The Watch Appreciation Thread (Reviews and Photos of Men's Timepieces by Rolex, Patek Philippe, Brei

[snowmanxl]

No frills is ripped too!! Awesome.

Moo, nice pick up. Love how it looks with your work clothes

 

[jbarwick]

SG - congrats on the new one...side by side pic?

As for watches in the sub-500 range, I think you could watch the daily deals type sites like gilt, myhabit, ruelala, and others for something to pop up that piques your interest. Not too many auto's get put on them but Hamiltons are abound on Amazon.

In the 500-1000 range, you have your choice. I think Mimo brings up a great piece in a Stowa. I have noticed a lot of random start-up, kickstarter like watch companies starting up. It is a crap shoot if you get something good from them but they are taking the sub-1000 range by storm.

 

[DLJr]

In the whatever to $1K range I think you have to start with Stowa for, at the very least, a baseline. I'm not sure it gets any better, at least IMO, at that range so I think you need to check them out for a comparable.

 

[rc121]



I think you may get better advice here, where the posters are more closely focused on those price ranges. Ignore the thread title, it's not meant as a value judgement:

http://www.styleforum.net/t/223261/poor-mans-watch-thread/3180

I had gone through that a little bit but it seems like the suggestions/price ranges were in the <$500 range. I guess I'm looking for a more not-so-poor-mans watch thread.

Most of what I'd been looking at were Stowa, Longines (although limited in this price range) and Hamilton. Thanks for the advice

 

[SirGrotius]



SG - congrats on the new one...side by side pic?....

Here's a quick one from today:

 

[Hayward]

what would one recommend for a watch with a budget of between $500 and $1000? Looking for a dressier watch mainly for formal occasions but a watch that's versatile enough to wear with a leather strap and a more casual nylon-type strap would be ideal.

You could get a nice vintage Omega in that price range.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Wristwatche...=R40&_nkw=omega&LH_BIN=1&_udlo=500&_udhi=1000

As for new:

 

[Hayward]

Here's a quick one from today:

Probably the best looking new Rolex available, but I wish it were 40mm.

 

[bawlin]

Congrats on the pickup but can someone care to explain to me the appeal of the Explorer II? I just don't get it. I know it has a huge fanbase, which makes me feel even more stupid for not understanding what the fuss is all about.

 

[rnguy001]

Nice. Love this new Exp.

Probably a little obsessive, but I loved the Explorer II so much that I picked up a black dial version to complement my white dial.

 

[Keith T]

Not sure I can explain it myself bawlin, but I can tell that black dial version has been whispering sweet nothings at me big time, and I already have the updated (39 mm) Explorer.

I think it's that little touch of orange, the additional timezone functionality, the all-brushed look...pretty appealing overall, if you ask me.

Nothing you need to feel stupid about, of course....no watch is ever going to "do it" for every single one of us.

When it was first released, I felt it was a bit too large as well.... but last time I was at my AD, I tried one on for kicks (mistake LOL) and I thought it sat pretty well on my wrist.

Compared to some others in the current lineup, I think Rolex formulated a winning combination of bracelet taper, lug size, and overall balance on the Exp II.

There's probably more fans of the white dial, from what I've seen on other sites like TZ, WUS, etc...but dang that black looks pretty hot to me!

Congrats, SirGrotius.




As for watches less than $1000, there have been some good recommendations already, ( Hayward has definitely posted a few great options from other brands above).... but I will add a +1 for Hamilton at that level. I have always thought their Khaki line represented good value, and my 7750-powered chrono still sees regular wear.

 

[ExhibitA]

even more appreciative of my GMTIIc... read up on the Seiko Astron GPS, was impressed technologically. saw it in person and it's MASSIVE at 47mm.

 

[BobStrauss]

Bought the Stowa Partitio last January and was disappointed for quite awhile. The black leather strap that came with it was kind of meh. Made the whole thing look too small, stuffy, and effeminate - at least in my opinion. I swapped it out for a grey nato strap and like it a lot more. What do you guys think?

 

[ExhibitA]

looks good, any pics of the black leather strap... have you considered maybe a upgraded black leather strap? i'd think a black leather or brown strap would work really well.

 

[Giannis]

My daily is an Omega seamaster 300M..

 

[SirGrotius]



Congrats on the pickup but can someone care to explain to me the appeal of the Explorer II? I just don't get it. I know it has a huge fanbase, which makes me feel even more stupid for not understanding what the fuss is all about.

I don't think there's a huge fanbase for Exp II. From what I understand, they sell better now with the updates but it's still a niche player compared to the big boys such as the Sub.

I can't get enough of the Exp II (obviously!), because it is a very comfortable watch to wear (flat case back), built like a tank, IMO looks good with a suit or jeans, and is very easy to read with the large hands and markers. The 24-hour time zone feature is useful, since I travel, and to boot, little touches such as being able to use it as a compass adds a touch to the mystique.

The other Rolex on my radar now is the new Black/Blue GMT II. I'm not crazy about the polished links, but the color scheme is growing on me.