How important is a nice watch?

[2nyRiggz]

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

Well i just look at the trees for the season and the sea level for the time.....i am the man of nature..

I always know what time it is without a watch...i just look to the east of my building and if the bums are in one spot that means its 6pm and the can exchanged is about to close.


Bless

 

[bumpy]

I kinda always wanted a good watch, but I find the newer ones slightly vulgar. For my 30th Birthday my wife bought me (off eBay) an old Omega Seamaster Automatic, it's older than me - something has to be. Remarkably for eBay, it's the real deal, it has a really smooth 23 jewel movement (the second hand glides rather than jump once a second) and it runs fantastically well. I get comments all the time, it's got true class - in a subtle, laid back way, and people do notice that.

Phil

 

[MacRy]

I kinda always wanted a good watch, but I find the newer ones slightly vulgar. For my 30th Birthday my wife bought me (off eBay) an old Omega Seamaster Automatic, it's older than me - something has to be. Remarkably for eBay, it's the real deal, it has a really smooth 23 jewel movement (the second hand glides rather than jump once a second) and it runs fantastically well. I get comments all the time, it's got true class - in a subtle, laid back way, and people do notice that.

Phil

Funnily enough i've just taken delivery of an old Seamaster automatic off of ebay too. Very nice it is too and when I took it to get the strap altered the jeweller actually went "Ooh!" in an appreciative way which made my day Here's some piccies of it (i'm such a proud owner)

 

[Phat Elvis]

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

I know two people that are very happy with their Raymond Weils. Great watches.

If you are looking at spending a few hundred then check out Hamilton and Swiss Army - both are respectable. Overstock.com has good deals on watches too. While Seiko and Citizen make good watches for some reason watch snobs really look down on them.

Personally I love IWC, Bell & Ross, and Baume Mercier (Capeland or Hamilton) but those are a totally different price range.

 

[emw]

Since the thread's been resurrected already, let me mention that my wife got me a Raymond Weil watch for my birthday/10th anniversary. Initially I didn't know what to think - I've never had a nice watch before.

But after wearing it for the past 2 weeks, I have to say it's really nice to have. It has some heft to it, but is stylish and feels good on my wrist.

I hate to admit I like having such a nice watch.

 

[celebrian23]

I love to wear watches...

that cost $10 from wal-mart

I never notice anyone's watch I'm just compulsive about knoowing the time

 

[Platform]

Well I have one of those, great watch !

But not only do I feel it looks great, sturdy and heavy feel, but the thing is likely to last me for 50 years too

 

[true777]

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.

I agree. My ex bf had a Lange & Soehne watch that I believe might have cost about $20k. I believe he flew to the factory in Germany to meet the people who made his watch and get a tour of the company, and he loves watching the DVD they gave him that shows the painstaking attention to detail - and love of the trade - these watches are made with. Each timepiece is a testament to amazing traditional craftsmanship.

 

[mannix87]

Funnily enough i've just taken delivery of an old Seamaster automatic off of ebay too. Very nice it is too and when I took it to get the strap altered the jeweller actually went "Ooh!" in an appreciative way which made my day Here's some piccies of it (i'm such a proud owner)

nice! *drooling*

 

[Nermal]

I got a new watch last week, it's certainly not a flash expensive one, but it's not the cheapest either. I believe it goes for around US$100.

[Edit, 7 years later: Wow, I thought that looked good? ]

 

[it5five]

For graduation my dad decided that I should have a watch.

We went out and got a Citizen eco-drive. I really hate bulky watches, and find them very ugly. We found a really nice very thin watch with a face that wasn't too big for my tiny wrist.

Here it is (the face is actually a dark blue, it looks black in the picture):

 

[rhsgolfer33]

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.

Ill 2nd you on Nixon. I've got one of their middle end watches and its great. Never had a problem with. It's good enough looking to wear with business attire and perfect for everday use as well. Plus you can pick up one of their upper end ones for under $200.

 

[zyuzin4]

Well I decided to get a watch for when I go to special events. For normal use I just use my cell phone to get the time. Not wanting to spend too much because I'm notorious for losing or breaking my watches I chose this one from Overstock.com

It's a Lucien Piccard whoever that is I like the dark blue color though. Also cheap watches are terrible for me it makes my skin itch so I take them off. Maybe thats why I lose them . This watch should be made of a better material that i'm not allergic to but I have yet to wear it for a long period of time.

My grandfather has a beautiful Rolex that I hope gets passed on to my Dad and then to me if it is still working by then. Like the one on the left

 

[erickkoch]

I treat myself to a good watch about every two years. Usually in the $120 range. I like simple, strong design, analog dial, second hand, date, light up dial. Rubber or dark leather strap, not metal. Nothing too complex. I'm partial to Deisel or similar design. I hate those watches with multiple tiny dials, but that's just me.

