Anti-Status Watches: When Less Is More
Not every watch lover is in it for the bling, for the diamonds and gold, for the luxury and logos. Anti-status watches are the antithesis of over-the-top opulence and ostentatious styles. They are still crafted from high-quality materials, they still feature precision engineering, but they are often more moderately priced. Here are some of our favorite timepieces for those who prefer a clean, minimalist design aethetic over flash, understated craftsmanship over in-your-face luxury.
G-SHOCK Digital 5600 Series G5600BG-1
As anti-status as a watch can get, the shock-resistant case and matching strap of this G-SHOCK are literally made from garbage—recycled resin to be precise. Built with a tough, precise solar powered movement, this timepiece is packed with a shocking number of complications: 1/100 second stopwatch, 12/24 hour formats, 5 daily alarms including a snooze alarm, 5 5orld time, date/month display swapping, battery level indicator, LED backlight, 31 time zones, countdown timer, full auto-calendar, hourly time signal, and power saving. The easy to read digital watch face features hour, minute, second, pm, month, date, and day.
Junghans Max Bill Mega Solar
The clean, sophisticated design of the Max Bill Mega Solar for ladies is just the beginning. Beneath that pretty face is a solar powered movement that automatically synchronizes via radio signal with whatever timezone your travels have taken you to. The titanium case with engraved case back has an anti-reflective domed sapphire crystal, and is matched with a supple grey vegetable tanned calf leather strap with titanium buckle. The minimalistic matte white dial features Arabic numeral markers, date indicator, luminous hands and hour markers.
Mido Multifort Patrimony
One of the best-looking, most affordable watches to feature the Powermatic 80 movement, the Multifort Patrimony has 80 hours of power reserve—enough to keep accurate time even if you don’t wear the watch for over 3 days. This timepiece features a subtly retro design, with a pulsimeter scale along the edge of the dial, transparent case back, and box sapphire crystal. The round stainless steel case encloses a feathered anthracite dial with date indicator, printed Arabic numerals and indices. The black patina leather strap is the perfect accompaniment.
Seiko 5 Sports SRPK87
The justly famous Seiko 5 SNK line has been reborn and is better than ever! This new series was developed according to the concept of Everyday Carry, a watch meant to be worn every day, in every situation. The versatility of this timepiece is evident in every detail—a rich, sporty navy dial with an orange seconds hand, harkening back to 5 Sports watches of the 1970s. Multi-faceted hour and minute hands reflect light, for a uniquely powerful look, and Lumibrite is applied to the upper surface of the bar indexes and the hour and minute hands. A small crown at the 4 o’clock position is integrated into the flowing, classic case shape. The case itself, with see-through and screw case back, is crafted of stainless steel, and works in perfect conjunction with the stainless steel bracelet.
Raymond Weil Millesime Small Seconds
Some prizes are richly deserved. Case in point: This Raymond Weil Millesime was the winner of the Grand Prix D’Horlogerie de Genéve 2023 Challenge Watch Prize. This timepiece pays homage to watchmaking’s rich heritage while simultaneously celebrating classic, refined design. The silver dial, textured with contrasting finishes, is ornamented with silver-toned hands lined with SuperLumiNova®, and a small seconds display at 6 o’clock in a recessed circlet. The dial rests beneath a sapphire crystal glassbox. The stainless steel case features a fluted-with-RW monogram crown, satin-brushed bezel, and snapped case back with sapphire crystal. A stunning grey genuine calf leather strap completes the look.
Tissot T-Classic PRX Digital
The 1980s called, and they want their watch back. Back luck for that decade, because once you have the T-Classic PRX Digital strapped to your wrist, there’s no way you’re giving it back. This daring fusion between the timeless PRX design and the Digital Quartz first launched in 1977 looks to the past for inspiration, but looks to the future with its contemporary twist on retro aesthetics. The high-quality stainless steel case features polished bezel and pushers, with engraved case back and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. The black dial encompasses a backlit digital window display with features such as dual time zones, day-date, chronograph, timer, and alarm. This is a timepiece as multifaceted as it is stylish.
Garmin Marq Athlete (Gen2)
Here’s a bold statement that we’re just bold enough to make: The Marq Athlete is the most capable smartwatch ever made. It may not be as well known as some others, but that just means you can get in on the ground floor. The titanium case, with engraved case back and transparent case back, is home to a veritable host of complications and features—cycling app, golf app, gym app, outdoor app, swimming app, accelerometer, Bluetooth smartphone link, gyroscope, heart rate tracking, step tracker, weather trend, alarm, annual calendar, GPS, stopwatch, thermometer, and more. Finished with a rugged black silicone strap.
