How important is a nice watch?

[Black&Tan]

Looks pretty nice. I like the face and the classic Roman numbers. See if you can get a spare watchband (or two). I find those are always failing me. Now I stick to metal bands.

As far as brand, I'm not sure. But do some more research, it may actually have a list of $2100. I was shocked at the price difference when I made my purchase...

 

[gwuMACaddict]

It allegedly retails for $2100, and they have it for $600. It's a Gevril GV2; has anyone heard good things about this brand?

It's a rip... They inflate their retail prices, so that they can have huge "markdowns" and "sales"

If you have $600ish to spend, keep an eye on Oris, Sinn, Hamilton, and Tissot.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Bathtub? Your watch wasn't waterproof? Dang, cheap watch alert! *sounds the alarms*

Nope, it was actually my 'Tenerife Ticker' that my girlfriend brought me back from her holiday. Not exactly an example of fine watch craftsmanship.

And the bath was very hot. And rather soapy...

It didn't have an alarm on it either, come to think of it.

 

[tkidBOSTON]

I'm not a shill for Amazon, but I was shocked at their watch prices. I wanted a decent Seiko, and the jewelry stores in my area all wanted $450-500 for the watch. I was surprised to find that were advertised sales 20-40% off, so I decided to check online. Found my watch on Amazon for $225-250.

Moral of the story, shop around. Jewelry can be horribly overpriced.

And this is what I bought:

This brings up a good point...
Where do people buy their watches? Online? Do you check them out in person first? If so, where? At local shops or are there national chains that I'm not aware of?

Or if you want to target the answer directly to me, I'm in the northeastern US, or Boston specifically.

 

[nw43]

This is probably one of the nicest I've seen. Classic design.

I've got that watch! (actually I've got the black version so it looks like the one below)

I think it cost about £90 and I don't think I'd want to spend much more than that on a watch and certainly never as much as a grand but each to his own.

 

[nw43]

Oh and another thing - why is it that you are only allowed to take photos of watches at ten past ten. Is there some kind of law?

 

[gauchogolfer]

Oh and another thing - why is it that you are only allowed to take photos of watches at ten past ten. Is there some kind of law?

This may be a total urban legend, but I heard that they do it so the hands have the most spacing, and look the most like a smile. I guess if you took the picture at 7:25 it looks to much like a frown.

This could be total BS, though

 

[gwuMACaddict]

This brings up a good point...
Where do people buy their watches? Online? Do you check them out in person first? If so, where? At local shops or are there national chains that I'm not aware of?

Or if you want to target the answer directly to me, I'm in the northeastern US, or Boston specifically.

Nationally
Tourneau
Wempe

Boston
Shreve, Crump, Low
European Watch Company

 

[gauchogolfer]

So what do you think of this Raymond Weil? It's about $600, so nice but not extravagant.

 

[MacNut]

I got this one for my birthday.
$200 Citizen

 

[jayb2000]

I used to work at JC Penny and another jewelry store.
Watches at most stores typically have at LEAST a 100% markup, if not 2 or 300.
So that lovely Tissot you look at the jewelers for $600, that is on "sale" for $500 probably cost them $300. I know the Tissot T-Touch that I want

is available online for $425 and even less once in a while.
So yes, go look around, try some on, then check prices on-line. Then I would go back to a local watch store (not a chain) and negotiate. If they won't come close to your price, then go elsewhere, but you might be able to get it from a local person, who can fix it, for about the same price and not have to deal with eBay scams or shipping fees, etc.

As far as brands go, Seiko, Citizen, Tissot, Tag, all make great watches, it just becomes a status symbol.
Currently I have a Wenger (Swiss Army) that looks similar to this

but the bezel looks more like a diver's watch. I think it looks pretty similar to a Tag, if I put a metal band on it. Currently I just have a velcro one.
I found it in the basement of an apartment I moved into 7 years ago.
Recently I dropped it on the floor and the second hand fell off the axle/spindle/whatever its called.
Took it in to get it repaired, cost $15 including the new battery.
Its waterproof to 100m, scratch resistant lens, and I generally beat the heck out of it with impunity.

On the other hand, I have a dressy, gold colored seiko that is nice and thin, clean lines, no numbers, etc. The "interview" watch I call it.

I would think about when you are going to wear it, what other activities you will use it for, do you care about date, chrono, etc. Generally, if you spend more than $100 bucks, you will probably get something decent and I think 300-500 is around the sweet spot for look and functionality.
Oh, and titanium, if you like the look, it is much MUCH lighter.

On the other hand, don't knock Timex for a "work" or beater watch you can wear almost anywhere and not worry about. (or get mugged for).

 

[mannix87]

it's important for my job. I use a Rolex Submariner Date (a gift to me by a very grateful client 10 yrs ago), an Oris Big Crown pointer day and a Wenger Field Force automatic depending on what I'm wearing to the office. On casual days, I use a Sennheiser corporate give-away German designed quartz watch.(black face/black leather strap) which is cool because nobody knows what it is unless I tell them that it's from the headphone makers

 

[bobscliff]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Movado. They make very nice watches and you can find some great deals on Amazon. I have the moderno watch and i've received a lot of compliments on it.

 

[calculus]

I've got that watch! (actually I've got the black version so it looks like the one below)

I think it cost about £90 and I don't think I'd want to spend much more than that on a watch and certainly never as much as a grand but each to his own.

These are a great design and I have my eye on one. In my view they have much more style than the expensive 'usual suspects' watches. Only thing is I can't decide between black or white.

 

[true777]

I am female, in my thirties, also just completed my Ph.D.

