Wrist watches - Guidance needed!

[Gr44]

Hello fellow hexus members!

I'm going to be 21 shortly ( eek ) and my parents would like to buy me a gift that I can keep for many years to come. I don't own a watch currently... except the one in my drawer with no batterys in

I don't know anything about watches but I know we have some hexus members who are really into there watches and was hoping they could recomend some good ones... so please fire away!

I don't know what the budget is exactly but I'd imagine they're planning to spend around £1500 so anything from £1000-2000 would be good ( on the basis if I see one I really like for a few hundred more I'll sub the cost )

So please, fire away!

Cheers,

Sean

[SiM]

Get a car instead!

[santa claus]

Definitely don't even consider Gucci, they are trash. Timex and Sekonda tell the time and that's all you need. Get the 'rents to buy you an ISA instead .

[Howard]

My parents bought me a watch for my 21st (didn't spend anywhere near £2000 though!!) and I chose a Tissot. It's always nice to have something nice like that to wear, so have a look at what you fancy, theyr'e entirely a personal thing, so I don't believe in someone buying it for somebody blindly

[J4MES]

Vintage Omega? Find a nice 1987 model...

[Steve B]

speak to BSODmike about expensive watches
for that budget, you should be able to buy a nice omega!

[sammyc]

Definitely don't even consider Gucci, they are trash. Timex and Sekonda tell the time and that's all you need. Get the 'rents to buy you an ISA instead .

spoken like a true santa.
Gr44 would your parents like to adopt me by any chance...?
currently wearing something free from a catalogue, so can't really advise on the good stuff. I tend not to own anything I'll worry about losing etc, but I can see it's nice to have. hope you find something you like.

[dave87]

Omega Sea(or Speed)master might be available in a combination of strap and face for around the budget you like.

Tag Heuer? Some rather tasty ones, though things like the Carrera TwinTime have very large faces, so may not suit smaller wrists (ala mine )

Breitling? Some rather tasty watches, though again quite big.

I'd honestly go and see a specialist watch retailer and have a look through what they've got, try some on and see what you think...

[htid]

speak to BSODmike about expensive watches
for that budget, you should be able to buy a nice omega!

Unfortunately...

Last Activity: 28-11-2007 10:13 AM

So unless he's just staying quiet, I don't think we'll be getting his informed opinion :/!

[Saracen]

A lot of moderately expensive watches are merely mediocre movements in cases with a designer name on it. If you're making a fashion statement, then fine, but if you're after a watch with durability, and as a 21st present, I assume you are, concentrate on a quality maker.

Next, you need to pick a watch you like, and there's no point taking advice from people like me because you may well like different things. For that reason, I'd say the ONLY way to choose is to go to jewellers (or shops with watches anyway) and look at the actual thing. A photo on the web might give you an idea of the style you like, but it won't tell you what the watch looks like in the 'flash' or feels like on the wrist.

I would also suggest you consider an expedition or two like that purely as research. Do not buy. Do not even take money or credit cards with you. Browse, examine, inspect, try on .... and go away to think about it.

Think about what you want? High-tech? Chronograph? Lot's of dials and buttons? Simple, clean elegance? If you buy a watch for the long-term, something snazzy and fashionable now could look very 'last year' down the line. The classic styles may be a better bet.

Think about when you'd wear it? Would you wear it to work? Is it a good idea to be wearing a watch that's not only expensive but has a personal value like a 21st present, daily?

If you're going to wear it for special occasions, you might want something more along the lines of a dress watch than a Breitling Navitimer.

If you get a high-quality watch, be aware that for optimum longevity, they need regular servicing and/or cleaning. So if you're going to buy Rolex, Breitling, etc, find out how often that will need to be done, and roughly what it'll cost. Don't be surprised if it's every year or two, at £80-£100 a time. You can but a decent watch from the likes of Seiko that, generally, will last for some years and cost no more than a service or two on a fancy watch. So think about whether it's really what you want.

If it is, then do your research, try them in person, and don't rush into it.

Oh, and be aware that for your budget, you going to be very lucky to hit even entry level on really top brands.

[Behemoth]

My parents got me a Seconda for my 18th (well I chose it) and that didn't cost that amount, more like £40 to be honest. It tells the time, it looks smart and people always comment on how nice my watch is when I wear it (not that often)

For my everyday use watch I have a Timex Iron Man, love the thing, it's chunky but smart/casual at the same time, someone actually thought it was quite expensive when they first saw it.

