We don't usually talk about high-end dress watches, and even more rarely about custom-made mechanical pieces, so this article is a bit of an experiment for us. But RGM -- both the company and the watches -- is too unique not have some mention on Watch Report.

As amazing as it might sound, America used to be the preeminent watch maker in the world in the pre World War II timeframe. Brands like Hamilton, Elgin, Gruen, Benrus, and Illinois led the way in automated production and railroad-grade watches, producing high-quality timepieces at a broad range of prices. Their decline can mainly be attributed to the quartz revolution of the 1960s.

I'm explaining a bit of history to give you some idea of how unusual RGM is. Roland G Murphy, based in Lancaster PA, makes and sells high-end and custom mechanical watches for prices that are a lot less than the Swiss marques. Moreover, many of his creations are available with vintage American movements such as the Hamilton 921, making for a beautiful watch that is truly American made.

His company is called RGM (his initials), and is known for impeccable hand craftsmanship and the use of unusual techniques like rose-engine guilloché (an interwoven, ornamental pattern). As a small company, you can actually talk to Roland himself, which is not exactly an option with most watch companies. RGM also specializes in one-off custom pieces, so you can call up and get exactly the watch you've always wanted. That's not to say it'll be cheap, of course. From the RGM history page:

View the Seiko Kinetic Scubamaster photo gallery.

It took a long time to add the Seiko Scubamaster "Stingray" to my collection of divers. I don't remember where I first came across this watch, but since the moment I saw it, I was smitten. After over a month of frantic and persistent searching, I finally came across someone who was willing to part with the exact watch I was looking for. That was about a year ago, and despite all the other watches I've gotten since, it continues to see more than its fair share of wrist time.

The Seiko Kinetic Scubamaster is not the most expensive watch I own, but it is probably the rarest and most unique. In fact, I think it comes pretty close to being the ultimate diver watch. It is feature rich, extremely tough, very accurate, and has a bold, distinguished look. Here's a feature-by-feature breakdown:

View the Casio G-Shock GW-5600 photo gallery.

The GW-5600 is a remake of the very first Casio G-Shock: the 1983 DW-5000C. I fell in love with the GW-5600 series the first time I saw it both for its boxy, retro styling, and for its plain but essential feature set. In fact, the GW-5600 has the exact set of features that I believe makes up a complete and functional modern digital watch:

• Atomic time keeping. Calibrates in both Japan and in the US.
• Solar powered. With the power-saving function enabled, the watch will remain powered for up to 25 months with no light.
• Countdown timer with a maximum time of 60 minutes, and a resolution of 1/10th of a second.
• 4 standard daily alarms, 1 daily snooze alarm, and an hourly time signal.
• Stopwatch with a resolution of 1/100th of a second, and split time.
• World time for 30 different cities (29 time zones).
• Automatic calendar.
• Water resistant to 20 bar, 200 meters, or 660 feet.
• Battery power indicator.
• Signal reception indicator.
• Electroluminescent backlight.

The GW-5600 is available in a few different models. I chose the one with the inverted LCD (the GW-5600BJ) simply to have something a little different, however the contrast isn't as high in real life as Casio's depictions would have you believe, which means it's a little difficult to read (I would probably recommend going with the standard LCD of the GW-5600J). Other than that, the GW-5600 is a simple but functional digital watch which manages to be both retro and modern.

• Casio G-Shock GW-5600 photo gallery.
• The Casio G-Shock GW-5600 product line.
• Casio G-Shock timeline.

View the Automatic Swatch Jelly Fish photo gallery.

In the 80's, where I went to elementary school, the more Swatches you owned, and the more you wore simultaneously, the cooler you were. I wasn't very cool because I only had one, but the one I had was, and still is, an undisputed Swatch classic: the Jelly Fish.

I don't remember what happened to my Jelly Fish, but I always loved that watch, and I've often wished that I'd kept it. In fact, about a month ago, while in a particularly nostalgic mood, I decided to see if I could find a used Jelly Fish to add to my collection. Not only was I lucky enough to find a brand new Swatch Jelly Fish, but amazingly, the one I found was automatic.

My new Automatic Swatch Jelly Fish is by far the rarest watch I own (which doesn't translate into the most valuable, mind you). Swatch never made an automatic Jelly Fish, so I imagine there are only a few of these in existence. It was pieced together by someone in Belgium, and he did an excellent job. I think the band is new (meaning not original), but the case, hands, and the dial are all original 1985 Swatch Jelly Fish in perfect condition. The Swatch automatic movement also appears to be brand new, and works flawlessly. Through the clear plastic back, you can see the words "Swatch Automatic," "Swiss," and "23 JEWELS" etched into the rotor. I think I'm just as excited about my new Swatch Jelly Fish as I was about the original my mom bought me from Macy 20 years ago for $35. And this time, I'm keeping it.

View the Automatic Swatch Jelly Fish photo gallery.

