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Dial&Lug
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Three-watch collection

The best three-watch collection

Three watches cover almost every situation: one for water, one for a suit, one for everything else. The trick is choosing three that do not overlap.

By Sawyer V. · Published

The short answer

Buy the Orient Kamasu for water, the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38 for every day and the Tissot Le Locle for a suit: 200m, a 38mm field watch and a 9.75mm dress watch, all with sapphire. Swap in the Seiko SSK023 if you travel, or the Citizen Chandler as a solar beater.

Most people who get into watches end up with several that do the same job. The three-watch collection is the discipline that avoids it: three watches, each chosen for a situation the other two cannot handle. Water, work and everything in between covers almost every day of a normal life.

The picks are ranked on the Keep Score like everything else, so the order is not the set. The core three are the Kamasu, the Khaki Field and the Le Locle; the Seiko SSK023 and the Citizen Chandler are alternates for a life with more travel or less winding.

On prices: we publish no figure we have not verified today, so every buy button reads "Check price on Amazon". The retailer's page is the authority.

How we picked

We have not worn these watches. What follows is what we checked instead, on documents you can open yourself — the same criteria, in the same order, on every roundup on this site. The full method is on the methodology page.

  1. 01No overlap

    Each watch has to do something the other two cannot. Two divers is one watch twice.

  2. 02Water

    At least one watch you can swim in without thinking — 200m.

  3. 03Under a cuff

    At least one watch under 10mm thick.

  4. 04Sapphire

    On all three core picks, because a collection is bought to last.

  5. 05Cost to keep

    Three watches means three services. We print published service prices where the makers have them.

Disclosure · Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not decide what goes on this page or in what order — here is exactly how that works.

Quick picks

Ranked on the Keep Score below — six published specifications, weighted identically on every page. The last row is the one we would not buy.

#WatchBest forKeep ScorePrice
1

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

Sapphire, 200m, screw-down crown, in-house automatic.

Core: the watch for water9.0/10
Check price
2

Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm H70455533

38mm, sapphire, 100m, 80 hours.

Core: the watch for everything else8.6/10
Check price
3

Seiko 5 Sports GMT SSK023

39.4mm GMT, 4R34, $176 overhaul.

Alternate: if you travel8.0/10
Check price
4

Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 39.3mm T006.407.22.093.00

9.75mm, sapphire, 80 hours.

Core: the watch for a suit7.6/10
Check price
5

Citizen Chandler BM8180-03E

37mm, solar, 100m, five years.

Alternate: the beater6.4/10
Check price
—

Orient Bambino Open Heart RA-AG0002S30B

An open-heart dress watch — mineral glass and 30m.

Skip this one

Not in a three-watch collection5.9/10
Check price

Keep Score is arithmetic, not opinion — six published specifications, weighted the same way on every page. The formula is on our methodology page, so you can re-run it yourself.

01

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

Best for: Core: the watch for water

9.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

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The diver in the set: sapphire, 200m and a screw-down crown around Orient's in-house F6922, with three years of warranty — the watch for the beach, the pool and the week you do not want to think about.

41.8mm with a 46.8mm lug-to-lug. On a small wrist, the 39mm [Baltic Aquascaphe](/styles/dive-watches/best-with-sapphire) takes the slot.

On paper this is the best value in the category and it is not close: sapphire and a hacking, hand-windable in-house caliber at a price where Seiko still fits Hardlex. Orient's three-year warranty is longer than Hamilton's or Tissot's.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B
MovementOrient F6922 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case41.8mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46.8mm
Thickness12.8mm
Lug width22mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance200m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AA0004E39B.

02

Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm H70455533

Best for: Core: the watch for everything else

8.6/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
0.7/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.8/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The field watch is the one you will wear most: 38mm, 11mm thick, sapphire, 100m and an 80-hour automatic that survives a weekend in the box.

It covers the days that are neither a swim nor a suit, which is most of them.

Mechanically identical to the Murph and usually cheaper, because it does not carry a film's name. 47mm lug-to-lug on a 38mm case is a genuinely versatile footprint.

Manufacturer specifications for the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm H70455533
MovementHamilton H-10, automatic, Nivachron balance spring
Power reserve80 hours
Case38mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug47mm
Thickness11mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance100m
Warranty2 years

Specifications read from Hamilton product page, H70455533.

03

Seiko 5 Sports GMT SSK023

Best for: Alternate: if you travel

8.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.3/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

If you cross time zones often, swap the field watch for a GMT in a field case: 39.4mm, 100m and a second time zone on Seiko's published $176 4R overhaul.

Hardlex rather than sapphire, and 41 hours rather than 80.

Identical movement and identical service cost to the SSK001 in a case 3mm narrower. If the 42.5mm SSK001 is too much watch, this is the same purchase in a size more wrists can carry.

