WATCH advice for a newbie!

[KennyGhetzoff]

what do you all thinkg of this watch at the price point?

http://www.ewatches.com/Hamilton/H71716133.html

I love the looks of it.... can I do better?

thanks

 

[leon12]

The only price point I see is $1200.. you can do better. If you want a 7750 based chronograph in the $1200 range, I would look at Sinn.. http://www.watchbuys.com/store/pc/map.html

If you aren't sold on a chrono, watchbuys also has other great watches in the price range, my favorite value pick being Nomos.

Hamilton makes great value watches and I would consider about $700 a good price for the one you posted.

Hope that helps..

 

[KennyGhetzoff]

Originally Posted by leon12

The only price point I see is $1200.. you can do better. If you want a 7750 based chronograph in the $1200 range, I would look at Sinn.. http://www.watchbuys.com/store/pc/map.html

If you aren't sold on a chrono, watchbuys also has other great watches in the price range, my favorite value pick being Nomos.

Hamilton makes great value watches and I would consider about $700 a good price for the one you posted.

Hope that helps..

so a $1200 Sinn is better than a $1200 hamilton? ....how does Oris compare. I like the chronograph look... just trying to understand what brands are quality versus just a big name. I will definitely look into Sinn. thanks.

is that website reputably to order from? I'm in NYC and I'm wondering what is the best retailer i could go to for a large variety of brands.

 

[academe]

I've had good experience with Oris watches. I have Day/Date automatic movement. I good site for well-priced luxury watches is Bernard Watch:

http://www.bernardwatch.com/

They sell luxury watches that are either overstock or second-hand, everything from the entry- to mid-level Oris or Baume & Mercier to higher-end brands such as Breuget.

 

[Coho]

The first chronograph I bought was a Movado Kingmatic. It was retailed at the same price point but is now available at steep discounts: 400-600 US dollars with box and papers new. Do a search on ebay, keywords "movado kingmatic chronograph." Mine keeps time within chronometric accuracy. It uses the same VJ series movement and is of higher quality than the Hamilton Khaki time only watch that I also own. The deployant buckle is quite nice also:

Originally Posted by KennyGhetzoff

what do you all thinkg of this watch at the price point?

http://www.ewatches.com/Hamilton/H71716133.html

I love the looks of it.... can I do better?

thanks

 

[leon12]

Um.. stay away from Movado is a pretty good general rule if you're looking for an automatic.

A sinn will have better finishing than the Hamilton. Oris is also a great brand to look at.. anything about 30% or more off retail for an oris would be a good price. Longines would work too..

You can get omega at 30% off pretty easily, so a little over your $1200 range could land you a seamaster or speedmaster. If I were strictly spending $1200, I would find one gently used on the sale corner at timezone.com.

Watchbuys is the US authorized dealer for all the watches they carry.. everything comes with full warranties from the manufacturer, so just like walking in to a brick and mortar.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

i would buy a breitling or Omega, they're a reasonable price for a nice watch.

You might find you can get an awesome deal in ethier of NYC's diamond districts. I do alot of shopping for jewelry in those areas, as well as Philly's diamond district.

The best online "deal" wont hold a candle to a trip though through those 3 districts, so if you are in that area its worth a look.

Obviously keep in mind some deals are too good to be true, and it would be wise to have any watch you buy appraised by a jeweler who specializes in those watches.

 

[KennyGhetzoff]

Originally Posted by leon12

A sinn will have better finishing than the Hamilton. Oris is also a great brand to look at.. anything about 30% or more off retail for an oris would be a good price. Longines would work too..


sorry, newb questions...

but 30% off on Oris/Sinn could be had where? an online retailer thats already been mentioned?

 

[Coho]

Lol. Broad generalization without direct experience.

Originally Posted by leon12

Um.. stay away from Movado is a pretty good general rule if you're looking for an automatic.

 

[leon12]

I apologize, that was a little broad.. one should probably stay away from all non-vintage movado if interested in an automatic.

I applaud movado's recent efforts to make non-garish watches based on automatic movements.. but, in the end, movado is a company focused on churning out quartz fashion watch dreck for the local mall jewelry store consumer. IMO, one can do much better..

Originally Posted by Coho

Lol. Broad generalization without direct experience.

 

[leon12]

The last time I looked into sinn, watchbuys was one of the only US distributors.. so their price was about as good as I could find without ordering from europe.

I don't know of any great sources for oris.. I was just providing a frame of reference for price. There are a number of brick and mortar dealers that will take phone orders (which can save paying state sales tax), and many offer 30% on more exclusive brands than oris.. so I would assume finding one that will take 30% off an oris shouldn't be overly difficult. You could try asking for an oris AD recommendation on the public forum at timezone.com.

I think zeetan at http://www.collectorstime.com/ has some oris. He is located in malaysia but his prices are great and his reputation is impeccable. watchnet.com has a seller feedback area where you can find many great references for him if you need them.

Forgot to mention, overstock.com usually has a pretty good selection of hamiltons. No manufacturer's warranty if that matters to you..

Originally Posted by KennyGhetzoff

sorry, newb questions...

but 30% off on Oris/Sinn could be had where? an online retailer thats already been mentioned?

 

[Twotone]

My recommendation is to try on as many watches as you can. Chrono's are rather thick cased watches and may or may not fit well under a shirt cuff if you will be wearing it as a dress watch. It's difficult to shop purely on the internet without holding them.

For $1,200, I'd go with a gently used Omega Speedmaster -- well made, prestigious name and NASA approved (for whatever that's worth). Check out some of the watch sites (timezone.com, pmwf.com) for more info.

Hope this helps,
Twotone

 

[scot]

Ok here are my two choices. One is probably (definitely) a stretch at a 1200 dollar budget, the other is a tag chrono with beige crocodile band.

Both are automatic, and I love both of them. Can't recommend either highly enough.

The tag definitely has a more "pedestrian" setup inside, but it works very well and keeps perfect time. The omega is indestructable and also keeps pretty much perfect time.

I don't think my tag is in the standard catalogue any more, so it might be a hunt to find. My guess is probably about 1300 or so used, but who knows with the MOP face it could be more. I paid 1850 new.

 

[dcg]

Originally Posted by scot

Ok here are my two choices. One is probably (definitely) a stretch at a 1200 dollar budget, the other is a tag chrono with beige crocodile band.

Both are automatic, and I love both of them. Can't recommend either highly enough.

The tag definitely has a more "pedestrian" setup inside, but it works very well and keeps perfect time. The omega is indestructable and also keeps pretty much perfect time.

I don't think my tag is in the standard catalogue any more, so it might be a hunt to find. My guess is probably about 1300 or so used, but who knows with the MOP face it could be more. I paid 1850 new.

I'd love to know where one could purchase a Planet Ocean for $1200

In fairness you did mention it'd stretch the budget, but unless I'm mistaken it's a fairly large stretch.

I like the looks of your Tag, but personally I'd much rather have an Omega than a Tag (from a brand perspective). I do love the Tag Monaco, though.