Recommendations for a nice watch?
 

I'm wondering if anyone here can help me choose a watch. I'm 24 and the Guess watch that I have is the same one I went to college with :D . Well I'm in a corporate environment now, and I'd like to upgrade a few things to present myself more professionally without being flashy. I'm not looking to spend more than about $900 or so, and I definitely don't want anything very attention grabbing. I am more concerned with getting something (relatively) high quality that is versatile. I was thinking of something along the lines of a tag heuer or maybe a movado. Any suggestions??

rado is a good watch and they have a pretty good collection to choose from.

Movado all the way baby!

How about another piece of precision German engineering? Check out watchbuys.com. They specialize in German mechanical watches. Many are well over your budget (and mine too), but you can find some interesting pieces there under $1000.

Buy a vintage Omega. You can get a nice Constellation or Seamaster for that price range.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZomega_addictQQhtZ-1

http://myworld.ebay.com/omega_addict/

This guy has some quality Omegas which will actually go up in value if you take good care of care of them.

http://i16.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/9b/23/4b45_3.JPG

http://i24.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/9d/32/d930_3.JPG

Wow the Omega Seamaster is a beautiful piece! I'm definitely not opposed to pre-owned if it's been taken care of.

Thanks for the great responses!

This seller rebuilds these watches and they are flawless. I have several vintage Omega's all keep near perfect time. Were talking + or - a few seconds over a period of weeks. These are quality time pieces.

i second the omegas very nice watches

Omega!!!

There's a few serious watch collectors on this board who can chime in on this. I'm not so sure I can consider myself an avid watch collector, but I've collected a few watches over the years.

Here are some of my thoughts:

Don't buy a watch based on a pretermined price ceiling (i.e. $900). Instead buy the watch you really and truly want, even if it means waiting longer and spending more money.

If resale is important, buy an automatic as opposed to a quartz.

Don't buy watches based on fashion, but do buy watches based on complexity. Automatic chronographs are especially valued; collectors see and measure the value of chronos similar to that of cars. For instance, a 1970's vintage Heuer Autavia watch powered by a Valjoux 7750 3 dial chronometer automatic is akin to a vintage Porsche 911S. The Autavia sold new for $100 back then. A well-maintained and working Heuer Autavia now goes for $2000-$3000.

Motorsports related and chronographs are great watches to buy, from a dress standpoint, as well as from a collectability perspective.

A couple of watch forums:
http://www.timezone.com/
http://forums.watchuseek.com/

A couple of articles regarding watch collecting:
http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=152
http://www.pmwf.com/Forum/JeremyKell...ctorsGuide.htm
http://www.time4watches.com/2.%20Wat...%20a%20Pig.htm

Hope this helps.

I think a tag would be a good choice.

Or buy a $150 Kenneth Cole for the time being and save up for one of these: You won't be disappointed. And the value has gone up in the year I have had it. (like mentioned above)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...htmaster_c.jpg

I agree with a few others, Omega would be a very good way to go. They have several high quality automatics (and quartz if you prefer), that also look very nice without the bling effect of a Rolex etc.

I would stay away from Tags, Movados and some of the other more 'popular' brands as they tend to bring more attention from the masses. Brietling is another very good watch to consider.

A great resource to learn about watches - certain brands and movements etc. is at Chronocentric.com. They also have links to areas where you can buy pre-owned watches and even grey market watches if that's your thing (I personally don't care for grey market, but many do).

Good luck and post pics once you decide.

I love Brietling's. But becareful if you buy them online as some of them are about the size of dinner plates. The Brietling's I have looked at are in the $2-3k range.

My yachtmaster is 40mm and a nice size without drawing attention.

Very informative posts - thanks a ton for the help guys :thumbup: . I am quite interested in the topic and will rely heavily on the info given here. I'll post pics shortly when I make a purchase!

I love that steel/platinum yachtmaster!! :thumbup:

Thanks man. I bought that one with the White face, not the grey face shown. This was just the first pic I found on google. But it also comes in black.

I'm not big into watches, but I like the stuff from Tag Heuer. Pricey though.

