Today’s WOTD is probably the most personally significant watch in my collection — my Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116509 in white gold with a Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial and Roman numeral markers. I don't use the word grail casually. I wanted this watch for more than 20 years before I finally had the opportunity to own one. Plenty of watches came and went from the wish list during that time, and I was fortunate enough to add some wonderful pieces to my collection, but this one never really left the back of my mind. Twenty years is a long time to want anything. And strangely enough, finally owning it hasn't diminished the feeling at all. The dial is a huge part of what makes this particular Daytona so special to me. Tahitian mother-of-pearl changes constantly depending upon the light — silver, charcoal, brown, green and occasionally even hints of purple seem to appear and disappear as you move your wrist, and because it is a natural material, no two dials are ever exactly alike. Mine also has the applied Roman numeral dial rather than diamond hour markers, which I personally prefer. It gives the watch a slightly quieter and more traditional feel while still allowing that incredible mother-of-pearl to do all the talking. I've also learned that this is a particularly uncommon configuration. Rolex doesn't publish production numbers for individual dial combinations, so I don't think anyone can honestly tell you exactly how many were made. But major auction houses have described mother-of-pearl 116509s as extremely uncommon, and period examples confirm that the Tahitian MOP dial with Roman numerals was one of the unusual factory configurations offered during the reference's long production run. That certainly matches my own experience. After more than 20 years of looking at watches, walking into dealers, attending events and inevitably checking wrists wherever I go 😎, I have never seen another one in the wild. Not one. As you all know even though I collect watches, I don't think about any piece simply in terms of ownership.

This life is not for everyone but living rurally and being able to walk into your garden and pick a bunch of carrots is one of the most rewarding things for me. I just happened to be wearing the ascent GMT while doing it. As you can see home grown rarely looks like what you find in store.

Today’s WOTD is my Seiko Alpinist SPB121. This is one of those watches that I think represents something pretty important about watch collecting: A great watch doesn't necessarily have to be an expensive watch. The Alpinist has a real history behind it. Its lineage goes all the way back to 1959, when Seiko introduced the Laurel Alpinist for Japanese mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts. In fact, it was Seiko’s first watch specifically designed as a sports watch — essentially the beginning of a lineage that would eventually lead to many of the tool and sports watches Seiko became famous for. More than 65 years later, that DNA is still pretty easy to see. The modern Alpinist has the green dial, gold accents, cathedral hands, rotating inner compass bezel and that slightly quirky personality that makes it immediately recognizable. Add 200 meters of water resistance, a sapphire crystal and an automatic movement with roughly a 70-hour power reserve, and it is a remarkably capable little watch. But I think part of the reason enthusiasts have gravitated toward the Alpinist for so many years is that it sits in a really nice place in the watch world. It has history. It has character. It has a mechanical movement. It has legitimate field-watch roots. And at a price point well below $1000 retail, it is still relatively accessible in a hobby where prices can get rather silly rather quickly. 😎 One of the things I’ve come to appreciate more and more about this hobby is that enjoyment isn't proportional to what something costs. Some watches are rare. Some are complicated. Some took years to acquire. And then there are watches like the Alpinist that you can simply strap on and go make some memories with. At the end of the day, that's what these watches are really for. Years from now I probably won't remember what a watch was worth on a particular Friday. But hopefully I'll remember where I went, who I was with, what we did…and the watch that happened to be along for the ride.

Happy Field Watch Friday! My good friends @Jeff Wilkinson and @Warren Money have been tempting me for months with their white dial Militado watches. And being a big fan of the Militado field watches, I couldn't resist any longer so finally caved and added the white dialed Militado ML05 38mm VH31 Quartz 1963 Retro Field Watch a few weeks ago. And love it. The white dial is a great look for this one, and the VH31 sweep second hand never ceases to amaze. Since this arrived with the same strap as my black dial Militado (and love the look of it with the black dial,) I may look to switch this strap to something else at some point. Suggestions welcomed. - Militado ML05 Quartz Watch - VH31 Movement Sweep Hand - Top Hat Domed Sapphire Crystal with High Clear AR Coating - 316L Solid Stainless Steel and Screw-down Crown - Watch Size: Case diameter: 38mm (without crown); Case length: 47.5mm (lug to lug); Case thickness: 10.5mm(including glass); Lug width 20mm - C3 Retro Super Luminous - Waterproof 100m - Lug Width 20mm Best wishes for a Fantastic Field Watch Friday! 😀