Pre-Owned Picks A Grand Seiko SBGH273, A 1980s Rolex Day-Date, And A Yellow-Gold Green-Dial Cartier Tank

At some point in every collector's journey, they get bitten by the golden bug. Years of stainless steel lend itself to this yearning for something a bit more luxe, a bit more weighty, a bit more – well – gold. And no watch exemplifies the majesty of owning a gold watch quite like the Rolex Day-Date. Nicknamed the "President" because of its association having been on the wrists of several sitting presidents, this watch is also fitted to what has become known as the President bracelet, which is a style of Rolex bracelet relegated solely to gold models. Its thick rounded links with polished center links tie the entire Day-Date look together.

And with the Day-Date you get the time, the date, and ... the day. Basically, you get everything you need to know in everyday life. It's a watch people recognize, pine for, and consider to be the exit watch. And today we have a great ref. 18038 from the 1980s with a killer black dial, stick markers, and Roman numerals. The combination of black on gold makes this a perfect go-to daily watch. You simply cannot go wrong with a Day-Date and this is as good as they come.

Ask many watch collectors in the modern era what their first love was, and chances are that a majority of them will say some model of Rolex or a Panerai. And when we think of Panerai, we often think of the vintage-inspired patina-infused dials of the Radiomir and Luminor. But to only think of these, is to miss all of the other goodness Panerai has to offer. Take today's example, which is a Radiomir 1940 GMT Power Reserve Mediterraneo PAM 946.

With this watch, you get all the general styling that you love from Panerai including that recognizable case. But the brand has infused modern touches into this one via the GMT function with a subdial to help you differentiate between multiple timezones as well as a power reserve indicator. But the real modern touches come via the sunray blue dial and the blue stamped rubber strap. This is how you bring Panerai heritage to the modern day.

No doubt, if you're deep into Grand Seiko, you know all about the Spring Drive movement and the brand's immense skill in case finishing. And we are sure you also know that GS is unmatched when it comes to dial work and dial design. But outside of Spring Drive, the brand also produces highly accurate, hi-beat, automatic movements. And today's example, the Heritage Hi-Beat 36000 SBGH273 brings the automatic movement and dial work to the forefront.

This watch was part of a four-watch four seasons collection where this is meant to represent Autumn. The dial here is inspired by the autumnal moon and features an almost linen-effect. It's the sort of dial treatment you have to see to believe because it is so subtle but depending on the lighting conditions, the watch takes on a completely different character. The dial is such a warm and deep blue and plays off of the gold touches on the seconds hand and logo. This is the quintessential everyday GS and comes fitted to the wonderfully comfortable GS steel bracelet. 

Who could forget when Cartier released the Tank Must collection a coupleof years ago bringing back a series of colorful dials into steel cases? Well, what's better than a Cartier colorful dial in steel? You guessed it, a colorful Cartier dial in gold. This yellow gold, green dial Tank Louis Cartier is one sweet example of that and harkens back to the Must de Cartier models of old, only this is full YG with a manual movement to boot.

The matching cabochon, strap, and dial really tie this look together and the 33.7mm sizing makes this a classic Cartier fit. Arguably the best part about this watch is its styling, style, and aesthetics being a hallmark of the brand. There are no markers to speak of so telling the time with 100% accuracy isn't always possible but then again, that is entirely not the point with a watch like this. We are in an era of green dials, and this Cartier Tank Louis is one of the best.

Sometimes we need to look outside of Switzerland to find some of the best unsung watchmaking in the industry. Glashütte Original is one of those brands, and it epitomizes the German design language through its watches and maintains the historical significance of the region. Today we have one of the more distilled examples of that notion with this Glashütte Original Senator Excellence.

This time-only watch is one part dress watch and another part historical reminder of the observation watches of the past from which it takes its inspiration. The black dial, Arabic numerals, and highly legible hand-set underscore that this watch, though slightly ornate in nature, is a tool to be used. The 40mm sizing makes this a perfectly versatile watch able to toe the line between dress and casual. If you want to look where others normally don't, GO is a great place to start.