Advice on Watch Brands

DPinBucks

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I don't want to put this into the "What Watch ..." thread (which I have scanned, but it's a mighty big thread), because it's a specific question.

I'm looking for a new watch to replace my trusty Eco-Drive which has given up the ghost after 13 years. Brands I am looking at are:

Rado, Roamer, Bulova, Seiko, Citizen, Movado. Possibly others.

I'm looking for simple style as well as reliability. Want date but not necessarily chronograph.

Budget up to £1,000 or a little more; not averse to spending less. This, for example, is one of the front runners so far:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rado-Bracel...r_1_10?s=watch&ie=UTF8&qid=1447165298&sr=1-10

I'm asking for advice on reliability & accuracy, really, based on members' experiences.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Hi,

I have a much sought after limited edition Movado Musuem Sapphire Bracelet Men's Watch (similar to the Rado you pictured) that despite having had for a number of years, I have only worn a few times for special events etc as it is quite a dressy watch - it is very, very thin!

It has worn numerous design awards & is on permanent display ay the New York Museum Of Modern Art - This is the Original Museum Sapphire Bracelet Version & quite rare these these days - use to sell at Zales etc for a RRP of £2200-£2300 but did go down to about £1700-£1800 if I recall correctly.

Battery has been replaced regularly though & it is in excellent condition but sadly stays in it's box 99% of the time. Let me know if this might interest you & I will put it in the classifieds.

Suave!


IMG_6081.JPG IMG_6097.JPG IMG_6085.JPG IMG_6101.JPG IMG_6106.JPG IMG_6112.JPG
 
I agree. If you're going to blow in the neighbourhood of a grand on a watch, you'll get more bang for buck on the second hand market. Plenty of decent makes available at around that price point as well (too many to list actually). The fact you want a simple looking watch means you'll have a larger selection of marque watches to choose from as you won't be saddled with the additional costs, chrono's incur.

Try these: Watchfinder (as above), TZUK (You need to be registered), WatchUSeek, Chrono24, Chronomaster - (the last two don't just sell chrono's btw)..

Even eBay has some stellar bargains if you know what you're looking for.

Regarding user experiences, you'll get a different answer from every person who posts and you probably should at the very least, skim read the other thread as there's some excellent advice in there. Even at the lower end price bracket of the market, most watches these days are pretty good and you won't go far wrong with a Seiko/Citizen. Some of the guys in the other thread also rave about the relatively inexpensive Orients, Christopher Ward, Steinharts and Hamilton watches, though I'm not keen on them personally. Again though, it all comes down to personal taste.

Once you get to around the £1000 mark though, quality is pretty much guaranteed. That said, there are some things you need to be aware of:
If you go for an auto, they'll lose time.
Personal preference but, I wouldn't go for a marque watch with quartz movement.
Be mindful a decent watch will need to be serviced every few years.
If you buy one, always buy one with all the papers and certificates present.

Just looking at the watchfinder link Nabby supplied, there are a lot of very nice watches that fall within your budget so I'd recommend you take your time and not rush. You'll also probably end up looking at watches you wouldn't ordinarily have considered once other people give you their recommendations :smashin:

If I were you though with a grand to spend I'd be all over the second hand market looking for a decent Oris, Omega, Ball, Ebel, ML or RW etc.
 
Seiko for under a grand, Breitling over. IMHHO
 
For not much money at all I think the Seiko 5 watches are really good value and only from about £40 upwards depending on style, of which there are loads!

They're called the 5 series for the following:
1. Automatic, 2. Water resistant, 3. Shock resistant, 4. Date, 5. Day
 
To add, check out Creation Watches for the Seiko 5 range (or watches in general), great prices and as far as I know a good place to purchase from. (no affiliation!)
 
ive bought 3 times from CreationWatches. Very good service. Watches take around 3 or 4 days to arrive.

Watches are genuine but sometimes you have to purchase a branded box or you can take a generic one.
 
Seiko for under a grand, Breitling over. IMHHO

Do people really spend up to £1000 on a Seiko? o_O
I've always thought of them as a <£200 brand.
I'm obviously not including Grand Seiko in this, you'd be lucky to get one of them for £1000, even used.
Grand Seiko are a different ballgame, if you think like Lexus is to Toyota, that's kinda what Grand Seiko is to Seiko.
 
