Five Hype Watches and Alternatives You Should Buy Instead

The watch world loves a hype piece — those iconic, sought-after models that dominate wishlists and waitlists alike. But what if you could get the style and charm of these heavy-hitters without the sky-high prices or endless waiting? Rob Nudds takes a closer look at five of the ultimate hype watches — and suggests some brilliant, often more accessible, alternatives you’ll want on your wrist.

Now, not all of these colours (Coral/Yellow/Green/Turquoise Blue/Candy Pink) are still available, and even fewer are available in all OP case diameters, but no doubt you’ll remember the buzz they caused when they dropped a couple of years back.

The Coral and the Yellow have checked out of the collection (which is a great shame), but the other major hype beast among them, the Turquoise Blue, is still “available”.

Although it is getting easier by the day to pick up previously unobtainable Rolex watches from boutiques, it’s still almost impossible to find the Turquoise Blue Oyster Perpetual in one of the most common and unisex sizes (36 mm).

However, there is an incredible alternative not just to this specific model but to all colourful Rolex Oyster Perpetuals and it is hiding in plain sight.

The NOMOS Glashütte Club family is on something of a heater, dropping fresh and fruity new flavours every season. Last October, at the fifth annual NOMOS Forum, a small series of 34mm NOMOS Glashütte Club Sport neomatik models was announced. The purple sunburst dial is to die for, but the rose and gold dials are also stunning.

What set these models apart from their peers and fired a warning shot over the Crown’s bow, was the addition of a bracelet for this more diminutive diameter. Previously, the NOMOS Club Sport models that featured a bracelet were on the larger end of watches the German maker produces. For me, and for many traditional OP customers, they were a bit big. The 36mm Club and Club Campus models would be ideal for many but they never enjoyed (and nor do they still) the bracelet option.

That needs to change.

This 34mm series proves how the bracelet option elevates the whole proposition. If the 36mm models come with that option soon, I think the brand’s sales will explode. In the meantime, however, don’t sleep on the 34mm itself. It’s much more unisex than you think. With actors like Timothée Chalamet showing us how cool (and macho) “dinky hodinkys” can be, there’s not been a better time since the seventies to rock these more demure diameters. On a strap, there’s no way I’d wear a 34mm Club, but on a bracelet, it has become my new preference. For reference, I have a 16.5cm wrist and a 34mm Club Sport looks at home on it. If you're curious, get down to your local NOMOS dealer and see for yourself.

Maybe “overhyped” is a bit cruel, because Omega makes smashing products and the Speedy is one of the industry’s most beloved. However, in my opinion, the prices are getting out of hand. The recent white dial release is gorgeous in real life, but before we know it it’ll be knocking on the door of ten K and that just isn’t acceptable.

For me, the best space watch on the market is the Fortis Novonaut (the standard, non-limited black dial with the matte ceramic bezel). I own both that watch and a couple of Speedmasters and I can attest that considering its sub-5K retail price, the material quality of the Fortis is mind-boggling. It feels like a much more robust watch than a Speedmaster (because it is) and it has some excellent little features, like a column wheel chronograph, applied Lumicast hour markers, and a ceramic bezel insert that combine to boost an already compelling value proposition.

Maybe it was only AP overhyping the 11.59, but for a brief period it felt like the only watch that existed in the haute horlogerie space.

These days, things have changed. Complex movements are no longer the exclusive preserve of the superrich. Ingenious horology has become affordable.

The SpaceOne Tellurium is one of the best watches I’ve ever seen especially when one considers it costs less than £3,000. It wears like a dream, is easier to read than you might think, and is guaranteed to start conversations. Even if these two watches were the same price, I’m pretty sure I’d choose the novelty of the SpaceOne over the prestige and finishing of the AP.

And I’m aware of how crazy that sounds…

The Beatles used to say that money can’t buy [you] love, but I guess they hadn’t run into the marketing machine that is Patek Philippe.

While the initial reception was unequivocally lukewarm and criticism was rife, a few weeks after the launch of Cubitus things seem to have normalised. It’s actually not horrendous. It wears better than the press shots make it appear and I’m sure with a few well-thought-out iterations it’ll get its feet beneath it for the long term.

The big question, though, is why buy one? If you think it’s the most aesthetically pleasing watch you’ve ever seen, then fair enough. But when it comes to luxury square or, at least, straight-sided watches, when did Cartier stop being the correct answer always?

My advice? Get an old, undersized Cartier Santos Galbée with a papyrus patina on the dial. They are not exactly “easy” to find, but there seem to be more of them available than there are Cubiti (?). They also happen to be around 5% of the Cubitus entry-point. A characterful and compelling alternative? I think so.

This is a curveball…

I considered not putting this watch on the list because the generally negative connotations of the word “overhyped”, and I have nothing but positive things to say about this watch. Unfortunately for those who feel similarly drawn to this collaboration project, the hype surrounding the Gimlet’s release resulted in it selling out in a day.

The Gimlet, which pairs the classic Fears Brunswick silhouette with the arresting luminous dial technology of the Studio Underd0g 02Series, is very much deserving of the hype it received. It is arguable (or maybe even undeniable) that the watch was literally overhyped given there were just 200 pieces made when a potential audience running into the thousands existed for it.

I do not disagree with the decision to limit the model to 200 pieces at all. I also think it is wonderful to have event exclusives. I think the buzz it generates around these enjoyable meet-ups is palpable. It adds something to the memory of the event and even to the experience of the watch itself. This model, so desirable as it is, will become a bit of a unicorn — rarely seen in the wild and magical to encounter. The low quantity given the incredible price tag (£1,000) ensures it won’t cannibalise either brand’s core pieces. All in all, it was a wonderful project with an exceptional, clearly over-performing marketing campaign.

And so, to the question of what one should buy if the Gimlet proved too elusive? My suggestion would be the constituent parts of it! A Studio Underd0g 02Series (after much deliberation, the Full Mo0n model is my favourite), and a Fears Brunswick (for me, the 38mm white is the pick of the bunch). Those two models from two of Britain’s most visible and beloved brands could be the cornerstones of any collection and won’t be going out of fashion any time soon.