Why customers love Smiths?

Here is a watch that is inspired (at least its case) by the OP in 36mm. But it adds its share of history by also (and especially) drawing inspiration from the Smiths A454 used in the 50s during trans-Arctic expeditions. It takes up most of the dial with its Arabic numeral indices, superbly made and with the necessary photoluminescent material, and its blue syringe hands as well as the red second hand. The 36mm case was the challenge of this purchase: to validate a contained dimension on my 18cm wrist. And the challenge is successful as this watch is pleasant to wear while remaining very present. The case benefits from polished domed sides reminiscent of the OP of the famous brand with the crown of Bienne, brushed horns and a fully polished bezel: that's for the presence on the wrist. The cream-colored dial is very readable (super-luminova on the indices and hands, including the Lolli-pop second hand. The dimensions: 36mm in diameter, 43.5mm high, 11.3mm thick, 20mm strap width. The watch comes with a triple-link bracelet in a mix of Oyster/BB58 style with the most beautiful effect (it suits it perfectly) and a vintage suede leather with a buckle that is unfortunately too coarse. The movement is a serious Miyota 9039, 100m waterproof, screw-down crown, 20000A/m anti-magnetism. This is the watch I wear the most, proving that its small 36mm is more than enough. Other PRS-25s to come, so this one suits me!

All the design of the Polerouter from Universal Genève in very trendy color variations! The drip-feed production of TimeFactors in Sheffield delivers these little gems with serious characteristics: Miyota 9039 movement, antimagnetism of 20000A/m (or 250 Gauss, for a Polerouter you need at least that, but we are far from the 1000 Gauss of the eponymous Rolex), screw-down crown, 100m water resistance, dimensions well balanced on my 18cm wrist (38.5mm diameter, 20mm bracelet width, 46.75mm height, 12.3mm thickness). And what about the characteristic aesthetics of Gérald Genta's sublime model? This watch is superb, only the rice grain bracelet is a little too pompous for this watch, but it looks great on a good number of leather bracelets! Its major flaw comes from the somewhat poor readability of its dial: the polished hands contrast poorly with the sunburst dial (at least in its sky blue version that I have). The absence of lume also confines this watch to a dress watch role, somewhat spoiling its adventurous origins.

In 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay became the first men to climb Everest. The story is quite well-known among watch enthusiasts because it is widely shared by the market leader: Rolex equipped the climbers with Oyster Perpetuals designed especially for the event. This is the genesis of the famous Explorer model. But the Swiss watchmaker does not tell us that it was not alone in the affair. Smiths also equipped the expedition and gossip goes so far as to say that the English brand was on the climbers' wrists when the Rolexes were sleeping at the bottom of the bag. Disappeared during the quartz crisis, Smiths has been revitalized quite recently and works on relatively small productions. Ironically, part of their collection is made up of tributes to the Explorer, which I find quite regrettable. This PRS-25 Everest Expedition is therefore the direct descendant of the vintage A404 model, the same one worn by Hillary. The dial, very similar to the 1950s watch, has been housed in a 36mm vintage Explorer-type case with domed sides and pierced lugs. The build quality is excellent: sapphire crystal, thermally blued hands, Miyota 9000 series movement... in short, exemplary specifications for a watch in this range (less than €500). And it's not just a good watch. Both historic and confidential, this Smiths is an extremely interesting object to own. A desirable piece but desired by no one: it's the Explorer dedicated to not shining in society, the one you wear to wink at yourself.