I don't quite 'get' the Grand Seiko? It's obviously a great watch but, similar to FZ's analogy of Lexus to Toyota, Seiko to me are the VW of watches and GS reminds me of the VW Phaeton.

They make great, extremely reliable and durable watches but, are not a marque manufacturer whose timepieces can realistically be compared against the likes of the more prestigious Swiss brands. Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that the GS's are made to the highest specification but, the perception of the Seiko (like VW) is one of inexpensive but quality merchandise but; no matter how good the timepiece is, it's still a Seiko...

Just looking at them for sale on a website and there is no way on earth I would spend £9k on a GS Chrono over say, £3k for a PO or £5k for an I.W.C Cousteau or a Daytona. It simply couldn't be justified. I'm certainly not a watch snob and have owned quite a few Seikos and would again but, like VW, Seiko to me are inexpensive quality, not high end luxury.
 
I agree with what you're saying.
If I ever met someone who was wearing a Grand Seiko, I'd be caught in two minds as to whether they are discerning or a bit daft.
Using my Lexus analogy again (sorry), it's like the Lexus IFA.
It might be the absolute pinnacle of Japanese sports car engineering skill, but it's still more expensive than a Ferrari....o_O
 
Sub £1000 I'd be looking at a used Tag Aquaracer automatic
Or a new automatic Hamilton/Steinhart/Tissot/Raymond Veil/Oris.
 
Thanks for all your advice, guys. In fact, I'm choosing the watch as a gift (to me!), and the giver wants it to be a new one. So used are out.

I'll certainly look at Creation Watches. The Rado is still favourite, with a Roamer in 2nd place. Will do a bit more window shopping tomorrow.
 
Hi,

If you are interested in Rado's then I would strongly suggest you visit some of the very many Asian Jeweller's around London like Wembley etc. Rado has traditionally been a favourite brand amongst the various communities so nearly all Jewellers stock them & have to compete against each other for the business - that is of course if you cannot find the one you want cheaper on-line or that it might be out of stock etc.

Suave!
 
Here's an interesting article, some names I wasn't aware of:

Top Gear Guide To Watches

I started reading about the Elliot Brown brand last night, pretty impressive the treatment they put their watches through so they can sell them as 'tough'.
British too.
 
the only one in the under £250 was the accurist... but then only at a push...
 
Grand Seiko really are something special, it's either a blessing or a curse that they aren't recognized by your everyday folk on the street(I like their discreetness personally) but they certainly hold their own against equally priced watches. Once you've handled a couple of them you'll understand. Beautiful watches and I would like to have one in my collection some day(a long way away from now though).

To the OP, I think any of those brands you mention would be a good choice, I would just have a shop around to find some decent offers. My personal choice in that price point would be Squale, but they're dive watches so don't really fit for what you're looking for.
 
What about a Christopher Ward watch?
I have heard good things about them.
I'm an Omega man, had mine for 12 years. Shocked at the price of them now though. Very expensive
 
I just couldn't countenance more than £250 on a quartz.

If you must buy new Steinhart, Fortis or Hamilton are good value automatics. But TBH it's madness to buy new, for about a £1000 an Omega Seamaster Pro 300 2531.8 is possible.

'Fashion' Swiss brands such as Ebel, Bell&Ross, Oris, Tissot, Longines are now all garbage, IMHO
 
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What about Sinn? They have a huge range and there's bound to be something you like. Nomos, Fortis, Stowa, Hamilton, Tissot, Steinhart and Oris all worth a look. I wouldn't spend that sort of money on a quartz (I have and regretted it!) unless it was something like the Sinn Ux but I think I would go for a U1 every time.
 
You could also consider a Junghans Max Bill auto on that budget, lovely watch.
 
I wouldn't spend more than 50 quid on a quartz watch. For the money you're talking about, I'd go for an auto.

I have some early Tissots which are nice, and a Christopher Ward as my daily watch. You don't need to spend much more than 500 for a good automatic with a Swiss movement.
 
But TBH it's madness to buy new, for about a £1000 an Omega Seamaster Pro 300 2531.8 is possible.

Hi

Any advice on where to look for a 2531.80 for about 1k. Had a look earlier but they were starting at about 1.5k. Really like this model and the quartz advice on the other thread was very helpful.
 

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