I was in New York for a conference last week, and I ran into a girl wearing a big, dorky (in a cool way), very intriguing watch which turned out to be a Seiko AirPro. I'd never seen one before, and when she told me she'd bought it in Japan, my first thought was that it was a GSM mobile phone watch that had somehow slipped passed my Japanese wrist technology radar. But instead of being a speaker or a microphone, the big contraption below the face is actually a pump which can be used to inflate a small chamber under the case to make the watch fit snuggly against your wrist, kind of like the old Nike and Reebok basketball shoes. I'm not exactly sure why it's useful (the girl wearing it was a designer, and I think she was more attracted to its unique looks than its functionality), but I suppose if you were running, or playing tennis, or otherwise engaged in the type of activity that would send your watch bouncing up and down your arm, it might be nice to cinch it down by pumping a little air into it.

I can't explain why, but for some reason, I liked the watch enough to do a bit of research. I don't know if Seiko is still making the AirPro, but I do know for a fact you won't find one at your local authorized Seiko retailer. I found references to the Seiko AirPro as early at August of 1999, so we're definitely talking vintage technology here. I even found references to a version which actually spoke the time which I'm sure wouldn't get old for your co-workers and cube-mates at all.

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual is, by any measure, a timeless classic. The one pictured on the right was my first Rolex, given to me by my father, and given to him by his father in 1965 as a high school graduation present. I wore it in high school myself, unaware at the time of the social connotations associated with Rolex watches. I knew Rolexes were considered good watches, and I knew I got a lot of comments on it, but to me, it was simply an unobtrusive, simple, accurate, dependable, and very tough watch with a little bit of family history.

I think I can safely attribute my obsession with automatic watches (as opposed to digital quartz watches, which are an entirely different obsession of mine) to this particular Rolex. It doesn't get a lot of wrist time anymore primarily because it's a little on the small side for a men's watch these days, but I still throw it on occasionally, and after a little bit of winding, it keeps time every bit as well as my much newer Rolex GMT Master II. The bracelet could stand to be replaced, and the acrylic crystal is plenty banged up from the all the punishment I threw at it in high school, but mechanically, it's perfectly sound.

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual sold for all of $125 in 1965, or at least, that's what my grandfather paid for it. That's about $750 in today's dollars. A new comparable model (another Oyster Perpetual or a Rolex Air-King) would sell for about $3,000 today. Despite steady price increases, Rolex watches are in such demand now that you're likely to pay full retail for a new one, and you may even have to order the exact watch you want.

So why do I use the cliche "timeless classic" to describe the Rolex Oyster Perpetual? There are three things about Rolexes that make them timeless.

• Quality. Rolexes are one of the highest quality watches in the world. Although there are plenty of comparable and probably even a few superior brands out there, in a fair fight, a Rolex can hold its own against just about anything.
• Design. Other than the size of the Oyster Perpetual, I'd say it's just about as fashionable today as it was in 1965. The look of Rolex watches doesn't change much over time which means they will not only function for additional generations, but they will still look like relative modern automatic watches rather than ancient family heirlooms.
• Brand. Whether you like Rolexes or not, there is no denying their popularity. Rolex is one of the most recognized and sought after brands in the world. Although their demand is what makes them expensive and often difficult to get, it is also what makes them sound investments.

Although I'm an obvious Rolex fan, I always encourage people who are considering purchasing one to consider other brands, as well. There are several other comparable brands out there which are much less expensive and that will serve precisely the same purpose (unless you're shopping purely for the Rolex brand). In the end, though, if you are sure you want quality, craftsmanship, tradition, beauty, and brand, you can't go wrong with a Rolex.

I came across this classic while doing some shopping on eBay the other day. After 18 bids, it ended up going for $1,125 -- not bad for a 27-year-old timepiece. Although the watch is nearly as old as I am, I was   actually able to dig up some pretty interesting facts on this relic from an age of much stronger arms.

• This watch originally sold for $395 ($495 for the 14 kt gold version).  According to two different inflation calculators, that's over $1,200 in today's money which means it has depreciated only slightly over the last 27 years. An older solid gold model sold for $3,950 (or at least that's what Pulsar was asking -- don't know how many were actually sold) which is well over $13,000 today. Brochures for these watches can easily go for over $80.
• For your $1,200 (adjusted for inflation), you got this massive stainless steel electronic brick, an upscale case, and a stylus for pushing those tiny buttons.  (I wonder if modern day styli can trace their roots back to Pulsar calculator watches.)  One end of the stylus had a ballpoint pen built in, and both ends actually retracted.
• This beast required four batteries to operate.  Even with four batteries, the LED screen would only display the time (hour and minutes only -- no seconds) for just a few seconds in response to pressing the "Pulsar" button in order to preserve battery life. Even with this power-saving feature, the batteries would still only last a few weeks. I discovered that this model may have also displayed the time in response to flicking the wrist -- pretty fancy for its day.
• The LED display was long enough for six digits, so one could calculate fortunes well into the hundreds of thousands.  Apparently, the watch was actually able to calculate numbers up to 12 digits, but could not display them.
• The time on this watch was accurate to within 60 seconds a year -- good even by today's standards. Unfortunately, you had to reset it every few weeks after changing the batteries.
• The Pulsar's calendar automatically adjusted for months of different lengths, however it did not take leap years into consideration.
• Apparently you can still buy these and similar watches brand new because they were being manufactured so quickly back then that supply outpaced demand.  What an amazing collector's item a brand new Pulsar Calculator watch would be!

Now let's compare the Pulsar to a standard, modern day, $50 Casio calculator watch (EDB610D-8C Data Bank):