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Fratello’s year-end roundup, published December 20, 2023, asked each team member which watch saw the most wrist time that year. There is no single winner. Four contributors named a clear favorite, one named a “best-worn” watch without claiming it had the most wrist time, and several others described a close race or a watch that was worn heavily for a shorter period. The picks range from a 1962 Patek Philippe to a one-off custom piece, so the list works best as a set of personal accounts rather than a ranking or a survey.
The 2023 picks at a glance
The table lists each contributor’s watch, the reason they gave, and how firmly they claimed it as their most-worn watch. Where the article makes no wear-count claim, the table says so rather than inferring one.
| Contributor | Watch | Reason given | Wear claim in the article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike | Patek Philippe Calatrava 570 (1962, white gold) | Less-is-more design; suited to everyday wear | Named as the watch he wore most, though it joined his collection in August |
| Dave | Hermès H08 (pre-owned, nearly unworn) | Comfort and size; a sporty, rubber-strap daily watch | Not stated; described as his most expensive 2023 addition |
| Thomas | Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570 (black dial) | “Goes with everything” | Said it took 80% of his wrist time after a couple of months |
| Ben | Bremont MBII Savanna (43 mm, Grade 5 titanium) | Sandy coating as a change from his stainless-steel watches | Not stated |
| Andreas | IWC Aquatimer Deep Two | Mechanical depth gauge; repeated dives on diving trips | Not stated |
| Lex | Omega Speedmaster ref. 3594.50.00 | Broad Arrow hands and steel bezel | Called his “best-worn” watch, explicitly not a claim of most wrist time |
| Nacho | Omega Seamaster Professional 300M ref. 2254.50.00 | Simpler design; more affordable side of his interests | “By far” his most-worn watch after a January purchase |
| Morgan | Rolex Explorer ref. 124270 | Versatility and an unobtrusive character | Named as his most-worn; a Tudor Pelagos FXD might have competed with more ownership time |
| RJ | Breguet Tradition 7027 (37 mm) | Versatility and case size | Named the year’s winner among his purchases; other possible contenders listed |
| Jorg | Seiko SZSB006 TiCTAC 35th Anniversary Limited Edition | Slim case, proportions, historical design cues | Called his most-worn watch “without hesitation” |
| Daan | Rolex Explorer ref. 114270 | Go-to watch, especially on a summer trip to Spain | Described as his go-to; other watches were expected to be worn more sporadically |
| Thor | Aera D-1 Diver (44 mm) | Comfort and ergonomics, which surprised him | Not stated |
| Brandon | Custom HoD “Aladdin watch” (41 mm) | Personal meaning after a long commission process | Worn for over two months after its January 2023 return |
Watches named as the year’s most worn
Four contributors made a direct claim. Their accounts differ in how they got there, so each is worth reading on its own terms.
Thomas and the Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570
Thomas’s black-dial Explorer II did not win him over immediately. It became his favorite gradually, and he calls it his “GADA” watch. His description of its daily use is the most striking in the roundup: “It goes with everything, and I often have to push myself to go to the safe and switch watches.” The 80% figure is his own recollection of how much of his wrist time the watch took over a couple of months. It is not a measured statistic, and it should not be read as one.
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Jorg and the Seiko SZSB006 TiCTAC
Jorg named his Seiko SZSB006 without hesitation. It is a 2019 Japanese Domestic Market limited edition made with the retailer TiCTAC, to mark the 35th anniversary. He praises its slim case, its proportions, and the historical design cues that give it character. He also acknowledges flaws, so his pick reads as affection with open eyes rather than uncritical enthusiasm. Because it was sold in one market through one retailer, availability outside Japan is limited and a buyer should expect to search secondary channels.
Nacho and the Seamaster Professional 300M
Nacho bought the Omega Seamaster Professional 300M ref. 2254.50.00 in January, and he ties it to his 30th birthday. He calls it by far his most-worn watch. Its simpler design is the reason he gives for choosing it, and he sees it as part of the more affordable side of his collecting interests.
Mike and the Patek Philippe Calatrava 570
Mike’s 1962 white-gold Calatrava 570 arrived in August, and it still became the watch he wore most that year. He values its less-is-more design and considers it his everyday watch. He makes exceptions when weather, athletic activity, or guilt about neglecting his other watches pushes him toward something else, which is a useful reminder that a “most worn” title usually reflects habit as much as preference.
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Best-worn, close contenders and near misses
Some contributors did not claim the top spot outright. Their accounts are useful because they show how a watch can be central to a year without being the single most-worn watch.
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Lex and the Omega Speedmaster ref. 3594.50.00
Lex calls his Speedmaster ref. 3594.50.00, which the article refers to as either “Replica” or “Relaunch,” his “best-worn” watch. He stops short of saying it definitively had the most wrist time. He points to its Broad Arrow hands and its steel bezel as the features he returns to.
