Favorite Watch of 2024

Castle & Gazelle’s Back Again!

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope 2025 has gotten off to a good start as we’ve waived goodbye to the busy, busy year that was 2024.

For today, I’ll be sharing my favorite watch of 2024: the Zellij Sitara Automatic from Castle & Gazelle. C&G is a microbrand that’s been around since 2021, and the owner and founder, Osmaan, released this piece of wrist art early last fall.

I wasn’t in the market for a new watch at the time, but as soon as I saw the launch post, I snagged one and said “shut up and take my money!” I’ve known Osmaan for two years now and have really enjoyed seeing both his brand grow as well as the amazing ideas he’s been able to bring to life in these watches. This is the second one of his watches that I own, with the first being a gift from C&G back in 2023.

You can see some similarity in the design language, but apart from that, the Zellij Sitara Automatic brings an entirely unique piece of design langue to the table; the date wheel is fully visible from the front, and it’s in full Eastern Arabic. I’d never seen anything like it and was instantly drawn into the contrast between the edges of the dial center and the pleasant, almost soft aesthetic of the date characters. Osmaan shared a bit of his thought process with me when considering his inspiration for the new reference:

“I'm a big fan of Seiko, in terms of the design aesthetic, innovation, reliability and affordability - that have always been one of the course inspirations in watch designing. They've done a few pieces with a transparent dial which showcases the beauty of the day date wheel. Specifically a vintage piece called Seiko Time Sonar and also some more recent homages to that piece - Seiko 5 Sports SRPJ45 and Kosuke Kawamura SRPJ41. I've long been interested in featuring Eastern Arabic numerals on our dials but I wanted to do it in a unique way and was inspired by Seiko's approach in this regard.”

As many of us in the watch community are also fans of Seiko (though maybe not of their modern pricing), it was so interesting to see how a watch like the Time Sonar led to the Zellij Sitara. I mean, I can see it, but could I have come up with it? No, surely not. In an age where horological inspiration is often merely shown through direct homages and, for lack of a better term, “copycat work”, it was refreshing to see that this watch took inspiration from, but didn’t in any way copy, a vintage classic:

“I wanted to do it in a unique way and was inspired by Seiko's approach in this regard. The last element was the philosophical approach - it's amazing to the me how these watch movements work to keep track of time simultaneously in different ways…I had thought elevating the progression of days within a month was meaningful, especially in an Islamic context in which some months (like Ramadan) have spiritual significance, and it may be important to the user to have a feeling of how the month is progressing - a may even provide a philosophical commentary on how we observe the passage of time in the modern world.”

And in an age also where it seems like there’s a premium to pay for truly unique work (or anything at all, let’s be real), this watch comes in at an incredibly reasonable $245.

No extra zero missing, you read that right. $245 for this little piece of wrist art.

Beyond the aesthetics, the watch wears really well. It’s a 39mm case that’s 11.7mm thick, so a solid, universal size that’ll fit a lot of wrists. It uses a Seiko NH35 automatic movement with the Eastern Arabic date wheel. And unlike Seiko, the crystal is actually sapphire (so it CAN be done on a budget…Seiko, with your silly modern pricing, explain yourself please).

The rotor’s been customized with the C&G logo and looks incredible:

Osmaan noted that the name and engraving deliberately intertwine:

“The name of the watch, Sitara, was the final touch - speaking to the star-like shape of the cut out Zellij pattern - as well as the fact that the pattern is acting like a covering or veil in front of the date wheel, the word having two meanings in Arabic.”

To top it all off, it’s got absolutely sick lume:

All in all, Osmaan has really outdone himself here. He’s taken a thoughtful and intentional approach to creating something that can truly be appreciated by anyone, whether you’re familiar with Islamic art and culture or not. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed wearing this watch and don’t think I’ve ever seen a better value proposition; $245 for everything that this piece has, both in terms of design and technical specs, is an incredible deal. Whether you’ve had a watch from Castle & Gazelle before, or this is your first time hearing of the brand, it’s well worth your time (no pun intend-okay fine I meant it, sue me).

As always, wherever you are, and wherever you’re going, many thanks for stopping by.