Question New watch

[callan]

After years of buying cheap watches have decided to push the boat out and go for a more expensive one (3 k is max I am prepared to spend) , so with that budget in mind what watch would you go for and why?

 

[WightShrimper]

For 3k you can phone me anytime night or day and i'll tell you the time.

 

[MK Shrimper]

£3K

For a watch. :stunned:

Cal mate, have a holiday on that.

 

[callan]

To be fair and put things into perspective the 3k has come from the sale of an antique pistol that I bought years ago and decided to cash in on ...I dont have to spend all of it on a watch but can do if I see something nice and that is likely to hold some value.

 

[Hotman]

What sort of watch are you after - dress or sports? £3k is a very tough amount - £500 more and you will quite literally have your choice of second hand Rolex sports models, which will hold their value - but at £3k you'll either buy a new Omega (will lose 50% at day one) or a second hand Omega / JLC / IWC which won't hold so well - these brands are also diluted by various editions of the watches.

Trust me - if you can pay £3 - 3.5k, look no further than a Rolex Submariner. Classic watch, James Bond had one :winking:, and anywhere in the world you can get your money back just by taking it off your wrist. If you want to do a bit more, go for a Sea Dweller (16600 or 16660 model). The treble 6 is rarer, the one to have though (because I've got one!!) is the V-series 16600, only 200 made as the very last run.

Other Rolex's that do OK (but not usually as well as the Sub / SD) are the GMT Master (particularly Pepsi). DateJust, Cellini, and to an extent Yachtmaster won't keep their value like the others. Daytona is out of your league for the money you're spending.

hope this helps, can give you more advice if needed. Second hand at that price is defo the way to go.

 

[Hotman]

Also - bit of a broad brush comment - but please don't consider any other brand available at this price range without checking resale! Tag Heuer, Oris, Longines, Raymond Weil, etc - all not worth a **** frankly. Tag's are possibly the worst offenders - most only worth £50 - 100 to me second hand, so much supply and frankly crap designs, and badly built. Also - don't consider quartz (most Rado's, some Omegas etc) - the 3k should be buying you a mechanical watch.

 

[South Bank Hank]

What's your view of Breitling's C?

 

[canveyshrimper]

Also - bit of a broad brush comment - but please don't consider any other brand available at this price range without checking resale! Tag Heuer, Oris, Longines, Raymond Weil, etc - all not worth a **** frankly. Tag's are possibly the worst offenders - most only worth £50 - 100 to me second hand, so much supply and frankly crap designs, and badly built. Also - don't consider quartz (most Rado's, some Omegas etc) - the 3k should be buying you a mechanical watch.

I'd disagree about Longines, although mine isn't in the 3k range. Similar to callan I'd had years of cheapish watches all of which conked out after a time. I paid around £900 for a Longines (duty free) about 17 years ago, and apart from a battery change now and again it runs perfectly.

 

[Hotman]

What's your view of Breitling's C?

Breitlings are pretty good, but again suffer from the fact that some are quartz's. I've tried them a few times but my gay wrists don't work well with them. Certain models hold values reasonably well (similar to Omegas), mainly chronomat / chronomat evolution. Again they tend to change models frequently - also their precious model versions don't hold value at all. I'd need to love one to buy due to the value loss

 

[Hotman]

I'd disagree about Longines, although mine isn't in the 3k range. Similar to callan I'd had years of cheapish watches all of which conked out after a time. I paid around £900 for a Longines (duty free) about 17 years ago, and apart from a battery change now and again it runs perfectly.

So it should. With all respect, the quartz circuit board is a fantastic piece of Japanese engineering, and provided the battery doesn't leak very little can go wrong. However - 99% of quartz watches are identical inside, whether Longines or Lorus - your watch is the same inside as a £5 rayleigh lanes special. The difference is probably waterproofing and the fact you care for it, as you paid more. Cost difference is due to metals used, dial material, design and brand positioning

 

[londonblue]

After years of buying cheap watches have decided to push the boat out and go for a more expensive one (3 k is max I am prepared to spend) , so with that budget in mind what watch would you go for and why?

Ebel or Raymond Weil. They're beautiful watches.

TAG if you want something a bit more robust.

Breitling are stunning, but for 3k you wouldn't get a good one, and if you're like me they'll also be too big for your wrists.

Don't bother with Rolex (IMO) because I think they're too showy, and again, for that price you wouldn't get a good one, and it will look cheap. However, the real selling point for Rolex is that they have a second hand with a continuous sweep, which does look classy if you care about that kind of thing.

Franck Muller if you're into Dhali. (I always feel those are the watches he would have designed.) But 3k wouldn't buy you a strap!

