Watch pros

[Axelfuzz]

Recommend a watch for me. My budget is $3k or less. I'm open to a variety of brands.

Here's my basic criteria:
No gold
Normal face (I can't get into the oversize face thing)


Ready. Set. Go.

[BayMoWe335]

Save for a more expensive watch.

\Thread

[Mr Tonka]

Yeah, i'm no expert, but i think $3k is kinda like no man's land with regards to watches.

[ScotchAndCigar]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

Save for a more expensive watch.
\Thread

That's ridiculous advice.

Non-ridiculous advice: Tag Heuer Carrera Chrono Automatic. There are pics in the watch threads here. Sporty and classy, popular with BMW owners.

[BTM]

Have an Oris that lists for 2,something, but can be had for much less. I love it. There are plenty of quality pieces out there. Decide what you want to use the watch for, what your style is, and this will help you narrow down your choices. In your price bracket, there are a lot.

(normal face doesn't say anything. How large a case looks depends on how big your wrist is. So you should try some on and get an idea of what size case fits your wrist best)

[ScotchAndCigar]

Originally Posted by MP0WER

Yeah, i'm no expert, but i think $3k is kinda like no man's land with regards to watches.

Don't really know why the posts are all looking like this.

So aside from most of the TAG automatics, there's the Omega Seamaster, or the Oris TT. Yes, for $3K you can't get a panerai, rolex, or IWC. But there's a million top brand watches for 2-3K.

[BMWonderful]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

Save for a more expensive watch.

\Thread

You know, I will never understand why people who drive bmw's are sterotyped as pricks so often. I for one see shining examples of the best of society all over this forum everyday, makes me real proud to own a bmw just like these people.

OP, you should just take the 3k in cash and burn it, then you will be really boss and you won't have to go through the inconvenience of having to wear the monthly take home pay of a lot of people in this country on your wrist. That is obviously ghetto.






Oh, and in be for "i was just kidding."

[E92TTKING]

go to costco and check out what they have

[BTM]

Originally Posted by greek335xi

go to costco and check out what they have

No.

[ItsHectic]

Meh at blowing cash on something that isn't needed anymore.

Unless you actually see a watch you really want or you: (lol) need to fit in with associates who will judge you for not wearing a watch I wouldn't bother.

I think a watch should be a gift or overseas memoir purchase or something I dunno.

[BTM]

Originally Posted by JustMe

Meh at blowing cash on something that isn't needed anymore.

Unless you actually see a watch you really want or you: (lol) need to fit in with associates who will judge you for not wearing a watch I wouldn't bother.

I think a watch should be a gift or overseas memoir purchase or something I dunno.

I suspect you don't explicitly need more than a base Nissan Versa (or the like) to drive from place to place. Watches, for many, are much like cars. Many (maybe most?) don't have any idea why you would spend what you do on them, because to them, they're just items, or appliances. They serve a strict purpose, and that's it. My phone tells much more accurate time than my watch, and I could drive a much cheaper and economical car. But as a car person, you know that it's not that it gets the job done, it's how it gets the job done. It's how it drives, turns, brakes, accelerates, etc. Watches are similar to this. It's how it feels. It's the substance of it. It's the way you can see the movement through the back of the case. It's something that doesn't and shouldn't be purely "rational" (to misuse the term as I know it) and the fact that someone has a nice one that they appreciate, that you may not understand or purchase yourself, does not mean that they shouldn't have purchased it.

[ItsHectic]

Good point, I didn't see it like that cause the OP seems a bit temperamental about it and I myself am not a watch person.

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by ScotchAndCigar

That's ridiculous advice.

Non-ridiculous advice: Tag Heuer Carrera Chrono Automatic. There are pics in the watch threads here. Sporty and classy, popular with BMW owners.

Tag watches basically suck.. Really...

[BTM]

Originally Posted by matthewk

Tag watches basically suck.. Really...

Care to expound upon this? While they're certainly not the most original, depending on what you get, a decent tag is nothing to scoff at, as far as I know.

[matthewk]

If you really want to buy a "nice" watch. Save $2k more and get a IWC Portuguese, a pre-owned Rolex Explorer II (with the 42's coming out the 40's will drop a bit), a Panerai 005 or 111, Cartier Santos or if you can find a deal a Calibre, Zenith VPH, etc etc etc...

