Patek Philippe — arguably the best watch maker in the world. This one beckons me.

This is quite possibly the most sophisticated and refined watch in the world. It’s a tourbillon, made by Patek Philippe, which is the finest watchmaker in the world. They are the Bentley to Rolex’s BMW.

If you doubt me, go read about it.

The “Sky Moon Tourbillon” Ref. 5002 is the first double-faced wristwatch that features a complete presentation of the nocturnal sky on its reverse side. The masterpiece displays the apparent movements of the stars, the orbit of the moon, the moon phases, as well as the hours and minutes in sidereal time. As was already the case with the Star Caliber 2000, Patek Philippe’s goal in the development of the “Sky Moon Tourbillon” was not so much the number of complications per se. The real objective was to accommodate the most fascinating complications in the small case of a wristwatch: a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date display, a minute repeater, a tourbillon, the display of sidereal time, and a depiction of the nocturnal sky with the motion of the stars, the orbit of the moon, and the moon phases. The acoustic indication of hours, quarter-hours, and minutes is and undoubtedly remains one of the most spectacular functions that a wristwatch can possess. When the slide on the left of the case is activated, the repeater first strikes the number of hours on a low-tone gong, followed by the quarter-hours with double strikes on the low-tone and a higher-tone gong, and finally by the number of minutes which have elapsed since the last quarter-hour on the higher-tone gong. In the “Sky Moon Tourbillon”, this chime is implemented in a rare and fascinating manner. In the comparatively small volume of a wristwatch, it is extremely difficult to generate a clear and rich-sounding tone. A few years ago, after intensive collaboration with metallurgists of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Patek Philippe succeeded in developing an alloy for gongs that create a particularly resonant sound. In the meantime, this alloy has been refined, making it possible to produce a special gong that can be more than one case circumference long. It is called “cathedral gong” because it renders the hour strike with a rich, full-bodied tone that like the bells in a cathedral reverberates for a particularly long period of time.

I do love beautiful things.

Since getting my watch I’ve received some pretty interesting reactions from people. The biggest misconception people seem to have about Rolex is that any Rolex is better than any non-Rolex. Or to put it another way, they simply think that Rolex is the “top of the line”, “best of the best”, most expensive, etc, etc.

This is simply not the case.

Rolex makes really excellent watches, don’t get me wrong — but Rolex is more comparible to like a $50,000 BMW than it is to a $250,000 Porsche, Ferrari, or Rolls. There are many watches that are 1) more expensive, 2) more exclusive, and 3) more accurate. There are also other brands that rival or surpass Rolex’s engineering — Patek Philippe is one example.

The thing that attracts me to Rolex, however, is their focus on rigorous testing and durability combined with the accuracy and appearance. Rolex tightly controls every element of the materials selection, the engineering, assembly, etc — all so that they can guarantee that the watch will last for multiple decades. I’ve met several people who’ve had their Rolex for 25-40 years and have never had it serviced.

This is what I like about the Rolex Submariner. Very high standards, excellent durability, meticulous testing procedures — all resulting in a piece that is superbly engineered, highly functional and looks great without calling too much attention to itself. The Patek pieces, for example, are incredibly awesome, but many of their movements can be damaged by the G-forces from as little as a Golf swing.

I compare my watch (the Submariner) to a low-end BMW or a Glock. Both of these are really excellent brands, but they place their emphasis on quality engineering and durability rather than being exotic or flashy. There are cars that are faster than a BMW, corner better than they do, and even cars that look better. The point is that the BMW does all these things really well for general use.

And that’s how I feel about my watch. It’s the perfect balance of the qualities that I look for.

So the next time someone freaks out about someone having a Rolex, point out that there are many watches that surpass Rolex in one or more areas. They aren’t “the best” (as if there really were such a thing). They’re just extremely decent. And that’s what I like about them.