The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph
This may seem like a strange and quite expensive selection, but as we are avoiding Rolex and Patek (and because I firmly believe that Royal Oaks should either be steel or gold, not both), I wanted a quality high-end non-diver option with a complication. Thus, the 42.5mm VC Overseas Chronograph in steel and 18k pink gold. I like this because of how the gold is offset by its brown leather strap and the silver/gold dial layout. While I am decidedly not crazy about the 4:30 date, the Overseas is such a sweet watch in person, and I think the format works well in two-tone and would be so much fun on a rubber strap (maybe blue?). With 150m water resistance and a lovely in-house chronograph movement, the Overseas is an interesting and beautifully made bit of competition for known quantities like the Royal Oak or even the Daytona.
$30,000, vacheron-constantin.com