Owning a nice watch

Is there a level below the Rolex's etc?

I'd love to dip into a nice watch. I own an Armani one and a Boss one, but would like a more expensive one to wear on nice occasions.

Are Steinhart any good? I want one that people know is quite expensive... I mean why else?
Rolex are right of the top of the pile, 2nd is Omega, then the rest.

For rollers, a Submariner is the go to looking at £8k!!!!!

I own some vintage Omegas and a couple of modern ones. My recommendations would be a
Seamaster Planet Ocean, old ones for about £3k, Seamaster Professional 300m starting at £2.5k and "moonwatch" aka Speedmaster with many different combinations of functions approx £1.5k.

I do have a Tag Heuer, most Tag's I won't spare a second glance but the one I've got is a Tag Monaco, which has a square dial for about £1.8k.

However those are all for special occasions and I don't wear for everyday. Instead consider Oris, Tissot as more accessible and affordable, starting prices from £200.

Generally watch snobs will recommend going for an Swiss made automatic, powered by springs and gears, rather than quartz which is battery powered.

I would suggest looking at a bracelet type, as you can switch over to a leather strap or canvas/nylon Nato strap. It's much harder to put a metal bracket on a watch that you bought with a strap!


I've just bought a millitary style replica watch made by MWC, almost exactly the same as the more prestigious CWC watch as used by the British Military. It's automatic, got a date window and is on a Nato strap, all for £100 from the MWC website. It's a really nice day to day watch for not a lot.

Whatever watch you go for, make sure it's one you like and are comfortable with! Good hunting :-)
 
What's everyone's thoughts on quartz/non automatic watches?

I was excited about that Movodo until someone mentioned it was quartz (not a huge issue but would mean battery replacements).
Still think (if it checks out/damage etc) £150 is a good price, but I'll nip down at lunch (it's in a charity shop btw) but it's displayed with all the boxes and manuals (at least from the window display view).
Quartz is perfectly fine to be honest. I have a few Citizen ecodrives which operate on light, rather than batteries but same principle. I find them much easier to wear than my more prestigious Swiss automatics.

Mind you you can probably tell a precision Swiss made automatic from a Japanese one as it usually has a greater power reserve rather than having to reset it each morning!

Got some very nice Quartz Tissots as well and they're exceptionally well engineered. Depends on what you want - and can afford!
 
Wouldn't say that at all. There are better brands than Rolex and Omega out there. Bloody expensive mind!
Yeah but why pay tens of thousands for a watch? I haven't got the money and certainly wouldn't be able to justify if I did. I like Omega because I find them reliable and within reach, ultimately a watch is personal to the wearer and everyone has their own tastes.
 
I schlepped over to the Oxfam shop it was in at lunch and gave it a good inspect.
No damage, all working (though can't be 100% on the internals).
I guess a battery change will be needed at some stage.
Lass who worked there agreed that it looked like it was barely worn.

Receipt and manual and box all in (purchased 2017).
Not bad for £150 and it's my preferred style.
It's here on Chrono24 for £700+

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/movado/movado-series-800-blue-dial--id23617066.htm

Will pack it away till my birthday at the weekend.
Not the best photo but you get the gist (you can see the knitted Oxfam hummus socks in the background)....

View attachment 67534
If you'd not bought it think there might have been a queue for that bad boy! £150 can't go wrong with that.
 
Yeah but why pay tens of thousands for a watch? I haven't got the money and certainly wouldn't be able to justify if I did. I like Omega because I find them reliable and within reach, ultimately a watch is personal to the wearer and everyone has their own tastes.
Even if I won the lottery, I couldn't see myself spending that kind of wedge on something that, for example, a Seiko costing a fraction of that amount, does just as well. I get that, for some, it's a status symbol and for others, it could be an investment or an heirloom to pass down to their children. I just couldn't do it myself.





And it's not even new, FFS!
 
Forgot to mention the Swiss Watch Shop in St Anne's arcade has a very good selection of watches in stock, good people.

It is bizarre that if a wanted (and had the money for) a new Rolex Submariner, I go to a official retailer and give them £8k, I'd be put on a waiting list for 2 years, more likely double that. If I wanted to buy a nearly new one on the grey market itdbe at least £15k.....

I think if you're lucky enough to be able to spend thousands on a watch, you need to do your research, get a feel for prices and what represents decent value.

I believe that El Pep has a number of Rolex including Daytona's, good taste, that chap!
 
Even if I won the lottery, I couldn't see myself spending that kind of wedge on something that, for example, a Seiko costing a fraction of that amount, does just as well. I get that, for some, it's a status symbol and for others, it could be an investment or an heirloom to pass down to their children. I just couldn't do it myself.





And it's not even new, FFS!
Pep's got something like that, but tasteful, obviously ;-)
 
Pep has a great collection, his Richard Mille & Patek alone are worth well over £1m
 
Grabbed myself a Seiko 5 GMT this past Christmas. I did the black face with black/grey bezel (shown), as opposed to the blue face with black/blue or orange face with the black/orange bezel.

To me, it looks a treat and when I have tested it, it has been accurate within a few seconds per day. If I don’t wear it for 24 hrs, I wind it 40 times to keep good time. However, I often hack it to my iPhone clock if I’m about to wear it for the day or a trip.

Lume is good, but not as bright as I’d hoped with extended wear.

Crown is smooth and accurate for precise time setting, and even though not a screw down, it has sufficient water resistance for anything I would use it.

Very happy with it as a daily wear timepiece, as it’s very versatile…casual cool but dressy enough when suited and booted.

View attachment 67483
Unsure whether I will keep the original, and apparently much loved, Jubilee bracelet, as I prefer the Oyster style bracelet.
Seiko make some brilliant watches in this price bracket. They’re bulletproof and will last a lifetime. Can’t really fault them
 
I schlepped over to the Oxfam shop it was in at lunch and gave it a good inspect.
No damage, all working (though can't be 100% on the internals).
I guess a battery change will be needed at some stage.
Lass who worked there agreed that it looked like it was barely worn.

Receipt and manual and box all in (purchased 2017).
Not bad for £150 and it's my preferred style.
It's here on Chrono24 for £700+

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/movado/movado-series-800-blue-dial--id23617066.htm

Will pack it away till my birthday at the weekend.
Not the best photo but you get the gist (you can see the knitted Oxfam hummus socks in the background)....

View attachment 67534
Super watch for the money there mate. Good on you. Wear it in good health
 
I love my Omega Seamaster Automatic from c1998 and nothing I’ve seen since is better -full stop -nothing
A lot of the designs around this type of Divers Watch -including from Omega themselves -have clearly been designed with this Classic in mind (says he Smug as f**k cos I’ve got one!)
 

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