Hahaha your recollection is fairly accurate. That's what happened I guess.
Wife and I have Hamiltons we got for our 20th anniversary.
Bought my daughter a Murph for high school grad.
Will be getting my son a Hamilton dive watch for his grad this year (crap...should probably get that ordered right away here).
And then, yes, bought an Omega Seamaster. I love it so much. I think I bought it in June 2023. I wear it every day. Sometimes I want to wear my Hamilton...but then I wear my Omega and tell myself I'll wear the Hamilton next week, but I never do.
I guess I'm not a collection guy. My Omega is all I need, but I'll never get rid of my Hamilton because I do love it and I love that my family all has Hamilton field watches.
A bit after I bonded with the Omega I deleted all my subscriptions to all the YouTube watch channels, unsubscribed from the subreddits and stopped looking at watches entirely. I'm a million percent happy with what I have and have zero desire for more or to expand into a full blown collection.
I did see a beautiful watch on an old guy in a restaurant in Canmore a couple months ago. I couldn't tell what it was, but on the way out I just told him I liked his watch and had been sneaking looks at it throughout dinner. He told me what it was and thanked me. I had never heard of the brand, but looked it up when I got home. $150k. Wow. Wish I could tell you guys what it was but my wife and I were pretty surprised at the price. Crazy thing is it looked worth it hah. Wasn't obnoxious or anything...just perfection.
Oh, we can figure this out!
Describe it.
Was is gold, or looked stainless steel? Maybe white gold or platinum in that case.
Metal bracelet, leather strap or rubber strap?
What colour was the dial or bezel?
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lol. That’s what I fear. I love quality and will pay slightly more, but I don’t think I’ll ever pay more than $2000 even if I wanted to. I’m not a baller even if the money is saved. Beyond a certain amount it doesn’t offer anything more than a conversation piece and for me I’m a lowkey person and don’t care for prestige or being part of an elite club or anything (for lack of better words to use).
Heh... I use to think the same, but my number was $1,000-1,500. Then I noted some really cool features in $4-5K watches that I'm like... that's something I'd kinda want. The Bel Canto is one of those examples.
For instance, that sound on the Bel Canto is sorta enchanting, but for me, I'd want to buy a ST Dupont lighter just for that perfect iconic "ping" sound instead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates
Oh, we can figure this out!
Describe it.
Was is gold, or looked stainless steel? Maybe white gold or platinum in that case.
Metal bracelet, leather strap or rubber strap?
What colour was the dial or bezel?
Pure shot in the dark, I'd guess A. Lange & Sohne. Something that can completely fly under the radar for those not in the know. But for those who have an idea, it's an absolute badass. It's also not one of the super popular top brands/flashy brands that I assume Sliver might have bumped into the name in some way or other in his original research (ie: AP)
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ALS is a good guess.
Was also thinking potentially a F.P Journe or Richard Mille.
Maybe just a Nautilus. Depends if Sliver looked it up and saw $150k retail price or Grey market.
ALS is a good guess.
Was also thinking potentially a F.P Journe or Richard Mille.
Maybe just a Nautilus. Depends if Sliver looked it up and saw $150k retail price or Grey market.
He said it wasn't obnoxious.
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It was definitely not a name I had come across in your standard-issue reviews. Like, Jenny Elle or Teddy Baldasar (sp?) wasn't talking about it, that's for sure. Hell, I didn't even know it was expensive. Could have been a fricken Citizen for all I knew at the time. I wasn't enamored by it because it was expensive or a name - I didn't know it was expensive and I didn't know it was a name that had any sort of pull when I commented on it to the guy. Just really liked it.
My memory is way too bogarted to give any real details for you guys. I should have posted at the time, I guess. I will say it had some yellow gold on the bezel, but it wasn't blingy in any way, shape or form. It was two-tone for sure, but not in a way that beat you over the head. I don't even like two-tone watches, so this was really odd for me to like, which is why I remember it had a yellow gold accent surrounding the bezel and then the bulk of it was stainless, or white gold or platinum...I have no clue...just know it was a silver colour.
But, yeah, as far as the name of it goes I had never heard of it.
Haha, okay scratch all that. I texted my wife. It was a Breguet.
