes up, and is often hard to beat. The only thing that holds them back from the masses is their styling – kind of a, “love it or hate it”, look. We tend to love it. Here, the blue dial really adds color that brings the watch firmly into the more casual end of the classy range. What’s more, the new DUW 5201 movement with Swing System Escapement makes this movement almost entirely in-house. At $6,000, this is an incredible value, and one that’s hard to beat by any watchmaker.

Nomos True Blue Weltzeit with its updated in-house caliber and awesome blue dial.

Sinn 6090 Frankfurt Financial District Large Date ($3,760)

I feel like we write about Sinn every other week, and yet, here we are again. The Frankfurt District line, which is in honor of the busy business district where Sinn’s offices are located, doesn’t get a lot of love. Amongst the crazy number of tool watches, the Frankfurt District line really is worth a look. Slick, functional, and tough, this series is a great mix that results in a useful, business casual timepiece. For this comparison, we’re going with the Large Date reference 6090, a triple timezone watch.

Sinn Frankfurt District Large Date showing off its sporty looks that are buttoned up enough for the boardroom

Assessment: When you think “big date”, you likely think of watchmakers like A. Lange & Söhne or Glashütte Original, but here, Sinn executes it well. Using a high grade ETA 2892-2, the ref 6090 includes the second timezone as a subdial in the 6:00 position, shown with both hours and minutes. The third timezone, controlled with the 10:00 crown, can be read with the inner rotating bezel. The best part about the bezel is that it creates a lot of depth in the look of the dial. The addition of the second crown shows Sinn’s intent with the watch’s design, which was to be on the sportier side of the dress watch spectrum. For $3,760, this is the least expensive watch in the Face Off, but not cheap for an ETA-powered piece.

Zenith Captain Dual Time ($6,100)

Although often overshadowed by Zenith’s El Primero, their Elite movement is a solid value for an in-house option. Unfortunately, it seems as though the Elite is being phased out in order for Zenith to focus on producing more El Primeros for its sister brands. Whether or not that happens, the Captain Dual Time should still be available if you look hard enough. This is probably the most classically styled piece in the Face Off – let’s take a look.

Zenith Captain Dual Time and it’s classic good looks — gotta love that guilloche dial.

Assessment: Zenith uses the hell out of its movements and releases countless variations, colors, and designs, which sometimes results in them trying to do so much. Not the case here. The Captain Dual Time is classic and gorgeous. Leading the charge is the inner part of the dial done in guilloché styling, followed by applied markers, and a humble amount of words on the dial. It’s the thinnest of the three watches here, and perfectly sized at 40-millimeters wide. If you find one in stock, this is an excellent watch to take over your traveling duties.

Conclusion: It’s always tough choosing our favorite Face Off watch. In this case, all three present strong value for what they offer. Sinn, coming in at the low end on cost, uses an ETA movement, but one modified to show off a big date. It also has the added functionality of a third timezone. The Zenith is a great example of a big Swiss watchmaker with a reasonably priced in-house movement, albeit one they are phasing out. The low profile 10:00 pusher controlling the GMT hand, and the guilloché dial makes this a versatile option, ready for almost any situation.

Maybe it’s the fact that it was literally just announced, but the True Blue Zürich Weltzeit is a stunner. While we would be happy wearing any of the three, Nomos hit it out of the park here. Aside from their cases, they now make nearly all components in-house, while keeping prices more or less the same. Although they’re the youngest brand here, we see Nomos being around for the long haul. The True Blue is our winner today.

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