First NWA for 2023: Six brilliant watches to consider for your first watch purchase in 2023

With the blink of an eye, we have entered into a new year once again. For some collectors, that means the quota or budget for timepiece purchases have been reset once again.

For the first listicle of 2023, we will be introducing some watches that you may wish to consider for your first purchase of 2023 – assuming you have not front-run the article and made your purchase within the first week of the year. As usual, these watches will cover across different price points, and each with some distinctive characteristics that will help you to start the year with a bang.

Without any further ado, let us begin!

Bulova “666” Devil Diver Oceanographer

We begin the article with a bold and bright timepiece. Cue the Bulova Oceanographer 96B350.

The 41mm watch is a design tribute of the brand’s acclaimed Oceanographer, made in the 1970s. There are many classic cues with this piece, from the design of the case to the bold and bright orange dial. One interesting element to note is the indices, which have cylindrical sapphire appliqués and are treated with SuperLuminova to have a bright glow in the dark. The overall aesthetics are certainly unusual indeed.

Fitted with the Oceanographer is the Miyota 821D-21B. This is a standard workhorse self-winding movement, with an autonomy of 42 hours power reserve.

With a retail price of US$750 (approximately S$1,002), the Bulova is certainly worth a consideration for someone who wants a reliable and sturdy weekend watch. We like the watch’s loud orange colour, and reckon it is certainly a great casual piece to wear on a weekend.

Tissot PRX Automatic Chronograph

The Tissot PRX Automatic Chronograph is a strong contender for being one of the best modestly priced timepieces in 2022, and it is not difficult to see why.

Featuring a beautiful retro-inspired case and integrated bracelet, the PRX Automatic Chronograph now features the chronograph complication – as suggested by its namesake. We absolutely love the design of the 42mm timepiece, with its retro vibes and clean design. If there are any qualms, that will probably be its case profile. A smaller 40mm case, with a thinner profile, would have made the PRX Automatic Chronograph an almost perfect timepiece for those with a smaller wrist.

This Tissot is priced at S$2,550, which is pretty good value for a timepiece of such calibre. If one is looking to start the year strongly, then the PRX Automatic Chronograph should be worth a serious consideration – provided that you have not already bought the watch last year.

NOMOS Glashütte Tangente 38 for Doctors Without Borders

For 2023, perhaps you might wish to consider starting the year with a good cause, in the form of NOMOS Glashütte’s Tangente 38 for Doctors Without Borders (picture above courtesy of NOMOS).

The watch, produced for Médecins Sans Frontières (also known as Doctors Without Borders), is based on the Tangente 38 Ref. 165, but with subtle feature changes. The most notable one would be the “12” on the dial, which is printed in red – a colour that is synonymous with the organisation. At the six o’clock position, instead of the “Made in Germany” inscription, it has been replaced with “50 ans de Médecins Sans Frontières” to commemorate this special milestone.

What is also interesting is that the price of the watch is S$2,810 – which is similar to the non-special edition of the Tangente 38. We have also noted that this is limited to a production of 2,021 pieces, and that €100 from the sale of each watch goes directly to providing emergency aid. No doubt a good and meaningful way to start your 2023.

Bell & Ross BR 05 Sincere Green Steel

We move on to a Bell & Ross timepiece with a pretty stunning dial: BR 05 Sincere Green Steel.

The 40mm BR 05 is Bell & Ross’ interpretation of a sports watch, and we understand that it has been rather well-received by collectors thus far. This particular version should make the BR 05 even more compelling, as it features a rather attractive green sunburst dial with the ampersand motif. Notably, this is the first time that the BR 05 features this dial colour, and more important a first for Bell & Ross to feature this repeating motif on its dial as well.

This Bell & Ross is quite worthy of being a limited-edition watch, especially with its rather unique dial. The watch is priced at S$7,900, and it will be limited to a run of 111 pieces.

FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard

The FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard, a collaboration between Franck Muller and Tokyo-based streetwear label #FR2, is a watch that will certainly allow one to start the year with a bang.

Based on the time-only Vanguard watch, the watch features a monochromatic theme with bold uses of white and black throughout the dial. The most polarising bit perhaps lies at the left corner of the dial, which features two rabbits in a rather compromising position.

Priced at S$15,800, this 800-piece limited edition watch will certainly be a hit with collectors who are into streetwear as well. This watch is definitely intriguing, and the carbon and glass fibre composite case adds a nice touch to this contemporary timepiece. Cool is certainly an understatement for this watch, although we have to admit that this is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic

We round-up the article with the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic.

The Octo Finissimo line is one of the flagships of Bvlgari, where it aims to challenge the industry to produce some of the thinnest watches with different complications. For us, while the complicated pieces are certainly impressive, we have a soft spot for the time-only iteration as it allows the multi-faceted case and various design elements of the Octo collection to shine.

Our pick is the 40mm titanium version, which notably has a thickness of a mere 5.15mm. The watch is priced at S$22,200, and we are rather hard-pressed to find a timepiece that exudes as much style and substance as this particular Bvlgari watch. For those who were not convinced by it in the past, perhaps 2023 might just be the year that you will take the leap of faith.

Concluding Thoughts

We hope that 2022 was a great year, in terms of horology (and otherwise). Regardless, we are hopeful that 2023 will be a better year for all.

Each of the six watches that we have featured today offers something extraordinary, and they will certainly make great purchases especially if one is looking to start their 2023 strongly in terms of new watch purchases. The list, however, is certainly not exhaustive for sure.

What will be your first NWA (New Watch Alert) this 2023? Let us know in the comments section below!