What watch do you wear?

The DX3 is my favorite cheap watch, which I have in a variety of styles.

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I’m currently looking at watches and am wondering what everyone’s recommendations would be for something in the $500-$1500 range. Thanks in advance
 
marchone said:
Plenty.

Dress? Diver? Chronograph? For a start. Other functions? GMT? Mechanical? Quartz? Solar?
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Something simple and classic. Minimal features. Maybe only additional feature would be the date. I don’t need much.

Mechanical I guess. I’m new to watches.

On the higher end of my budget I’ve been looking at the German pilot watches (liking Stowa). And on the lower end I’ve been looking at Seiko.
 
Wishfulthinker580 said:
Something simple and classic. Minimal features. Maybe only additional feature would be the date. I don’t need much.

Mechanical I guess. I’m new to watches.

On the higher end of my budget I’ve been looking at the German pilot watches (liking Stowa). And on the lower end I’ve been looking at Seiko.
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There are tons of great options within your price range (established Swiss brands such as Certina, Hamilton, Mido, Tissot, etc. plus quite a few microbrands) but it’s hard to go wrong with either of those. I’m wearing my Stowa Flieger Classic as I type this btw.
 
Wishfulthinker580 said:
Something simple and classic. Minimal features. Maybe only additional feature would be the date. I don’t need much.
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One class of watches that fits this would be what we call field watches. They aren't dressy.
Most diver watches would fit this too, some are more basic and some are more stylish so that depends on your tastes.
Seiko, Citizen and Orient all make reasonable dive watches and field watches.
Another style you might consider is the Rolex Explorer, a tough classic simple watch. Obviously Rolex would not be in your price range but lots of manufacturers make watches with similar styling.
A couple of retailers to look at would be Long Island Watches and Gnomon watches, look at the brands that they sell. Whatever you do stay don't consider buying from a jewelry store or department store, they have very high markups.
 
Wishfulthinker580 said:
Something simple and classic. Minimal features. Maybe only additional feature would be the date. I don’t need much.

Mechanical I guess. I’m new to watches.

On the higher end of my budget I’ve been looking at the German pilot watches (liking Stowa). And on the lower end I’ve been looking at Seiko.
Click to expand...

Don't forget field watches, whether Hamilton, Boldr, Bertucci, or even the right model of Timex Weekender.

I like a relatively uncomplicated face. I also like reasonably durable budget watches, so mine fall comfortably on the lower end of the cost spectrum (all quartz). Here are a couple from Bertucci. I usually wear the resin-case models but with only 50m water resistance, I'll grab the 100m steel-case version for swimming, boating, etc. There is a lume shot in dim light at the top of the page.

BTW, different straps or bands is part of the fun. The steel one here is wearing one similar to the type first popularized in an early Bond film.

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Here are some examples of my Hamiltons that all cost <$1500 (I think). This is my Hamilton Harrison Ford Conservation Chronograph. A Khaki field watch might be $400-600 I think.

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This is my Hamilton World Timer

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Stock photo, not on my wrist.

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This is the model I gave my younger brother one year for Christmas (Ti in DLC)

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Here is a Hamilton GMT I got rid of a while back

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Wishfulthinker580 said:
Something simple and classic. Minimal features. Maybe only additional feature would be the date. I don’t need much.

Mechanical I guess. I’m new to watches.

On the higher end of my budget I’ve been looking at the German pilot watches (liking Stowa). And on the lower end I’ve been looking at Seiko.
Click to expand...

Check out the Marathon Steel Navigator. You can get it with or without the date. Excellent watch in the middle of your price range.
 
Baltic, Vaer, Benrus and Maen are well regarded micro brands worth looking at in your price range. For a simple 3-hander anyway.

Stowa, along with Laco, Junghans, Ollech and Wajs, and Archimede, among others are solid German brands. Accessible Swiss brands exist like Mido.

Seiko has a product at every price point. From $150 to over $150K. Quartz, mechanical, automatic, manual, solar, hybrid MecaQuartz and Spring Drive. They dominate the industry for vertical operations to produce everything in-house. Everything.

Casio, Citizen, Timex …

Scurfa, Luminox, Marathon, CWC …

GPW, Farer, Victorinox …
 
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Wishfulthinker580 said:
Something simple and classic. Minimal features. Maybe only additional feature would be the date. I don’t need much.
Click to expand...
I, too, prefer a simple, classic watch face. Most of my watches don't even numbers on the dial, just indices. I would happily have passed on the date complication; but I see relatively few watches without it. (Though, admittedly, I wasn't actively seeking watches with no date).
Zodiac Olympos (numbers, but no date)
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And, to follow-up on the recommendation of DocJekl DocJekl , Hamilton Spirit of Liberty
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Stock images used - I have posted my Hamilton in this thread. I tend not to wear the Zodiac, for some reason,
 
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