RJ and the Breguet Tradition 7027
RJ names the Breguet Tradition 7027 as the year’s winner among his purchases, citing its versatility and its 37 mm case. He mentions that the watch had recently been serviced after losing accuracy, which is worth knowing if you are weighing a similar Breguet purchase, since it shows that accuracy issues can arise and be corrected. He also names three other watches that could have claimed high wrist time: a Moonshine Gold Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 50th Anniversary, a Speedmaster Calibre 321, and a Rolex Day-Date.
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Morgan and the Rolex Explorer ref. 124270
Morgan wore his Explorer ref. 124270 in settings ranging from travel and dinners to dog walks. He values its versatility and its unobtrusive presence. He notes that a Tudor Pelagos FXD might have competed for the top spot had he owned it for longer that year, so the Explorer’s lead reflects the year’s ownership timeline as much as its wear.
Daan and the Rolex Explorer ref. 114270
Daan describes the Explorer ref. 114270 as his go-to watch, especially on a summer trip to Spain. He also bought a Blancpain × Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Arctic Ocean and a 38 mm Timex × Keith Haring Easy Rider, but he expected those to be worn more sporadically.
Watches chosen for a specific context
Some picks are tied to particular activities or circumstances rather than to everyday wear in general.
Rank #4
- Micro Light, Hourly Time Signal, Auto Calendar
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- Water Resistant
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Andreas and the IWC Aquatimer Deep Two
Andreas’s choice is linked to diving trips, where he wears the Aquatimer Deep Two for repeated dives. He values its mechanical depth gauge. He reports an issue with the gauge, after which IWC revised parts, and he later found the gauge reliable during dives. This is his account of a past experience, not a current product test, and it describes one owner’s experience rather than the model’s track record.
Dave and the Hermès H08
Dave’s H08 was the most expensive addition to his collection that year, and he treated the purchase as a considered one. He first saw the watch at Watches and Wonders 2023 and later found a nearly unworn example on Chrono24. He values its comfort and size, and he describes it as a sporty, rubber-strap daily watch with ample water resistance. Those are his views, not a head-to-head technical assessment.
Thor and the Aera D-1 Diver
Thor’s 44 mm Aera D-1 Diver surprised him with its comfort and ergonomics. In his account, the 904L steel, the case shape, and the curved FKM rubber strap all contribute to that impression. These are his subjective impressions, and the article does not present them as measured results.
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Ben and the Bremont MBII Savanna
Ben bought the 43 mm Grade 5 titanium MBII Savanna during the summer. He liked its sandy coating as a change from the stainless-steel watches in his collection. The watch stands apart from the rest of his collection by material and finish rather than by a wear claim.
Brandon and the custom HoD “Aladdin watch”
Brandon’s piece is a one-off commission that returned to him in January 2023 after a long and difficult process. It has a custom-skeletonized ETA 6498 movement, thermally purpled movement parts, and a purple crystallized titanium dial, and it measures 41 mm in width. He wore it for over two months and values it personally, even though it has little monetary value to others. Its story is about the commission itself, so it is less a comparison point than the other picks.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Straps and accessories
Strap changes come up in several accounts, and they are worth noting because they affect how a watch wears day to day.
- Ben (Bremont MBII Savanna): He experimented with straps and named an Artem 22 mm Loop-Less Sand Beige Sailcloth strap. The article does not establish current availability or confirm compatibility with other watches, so check fit against your case lug width before buying.
- Andreas (IWC Aquatimer Deep Two): He wears a Velcro strap underwater and switches to a rubber strap afterward.
- Lex (Omega Speedmaster ref. 3594.50.00): He wears a perforated pigskin strap.
- Thor (Aera D-1 Diver): The curved FKM rubber strap is part of the comfort he describes.
- Brandon (custom HoD): The piece carries a custom ostrich-leg strap.
Checking availability before you shop for these references
Several watches in the roundup are discontinued, limited, or sold mainly on the secondary market, so the list is more useful as a shopping reference if you verify availability first.
- Check the Chrono24 listings for the Hermès H08 and the Omega Seamaster Professional 300M ref. 2254.50.00. Listings for both appeared when this article was checked, but inventory changes quickly.
- Confirm the Seiko SZSB006 is the 2019 Japanese Domestic Market edition before buying, since the TiCTAC limited edition was sold in a single market.
- Ask for the service history on any pre-owned watch, especially one that has been serviced for accuracy, as RJ’s Breguet was.
- Verify strap compatibility by measuring lug width before ordering any third-party strap.
What the list does and does not tell you
The roundup records individual contributors’ accounts from December 2023. It is not a standardized wear-time survey, and it does not compare watches under a common scoring system. Comfort and versatility recur as reasons for daily wear, including Dave’s H08, Thomas’s Explorer II, Morgan’s Explorer, and Thor’s Aera D-1, but those are personal assessments. The collection spans new purchases, older references, a limited edition, a pre-owned H08, and a custom piece, so there is no single price or style profile to extract. Prices, availability, and each contributor’s habits may have changed since the article was published.
The article also invites readers to share their own answer. If you want to compare your own wear pattern against these accounts, the most useful measure is the one the team used: which watch you reached for most often over the year, and what kept you coming back to it.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