A fine watch is a kin to a fine automobile. You'll get what you pay for. If you just want something that keeps time, then buy whatever style suits your taste. If you want something that will last forever, then be prepared to pay significantly more. Avoid trendy styles and go for something classic since you will probably keep it for a longtime. As others have said, the automatic swiss made watches will hold value and probably even appreciate over time. I spent $2200 on my first Rolex (GMT II) in '92, and new ones now sell for over $5000. There are plenty of good preowned watches available too. But be careful who you buy from, and ask if any aftermarket parts have been used (i.e. diamond dials, bracelets, etc.) since the factory service centers usually won't work on watches containing aftermarket parts. Good luck with your search.

Tag.

My wife got a RaymondWeil (Parsafil) for moi this Valentine. Between this, the Tag and a Movado, this one has a better finish and looks gorgeous.

Dad sending me his 1960 Omega Deville so I guess a good collection in the making.

The white one is mine:

http://people.timezone.com/jmerino/rw2.jpg

What about this

http://www.worldofwatches.com/detail...utm_medium=cpc

i don't like the band

Breitling
Raymond Weil
Hamilton
Omega
Bell & Ross

If you can't find a new one in your price range, go 2nd hand. BUT don't ever buy them on the interent as you're more likely than not to get a knock-off.

And under no circumstances buy ANYTHING at Tourneau, they're thieves price wise.

I have a good authorized dealer here in NY if you're interested.

I own both a Movado and a Tag. I bought the Movado years ago and the Tag just this year. The Movado was great, but I tired of it's simplicity and lack of versatility (seemed to lend itself mainly to more formal attire). This year I purchased a Tag Aquaracer and absolutely love it. While I paid a significantly higher price for it over the M, so far it seems just as at home in jeans and a T as with a nice suit.

I would recommend either so my only real advice is for that kinda dough, make sure the face is sapphire crystal which is almost unscratchable. There are many brands in that range that don't use SC and nothing makes a watch look old faster than scratches on it's face.

How about the band on this one?

http://www.worldofwatches.com/detail...iance_id=60996

Ah watches i love them, how can you not. I got hooked when i got my Breitling bentley chrono i saw that and just fell in love. Im a fan of the big watch i know i know blingy and to big but hey i love them. I now have become a fan of the Panerai which is not that know but a very beautiful watch. Omega is a great starter for the price and enviroment the watch will be in at work. It is clean stylish and not to thick so your dress shirt cuff will fit over it which my Breitling and Panerai have a real problem with. As one member said if you have to save up and get the one you really want, you will not regret it. I would personally stay away from Rolex, it just seems like the watch people get to say hey i have an expensive watch just like every other guy.

Omega SMP!

Raymond Weil, quality without being overly flashy.... mines in all gold though

http://raymondweilusa.com/img/watche...00308_pkt0.jpg

There's only one choice...Omega. Its the ONLY watch that NASA wears into space. Nuff said.

pretty much all covered here.. For your price range, if you stretch a couple hundred, you should be able to get a previous year model Cartier tank. very classy, not overtly ostentatious, and great quality.

You're pretty much priced out of Breitling and Raymond Weils which start in the mid $1000's. Tag auto professionals are also in your price range. Good watches. As for Omega's, I have a couple and love them but none of decent automatics are under $1300 IMO.

you may also want to look at The Tissot Seastar 1000 has a nice automatic movement and is a very classy but understated watch. plus it is under 1k new. I never really noticed how much people like it's design I have been using Seastars as my dive watch for 10 years now mainliy because they are fairly affordable compared to Sub-mariners, Seamasters, and Superoceans and since dive watches see a rough life (I have had two broken neither through fault of my own, there is a reason I charter boats to dive on now...there are some idiots that go out on dive trips) I dont want to spend over a grand on my dive watch. I was cleaning my gear the other day and decided to wear my Tissot for a few days and I have to say I got more compliments on it then I ever have with my Breitlings, Movados ect

I too enjoy collecting watches. Currently I have one Movado Museum (white with white gator strap), 4 Breitlings, an Omega, one H.Stern, and my Tissot

I am looking at a vintage Omega or a Chronoswiss next

Yea, I have a few Tissots and I love them. Swiss made, saphire crystal and they are dirt cheap as far as nice Swiss watches go. I absolutely love my Titanium T-Touch.