Hi folks
Been thinking for a while about "upgrading" from my cheap watch. I want something I can wear daily, both casually and also at work under shirt sleeves. My current watch is quite a plain chronometer on a nato strap, and aesthetically I like it a lot.
Being into science and engineering the idea of an automatic appeals greatly. Unfortunately, being a scientist, spendy watches are way outside my pay grade. Also out are massive watches - I have skinny wrists and also wear shirts to work.
Obviously at the budget automatic level you've got seiko 5 models but on an aesthetic level none of them really appeal.
Doing a lot more research, i found things like the Orient Bambino which seemingly represents great VFM but again the aesthetic doesn't wow me. They're nice, but not exciting.
Things I do like are "bauhaus" style watches, but there really aren't a lot of options in automatic movements at prices that are realistic (ideally, less than £200 but I could go slightly higher I guess). There's a Rodina copy of a Nomos that I like a lot, but I don't know that i could cope with "direct, cheap, copy" even if it was an auto.
So, two questions:
1. Any bauhaus style automatic watches at budget prices out there?
2. If I didn't get an automatic, there are way more options. How much is "too much" to spend on a non-auto watch? Obviously this is a personal decision but your thoughts welcome.
Comments
https://www.watchshop.com/mens-citizen-eco-drive-watch-bm8240-11a-p99952857.html
Watch snobs will likely hate it, but it keeps good time, is slim, and looks every bit as nice as most £1000+ watches of a similar design.
Flaws: the glass scratches easily. Expensive watches are better for this.
Date is a bit fiddly - they always are.
You have the Swiss movements and Japanese, the others....personally speaking I would dismiss if you want something that is time tested...no pun intended.
SWATCH, they own most of the patent and watch movements on the market, they own brands like Hamilton, and you can find their movements in a lot of luxury brands like RADO and Omega. But they also sell a limited quantity to brands that are outside their group. People like Christopher Ward.
What are looking for then is a brand that has an ETA movement, with Sapphire Glass. Those 2 should mean there is a quality in terms of time keeping and also the sapphire glass is very tough. Mine has ZERO scratches after 5+ years.
I did all the research before I bought mine, read all the history, different Swiss makers and their own in house movements etc etc.
https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/limited-edition.html?___from_store=de is where i got mine. ETA movements, just then in their own brand.
I got the Ocean 1, it was about £330.
I took these photos when i first got it.
My feedback thread is here.
When i wanted plain watch i found this on Kickstarter. I wanted the IWC clean look with a blue dial.
The back is also Sapphire Glass.
If you want the smooth movement then Seiko's spring drive is hands down the best. But I think in reality what it comes down to is due to the branding from the Swiss makers. When Quartz first came to market, it WAS expensive, it was thousands of pounds but like all tech, it came down in price and when Casio did their cheap watches in the 80’s, it took over the watch market so much that the Swiss makers had to shift harder into the luxury sector. Watches used to be utilitarian, it was just a tool. But eventually, it became a symbol of luxury, status symbol. Which is now what most if not all mechanical watches brands are.
Think
Swiss = Gibson
Seiko = PRS
Or
Mechanical = Gibson
Quartz = PRS
No matter how good PRS builds a their guitars, people still mention Gibson. Words about feel, the headstock (the brand), the heritage and all that gets talked about.
It sold out very rapidly.
But also be aware any half-decent auto can be a gateway - they don’t take up much room so it’s easy to have several... I started with a Seiko 5, which led to a Hamilton Khaki, and then IWC and Omega...
My feedback thread is here.
Watches...actually CAN make money, especially the higher end of the market, limited Rolex can double in price in 10 years. Partly because Rolex continually up their retail price for new, so the 2nd hard market moves along with it.
I am happy with my Steinhart though, £330....that is less than a service cost of a Rolex. If i am getting it for investments...who am I kidding, i'd be better off putting it in an Index Fund.
Omega would be Fender - there from pretty much the beginning, usually cheaper than Rolex for similar models, often doing classic stuff with more modern internals, but reissues of the classic stuff is still the best (Speedmaster Pro = CS Strat)
PRS is Seiko - younger, more keen to be innovative while always keeping an eye on tradition, and capable of spectacular things executed perfectly (see Grand Seiko)
There’s a couple of Pateks I adore but I’d probably rather have a new car (or 2!)
Your Rolex can go to 200m deep?
That is merely dinner party talk, it's not even real 200m anyway, it's measured differently. The world record for free diving is like 100m, you would be dead in 200m
Having a nice watch in the end of the day is having a nice guitar, on the stage most of the audience don't care what brand you play. It all sounds like guitar to them. Most people think my Steinhart is a Rolex. Buy the watch that you like the watch face of when you look at it, buy the watch that you like the feel of on the wrist. Don't buy it for dinner party talk.
I like watches a lot and am lucky enough to be able to afford a couple of nice ones, but I always buy for myself, not for what others will think. But I do try and tie any purchase to a life event or milestone - promotions, use of some inheritance to remember a loved one, etc.
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/longines/hydroconquest--id12003721.htm ;