Two Broke Watch Snobs

3 days ago | twobrokewatchsnobs.com | Michael Peñate

It’s hard not to smile when a brand pulls something straight out of the archives and actually gets it right. The original Citizen Aqualand that dropped in ’85 was a geeky, glorious collision of analog dive chops and digital gadgetry. You didn’t need to love diving to want one; you just needed to be the kind of person who liked pushing buttons to see what they did. I was that person. Still am.

4 days ago | twobrokewatchsnobs.com | Michael Peñate

I remember laughing the first time I saw someone refer to these watches as “Blancswains.” It was during one of those endless Instagram scrolls—half watch memes, half guys arguing about lug-to-lug measurements. And yet, here we are again, after the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms collaboration dropped, and Swatch has just added a new one to the lineup. This time, it’s called the Green Abyss. And I kinda like it more than I expected to.

2 weeks ago | twobrokewatchsnobs.com | Michael Peñate

Luminox has just released its lightest Navy SEAL 3500 model to date. For the first time in the series, the case, bezel, and bracelet are all made from the brand’s proprietary Carbonox material, a rugged carbon composite that’s long been a calling card for the line. The result is a full-size dive watch that weighs just 71 grams—matching the brand’s previous rubber-strap editions, but in a full link-style build.

2 weeks ago | twobrokewatchsnobs.com | Michael Peñate

I’m embarrassingly a little late to this one, especially as someone who has constantly proclaimed his love for the asymmetrical-cased Marathon Navigator. But this new LE from Marathon just looks too good to miss on the site. Years ago I was moaning about the lack of a steel-cased Navigator option from Marathon but now, we have several versions to choose from.

2 weeks ago | twobrokewatchsnobs.com | Michael Peñate

While I’ve always appreciated value-driven pieces, I don’t often find myself genuinely attached to something in a certain range just because of the price. But the Praesidus A-11 Type 44 Patina has a way of cutting through the noise. I’ve always had a soft spot for military watches—not the tactical, overbuilt kind, but the practical, time-only types that served a real purpose. So when Praesidus asked if I wanted to check out their 32mm A-11 homage, I was already interested.