$5k is really the point at which you leave the playground into really nice timepieces. If you are set on $3k call Dario at Kenjo in NYC and tell him to send you a Breitling at a good discount.

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by BTM

Care to expound upon this? While they're certainly not the most original, depending on what you get, a decent tag is nothing to scoff at, as far as I know.

Because there movements are total junk.. I mean like $20 mass produced junk. They went on and on about how they were becoming more and more of a high end focused brand and then it turned out that their new "in-house" movement was really a Seiko mass produced movement.

I have never owned a Tag nor would I. That's the funny thing about that brand, or it's at least my suspicion, over 99% of the people that wear one on their wrist basically know nothing about them.. The Heuer brand was once something special, but when Technique d'Advantgarde got ahold of them it really went downhill, now that it's a LVMH product it's very pretty but nothing nice inside.

I do however find the Grand Carrera RS to be one of the most beautiful watches I have ever seen..

AND, to add to my list above, the Omega Seamaster is a very nice dive watch...

[UltimateBMW]

Omega Seamaster 300M

[Cdnrockies]

Originally Posted by matthewk

Because there movements are total junk.. I mean like $20 mass produced junk. They went on and on about how they were becoming more and more of a high end focused brand and then it turned out that their new "in-house" movement was really a Seiko mass produced movement.

I have never owned a Tag nor would I. That's the funny thing about that brand, or it's at least my suspicion, over 99% of the people that wear one on their wrist basically know nothing about them.. The Heuer brand was once something special, but when Technique d'Advantgarde got ahold of them it really went downhill, now that it's a LVMH product it's very pretty but nothing nice inside.

I do however find the Grand Carrera RS to be one of the most beautiful watches I have ever seen..

AND, to add to my list above, the Omega Seamaster is a very nice dive watch...

You rag on the Tag's but suggest a Rolex based on movements?

My Grand Carrera keeps better actual time than any of my buddies Rolex's.

[ScotchAndCigar]

Originally Posted by matthewk

Because there movements are total junk.. I mean like $20 mass produced junk. They went on and on about how they were becoming more and more of a high end focused brand and then it turned out that their new "in-house" movement was really a Seiko mass produced movement.

I have never owned a Tag nor would I. That's the funny thing about that brand, or it's at least my suspicion, over 99% of the people that wear one on their wrist basically know nothing about them.

You're just an ignorant fool. Your uninformed comments about the TAG movement proves that you don't know what the hell you're talking about. There is absolutely no relationship between the high quality, smoothly weighted, hacking movement of a TAG and the toy-like non-hacking movement of a standard-line seiko. It's like trying to claim that my car has a Geo Metro 3-banger underhood instead of a BMW 6.

Here are the facts: TAG is a large multinational company with a lot of marketing power, and the mass-produced nature of their watches is not as pure, fundamental, or handmade as the little old swiss watch manufacturers. It's kinda like comparing, say, BMW to Bentley, Ferrari, or Panoz. And just like with BMW owners, there are some TAG owners who are not WIS's, but many of them are - just check the watch forums.

You know, it's unfortunate the the OP didn't ask the same question on watchuseek or timezone, because he would have been heartily welcomed and given many choices for his money. Instead, it's a contest for the most pompous-ass BMW snob stereotype, and you're leading the pack.

[edirtaynine]

baume mercier. my favorite for "budget" nice watches

[Robin_NL]

Rolex Submariner No date perhaps? Anyway, > 4k US$ ...sorry.
Great watch, classic, great resale value.

'below' such a Rolex, I 'd go for a Omega Seamaster as well.

Tag Heuer isn't that bad. My first expensive watch(1000,- guilders!) was a Tag Heuer in 1986 , a 1000 quartz.

BTW my old man is a professional watmaker for over 40 years now . His favourites are Rolex, JLC and Patek.fwiw.

I also like the Oris divers collection.

[Erie Von Otto]

Breitling are the most beautiful to me. I have dreamed of owning one for many years, and will continue dreaming. I have not worn a wristwatch since my first cell phone in the mid nineties. Kudos to you for having the $3k for a nice time piece. Maybe when my kids become doctors they can buy me one for my 60th birthday... Good luck on your quest!