Looking for a nice automatic watch?

If you get a (non-Seiko) automatic, get ready for pricey service every 4-5 years. The Valjoux movement in my chronograph cost >$400 every 4-5 years to maintain.
 
To answer your last question: yes, $1k will get you a Spyderco/Kershaw watch, but not a Sebenza watch.

IMO it'll cost you $2500-$3500 to get a new watch that fits into the same category as the Sebenza; I consider my Aqua Terra to be roughly in this category. (That's not to say that a Hamilton or a Seiko isn't a good watch, just as Kershaw and Spyderco make good knives, of course.)

If you want to take the analogy further, there's a great thread of pics of Sebenzas and watches going on here.
 
So-Lo said:
Me being a total NOOb though $1000 would buy a higher end watch but boy O boy was I wrong. :o

I am looking at all the links posted and my taste seems to be in the $2000+ range. :eek: With that said, do I save more or go for a quartz? Reading around and it seems quartz will keep better time, but autos have more soul?

Maybe I should of asked for quartz recommendations? Man I don't have a clue what the hell I am looking for. :foot:

What would you get for $1000 maybe a little more? Thanks in advance! :cool:
Click to expand...

Price wise I don't think you'll save much money by going for a quartz version of a particular watch rather than the auto version, but that's a guess as I've never looked at the quartz ones. You should also understand that there are cheap quartz movements and better ones...they aren't all equal. One nice thing about a mechanical (auto) movement is that if it breaks it can usually be fixed whereas if a quartz movement breaks they have to replace the entire movement. If resale value is something to consider you usually will not get as much of your money back for a quartz watch. Most watch collectors avoid quartz like the plague.

As someone mentioned, if you buy used you can get more watch for your money. The sales corner at Timezone is a good place to keep an eye on. Sometimes you have to be patient to find what you want at the price you want. I bought a lightly used Omega Speedmaster for not much more than $1k at Bernard last year....I wanted a particular model and it took me probably 6 months of watching the watch sites to find one for sale. The one I have looks like this one...they aren't my pics, they're much better than I could take. :D
 
ChadHahn said:
Your best bet is to go to watchuseek or some forum like that and read a bunch of posts. You should be able to get a good idea of what you like there.

Chad

P.S. What is an Omega Speedbird? Did the poster mean Speedmaster?
Click to expand...

yup. i meant a SpeedMASTER

a speedbird is another watch entirely. :o
 
I have done quite a bit of research, and asked opinions of watch dealers. The word I have, is go with an Omega. For the money it is a good value. The movement is excellent. They have models that are not decked out with gold and fancy jewels. The olympics use an Omega clock to record the times. The Omega Speedmaster was the only watch that Nasa found to be space qualified. The astronauts wore the Omega Speedmaster, Moon Watch on the Apollo missions. The high quality is the reason for this.
 
Grouch said:
If you get a (non-Seiko) automatic, get ready for pricey service every 4-5 years. The Valjoux movement in my chronograph cost >$400 every 4-5 years to maintain.
Click to expand...

its certainly a good idea to service every few yrs but not always a must, i have a omega seamaster that belonged to my dad, he wore it for 10 or 15 yrs and i have had it since he passed in '93 and it still works fine and never had the back off.

its not a bad idea though.

i also got my rolex GMT2 in '01 and i suppose technically it should be serviced but what the heck it runs fine so i'll do it sometime or another.

also have a '79 seiko divers which has never had the back off, it still works ok, loses 2 or 3 minutes a week, not bad for 30 yrs though lol, my sons been wearing it lately, i need to send it to yao for a mod or 2 and service.
 
bot me a CITIZEN "ECO-DRIVE" watch in a pawn shop appx. 2 yrs ago. it retails for $325. i got it for $85. AND got him to throw in a CASE SODBUSTER JR.(nib). oh yeah, i'm new here and i've learned more about GOOD knives in 2 days than in last 20 yrs. thanks. paul (old)
 
ChadHahn said:
Hamilton is owned by Swatch which also own ETA the movement company. Some of the Hamiltons probably have the same movement that is in the Carrera.

Chad
Click to expand...

Most of the mid range Swatch owned companies, including Omega, now use a series of common movements. I found that out the hard way when I wanted to get an old Omega worked on. Swatch has stopped supporting or working on the old Omegas, which were as good or possibly better than Rolex's "budget" line Tudor.
 
I'm a bit of a watch nut but one thing the watches in my collection have in common is that I was passionate about them all at the time of purchase.
If you intend to spend a reasonably tidy sum, you owe it to yourself to get a real feel for what's out there.
Check out the various watch magazines and forums. Acquire manufacturers catalogues.
That said, a secondhand Omega, as suggested by others, is a sound choice.
However, the 'moon' watch is the Speedmaster Professional and it's manual, not automatic (you have to wind it up every day, very old school).
There is a Speedmaster automatic though.
New, you might consider Oris, I'm fond of the Chronoris although it might be outwith your budget.
The Doxa was good advise and you may wish to consider German makes. They are less commonplace than the big Swiss brands and excellent quality, Sinn being just one of many companies.
 
I've heard nothing but great things about hamilton, doxa, sinn, revue thommen and ollech & wajs. You can't go wrong with a Valjoux 7750 powered chronograph from ANYONE as ETA is very strict when it comes to selling their movements to people who have the tooling and skill to use them in their timepieces.

