On the eve of my birthday and right before I attend the Tokyo Watch Wow event in Tokyo, I decided to write about Manchester Watch Show, even though I won't be attending. I'm doing this for a couple of reasons. For one, almost all of my English-reading audience are based in Europe and North America. For another, I have other content planned for Tokyo Watch Wow. However, the most important reason is: I just really like the brands attending the show in Manchester[...]

There are two types of military watches in the world. The first are “military” in name only. Created with faux patina, pretend ruggedness, and a price tag that can make eyes water. The second are the real deal: built for purpose, unpretentious, and about as glamorous as a spade. The Vertex M36 sits firmly in the latter camp. It’s not here to dazzle the office accountants or win Instagram likes. It’s here to tell the time. It’s unapologetically simple. It’s designed with pu