Posted: 11/1/2008 8:54:28 PM EDT
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I'll admit it, I haven't owned or worn a wristwatch since the 80's. Mostly, on me, they don't keep correct time and I have a tendancy to break them. Besides, there are digital clocks all over the place : dashboard, computer, VCR, coffee maker, microwave, range, signboards. . . so I've not really needed one, until lately. Step away from the din of civilization and you can quickly lose track of time (which, admittedly, is sometimes the point).
So, now I find myself in the market for a timepiece. Never having owned anythng other than a Timex or the cheap military-issue version, I find myself unable to distinguish what makes a timepiece worth their cost. Before I go to a jewelry store (if that's still the right place to look), though, I'd kind of like to know a thing or two, so as not to ask the kind of questions that scream "sucker". I started this thread to gleen what I can from the collective experience, here. My leanings are toward a pocket watch. This is because of my history of breaking watches and they tend to irritate my wrist, but I couldn't rule out that uncomfortable feeling being due to cheap watches with cheat bands. I'd also like to avoid anything with a battery. Batteries have to be replaced, they could become hard to come by, they leak. I'd like to have something reliable I could pass down to the next generation much like the old wind-up pocket watches used to be family heirlooms. I'm not ostentacious. I have no particular love for jewel encrustation, cases or bands of precious metals for no reason, and the like. I don't need etchings or hunting scenes or the like. I believe a product of intrinsic and lasting quality has its own beauty. Luminous dial/hands, ok; date display, fine; stop watch feature, perhaps as a tie-breaker between models; swim/dive capable, absolutely; you get my point. So, what do you think? Is their a common brand or model out there that fits the bill? What should I know or ask about a timepiece? What kind of price range should I be expecting? What do you think would be best and why? |
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What's your price range? If you want an automatic mechanical then there are a lot of great options under $500.
Or you could get a solar-atomic g-shock, no dealing with batteries and it sets itself. Those are around $150. Seiko and Hamilton are great values if you choose mechanical, but most Seikos in this area must be bought over the internet because they aren't sold in America, get one made in Japan if possible. This is my favorite site for japan only Seikos[/URL] Seiko is more highly regarded among watch enthusiasts than the general public gives them credit for, just check out the [URL=http://www.seiyajapan.com/category/1_grand_seiko/]Grand Seikos to see why. my link got a little butchered but it still works 
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Quoted:
What's your price range? If you want an automatic mechanical then there are a lot of great options under $500. Or you could get a solar-atomic g-shock, no dealing with batteries and it sets itself. Those are around $150. I left out price range on purpose. Or, perhaps I should say ignorance. I'm more interested in value than cost, although I don't see spending thousands of dollars on a timepiece unless there's one Hell of a lot of "must-have" features. |
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Don't kid yourself- you're not going to get an "heirloom" for $500.
This article will give you an idea about the quality and cost of various brands (scroll down fo a table). I don't know much about pocket watches, but it seems like they're more easily lost. |
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Quoted:
Don't kid yourself- you're not going to get an "heirloom" for $500. I'm going to respectfully disagree. An heirloom is defined by it's worth as measured by the sentiment attached to it, as it's passed from one generation to the next. NOT it's worth in dollars as it's passed. Buy what you love, pass it on, and it's still an heirloom. Now, with that said, there are only a handful of brands in that price range who's build quality is high enough to physically LAST multiple generations, with only a modicum of service. (ALL automatic movements require some level of service, even the famed Rolex pieces; it is after all, a MACHINE, which means gears, lubrication, etc.) In that price range, you are probably looking at a Seiko Automatic diver, (good for the OP because of his self proclaimed durability issues) E. ETA - I'm going to contribute one more little bit for the OP; If you decide to shop in jewelry stores for your next timepiece, do NOT EVER pay what it is on the tag. Those are either list/MSRP prices, or what the dealer 'would like to get'. It is PURELY a bargaining transaction. If you find the MSRP (generally the tag), depending upon your relationship with the shop, and how badly the dealer wants to strike a deal, you can get discounts ranging from 10% off to as much as 35% off. (every percentage point you go up in discount, becomes exponentially harder. Or at least, it always feels that way) 15-20% is typically 'fair'; dealer makes a decent amount, and you're not getting hosed like the average noob that pays sticker at a place like Torneau. Good Luck! |
