Originally Posted by Table 5
Others have covered it well, but a few thoughts:
If this is your first watch, I would recommend getting a classic stainless-steel sports watch, on a bracelet, with a neutral coloured dial (black, white, silver....maybe blue if you're feeling frisky). Assuming it's from a quality brand, that watch will serve you well for 90% of professional and social settings. They can be dressed up or down, go with everything from t-shirts and most suits, and will usually mean you can wear it for decades if you want.
Dress watches are cool, but their use-case is much narrower, and a good quality one isn't cheap because they are all about material quality and craftsmanship. So unless your day involves walking around being a real fancy boy, leave this for later.*
Avoid the trap of skeletons, exotic materials, funky/coloured dials etc. The novelty wears off fast (as well as value). Leave that for down the line.
It might be heresy for enthusiasts, but for most people, a quartz watch is going to a better use of funds than an equivalent mechanical movement. A lot of the appeal of a "nice" watch comes from the better materials, the case, the finishing quality etc. Having a mechanical movement is cool, but for most, it's not worth the cost premium...especially when you consider servicing costs. The last time I asked about sending in my Speedy for a servicing, it was going to be about a $1000 (having said that, I've had mine for almost 15 years without a service and it's still running fine).
*If you do need a more affordable dress watch, I think something like the Seiko Cocktail Time is a great one.
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