I always notice a beautiful watch.
To me, the ones I would notice the most are not fashion brand items, but classic watches from quality companies that have been around for a long time. The real deal.

I would very much recommend investing in one, it is a wonderful graduation gift to yourself.

Classic brands are Jaeger-LeCoultre, Baume & Mercier, A. Lange & Soehne, Audemars Piguet, Longines, Patek Philippe, etc. I would not hestitate investing $1,500 in a quality watch.

 

[iGary]

I don't wear a watch at all. I don't think that they're that important and I don't need a nice one to feel good about myself.

Ditto. It's kind of fifth grade.

 

[yippy]

I rely on my watch to much to tell time, if I don't have it I find that I am checking my wrist a lot.

As for a nice watch, not really, as long as it looks decent, not one of the huge plastic digital things. That said, I have never spent more than $40 on a watch.

I am afraid to buy an expensive watch because I have a habit of breaking them. I watch has never lasted me more than two years before it was damaged enough to warrant replacing it. I don't know what I do to them, I just wear them but for some reason bands break and casing cracks as if by magic.

 

[iGary]

This is as fancy as it gets for me...

 

[mad jew]

I stare directly at the sun to tell the time. I wouldn't know which limb to put a watch on anyway...

 

[gwuMACaddict]

Classic brands are Jaeger-LeCoultre, Baume & Mercier, A. Lange & Soehne, Audemars Piguet, Longines, Patek Philippe, etc. I would not hestitate investing $1,500 in a quality watch.

That's some pretty high company for B&M and Longines, but I certainly agree with your others

 

[MongoTheGeek]

A few years ago I wanted to have a real grown up watch. I was 28 married, kids the whole 9 yards. I told my wife. She went to Walmart and bought a nice looking metal banded watch for about $20. A few days later I got a compliment on my watch from someone. I glanced over at his and it was a real rolex that mine was a cheap knock-off of. My better half got me the watch because it was metal (I was tired of plastic bands and the like and wanted something more... real.)

I stopped wearing the watch a few months later as it was too much of a pain in the ass.

/Not sure of the moral of the story.
//Christopher Walkin unavailable for comments.

 

[DrStrangelove]

Watches mean/have value differently for different people.

It's a fact that a $20 Timex can keep time as well as a $1500 Tag and, most likely, better than a $10K Rolex.

So... if we all understand this you can take the price out of the equation and focus on the other things that are seemingly important to people.

Some people are simply attracted to nice watches the way that some people are attracted to nice jewelry. In fact, I think the watch can be classified as jewelry.

I personally wear a $1200 Tag and I'm in the market for an Omega. I have a Movado (that I haven't worn in years) which was a present and I also have a Gerrard Perregaux which was my grandfather's (bought new in '44).

I'm in sales and salesmen seem to like to wear nice watches. The value (cost) of the watch should reflect your income to a certain extent (or the income that you wish people to surmise from seeing it). This may sound superficial- and perhaps it is- but it doesn't make it anymore factual. And while it may be complete bologna- when interviewing, for example, it's kinda like putting your W2 out there as an indicator to your past successes in sales. Again, agree or not on just how superficial (or even artificial) this may be- it happens to happen all the time.

So, for me, a $1200 signals (to some) that I get paid appropriately for what I'm doing. I would never wear a $10K Rolex to a client site as this may send the message, "Damn this company must make a lot of money off of us." Rolexes are for management and executives. This is my opinion.

Then there's the "longevity" theory. It's the same reason I don't mind paying $100 for a pair of decent sunglasses. I would never pay $300- and I shy away from picking up a $12 pair at Target. If I wore $12 sunglasses, I'd be losing them and rebuying them all the time. $100 seems to be the point where I "care" about the care of my sunglasses. Plus, in all honesty, when it comes to sunglasses you seem to get what you pay for.

When you put a watch that actually cost some real dollars (whatever real dollars are for you $300? $800? $1200?) you seem to a) wear it more often- all the time and b) take better care of it. I'd go through $20 Timex pieces the way that I'd go through $12 sunglasses.

Lastly, the "style" of the watch says a lot about YOU. I don't wear the Movado because it's a little TOO stylish (dressy) for me. A little too metrosexual (heheh). If I didn't want to spend a higher dollar amount on my watch, I'd choose something that reflected my dedication to a sport or atheletics. No, not a watch with the Philadelphia Eagles logo, but if I were a runner... I'd have a runner's watch. If I were a diver... a diver's watch. Decent pieces of this type can be gotten for under $50 and still send a positive message to the people who are willing to notice them.

Overall, a watch is far from the most important purchase or "need" in your life. But if you can afford a nice one and it helps to send a message that you'd like to send- I (obviously) advocate for doing so. I'm certain that the watches (one or more) will be given to my son and hopefully my grandchildren when the time (pun intended) comes. Just as I hang on to and cherish my grandfather's Gerrard Perregaux.

 

[gwuMACaddict]

Just as I hang on to and cherish my grandfather's Gerrard Perregaux.

I buy them for reasons different than any you mentioned... I appreciate and admire the time that goes in to hand crafting a mechanical timepiece.

And congrats on the Girard Perregaux

 

[jaydub]

I like watches if they have some sort of memorable experience tied to them. I received my last watch (granted, it's just a Seiko kinetic, but still) on my 21st birthday, and I've worn it every day since then. Now, to mark the next milestone in my life, my parents have agreed to buy me the watch of my choice upon my graduation from UNLV. Of course, now I have no idea which watch to ask for, but I've always wanted a Breitling.

 

[dornoforpyros]

I'm partial to Nixon Watches myself, granted they tend to be sold in skate & snow shops, but they certanly have some 'corporate' looking gear as well.