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Don't kid yourself- you're not going to get an "heirloom" for $500. This article will give you an idea about the quality and cost of various brands (scroll down fo a table). With respect, this article seems to focus on the luxury nature of wristwatches, an aspect I am indifferent to. Also, for clarity, I'm interested in value over cost. If a timepiece can defend its price tag with features I find of value, I'll consider the investment. Arguments of "Dude, it's a Rolex!", for example, hold no water whatsoever. A timepiece is primarily to keep time. I go nowhere or know noone I'm trying to impress, as evidenced by not owning a timepiece for twenty-some years. If the end selction happens to be a well-known/regarded brand or even something noone would recognize, so be it. |
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Quoted:
Don't kid yourself- you're not going to get an "heirloom" for $500. This article will give you an idea about the quality and cost of various brands (scroll down fo a table). With respect, this article seems to focus on the luxury nature of wristwatches, an aspect I am indifferent to. Also, for clarity, I'm interested in value over cost. If a timepiece can defend its price tag with features I find of value, I'll consider the investment. Arguments of "Dude, it's a Rolex!", for example, hold no water whatsoever. A timepiece is primarily to keep time. I go nowhere or know noone I'm trying to impress, as evidenced by not owning a timepiece for twenty-some years. I'm not trying to promote snobbery by any means. But in your OP, you mentioned "heirloom" and "passing down to future generations". There's a lot of value to be had, for sure. And I'm all for trying to find bang for the buck. And in terms of accuracy, an inexpensive Quartz will beat a Rolex. But if you wear a G shock for 30 years, I don't think your kids are going to treasure it when you die. |
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Quoted:
With respect, this article seems to focus on the luxury nature of wristwatches, an aspect I am indifferent to. Also, for clarity, I'm interested in value over cost. If a timepiece can defend its price tag with features I find of value, I'll consider the investment. Arguments of "Dude, it's a Rolex!", for example, hold no water whatsoever. A timepiece is primarily to keep time. I go nowhere or know noone I'm trying to impress, as evidenced by not owning a timepiece for twenty-some years. If the end selction happens to be a well-known/regarded brand or even something noone would recognize, so be it. Strongly suggest you look into Seiko's line of sport divers, if that style appeals to you. Their legendary rugged durability (Not as tough as a G shock, but for an automatic movement in a sealed case, DAMN impressive) will provide the strength and quality you need, while maintaining fairly accurate time. (they can be tweaked to be almost dead on based on your wearing patterns if you have the patience) http://www.makedostudio.com/watches/seiko-divers |
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Seiko SNP007 Coutura Kinetic Perpetual. Self-winding, 4yr hibernation mode, keeps track of days in the month, Leap Year, day of the week, etc. Rugged & water resistant to 100m, it's perfect for lazy people like me who are hard on their watches and don't want to spend time making adjustments for months w/differing number of days in them and such (now, if it could only take care of Daylight Savings Time!). On an aside, I'm surprised at how many compliments I've received on the appearance of this watch as its appearance didn't even figure in my decision to buy.
Paid $325 for mine. Tomac ETA: Here's one for about $295 shipped: http://cgi.ebay.com/SEIKO-MEN-PERPETUAL-KINETIC-COUTURA-CHRONO-WATCH-SNP007_W0QQitemZ350119097284QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item350119097284&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A15%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 |
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If you decide to shop in jewelry stores for your next timepiece, do NOT EVER pay what it is on the tag. Those are either list/MSRP prices, or what the dealer 'would like to get'.
