Watch gurus, help the young newb

[ethirtynine]

Originally Posted by bigbris1

Wow. I was making a reference to the OPs SN, ethirtynine or E39, 5 series BMW.
yea thats right. my first car was a e39 528i. funny coincidence on the seiko thing though.

 

[bmulford]

Cutting to the chase:
http://forums.timezone.com/search/index.php - Start here.
http://www.longislandwatch.com/By_Pr..._level_2_1.htm - Quality pieces, reputable dealer.
http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Wat.../136/dept.html - wide range in quality, but competitive prices and reputable dealer.

Long winded lecture:
I know there are a number of folks on the SF that also post on the TimeZone (TZ) forums as well. Timezone has a sales area where collectors will sell their watches. One can typically find a much better deal than anything you'll see retail (internet sales or not). And is typically more reputable than buying something ebay.

For example, I did a quick search using the link above for $200 - I saw an excellent condition Tag Heuer chrono for $200 among others.

Being a watchie myself, here's my advice:

1) After buying a $150 retail watch every year for a decade, I ended up having a drawer full of scratched, plastic, non-operating or embarrassing watches. Only buy cheap once - and use it until you can afford a reasonable timepiece (e.g., > $750). Once I decided to buy quality, I found the investment well worth it. I say investment because if you buy well, the piece will hold or appreciate in value.

2) Definitely use TimeZone or the PoorMansWatchForum to find something higher quality at your price range. Don't go to Macy's or something of the like and purchase a Fossil, or Calvin Klein; you will regret it.

3) At your price point, it will be hard to find a piece with all these features - but try to get them all anyway:

A) Sapphire crystal. Cheaper crystals (the glass that covers the face) will scratch and look awful in no time. Sapphire is just about as hard of a crystalline structure that you can get. Better watches have this standard. Mineral crystal (or hesylite) is an acceptable substitution, but will scratch under rough conditions.

B) Mechanical movement. the movement is what makes the watch work. Quartz (power supplied by battery, regulation provided by silicon crystal) are typically more accurate but much less respected. I'd ask you to only consider a quartz in the event the piece is a well known, and made brand (e.g., Omega, Ebel, Oris, etc). Otherwise - try to get an automatic. That all being said - a high quality manual wind is preferable to a low quality Quartz.

C) Stainless Steel. Cheaper watches often use lower grade steel - which will dull, scratch or stain more rapidly. Try to find a piece that uses 316L grade steel.

D) Nothing Plastic. Most inexpensive watches will use plastic somewhere. Often on the body or strap which is garish but much less offensive than plastic inside the case. MANY movements will use plastic spacers or elements inside the movement. This is bad. Plastic deteriorates and breaks down more rapidly and under less stress than machined metal (at least in watches from my experience). Most makers say nothing about the materials used inside. Omega, Rolex, Breitling, Glashutte, Ulyses Nardin, IWC, and other mid-to-high end tiers do not use plastic. Lower end brands generally do. The exceptions that come to mind are Steinhart, and Ocean7.


Brands to consider:

Poljot. It’s a Russian manufacturer that has a good reputation for high-quality pieces and a low price. Most of the movements (again the guts of the watch) are actually Swiss as the Poljot factory bought out many machines from the Swatch company in the 80's (Swatch owns many of the mid-top tier makers). I own several Poljot's and most cost under $500. Check out the Aviator line.

Hamilton . Known as the first American watch maker, Hamilton is a quality low-cost brand. They experienced a revival in the 90's because of their appearance in the movie Men in black (Ventura line). I also own a 1930's gold Hamilton - it runs as well as watches that are 2 years old.

Tag . A mid-tier Swiss brand. Well made, reliable and accurate automatic movements. Tags are generally recognized as a high-quality name brand. I don't own any Tag's personally, but they're looked at with admiration.

Seiko . Japanese made. Aside from Hamilton and Swiss makers (and a few German houses) Seiko has the best movements around. They're moving towards hybrid quartz (silicon regulated movements) with mechanical (automatic winding). People love them - and you can't find a watch collector who doesn't have one in their collection. Many can be purchased for < $300 and will give you a lifetime of service. I personally own several in the Sportura line, and love them.

Reidenschild . An upstart German manufacturer that just started selling in the US. So far has been received well. You can find these on the LongIsland site posted above. Marc is the owner and very reputable. If you can't figure out what you want, call him and he'll help you select something.

