So I’ve been talking to the misses and after selling a few cheap watches online for me and keeping the money (I’m such a good chess player) for her holiday and to get her Xmas present I seemingly gave her about a year and a half time frame for me to save up some money for a nice watch , so I said what’s the most you would be comfortable with me spending on a watch and she said £1k , i said no thats a bit too much
long story short as long as certain milestones are met for the kids the misses and the house I have been given leeway to save up £600 for a watch (i will add that I’ve never spent more than £150 on myself in 1 go , everything I have is built up over time , i always will buy the kids what they need so £400-£600 is a lot of money for me anyways I want this watch to be special
what are you guys buying for £400-£600 ? Second hand is recommended
I need some ideas as it’s quite important for me to get some ideas from some of my best mates on here
may I add yes it’s my choice what I buy and I will not be influenced by you guys to make a mistake so please don’t hold back , I want to know what everybody on this forum would do with that money and circumstance
It all depends what you are looking for automatic or quartz?
If you're not an enthusiast then a quartz is possible your best bet. The following have quartz and auto versions usually.
Presumably you're after something you can wear with jeans or a suit?
I would consider the following:
Hamilton, there are a plethora of Hamilton watches at this price point. The only thing I would recommend is buying a quartz as you will have to get the ETA Automatic serviced every 4 or 5 years and Swatch Group have started making Hamiltons proprietary servicing.. i.e. you need a specialist tool which is expensive and unavailable to independent watch makers so you're going to have to send it back to them. But Hamilton has many excellent designs at this price point.
Seiko: there are classic and renowned Seiko divers at this price like various Turtles and the Willard. At the upper end of your price range the relaunched Seiko 1962 MAS is often avaliable for around 800 quid. It's a superb watch. I own one. 40mm classic diver so it's not huge, works with a suit, has drilled lugs for strap changes there is a wide range of after market bracelets avaliable. Very comfortable and whilst an automatic.. it is a low beat 6 series Seiko movement which you can usually get away with serving every 10 years or so. It also has Seikos anti scratch coating which is the best in the business.
We take a deep dive on a trio of 62MAS inspired divers from Seiko. Dive in for all you need to know on these classics.
wornandwound.com
The Alpinist is possibly the best one watch collection. Get a black.or white dialed one and you can wear it with anything. The SBP 117J1 is currently at Watches for Switzerland for £690. It's a cracking watch looks great on bracelet, leather or rubber or a nato. You get a high spec including the aforementioned 6 series low beat movement which gives you a 70 hour power reserve. It has a display back.sapphire Crystal screw down crown and a whopping 200m water resistance. It's a tool watch that you can wear to the office.
If you want a more formal watch then a Seiko cocktail is worth considering.
Another to consider is the Casio Oceanus range. The T200 is possibly the best value watch at its price point, is beautiful especially the silver dialed version, incredibly well made and finished and has a solar powered movement which syncs with your phone. You can find them for about £300 from Japanese dealers.. they are Japanese Domestic Market so you need to ship one in..happy to recommend a seller who turned my one round in 5 days delivery. You will pay customs duty. Simply brilliant watch.
An outsider could be an Elliot Brown. They make watches for the Special Boat Service but their Bloxworth range are smart enough for the boardroom whilst super.. and I mean super tough. A Quartz Chronograph will set you back about 500. Bracelets are superb but come in at 180 ish and their strap system which is screw bars and range of straps which are incredibly comfortable are excellent. It's a big watch but can be used as a knuckle duster in a pinch!.
Good luck. Great fun trying to choose.. my recommendation would be the Alpinist, the 62MAS or the Oceanus T200. gives you 3 different price points as well
Here's a picture of my 62 MAS these are about £800
Here's my Alpinist .. it's the dark brown Forest Sunbeam. But I would recommend the white or the black one mentioned above
