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bizaro86 · 04-20-2025, 08:50 PM

I'm looking for some watch advice, and this seems like a good place to start. For pre-amble, I'm a (very) late 30s professional. I work from home, and haven't worn anything other than a Fitbit on my wrist since I got my first Blackberry 17-18 years ago. I'm turning 40 early next year, and am thinking it might be nice to buy a milestone watch as a memento. I have a mechanical engineering degree, and have always like machines etc, and while I've never owned anything nicer than a Timex Expedition as a watch, I'm thinking now might be the time. So I have a few different requests.

1) Is there somewhere that has a good "mechanical watches for dummies" type intro/FAQ? I've checked a few of the watch forums, but most of the content seems to be things like "compare this rounded bezel to this slightly square one" which isn't really the level I'm at here. I've just figured out the difference between a chronometer and a chronograph, and a newbies page at that level would be quite helpful.

2) Any thoughts on what order/items to buy? I realize I need to provide some more detail here...

From a budget point of view, I think for a 40th watch I'd be fine to spend $5k and could maybe convince my wife that $10k was reasonable.

From a priorities point of view, I'd like something not "flashy". I have a number of friends who aren't as economically advantaged, and rolling up with an obviously expensive watch isn't something that appeals to me. I wouldn't want a Rolex for this reason, even if my budget didn't exclude most/all models.

I'm fine to buy a used watch. I don't view this as an investment (I grew up with a watch and now that I'm old and have disposable income I'm going to buy a nice one. That's not true for my kids so I don't think this is likely to be a growth area. The "Show-off factor" probably keeps it from becoming stamp collecting in an email age but I think in 30 years its a smaller hobby than it is now). But I'm happy to get "more" watch for my money by buying used, from Japan, etc.

I also think I'm going to buy a couple of different watches, largely to make sure I actually enjoy wearing/having a watch before I drop $5k on one. So I'm thinking of getting a starter one now and then doing more research. Something say <$1k, maybe even a lot less. Does that seem like a sound plan or is that wasteful? I'm also not sure about buying a $1k watch and then buying a $5k one 6 months later and then never wearing the cheaper one. Not sure about this.

In terms of style I'm going to include some links of things that have caught my eye. I definitely like clean lines - I don't want a bunch of complications (I don't care what the moon phase is and I always know the current year so I know when the next leap year is). I get why some like that but none of its for me. I definitely prefer a clean/sleek bezel as well.

Designs I sort of like are below. None are more than $2k, and I'm including them with my comments to kind of give a sense of what I like. I sort of feel all turned around on this and am hoping for some wisdom! These are the current contenders for a "starter" watch.

https://wornandwound.com/review/vide...chive-one-502/

This one is clean, classic, and I love the font. My first choice for hour markings is definitely Arabic numerals. It's a niche brand, which is maybe cool in conversation with a watch person? Not sure of the value there.

https://www.hamiltonwatch.com/en-ca/...ield-auto.html

Seems very classic. I'd rather have less numbers on the face (I don't need the hours multiplied by 2x for 24h time).

https://www.chrono24.ca/hamilton/ham...ottom=38283282

Similar watch with a black band. I really prefer the leather bands vs metal bracelets. I also like the Hamilton hands (vs the ones on many Seikos that have an arrowhead on the end of the them).

https://www.hamiltonwatch.com/en-ca/...ield-king.html

One more Hamilton, I like the black face but don't like the day of the week spelled out.

https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Tissot-...0d43eb9110b805

I really like this one, and if it had less dials on the face I'd have probably bought it already.

https://www.costco.ca/citizen-brycen...000291384.html

I like this one as well. I'd prefer an automatic and a plain bezel, although I think the eco-drive is a cool idea as well. I might buy this one to make sure I actually like wearing a watch as its inexpensive and comes with Costco's return policy.

https://www.thebay.com/product/seiko...45_color=Brown

Understated and nice. I like this watch.

https://www.costco.ca/Montblanc-Time...100390009.html

Maybe a bit more of a modern look than I'd prefer, but I still like it.

https://www.chrono24.ca/omega/geneve..._LYwMQp&pos=10

This is a vintage Omega that I liked. Is it heresy to buy something like this and then put a leather band on it?

3) What do people tend to like for sizing? I'm a bigger than average guy (6'1", 220lb) but I measured my wrist and its more average-ish size (7 1/4"). Seems like something in the 38-42mm size range is what the internet recommends, but I'd be interested in thoughts on that. I'm an understated person so am thinking maybe lean toward a smaller watch? This feels like a situation where trying something for awhile might lead to a firmer opinion, so that's one of the reasons I'm thinking of buying a cheaper starter watch, as I'd hate to buy a $10k 42mm and then sell it 2 months later because I wanted a 38mm or vice-versa.

4) Are there features/specifications that anyone thinks are must-have? I'm inclined toward getting an automatic, but past that have no strong opinions.

Anyway, I apologize for the wall of text here and am interested to hear anyone's thoughts/perspective about any of this!