Stienhart . Another new maker. HQ'd in Florida, but made in Switzerland. Pretty much everybody loves these guys. The watches are high quality, homage styles (e.g., look classic) with marvelous customer service. www.Steinhartwatches.com

There are numerous others to consider, but if you look for a well made piece, you'll be happy for years. If you bump your number up a little, and find a high-quality used brand, you may find a watch that'll last you a lifetime.

Good luck, and feel free to email me if you have any questions.

 

[paul_lynch]

Since we're moving out of the OP's original price bracket, and up to entry level quality watches: any opinion on the Archimede? I've seen several positive references to it here and on TZ, it looks good (in my opinion, most of the line), and the price is low - around 300 Euro for entry level.

 

[thewildpig]

Originally Posted by Gradstudent78

For that much I would suggest a citizen eco-drive.

Try one of these:
http://www.classybrand.com/watches/w...&brand=Citizen

http://www.classybrand.com/watches/w...&brand=Citizen

http://www.classybrand.com/watches/w...pid=AR0010-02A


If you get about $100 more it would increase your potential selection significantly.


Citizen's a horrible brand. Horrible electronics and horrible watches. Get one from La Crosse Technology.

http://www.lacrossetechnology.com

 

[ethirtynine]

quick question: i've been reading (just a quick look) that some leather watches can only be adjusted for a 7.5-8.5 in. wrist. is that correct or did i read it wrong? i have a 5.5-6 in wrist (im pretty skinny), would i be able to get a leather watch? btw i havent had time to go out and try some out yet at an actual store.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by thewildpig

Citizen's a horrible brand. Horrible electronics and horrible watches. Get one from La Crosse Technology.

http://www.lacrossetechnology.com

are you serious, lol

 

[leon12]

If your wrist is too small for any particular leather strap, it's easy to punch a hole where you need it.
You can even do it yourself..
http://www.ofrei.com/page_226.html

 

[kitonbrioni]

G-shock with solar cell and automatic &quot;atomic clock&quot; accuracy is a great choice.

 

[Spiral]

For your price range I'd say Seiko is the way to go. I'd recommend:

The Seiko 5:
http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Wat...ID=prod2448642

or maybe this one: http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Wat...ID=prod2498399

I'd stay away from Invicta and Citizen though, I've heard a lot of bad things. Hope you find the perfect watch!

 

[bigbris1]

Originally Posted by ethirtynine

yea thats right. my first car was a e39 528i. funny coincidence on the seiko thing though.
Yeah.

My first was an E30 318i Coupe. I think when you start out with a bimmer, everything else just doesn't do it you.

Now, back to watches

 

[thewildpig]

Originally Posted by ethirtynine

quick question: i've been reading (just a quick look) that some leather watches can only be adjusted for a 7.5-8.5 in. wrist. is that correct or did i read it wrong? i have a 5.5-6 in wrist (im pretty skinny), would i be able to get a leather watch? btw i havent had time to go out and try some out yet at an actual store.

EDIT:



are you serious, lol

Why do you think I'm not serious? Citizen is horrible. My sister had a walkman-type cassette player from Citizen back in the day. It ate her tapes. At work, there is a Citizen DVD player. It plays only about 50% of the DVDs I bring to class. Citizen is a garbage brand.

 

[thewildpig]

Originally Posted by kitonbrioni

G-shock with solar cell and automatic "atomic clock" accuracy is a great choice.


I agree. Those watches are very good, too.

 

[Gradstudent78]

Originally Posted by thewildpig

Why do you think I'm not serious? Citizen is horrible. My sister had a walkman-type cassette player from Citizen back in the day. It ate her tapes. At work, there is a Citizen DVD player. It plays only about 50% of the DVDs I bring to class. Citizen is a garbage brand.

Have you owned any of their watches?

 

[thewildpig]

Originally Posted by Gradstudent78

Have you owned any of their watches?

No.

 

[Joel_Cairo]

I agree with wildpig, I never buy watches from brands which have eaten my sister's tapes. That's just the line for me.

 

[bigbris1]

I have to say that I recently purchased a Louis Bolle Advocate & I'm really happy with it. Got it on ebay for like $75. Automatic movement, the crown operation is very smooth when setting the time. It did stop working like 1 month after I bought it, so I returned it to Louis Bolle (under 1 year warranty) & thought I would never see it again. To my surprise I received it a week later working again. Hasn't gone out since. I've banged it around (accidentally) & the black coating has not chipped, nor has the crystal scratched. The band is very durable too. Here's some pics from their site:

Also, a few years ago my father gave me a Stauer Monaco Rose Gold automatic which I also love. They generally go for around $150 & I have never had problems with it.