Personally I have an Ebel, and a Raymond Weil (see above!), but for the most part actually wear a G-Shock!

 

[londonblue]

Also - bit of a broad brush comment - but please don't consider any other brand available at this price range without checking resale! Tag Heuer, Oris, Longines, Raymond Weil, etc - all not worth a **** frankly. Tag's are possibly the worst offenders - most only worth £50 - 100 to me second hand, so much supply and frankly crap designs, and badly built. Also - don't consider quartz (most Rado's, some Omegas etc) - the 3k should be buying you a mechanical watch.

Disagree with that. The Raymond Weil I bought about 15 years ago is going for the same price on eBay a the moment. (However with inflation that isn't really a good comparison...)

 

[londonblue]

So it should. With all respect, the quartz circuit board is a fantastic piece of Japanese engineering, and provided the battery doesn't leak very little can go wrong. However - 99% of quartz watches are identical inside, whether Longines or Lorus - your watch is the same inside as a £5 rayleigh lanes special. The difference is probably waterproofing and the fact you care for it, as you paid more. Cost difference is due to metals used, dial material, design and brand positioning

99% of the movements in Swiss watches are supplied by Swatch.

 

[londonblue]

What is also interesting, I did a bit of research a few years ago. I worked out that I could fly Easyjet to Zurich, stay over in a decent hotel for 2 nights, buy a watch (for less that your £3k) and come home, having spent less than if I had bought the same watch here. (That may not be the case now given the change in exchange rates, but would still be worth looking into, because you could easily do a day trip.)

Also, haggle with the shop. I did that when I bought my Raymond Weil. The first shop I went into said they couldn't do anything because the price was fixed (which is illegal as far as I am aware) so I went two shops along Southend High Street and got a 10% discount for cash.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

What sort of watch are you after - dress or sports? £3k is a very tough amount - £500 more and you will quite literally have your choice of second hand Rolex sports models, which will hold their value - but at £3k you'll either buy a new Omega (will lose 50% at day one) or a second hand Omega / JLC / IWC which won't hold so well - these brands are also diluted by various editions of the watches.

Trust me - if you can pay £3 - 3.5k, look no further than a Rolex Submariner. Classic watch, James Bond had one :winking:, and anywhere in the world you can get your money back just by taking it off your wrist. If you want to do a bit more, go for a Sea Dweller (16600 or 16660 model). The treble 6 is rarer, the one to have though (because I've got one!!) is the V-series 16600, only 200 made as the very last run.

Other Rolex's that do OK (but not usually as well as the Sub / SD) are the GMT Master (particularly Pepsi). DateJust, Cellini, and to an extent Yachtmaster won't keep their value like the others. Daytona is out of your league for the money you're spending.

hope this helps, can give you more advice if needed. Second hand at that price is defo the way to go.

Massive nerd alert :winking:

 

[Mad Cyril]

I have a Casio F-91W that has never let me down.

A steal at £9.99 from Argos and geek chic to boot.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

I have a Casio F-91W that has never let me down.

A steal at £9.99 from Argos and geek chic to boot.

If you stole it then would have cost nothing, not £9.99

 

[Hotman]

99% of the movements in Swiss watches are supplied by Swatch.

Lower end Swiss automatics, yes. That's why Tag, Oris etc aren't worth a **** - all ETA (about £150 worth of movement, unlike a 10p quartz circuit board :winking:). Omega have started doing their own. Rolex do (apart from early Daytonas provided by Zenith). I try to stay clear of ETA's. I seem to remember that a couple of years ago, a lot of companies moved from ETA to producing their own. Most mid - higher end makers always modified the ETA movements when used

 

[Hotman]

Disagree with that. The Raymond Weil I bought about 15 years ago is going for the same price on eBay a the moment. (However with inflation that isn't really a good comparison...)

And mine that I bought for £400 8 years ago, again when I didn't know better, is worth all of £20.

 

[Hotman]

Ebel or Raymond Weil. They're beautiful watches.

TAG if you want something a bit more robust.

Breitling are stunning, but for 3k you wouldn't get a good one, and if you're like me they'll also be too big for your wrists.

Don't bother with Rolex (IMO) because I think they're too showy, and again, for that price you wouldn't get a good one, and it will look cheap. However, the real selling point for Rolex is that they have a second hand with a continuous sweep, which does look classy if you care about that kind of thing.

Franck Muller if you're into Dhali. (I always feel those are the watches he would have designed.) But 3k wouldn't buy you a strap!

Personally I have an Ebel, and a Raymond Weil (see above!), but for the most part actually wear a G-Shock!

Play the opposites game with all of the above and you'll do ok Callan. :whistling: