Watches for a Rookie

[mr.orange]

Gentlemen,

I need your help in assembling an arsenal of awesome, reliable, and good looking watches.

What brands do you recommend?

What brands should I steer clear of?

Also I'm a college student with a limited budget so anything like Rolex or Hamilton will have to wait.

Thanks!!!

 

[ter1413]

there are several watch threads that you can search using the search styleforum.net button aboue^^^. take a look...

 

[marg]

find a pre-owned omega that will last you a long time. they are built well, and you can find them for decent prices. buy smart so you can assemble a collection over your lifetime.

there is no such thing as awesome, reliable, good looking, AND cheap. figure out what's the most important to you. diesel and Kenneth Cole watches look cool, but they are all crap.

 

[ter1413]

Originally Posted by mr.orange

Gentlemen,

I need your help in assembling an arsenal of awesome, reliable, and good looking watches.

What brands do you recommend?

What brands should I steer clear of?

Also I'm a college student with a limited budget so anything like Rolex or Hamilton will have to wait.

Thanks!!!

i have a nice hamilton that cost me appr $250....

 

[mr.orange]

cool thanks man.

 

[mr.orange]

Originally Posted by ter1413

i have a nice hamilton that cost me appr $250....

Cool, where do you recommend I start looking?

Is it better to purchase online or instore?

 

[btinl]

Check out the Seiko divers on ebay. Some of the Japan-only Seikos are very nice and affordable. There are other sites to get them, but I've found ebay to be the cheapest.

 

[ter1413]

2 watches of mine that I bought over 10 yrs ago. Not great pictures(it is after 1am) but they are great watches. Left is a Raymond Weil and the right is a Hamilton. I paid less that $300/each brand new.

 

[TRINI]

Go here. You'll learn more.

 

[venessian]

Originally Posted by mr.orange

Gentlemen,

I need your help in assembling an arsenal of awesome, reliable, and good looking watches.

What brands do you recommend?

What brands should I steer clear of?

Also I'm a college student with a limited budget so anything like Rolex or Hamilton will have to wait.

Thanks!!!

Why an arsenal??? Start slow, find one you really like, go from there.
Search forums for styles you like. That will then steer you toward various brands.
It's just too hard to even make good suggestions if we don't know at least some of your preferences, i. e.:
Hand-wound, automatic, or quartz?
Simple watch, date/no date, chonograph, diver, etc., etc.
Dial color, hands color, numbers or markers, number style.
Case shape, material, color.
Etc.

Originally Posted by ter1413

there are several watch threads that you can search using the search styleforum.net button aboue^^^. take a look...
^ This.

Originally Posted by marg

find a pre-owned omega that will last you a long time. they are built well, and you can find them for decent prices. buy smart so you can assemble a collection over your lifetime.

there is no such thing as awesome, reliable, good looking, AND cheap. figure out what's the most important to you. diesel and Kenneth Cole watches look cool, but they are all crap.
^ This.

Originally Posted by btinl

Check out the Seiko divers on ebay. Some of the Japan-only Seikos are very nice and affordable. There are other sites to get them, but I've found ebay to be the cheapest.
^ This, but novice buyers on eBay need to be really careful.

Originally Posted by TRINI

Go here.

You'll learn more.
^ THIS.
And here, really excellent info/marketplace and here, very good for limited budget as well. These are the 3 best watch forums.
.
.
.

 

[venessian]

^ Spam shiller.

 

[level32]

Everyone says preowned (I'm assuming vintage) omega, but not sure if that's a good idea on a college budget. I don't think you would want to drop almost the cost of the watch on the inevitable maintenance, whether it's right when you get it or soon after.

I'm actually a huge fan of them, but wanted to warn you that there are maintenance costs to consider.

 

[marg]

regular maintenance is essential for anything nice. if you buy ****, you'll never appreciate it.

if bought from a reputable dealer, many will open and inspect the movement before sale. if you buy the $300 special loose vintage watch from the travelling trade shows, plan on paying for maintenance.

 

[Lord Nonsie]

This is a hard question to answer. I think you are wondering how to start. I can give you some pointers, from a passionate lover of watches (although I have a small collection). I have loved mechanical watches since I was a child and my grandfather bought me a mechanical watch. The only thing we had in common was a love of time pieces and he was a jeweler so he taught me about watches and we took them apart and learned about them. So for me, I wanted to start with mechanical watches or automatic watches. I started with a piece I could wear casually-- when I was a student in college-- which was an automatic chronograph by Bell and Ross. Over time I added watches I love, like a reverso. I do not collect brands, per se, I buy watches I love, sometimes for their romance, their movement, or maybe just because it speaks to me. One the A. Lange & Sohne website, there was a blog that they published during SIHH and the blogger was talking to a Lange watch collector and the collector (a Russian) made the point that he does not collect brands, but watches. His advice is probably the best. Buy a watch you love and the collection happens when you look at the watches you have bought over the years.

 

[TheWraith]

Seiko or Christopher Ward. That is all.