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It was definitely not a name I had come across in your standard-issue reviews. Like, Jenny Elle or Teddy Baldasar (sp?) wasn't talking about it, that's for sure. Hell, I didn't even know it was expensive. Could have been a fricken Citizen for all I knew at the time. I wasn't enamored by it because it was expensive or a name - I didn't know it was expensive and I didn't know it was a name that had any sort of pull when I commented on it to the guy. Just really liked it.
My memory is way too bogarted to give any real details for you guys. I should have posted at the time, I guess. I will say it had some yellow gold on the bezel, but it wasn't blingy in any way, shape or form. It was two-tone for sure, but not in a way that beat you over the head. I don't even like two-tone watches, so this was really odd for me to like, which is why I remember it had a yellow gold accent surrounding the bezel and then the bulk of it was stainless, or white gold or platinum...I have no clue...just know it was a silver colour.
But, yeah, as far as the name of it goes I had never heard of it.
Haha, okay scratch all that. I texted my wife. It was a Breguet.
ooooh fun. I've yet to see a random Breguet in the wild.
Holy crap you guys are good. It has been months, but that could be it.
I'll say the picture doesn't do it justice. It was stunning.
But yeah, I seriously think that was it. I see the price is $110k in what you posted. I had thought $140k, but maybe I'm wrong or maybe the site I looked at was different...IDK. I really think that's the one, though. Thanks man!
Holy crap you guys are good. It has been months, but that could be it.
I'll say the picture doesn't do it justice. It was stunning.
But yeah, I seriously think that was it. I see the price is $110k in what you posted. I had thought $140k, but maybe I'm wrong or maybe the site I looked at was different...IDK. I really think that's the one, though. Thanks man!
The watch market is softer than it has been, so it's entirely possible that something relatively illiquid like a Breguet could be down ~30% in a matter of months... or with so few on the market, it could simply be the delta between a great example and a lesser one.
Always neat to see great watches in the wild. There's a certain je ne sais quoi with the truly special pieces when you encounter them.
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Holy crap you guys are good. It has been months, but that could be it.
I'll say the picture doesn't do it justice. It was stunning.
But yeah, I seriously think that was it. I see the price is $110k in what you posted. I had thought $140k, but maybe I'm wrong or maybe the site I looked at was different...IDK. I really think that's the one, though. Thanks man!
Those are some watches; must look incredible in person.
I've spent time in the Vacheron boutique and some of these nicer watches are mind blowing in person.
I tried on a an Overseas tourbillon that is $137,000 and it was spectacular; but the wife said no
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Those are some watches; must look incredible in person.
I've spent time in the Vacheron boutique and some of these nicer watches are mind blowing in person. I tried on a an Overseas tourbillon that is $137,000 and it was spectacular; but the wife said no
It's amazing how different the experience can be from boutique to boutique.
My favourite "tried on" story is about 20 years ago I was down in Palm Springs with my girlfriend at the time, strolling down El Paseo during some vintage car show. We wander into a jewelry store and as I gravitate to the watches, she wanders off looking at who knows what. I strike up a conversation with with the guy at the watch counter and pretty quickly it evolves into "you need to see this"... which then very quickly turned into "do you want to try it on?".
Well #### me, within 10 minutes of walking into the store, looking like a bum with shorts and flip flops on, I was wearing a Patek Philippe 5002! My familiarity at the time in my early 20s with Patek was limited to Nautilus' and Calatravas, and while I could appreciate the gravity - figuratively and literally - of what was on my wrist, I wasn't prepared for the realization that it was a million dollars! Just as I glance around to show my girlfriend, she pops up behind me and we basically both say "look at this" at the same time... me showing her the watch, and her flashing what must've been a 10-14CT diamond ring in my face. We were told we each were wearing about a million dollars!
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It was definitely not a name I had come across in your standard-issue reviews. Like, Jenny Elle or Teddy Baldasar (sp?) wasn't talking about it, that's for sure. Hell, I didn't even know it was expensive. Could have been a fricken Citizen for all I knew at the time. I wasn't enamored by it because it was expensive or a name - I didn't know it was expensive and I didn't know it was a name that had any sort of pull when I commented on it to the guy. Just really liked it.
