Subjective Advice Sought!

Hi to all you Dornblu(e)th owners and fans. I am a long time lurker but have now obtained enough funds to seriously consider a Dornbluth. I am now writing you for some (subjective) advice on this purchase.

My initial thinking was to purchase a silvered dial 99.1 with heat-blued applique numerals; however, unfortunately, a deal-breaker for me was the non-possibility of adding on heat-blued applied hour markers to accompany the numerals. As such, my preferences have shifted tremendously. I am now considering 3 choices which span the gamut in price:

1) Enamel dialed 99.1
2) Enamel dialed Center Second
3) Regulator with silver engraved dial, blued-hands

For myself, I think the choices are all unique but for different reasons. For the enamel dialed 99.1 and Center Second, I cannot say that I have seen many watches with this option, or rather many watches that exist with this option and in this price range. I think technically, the enamel dial for the 99.1 is more unique given that it is a 2-part dial vs. a 1-part dial on the Center Second. On the other hand, the movement of the Center Second and the simplicity of said watch is top-notch.

As for the Regulator, the dial layout is definitely more rare, and the execution of the elements is, perhaps, one of the best balanced. I like the idea of "coloring" the dial as seen in Dornbloggers's beatiful regulator. The only gripe that I have with the Regulator is that the cost approaches the absoutely limits of what I would want to spend...but then again, that is the cost of exclusivitity.

So, with all that said, any advice from the community? Pictures are most definitely welcome and appreciated especially if there are pics of the enamel dials; I've seen some photos of an enamel dial 99.1 on this fora and on watchuseek.com.

Thanks in advance

I think the 99.1 DR with enamel dial is pure class. You need look no further than to our forum mate Mark's photos for proof: https://dornbluth.forumotion.com/t93-a-parcel-from-germany. That would be my choice, hands down.

I whole-heartedly agree with the enamel dialled 99.1 as top choice. The layout of the dial is perfect, and the execution of the dial (from pictures) is stunning.

Nothing wrong with the other two, but for me, the center seconds model looks a bit empty, and the regulator isn't my cup of tea.

What would give me pause is if Dirk offered an engraved in-house dial for the 99.1. This would be a direct interpretation of the engraved and silver-finished dials of the old marine chronometers, and would be hard to pass over, even for an enamel dial.

Tom