I know it may be a medium sized watch, but the Omega Speedmaster wears much larger than you'd think and is one of the most aesthetically pleasing watches I've ever seen. Theres a very high end Jewelry/Watch chain here called Leo Hamel and CO. that deals exclusively in the cream of the crop. I chatted with the owner and proprietor while there a while ago and discovered that one of the two main watches he wears is none other than a Speedmaster Professional (the wind up watch that Armstrong wore on the moon).

If HE wears that watch...out of ALL the possible watches he could wear...which would be nearly ANY watch: you know it's a fine timepiece.

For around $900 you could find a "reduced" model on Ebay. It's not the wind up...it's an auto. Mine is 2.5 seconds or less fast a day. It's extremely accurate...within a second of my Seamaster Chrono which is COSC certified.

The movement is based off the ETA 2892-A2 overlaid with the Dubois Depraz Chronograph module and is very similar to a like movement that can be found in $20,000 watches.

I think you can get the best bang for your buck with this watch. It's one that will be an heirloom. People say you need a $400 service every 4-5 years but really....you just need to wear it until it stops working or starts running very fast or slow. Which will certainly be more than 5 years. Not servicing your watch won't hurt it. It's a premium watch and the wear points pivot on jewels...which won't be wearing.
 
Grouch said:
If you get a (non-Seiko) automatic, get ready for pricey service every 4-5 years. The Valjoux movement in my chronograph cost >$400 every 4-5 years to maintain.
Click to expand...

Why is this different for the Seikos? Are they more reliable or is it that the service is warrantied?
 
Swiss watches are designed to keep working for a very long time with regular servicing.

Seikos (and Citizens) are designed to keep working as long as possible without any servicing at all.

Watch servicing isn't very available in most of Asia....
 
I just bought an Alessi Luna. It's a modern design and is actually part of the MOMA collection. Beautifully made and extremely comfortable to wear. Italian design at it's best. Comes in brown, red, blue, and black.

alessi-luna-wrist-watch.jpg



Best part is the reasonable price. $95. I've held $10,000 watches and although everyone knows an Alessi is never going to be more than a few hundred dollars, this one is very well crafted.
 
the sinn i like is ~$1350 its a 103 acrylic...........i want a bracelet though vs the strap but the strap looks pretty good too imho.
 

Attachments

  • sinn103st_477_general.jpg
    sinn103st_477_general.jpg
    14.4 KB · Views: 15
Sinn make some realy really nice watches, iv thought about one a few times but never actually went for it.

I have Tag, Glysine and Breitling autos. Im a big fan of Tag Heuer thoug so thats what i would say you go for.
I have worn Tags for about 12 years and never had any sort of problems with them at all.
My favorite watch of all time is the Tag Aquaracer auto :thumbup:

Auto watches become addictive though, do you really need another thing to start collecting :eek::D
 
I have been wearing a TAG for 7+ years now myself, and have never had a problem with mine either.

I am personally quite fond of Ball watches as well. I also like Sinn watches too.
 
The only thing I would say about companies like Tag and Rolex is that you pay for more than you get in the sense that you can get a comparable watch in every sense for less that just doesn't have the name/prestige. Both companies spend LOADS of $$ on their advertising and the cost is directly transferred to you when you buy their watch. You do spend some extra change for the name.

Just like comparing the Rolex Sea Dweller and the Omega Planet Ocean. Both very comparable (I've saw an incredible post on watchuseek.com on this) both are top notch in every aspect. Both chronometers. But one is half the price of the other. People could go back and forth all day saying one is better than the other but when I see that....apart from the price it's the whole Ford and Chevy thing. Really.

If you get the right watch from the right maker/company and get it used....sorry....PREOWNED :p off that auction site for example....you can get an amazing deal and WAY more bang for your buck. I've even seen some great deals on Rolex come and go. Heck, if I had more $$ I'd have probably went for it.....I'd love a Rolex but in terms of whats available to me financially and cost efficiency.....my Omega's were the way to go.

My Seamaster Bond Chrono (blue) keeps 1.5 second fast per day consistently and my Speeder keeps around 2.5-3.0 sometimes less a + a day. Both have perfect fit and finish and are a joy to wear. I got both for what it would normally cost for a Oyster GMT.

But if a Oyster GMT is what you have your heart set on.....there's nothing else for you ;)

Admittedly, while many other companies buy high end movements...in fact: MOST companies do and customise/rework them to their specs.....Rolex has all in house movts.

No matter what quartz watch you get be it a Tag or a Seiko...if it breaks you can send it to the manufacturer, they'll rip out the movt and stick a new one in cheaply. Quartz will almost always tell better time than the best autos and it's WAAAAY cheaper. But it's the difference between a Yugo and a Bentley for a watch lover.
 
Haze said:
Sinn make some realy really nice watches, iv thought about one a few times but never actually went for it.

I have Tag, Glysine and Breitling autos. Im a big fan of Tag Heuer thoug so thats what i would say you go for.
I have worn Tags for about 12 years and never had any sort of problems with them at all.
My favorite watch of all time is the Tag Aquaracer auto :thumbup:

Auto watches become addictive though, do you really need another thing to start collecting :eek::D
Click to expand...


Which Breitling do you have? I absolutely love the Navitimer and hope to own one some day. What do you think of your Breitling, is it a favorite?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top