Gold vs White Undertone Watch Help

[ajmanouk]

Hey I was wondering if some people could give me some advice on purchasing a watch for mostly business but some casual wear. I tried to do a search but the only topic that came up was discussing Patek's...which are way out of my price range.

I'm deciding between two watches and was wondering which would be more versatile and conservative. I am leaning towards the white watch (SKK645) but since I have zero watch experience and a very limited budget any input would be really appreciated. Even though I am leaning towards the white watch for conservatism and such I really like the gold undertone more, but if it won't work for its purpose then I'm definitely not going to buy it.

And before anyone harps on me for considering such cheap watches, please remember that frankly I cannot afford anything over $150.

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Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[changy]

Good start with the Seiko. Seiko has quite a few mechanical watches in the sub 150 range. The seiko 5 range is more work appropriate and generally cheaper. If you are just out of college, I would stay away from a gold watch. I won't worry too much about strap vs bracelet for now since that can always be changed.

P.S. Watchuseek has a sub forum for seikos and budget watch, won't hurt to do a search there.

 

[Twotone]

Seiko 5 watches are a good choice. One thing to keep in mind is low-light visibility. Silver hands against a silver dial (or gold hands and gold dial) tend to disappear at night. I went for this one -- black hands and silver dial with sliver/black stick markers. Any Seiko 5 will give you years of trouble free service. Also check overstock.com for good Seiko deals.

 

[ChicagoRon]

Originally Posted by changy

Good start with the Seiko. Seiko has quite a few mechanical watches in the sub 150 range. The seiko 5 range is more work appropriate and generally cheaper. If you are under 50 yo, I would stay away from a gold watch. I won't worry too much about strap vs bracelet for now since that can always be changed. P.S. Watchuseek has a sub forum for seikos and budget watch, won't hurt to do a search there.
FTFY - otherwise, very good advice

 

[ajmanouk]

Thank you so much for all the input so far, I do appreciate it. I was looking around overstock.com and came across this:

http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Wat...ml#prodDetails

After duties and shipping (to Canada) it's looks pretty appealing. Any thoughts on the brand? I know it's not automatic but perhaps a nice automatic watch would be my second purchase. For some reason I just really like the leather straps right now so that limits the number of Seiko's on Overstock.com.

 

[thunderthighs]

Originally Posted by ajmanouk

And before anyone harps on me for considering such cheap watches, please remember that frankly I cannot afford anything over $150.

Psh. At any price range, from $50 to $5000 (and beyond), it is very difficult to go wrong with a Seiko. Look up the "Grand Seiko" -- some of those are actually handmade, and without even batting an eyelid, I would compare them against the best the Swiss and Germans have to offer, and I've owned some expensive Swiss watches in my day.

I would definitely go with silver tone over gold. Gold to me looks tacky, at any age.

Originally Posted by ajmanouk

For some reason I just really like the leather straps right now so that limits the number of Seiko's on Overstock.com.

I like leather straps on dress watches but if you tend to sweat or live in a warm/humid climate, I would go for a metal bracelet for every day wear. I live in California and there's no way I could wear the same dress watch daily, as on top of our almost year-round sunny weather (it was 80 degrees this week, and supposedly it's still winter), I have to wash my hands thoroughly and throughout my work day (health care). The stench would be unbearable.

I have shell cordovan straps on my dress watches and they seem to tolerate moisture better than any other types of leather I've tried. Expensive, though -- one strap is almost the cost of your entire watch budget.

 

[ChicagoRon]

At $240, it's a little bit out of your range, but this Hamilton is worth the extra if you can save up for a few weeks: http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Wat...5/product.html Or, consider the J Crew Military watch - comes with a canvas strap for $150 (you can always put a leather one on later). http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/a...imex/27460.jsp or this one which is $200 and a little more elegant (with leather strap) http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/a...imex/25399.jsp