Then there's my boss, who wears a diving watch which he paid £1700 for !!

[Hunain]

A lot of moderately expensive watches are merely mediocre....continued

Saracen, this is all I wanted to hear before buying a watch for myself, im getting 21 soon too and probably will get a good watch...thanks m8! Wonderful

[Gr44]

Thanks for the input!!

I quite like the Tag watches... I've had a look at a few of them. From a 'technical' POV though, which are the better makes/models?

I'd like something pretty clean looking, dials are okay but as long as they're pretty low key... less is more imo. Unless it's totally dull, of course

PS: I already have a car, and an ISA.... shucks, if it wasn't a thread about watches, they wouldn't have been bad ideas!

[dave87]

Depends what you want - a quartz movement is more accurate than some of the ones found in top end watches, but relatively cheap.

Depends whether you want a classic, a piece of engineering, or an accurate watch.

Rolex's have some silly tolerance a day that they can be out by.

[Saracen]

Saracen, this is all I wanted to hear before buying a watch for myself, im getting 21 soon too and probably will get a good watch...thanks m8! Wonderful

Better to know what you're buying, and to do so with full information.

But it's the case. If you want really top-class watch movements, by which I'm talking about the degree of quality of the engineering, then there are a relatively small number of brands to be looking at, and you can easily bump the price from a starting point of several thousand pounds into ten or twenty thousand .... or more. Some top out at a cool million-ish. And it's highly dubious whether they'll be any more accurate, or even perhaps as accurate, as a digital watch that costs a tenner or less from a street market or a petrol station.

But the reason people by those brands, or even better known good brands, isn't for accuracy in timepieces, is it? It's because it's a fashion statement, or a status symbol, or a reward to self for achievement, or perhaps even as an investment (or more likely, what they think is an investment, but usually isn't), or just because they like it and it makes them feel good knowing their wearing it.

And perhaps I need to define what I mean by "mediocre". There are a small number of watch makers who represent the state of the art. They're the Rolls, Bentley, Aston Martin or Maybachs of the watch world, and you're getting state of the art precision engineering .... but you'll pay for it. I mean really, really pay for it. For most people, that category of watch is about as affordable as a new Aston.

On the other hand, there are a lot of watches made (or rather, marketed) by well-known fashion names, and they can still sell for quite a lot of money. As often as not, if not always, these will contain a decent movement, bought in from one of a small number of companies that provide the movements' like ETA. What you are paying for, therefore, will be more about the styling of the case, perhaps the materials of the case, and the name on it. In my opinion, you can put things like Cartier on that list.

But, as long as you're aware that when you buy such a watch, you're buying jewellery and a fashion statement as opposed to a precision timepiece, then it's fair enough. That "mediocre" watch movement most certainly is, compared to the likes of A Lange and Sohne, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Panerai, Breuget .... or even Rolex or Breitling.

I say "even" Rolex, etc, because Rolex watch movements are not the precision, hand-made instruments that some of those top-tier makes are. They're mass-produced, and have to be in the volumes Rolex sell worldwide. Mass-produced to a high standard, for sure, and backed by a world-class marketing operation, which is why a lot of people would say "Rolex" if asked for the best make of watch. That just speaks to the quality of their marketing, though, because in pure watch terms, they sure aren't.

And all of that really doesn't matter, because if you're spending more than a tenner on a street-market digital watch, it's about much more than just telling the time. We're back to fashion statement, jewellery, feel-good factor, etc. And at that point, I'm as firm believer in people buying what they like and what they want, and to hell with whatever anyone else thinks about it.

Those "mediocre" movements in expensive watches will still do a pretty decent job of both telling the time and lasting for years, especially if looked after. But, compared to those precision hand-made Swiss jobbies with the names a lot of people won't know, they certainly are mediocre. And does it matter? So buy what you like, and will be pleased to wear, and don't worry about "mediocre" or not, because while it may be the case, it really isn't the point.

[Saracen]

Thanks for the input!!

I quite like the Tag watches... I've had a look at a few of them. From a 'technical' POV though, which are the better makes/models?

I'd like something pretty clean looking, dials are okay but as long as they're pretty low key... less is more imo. Unless it's totally dull, of course

Top brands include A Lange and Sohne, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Panerai and Breuget.

Tag are, IMHO, third tier, behind Breitling, Rolex, Omega, etc.