It is PURELY a bargaining transaction. If you find the MSRP (generally the tag), depending upon your relationship with the shop, and how badly the dealer wants to strike a deal, you can get discounts ranging from 10% off to as much as 35% off. (every percentage point you go up in discount, becomes exponentially harder. Or at least, it always feels that way) 15-20% is typically 'fair'; dealer makes a decent amount, and you're not getting hosed like the average noob that pays sticker at a place like Torneau. Thanks for the information. I've visted jewelry stores about as often as I've bought timepieces. That's where I looked last time, becoming disgusted with the incompitence of sales personnel. |
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Quoted:
I'm not trying to promote snobbery by any means. But in your OP, you mentioned "heirloom" and "passing down to future generations". There's a lot of value to be had, for sure. And I'm all for trying to find bang for the buck. And in terms of accuracy, an inexpensive Quartz will beat a Rolex. But if you wear a G shock for 30 years, I don't think your kids are going to treasure it when you die. I think his children would treasure it, simply for the fact that he wore it for 30 years. I have the no name junk spring wound watch on a faux alligator band (real leather though) that my father wore over on the boat he immigrated to the US on, some 40+ years ago. It's worth nothing $ wise, but it's priceless to me. Could I wear it? Sure. Would I? Not so much, given the risk, and the fact that it may fall apart under daily duress after all these years. A watch like a G shock of course could not hold up after many years, simply because of it's build; it's mostly plastic. What we're talking about here though, is some kind of relatively quality piece made of base metals such as stainless steel or brass or titanium on a bracelet that will undoubtedly last generations with moderate care. There are MANY choices if you are willing to go quartz driven; this will necessitate the opening of the case back to replace the power cell every few years. Done in a clean, proper environment, there is no risk to the timepiece's water-resistance integrity at all. I myself am a geeky engineer type, and have a love for all things mechanical; so an automatic movement suits me more. Plus, I'm willing to part with the extra funds that these highly complex machines can have attached to them. This is not to say that all automatics are pricey though; machine made units like the 7S26 in the majority of Seiko's diver watches are still quite affordable. Is it noticeably worse than the movement in my Oris? Not really. Are my Breitling COSC 'tweaked' valjoux movements really worth twice or three times as much as the Oris? (not factoring in the adornment of the face, bezel, band, etc) That's for one's own wallet and stomach to decide. =) ETA - clarifying the wording of the last sentence, as I don't want anyone to think Seiko's are a third the cost of a Breitling, or that a Brietling can be had for so little. LOL. (I wish!) I had meant two or three times as much as the Oris I had just mentioned in the sentence prior. |
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I'm not trying to promote snobbery by any means. But in your OP, you mentioned "heirloom" and "passing down to future generations". There's a lot of value to be had, for sure. And I'm all for trying to find bang for the buck. And in terms of accuracy, an inexpensive Quartz will beat a Rolex. But if you wear a G shock for 30 years, I don't think your kids are going to treasure it when you die. First off, thank you for contributing to the thread. I note the contributions have come rather quickly, which I appreciate from all who have done so. What I was attempting to convey in my original post, apparently poorly, was I wanted something of such quality that it could be passed down from generation to generation, much in the way of the old family pocket watch from times past. With so much becoming disposable in our society, the fact that a mechanism continues to run properly after a hundred or more years should make it valued. Well, I think so. I distrust batteries, circuit boards (digital), and so on in a timepiece from experience, but am willing to entertain that the units I owned were cheap pieces of crap and not a good representation of what's in the marketplace. That said, it took me twenty years to get back around to looking for a timepiece, so I realize I have limited attention to bend to this matter. If I don't get this done before another crisis diverts my attention, it may be twenty years again before it makes it to the top of my priority list. |
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My suggestions would be the following; most can be had in the $500-$750 range or less. You get a lot of bang for the buck even in the higher end of that range.
Seiko automatic Diver series. Particularly the "monster" line (model SKX779). Fantastic watch for the money. Retails at $450, but is easily had for under $200. Heavy case and bracelet. There is a lot of good reviews on it if you google. Can also be had on a rubber strap and or an optional orange dial. Same movement as the traditional/classic Seiko Diver models (SKX009). You would not go wrong with any of the Seiko Auto divers either 'monster' or classic series. For a more dressy look I like the Seiko SNM005K1 (or it's brother SNM007K1). Basically if you get a anything with either the 7S26 or 7S36 movements you will have a nice timepiece for the money. I have several Seiko Diver's and I have beaten the every living snot out of them and they still work fine. Hamilton Khaki line (or Jazzmaster line if you want a dressier watch). The Khaki line was originally based on the US military issued watches of WW-II and Viet Nam (GG-113 series and earlier) Good rugged watches. Well made for the money and they use the same base movements as Omega and some other well known names. (Hamilton, Omega and Tissot are all part of the SWATCH group). I own three Hamilton's and they are one of my favorite brands. Good entry level Swiss made watch. Same can be said for Tissot. Both Hamilton and Tissot use ETA movements. There are many other brands out there too. If you want to go more expensive there is Omega, Rolex, Ball etc. All make some very nice watches. It depends on how much you want to spend. I have lately been intrigued by some offerings by Ball. But I also have a couple Hamiltons on my hit list as well as a couple Omega's. The only problem is I can't afford all of them. 
ETA: the watches I outline above are the ones I personally own. They are the ones that I have had success with. I also have several that I don't wear, not because they are bad, but they just lost there appeal to me. I prefer mechanical/automatic watches over quartz. The quartz ones are the ones I don't wear as much anymore. |