My memory is way too bogarted to give any real details for you guys. I should have posted at the time, I guess. I will say it had some yellow gold on the bezel, but it wasn't blingy in any way, shape or form. It was two-tone for sure, but not in a way that beat you over the head. I don't even like two-tone watches, so this was really odd for me to like, which is why I remember it had a yellow gold accent surrounding the bezel and then the bulk of it was stainless, or white gold or platinum...I have no clue...just know it was a silver colour.
But, yeah, as far as the name of it goes I had never heard of it.
Haha, okay scratch all that. I texted my wife. It was a Breguet.
Nice nice. Breguet would have been my 4th guess. My order of guesses was:
1. ALS
2. JLC
3. Zenith
4. Breguet
A brand that has something in the realm of totally badass that isn't as in the spot light as other brands.
EDIT: I also love the story. Always great that someone is nice when it comes to these stories. I met a guy who was an absolute dick when I complemented his watch at a Christmas party. He was like, "Yeah, of course it is. Not like you'd know what a Panerai is." I was trying to break the ice because he was being a sort of weird in the corner by himself with his phone. #### that guy.
I'd let anyone who was impressed by my watch get a closer look and even hold it. That guy is probably the equivalent of the ######bag that doesn't like people looking at his car at a car show, and it's not even a very impressive car vs the other vehicles at the show.
Last edited by DoubleF; 04-17-2025 at 11:28 PM.
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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.
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.
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).
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.
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)
Based on what you've stated, I'd start with getting an automatic and something in the size range of 42 is probably perfect; but definitely try stuff on and see how sizing feels for you.
If you don't want a busy looking watch, you don't need more complications (features).
Skip the chronographs, day date functions, moon-phases etc.
Those generally add cost as well, because the watch is doing these from mechanical function which makes for a more complicated watch.
Some watches of the same size will feel larger/smaller too based on the lug length, how the bracelet fits etc.
It sounds like something with less complications to keep the dial simple and perhaps stick dial hour marker instead of numbers.
These are also very readily available on the used market and negotiable if buying new.
I'm not sure about the buying a $1000 watch to test things out and then buying another watch. IMO, that could end up a waste of money.
If you're going to do that, maybe buy something used that you can at least re sell for about the same price or close to if you get bored of it.
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First and foremost, automatic. Even though I have a manual-wind Omega Speedy Pro and have owned manual-wind PAMs, I would say most people are best suited to automatic watches if they’re going mechanical.
Second, get your watch on a bracelet, and buy a strap for it afterwards. If you ever resell it, it’s easier to sell with a bracelet, and to get a bracelet after the fact is much more expensive.
You mentioned you’re an engineer, so my first two recommendations here are very much engineer‘s watches.
Since the Rolex Milgauss is out of your price range, you should take a look at the Omega Aqua Terra >15,000 Gauss. Timeless Seamaster case design, Aqua Terra ‘teak’ dial, and kind of a cool sweep seconds hand that is unique to the >15,000 Gauss model. Also has a display back which someone who enjoys and appreciates the mechanical aspect of a watch will appreciate.
Alternatively, check out Ball Watch Co. Search “Ball” on Chrono24. They’re unique amongst Swiss watchmakers (nearly all watchmakers, in fact) in that they still incorporate tritium markers (in sealed tubes, denoted T or T25 on the dial near the ‘Swiss Made’ marking) in their watches for lume, instead of the SuperLuminova that the rest of the industry switched to. They glow like a torch. Across their entire lineup, they’re more aligned with your cheaper price range you mentioned too.
__________________
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GO FLAMES GO.
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Originally Posted by Azure
Typical dumb take.
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Does anyone know or have experience with Christopher Ward watches?
I would definitely recommend. I've bought 2 - Bel Canto and a Twelve X - and I think they are outstanding for the price point. The brand has really matured quite fast over the last twenty years, doing all the little things things right with a remarkable balance between innovation and quality all while keeping their prices reasonable.
They are the darling of British watch making, and now straddle the entry and mid tier levels of horology. They get respect among enthusiasts and have even won a GPHG award (horology equivalent of an Oscar).
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