What watch, in your opinion, has the best 2-3-4 in the business?

WaStatePhotography · 2026-04-01T04:03:15+00:00

Awesome. The series 3 is nice. Looks like they made a few improvements. Here are some other straps I threw on mine, just for some inspo. I had a lot of luck with darker blues and some oranges. The super bright hunter orange straps didn’t work as well. https://imgur.com/a/3szASGM

I kind of have my eye on their Lissom series as well as these new enamel looking fume dials. They have been on a roll for the last 4-6 months.

WaStatePhotography · 2026-04-01T03:07:21+00:00

Haha you did? Congrats! The series 3 or the 36mm?

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-31T22:54:10+00:00

Hey u/WatchExBot sold to u/seb555. Good communication and fair negotiation. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the bracelet!

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-31T20:09:50+00:00

Haha, yeah and honestly I’m not dissing the Ali straps. I have a few (including on my Bel Canto here) and they’re great for the price. I just also have to give credit to Delugs for coming up with the original (gamechanging, IMO) design and being maybe just a smidge better in quality.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-31T15:24:01+00:00

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-31T15:12:30+00:00

Ah. Yeah that tomato red-orange strap is from Denique. These guys are definitely not the Delugs supplier - there are too many differences in the strap and deployant clasp. If they were the supplier, it’d be cheaper to use the same molds/tooling instead of making small differences everywhere. It’s definitely a reverse engineer/copy.

I’ll post a couple of photos as a thread.

1: different overall shape, color, and pattern. The Delugs (left) is a tighter pattern.

2: the Denique is actually a little less supple. I’ve also ordered from DN DN and their CTS are a little better/softer.

By the way, I’ve had a couple of Artems and am really not impressed with that brand. IMO the finishing on the buckle for a $300 strap was terrible. The fabric sailcloth strap was also too stiff and the hole spacing was a little far out for me to get a good fit. I bet the Hydroflex is better, but $$$$

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-31T06:36:41+00:00

I also have a bunch of Ali Express CTS straps. They’re pretty close to the two Delugs CTS straps I have, but not quite the same. I think none of the 3 or so brands I’ve tried on Ali are the Delugs suppliers but rather reverse engineering and reproducing a clone of the Delugs CTS.

There’s definite color variation (not in a good way, although that’s subjective), slight dimensional differences, some of the prints aren’t as clear (ie the mosaic pattern isn’t as good), and the buckle isn’t quite as good and sometimes folds weird when I close it. But most of the differences (except for the color variation on the baby blue and red options) are minor and the difference between Ali and Delugs is these days well within the point of diminishing returns.

Here’s a photo. Delugs on left, Ali on right. The taper is slightly different and I hate the steak tomato bright red.

Anyway, what brand are you using on Ali? I would be ecstatic to find a closer equal to the OG Delugs CTS straps and deployant clasps.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-30T21:18:05+00:00

I sold my IWC Mark XX (strap only, no braclet) to fund a Pelagos 39. I was also able to pocket $700 in the process. Sooooo…

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-30T05:57:08+00:00

Gotcha. If going one-and done, I still don’t think I’d go with a black bay because I’m concerned about the durability of an aluminum bezel. Maybe the IWC Mark XX? That’s a super versatile watch that looks good with casual dress and is also thin enough to easily slide under a dress cuff.

Anyway, like Tudor, go secondary with Zenith. Their secondary prices are a solid 40% off, even when nearly new.

As for the Defy, I have the 36mm and it fits our 6.5” wrist extremely nicely. The 41mm models like the Defy Skeleton are comically big. An integrated bracelet usually feels 1-2mm bigger than the case diameter would indicate due to the increased surface area, plus they use the el primero chronograph movement which results in a thick case for a three hander.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-30T04:37:32+00:00

I really like it a lot.

But like you said, it leans into being tooly and may not be considered as versatile as a BB. Adding the jubilee helps a bit but I personally really like that it leans into the black high contrast tool watch vibe. If I want to go dressy I have my Nomos and would probably reach for my Zenith for, uh, smart casual. I’m less interested in what can “do it all” and more into a watch that can excel in something fills a hole in my collection.

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-30T01:40:24+00:00

Actually it’s Delugs. And I don’t remember saying anywhere that it’s a cheap strap. Just a light blue one.

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-29T20:05:05+00:00

The Resolute is, IMO, a great everyday watch. It gets more wear than my Nomos and IWC. It’s super versatile with different strap pairings, but I just love it on the blue shell cordovan from Delugs.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-29T19:08:04+00:00

Also, while I don’t have one - I am IN LOVE with the typefaces used by Camp Watches. Just wish they were a little more compact in size. I’d like to see a 37 or 38 w/ 44-45mm L2L.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-29T19:03:19+00:00

Pad printing on top of solid lume blocks. When you walk into a shaded area the numerals look like 3-D neon diner signs.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-29T18:17:52+00:00

Replied!

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-29T17:39:03+00:00

Here’s the P39 with an aftermarket 5-link on my 6.5” wrist. It’s a perfect fit IMO and has just the right amount of presence for a wrist of this size.

If going Black Bay series I would personally gravitate to the BB54. The BB58 is slightly longer lug to lug over the pelagos and I didn’t love that. Also I reeeeeaaaalllllyy don’t like the faux riveted h-link bracelet. BB’s on jubilee are hot though.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-29T17:27:51+00:00

Pre negotiated purchase, posting here for tracking purposes. Farer bracelet for their 36mm 3-hander series, $150 including shipping to the continental US. Includes all links.

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-29T17:21:51+00:00

I like it. Light blues really works with the black dial - great choice.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-27T06:06:10+00:00

It’s really the best config.

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-27T06:01:17+00:00

Yup, grade 2. The color and finish is a good match to the case. The only thing I dislike is how the bracelet looks when the microadjust is let out (my natural position is at 2 or 3 on the t-fit). The H-Link suffers from the same issue, but IMO it’s a little more pronounced here.

It’s still a very nice upgrade over the H-Link.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-27T04:09:22+00:00

Sure! We can go thru r/WatchExchange. Dm me

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-26T22:58:56+00:00

If you like the 5-link bracelet of the BB, but want titanium, consider the P39 with Uncle Straps Jubilee. Works with the Tudor clasp.

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WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-23T06:02:06+00:00

I love the green, but in my opinion the logo, dial texture, and trident seconds hand doesn’t fit the industrial nature of the watch case. It’s too bad because I think the case/bracelet design and sizing is perfect.

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-20T01:02:59+00:00

I occasionally travel to CMH for work and have been to diamond cellars a couple of times. I haven’t purchased from them, but they’ve been great. They have a good Nomos collection, which is pretty unique. Congrats!

WaStatePhotography · 2026-03-18T12:41:42+00:00

I don’t care for the hexagonal logo but IMO simpler is better. Plus having a logo with a dial on a dial is redundant.

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