Manufacturer specifications for the Seiko 5 Sports GMT SSK023
MovementSeiko 4R34, automatic with manual winding, 24 jewels, 24-hour hand
Power reserve41 hours
Case39.4mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug47.9mm
Thickness13.6mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalhardlex
Water resistance100m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Seiko Watch Corporation product page, SSK023.

04

Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 39.3mm T006.407.22.093.00

Best for: Core: the watch for a suit

7.6/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.3/1.5
Warranty
0.7/1.5
Strap standard
0.6/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The dress watch in the set: under 10mm, sapphire, and an 80-hour reserve, so a weekend in the box does not stop it.

Rated 30m. It is the one that stays dry, which is the Kamasu's job anyway.

Under 10mm thick with 80 hours of reserve is the combination that makes a dress watch practical — put it down on Friday and it is still running Monday. 30m means keep it off in the shower.

Manufacturer specifications for the Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 39.3mm T006.407.22.093.00
MovementSwiss automatic, Powermatic 80, Nivachron balance spring
Power reserve80 hours
Case39.3mm 316l stainless steel with pvd coating
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness9.75mm
Lug width19mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance30m
Warranty2 years

Specifications read from Tissot product page, T006.407.22.093.00.

05

Citizen Chandler BM8180-03E

Best for: Alternate: the beater

6.4/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1/2.5
Serviceability
1.4/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
1.5/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

If you would rather not wind or set a watch on the rough days, swap the field watch for a light-powered one: 37mm, 100m and Citizen's five-year warranty.

Mineral glass — which, on a beater, is less of a loss.

37mm, 18mm lugs, 100m, no battery, five years of cover. There is very little here to go wrong and almost nothing that will date.

Manufacturer specifications for the Citizen Chandler BM8180-03E
MovementCitizen E101 Eco-Drive, light-powered
Power reserveNot published
Case37mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
ThicknessNot published
Lug width18mm
Crystalmineral
Water resistance100m
Warranty5 years

Citizen's five-year limited warranty excludes the power cell, case, bracelet and strap.

Specifications read from Citizen Watch product page, BM8180-03E.

Skip this one

Orient Bambino Open Heart RA-AG0002S30B

Best for: Not in a three-watch collection

5.9/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.3/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
0.6/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The Open Heart puts the balance wheel on show for not much money, and that is the reason people buy it.

In a three-watch collection every watch has to last, and none can be a novelty. An open dial is a taste that dates faster than a plain one, and mineral glass under a cuff will show its age long before the Le Locle's sapphire.

If the dress slot must be an Orient, the plain [Bambino V7](/guides/best-38mm-watches) is the one.

The aperture is the reason to buy it and the reason to think twice — an open dial is a taste that dates faster than a plain one. The movement underneath carries the same three-year Orient warranty as the rest of the line.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Bambino Open Heart RA-AG0002S30B
MovementOrient FT622 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case40.5mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46mm
Thickness12mm
Lug width21mm
Crystalmineral
Water resistance30m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AG0002S30B.

The set, side by side

Read from each manufacturer's own product page, linked on the entries above.
SlotWatchCaseWaterCrystal
WaterOrient Kamasu41.8mm, 12.8mm200mSapphire
Everything elseHamilton Khaki Field Auto 3838mm, 11mm100mSapphire
A suitTissot Le Locle39.3mm, 9.75mm30mSapphire
Alternate: travelSeiko 5 Sports GMT SSK02339.4mm, 13.6mm100mHardlex
Alternate: beaterCitizen Chandler BM818037mm100mMineral
Read from each manufacturer's own product page, linked on the entries above.

What three watches cost to keep

Three watches means three services over the decades. Seiko publishes $176 for the SSK023's 4R family and Tissot publishes $210 for the Le Locle's complete service; Orient and Hamilton publish no US price, so those are quoted. The cost of ownership guide does the arithmetic.

Why not one watch?

One watch can do all three jobs adequately or two of them well. If you only want one, the everyday watches are chosen for exactly that. The three-watch collection is for when one stops being enough.

Questions people actually ask

What are the three watches everyone should own?

A diver for water, a field or everyday watch for most days, and a dress watch for a suit. Here: the Orient Kamasu, the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38 and the Tissot Le Locle.

Is a GMT a good second watch?

If you travel or track another time zone weekly, yes — swap it in for the field watch. The Seiko SSK023 is a 39.4mm GMT in a field case.

Should a three-watch collection include a solar watch?

One light-powered watch is a sensible hedge: no winding and no battery to change. The Citizen Chandler is the alternate here for that reason.

Can two of the three be from the same brand?

Yes, if each does a different job. What matters is that no two of them overlap.

Sources

Every specification and figure on this page came from one of these documents. Where a manufacturer does not publish something, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

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