My current watch is everything I don't like, it's shiny, has all metal strap, and those multiple tiny dials. It keeps good time though. It was a gift so I feel obligated to wear it for a while, since my friend who gave it to me would notice if I wasn't wearing it. I'd break or loose it but he'd probably surprise me with another one. (he works in the watch dept of a store)

 

[Sesshi]

There is definitely still the element of watches as jewelry for men. I have a Breitling that I bought mainly for work about 15 years ago, plus a Citizen Ecodrive Ti that an ex-girlfriend bought for me about a decade ago. I only wear them these days when I'm going somewhere formal though, given that at other times I have at least two other things on me at all times which tells the time.

I think titanium's grey sheen makes it more more low-key and therefore more of an all-round wearable watch than something ostentatiously silver (or god forbid, gold). It's also hypoallergenic (but only of course if the band and back is titanium as well ). The only problem with ti is that it's quite soft.

 

[gwuMACaddict]

I agree. My ex bf had a Lange & Soehne watch that I believe might have cost about $20k. I believe he flew to the factory in Germany to meet the people who made his watch and get a tour of the company, and he loves watching the DVD they gave him that shows the painstaking attention to detail - and love of the trade - these watches are made with. Each timepiece is a testament to amazing traditional craftsmanship.

beautiful timepieces... interacting with the people who have actually taken the time to make your watch is an amazing experience. talking directly to the artist.

 

[awmazz]

I must say all the examples in this thread so far are very conservative and traditional style watches. I would have thought tech nerd gadget minded people would be more tech nerd gadgety in their choice of timepieces. Like this Japanese Tokyoflash diode watch (which reads 5:42 am in this pic):

Or these:

 

[samiwas]

I must say all the examples in this thread so far are very conservative and traditional style watches. I would have thought tech nerd gadget minded people would be more tech nerd gadgety in their choice of timepieces. Like this Japanese Tokyoflash diode watch (which reads 5:42 am in this pic):

This thread is also FOUR YEARS old! Dug up from the grave!

 

[renewed]

Man those were some ugly watches lol...

 

[heehee]

I would love a nice watch, but I can't afford one, yet.

 

[KeriJane]

I'm not a watch person. About the only one I ever liked was Movado.
But then I discovered Russian Watches!

Can't afford a "Nice Watch" that costs thousands or many hundreds?

Go to Russia!

The Russian watch industry is pretty impressive. You can buy a stunning Vostok Komandirskie automatic for under $100! TONS of character in a waterproof auto self-winder that's cheap enough to not worry about and strong enough to survive nearly anything.

Even the fanciest, most gadget-ridden Sturmanskie Chronograph would be hard pressed to hit $1000.

Plus, they are generally available with English or Cyrillic writing on the dial. Most of my watches are in Cyrillic and labeled: “Чайка“, “ЗАРЯ“, “Луч“ (Chaika, Zaria, Luch) and either "СДЕЛАНО В СССР" (Made in USSR) or "СДЕЛНО В РОССИЯ" (Made in Russia, post-Soviet era)
Nearly any Russian watch is a great conversation piece as they generally are just a bit "different", even if you don't read the writing on the dial.

Here's some of my collection:
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f97/keris-kollection-433596.html


Have Fun,
До свидания
Keri

PS. I don't have the black and orange mens watch but posted it to show just one example of modern Russian watchmaking.

 

[awmazz]

This thread is also FOUR YEARS old! Dug up from the grave!

Timing is everything, boom-tish!

It's odd though. I didn't resurrect this old thread. There was another post before mine so I thought I was commenting on a current active thread, but that post has since disappeared... Same thing seems to be happening to a few other threads too.

 

[doubleohseven]

Nice thread bump, whoever it was!

Not too fussed on having an exquisite, high-priced watch. I've been wearing a Casio Baby-G for the past four years, and it's in need of a band replacement...but as for a 'nice' watch? Eh. I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

 

[steviem]

I've never been fussed by watches, but my dad bought me an Armani watch for my 21st and my fiancée bought my this seiko for my 25th...

 

[crezo]

I always notice peoples watches, but mainly because I'm a bit obsessed with watch design.

I usually spend a couple of hundred pounds on a new watch every 5 years or so (because I always mange to make them look really taty). Personally for me it's about good design, not price... and no they don;t have to be linked at all. U-boat watches do it for me at the moment, love the design of them, and you can pick up really good quality 'replicas' (not fakes, replicas for around £100.

I love automatic watches, where you can see all the internals, and they generally cost around £1000 upwards. However I managed to find a ridiculously sexy watch made a chinese company called IK Colouring on ebay for just £13! This is by far one of the most attractive watches I've seen, and the price is just ridiculous. I've had a lot of people notice it and ask about it, both blokes and girls and it's the cheapest watch I've ever bought.

For me it gives me a smile every time I look at it, however weather it's IMPORTANT seems like an odd question. Who cares what other people think... is it important to YOU?!