Edited to add: Right now I'm leaning toward the following path: 1) the Citizen eco-drive from Costco then 2) a Hamilton Khaki field watch then 3) an Omega Seamaster (maybe vintage)

04-20-2025, 08:50 PM	#2175
bizaro86 Franchise Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Exp:	I'm looking for some watch advice, and this seems like a good place to start. For pre-amble, I'm a (very) late 30s professional. I work from home, and haven't worn anything other than a Fitbit on my wrist since I got my first Blackberry 17-18 years ago. I'm turning 40 early next year, and am thinking it might be nice to buy a milestone watch as a memento. I have a mechanical engineering degree, and have always like machines etc, and while I've never owned anything nicer than a Timex Expedition as a watch, I'm thinking now might be the time. So I have a few different requests. 1) Is there somewhere that has a good "mechanical watches for dummies" type intro/FAQ? I've checked a few of the watch forums, but most of the content seems to be things like "compare this rounded bezel to this slightly square one" which isn't really the level I'm at here. I've just figured out the difference between a chronometer and a chronograph, and a newbies page at that level would be quite helpful. 2) Any thoughts on what order/items to buy? I realize I need to provide some more detail here... From a budget point of view, I think for a 40th watch I'd be fine to spend $5k and could maybe convince my wife that $10k was reasonable. From a priorities point of view, I'd like something not "flashy". I have a number of friends who aren't as economically advantaged, and rolling up with an obviously expensive watch isn't something that appeals to me. I wouldn't want a Rolex for this reason, even if my budget didn't exclude most/all models. I'm fine to buy a used watch. I don't view this as an investment (I grew up with a watch and now that I'm old and have disposable income I'm going to buy a nice one. That's not true for my kids so I don't think this is likely to be a growth area. The "Show-off factor" probably keeps it from becoming stamp collecting in an email age but I think in 30 years its a smaller hobby than it is now). But I'm happy to get "more" watch for my money by buying used, from Japan, etc. I also think I'm going to buy a couple of different watches, largely to make sure I actually enjoy wearing/having a watch before I drop $5k on one. So I'm thinking of getting a starter one now and then doing more research. Something say <$1k, maybe even a lot less. Does that seem like a sound plan or is that wasteful? I'm also not sure about buying a $1k watch and then buying a $5k one 6 months later and then never wearing the cheaper one. Not sure about this. In terms of style I'm going to include some links of things that have caught my eye. I definitely like clean lines - I don't want a bunch of complications (I don't care what the moon phase is and I always know the current year so I know when the next leap year is). I get why some like that but none of its for me. I definitely prefer a clean/sleek bezel as well. Designs I sort of like are below. None are more than $2k, and I'm including them with my comments to kind of give a sense of what I like. I sort of feel all turned around on this and am hoping for some wisdom! These are the current contenders for a "starter" watch. https://wornandwound.com/review/vide...chive-one-502/ This one is clean, classic, and I love the font. My first choice for hour markings is definitely Arabic numerals. It's a niche brand, which is maybe cool in conversation with a watch person? Not sure of the value there. https://www.hamiltonwatch.com/en-ca/...ield-auto.html Seems very classic. I'd rather have less numbers on the face (I don't need the hours multiplied by 2x for 24h time). https://www.chrono24.ca/hamilton/ham...ottom=38283282 Similar watch with a black band. I really prefer the leather bands vs metal bracelets. I also like the Hamilton hands (vs the ones on many Seikos that have an arrowhead on the end of the them). https://www.hamiltonwatch.com/en-ca/...ield-king.html One more Hamilton, I like the black face but don't like the day of the week spelled out. https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Tissot-...0d43eb9110b805 I really like this one, and if it had less dials on the face I'd have probably bought it already. https://www.costco.ca/citizen-brycen...000291384.html I like this one as well. I'd prefer an automatic and a plain bezel, although I think the eco-drive is a cool idea as well. I might buy this one to make sure I actually like wearing a watch as its inexpensive and comes with Costco's return policy. https://www.thebay.com/product/seiko...45_color=Brown Understated and nice. I like this watch. https://www.costco.ca/Montblanc-Time...100390009.html Maybe a bit more of a modern look than I'd prefer, but I still like it. https://www.chrono24.ca/omega/geneve..._LYwMQp&pos=10 This is a vintage Omega that I liked. Is it heresy to buy something like this and then put a leather band on it? 3) What do people tend to like for sizing? I'm a bigger than average guy (6'1", 220lb) but I measured my wrist and its more average-ish size (7 1/4"). Seems like something in the 38-42mm size range is what the internet recommends, but I'd be interested in thoughts on that. I'm an understated person so am thinking maybe lean toward a smaller watch? This feels like a situation where trying something for awhile might lead to a firmer opinion, so that's one of the reasons I'm thinking of buying a cheaper starter watch, as I'd hate to buy a $10k 42mm and then sell it 2 months later because I wanted a 38mm or vice-versa. 4) Are there features/specifications that anyone thinks are must-have? I'm inclined toward getting an automatic, but past that have no strong opinions. Anyway, I apologize for the wall of text here and am interested to hear anyone's thoughts/perspective about any of this! Edited to add: Right now I'm leaning toward the following path: 1) the Citizen eco-drive from Costco then 2) a Hamilton Khaki field watch then 3) an Omega Seamaster (maybe vintage) Last edited by bizaro86; 04-20-2025 at 08:53 PM.