Shinola Monster GMT Automatic
American brand? Check. Automatic GMT? Check. 40mm? Check. Incredibly accurate Sellita SW330-2 movement? Check. The Monster GMT Automatic checks a lot of boxes for watch enthusiasts, then adds a ton of other features that makes this a one-of-a-kind watch. The stainless steel case has a screwed-down crown, bidirectional rotating bezel, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and transparent case back. A Superfine Sunray black dial is the setting for Super-LumiNova coated hands and hour markers, Arabic numeral markers, date indicator, and a fourth hand that rotates every 24 hours, so the wearer can check against the ceramic bezel marks to track time in multiple time zones. Outfitted with both a stainless steel bracelet and black ocean bound plastic strap.
Bulova Super Seville
Serious retro vibes, but all the cutting-edge innovations of a new timepiece? Yes, please. This Bulova Super Seville draws inspiration from popular 1970s models, but with state-of-the-art Precisionist technology—a proprietary, high precision quartz movement, a revolutionary 8-jewel quartz mechanism that’s accurate to seconds per year. The silver-tone stainless steel TV-shaped case is seamlessly integrated into the 3-link stainless steel bracelet. A grooved coin edge bezel enhances the case and surrounds the flat sapphire crystal with date magnifier. The richly verdant, vertically brushed green dial features polished hands and indices.
NOMOS Tangente neomatik 39
A true sleeper watch when it comes to quality and performance, the Tangente neomatik looks identical to other versions—a perfect combination of straightforwardness and precision, and a stylish accompaniment to your working day, or any day. A round stainless steel case, with sapphire crystal case back and anti-reflective sapphire crystal, surrounds a white silver-plated dial with small seconds subdial and elegant tempered blue hands. Surprisingly, the Tangente neomatik is as slender as a hand-wound timepiece, thanks to the NOMOS automatic movement DUW 3001. The Horween genuine shell cordovan black strap finishes the look beautifully.
Citizen Promaster Dive
For the watch lover who craves something unique, something different, a real cult classic to those in the know—introducing the Citizen Promaster Dive, aka the Orca, with a strikingly original design inspired by the majestic orca whale. This full-featured, ISO-compliant dive watch features a silver-tone stainless steel case with bezel indentations that evoke the shapes and color scheme of the orca. The black dial is accented by white elliptical hour indices and three luminous hands that include pops of color. Anti-magnetic and anti-shock resistant, with a one-way rotating elapsed-time bezel and screw-down crown, water resistant up to 200 meters. Even the black polyurethane strap mimics an orca’s fin.
Rado Anatom Automatic
Rado’s proprietary high-tech ceramic material has been used here to create a unique, effortlessly elegant black matte case, with a cylindrical sapphire crystal, and transparent stainless steel caseback that offers a window on the watch’s inner workings. The cognac to black gradient dial is an exercise in clean, exceptional design. For those who value precision as much as they value comfort and aesthetics, the Anatom Automatic is powered by the Rado calibre R766 movement and equipped with a Nivachron™ antimagnetic hairspring, ensuring precise timekeeping. The black rubber strap, secured by a brushed stainless steel clasp with black matte high-tech ceramic cover, has been designed for all-day comfort.
Omega Constellation Globemaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer 39mm
The minimalist design of this Constellation Globemaster hides a secret: it may look like stainless steel, but it’s actually crafted from platinum. The case has an elegant fluted bezel, transparent case back and anti-reflective dome sapphire crystal. The white sand-blasted dial features 18K white gold hands with blue accents, and blue indices. Crafted in a limited edition of just 352 pieces, this watch is powered by an automatic, Master Chronometer Certified movement for superior timekeeping. A blue alligator calf leather strap adds yet another perfect touch to an already exceptional watch.
Hamilton Khaki Field Quartz 38mm
Hamilton is a much-loved, iconic brand that began in America, with a heritage that stretches back to WW2. With a small case size at 38mm, the Khaki Field Quartz is just as rugged and durable as it looks—designed with military and railroad references as inspiration, it showcases a matte-finish stainless steel case and a retro “railway” minute track. The blue dial features white Super-LumiNova® indexes and Arabic numerals, and the classic blue NATO strap is the ultimate in wearability. Perhaps most importantly, there’s not a better watch on the market at this price point.
Discover these and other anti-status watches from Feldmar. Browse our online store or stop into our flagship location.
