The Three Watch Collection for $5,000: Reader Edition – Ben Roth

Editor’s Note: In this edition of the 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, reader Ben Roth shares a trio of all-time classics that span genres and styles. We love this collection for its authenticity and inspiration, with all three of these watches actually appearing in Ben’s collection. 

If you’d like to submit your own 3 watch collection for $5,000 can you do so at the form right here. 

I gave myself an additional challenge when choosing my three watches for $5,000, in that I didn’t want to put anything on the list that I actually own. What I wanted to dig into is exactly what I look for in the watches I wear and what pieces completely reflect what I’m looking for (and stay within the price limit.) What came from this challenge is a sharp and subtle collection that references my favorite books and movies while also being completely functional for everything life can throw at a person.

Doxa Sub 300T Caribbean – $1,890

A Doxa Sub 300T was the first watch I thought of for this collection, and I was originally going to pick the black Sharkhunter colorway. The blue Caribbean won out, however, because if I were ever to do the impossible and become a one watch guy a blue dive watch would be my pick. The Caribbean colorway honors that, and if the Sub 300T is good enough for the likes of Dirk Pitt and Robert Redford in Three Days of the Condor then it’s certainly good enough for me. It would also be amazing on a nato strap for the summer, and I could see myself wearing it everyday from when the snow melts to when it starts falling again. It’s a watch built for adventure, and I’d be very happy to take it on a few and earn all the scratches and dings that go with the territory.

Benrus Series #3061 – $595

Yes, I chose this watch because Steve McQueen wore it in Bullitt. Yes, there’s also a theme developing here, I like movies. I played around with the idea of including field watches from Hamilton or from Serica, and yet I kept on coming back to this reissued Benrus. I imagined wearing other field watches and thinking to myself, “that looks a lot like the watch from Bullitt,” and ultimately decided that if that was the thought I was going to keep having I might as well choose the actual reissue of the watch from Bullitt. Beyond the cinema reference I just think this does what a field watch is supposed to do extremely well, it’s tough, functional, versatile, and straight-shooting.

Hamilton Intra-matic Auto Chrono – $2,460

The third watch was the hardest to choose, but I knew that I wanted it to be a chronograph and I knew that at this point I had probably crammed too many pop culture references into a collection this small. Some of the earliest watches I remember owning were chronographs, and even if it’s not the type I wear all the time now it still holds a nostalgic place in my mind. This led me to the Hamilton Intra-matic Auto Chrono, specifically the one with the green dial on a steel mesh strap. It’s a watch that just looks good. I can imagine strapping it on and getting into my car and having the feeling of driving down a winding road in the Swiss Alps or down the Amalfi coast, whether I’m actually doing something so exotic or just going to pick up groceries.