[chris_s1]

OK apologies for another watch thread, but I know there are some real experts out there that can hopefully point me in the right direction.

I'm in the market for a new watch. My budget is £1k tops.

I currently wear a Seiko Titanium Kinetic which ticks all the boxes for me.
Its starting to look a little tired though and I fancy a change, perhaps to something a little more upmarket.

I have a real urge to buy a Tag, there seems to be some Carrera and F1 models under £1k but they are not exactly over-laden with features at this price. The annoyance of having to change the battery really puts me off - should it? Having had a titanium watch for years, I am worried the weight of a stainless watch will annoy me.

The Casio Oceanus looks fantastic (feature-wise, not so much asthetically), I love the automatic time setting thing, I travel through different time zones a lot so that would be great for me. I fear I am just too much of a badge snob to buy a Casio though.......

There are some Oris models that look nice but don't really know much about the brand or the costs..

Any advice on what to look at/where to buy? Other brands/models I should be looking at?

I am finding the watch market perplexing, it seems so difficult to find out what's available and how much it costs that's its really putting me off buying a more expensive watch....shops with no prices on anything just annoy me to much to go in and ask.......

My basic requirements are -
metal strap, don't like leather or rubber.
Needs to be silent, or at least very quiet as I wear it whilst sleeping
Must show date, alarm would be a plus
Not needing a battery would be a big plus
Ideally lightweight (like my current titanium)

Also, when the size of a watch is stated, eg 43mm - is that the face or the total case width?

Cheers for any advice, apologies for the obvious noob questions....
Chris

[jimmylimmy]

Do you have to buy new or are willing to buy second hand?

For £1k, I'd go for a nice lightly used automatic. Have a look at Chopard, IWC, Ebel or Sinn

[chris_s1]

I think it would have to be new

[jonl1983]

I think you will struggle to get into the realms of IWC Chopard etc for £1k.

May be worth having a look at a Longines? You can get an automatic stainless steel, date, (no alarm) form around £800. Think it's called a Sport Conquest from memory.

If you do go down the used route Blowers and Watchfinder are great

[jimmylimmy]

Longines Hydroconquest woukd be a good option.

Agreed, you wouldnt get an IWC or Chopard in budget new, hence why I suggested used

Oris would also be worth a look. Not sure if you could find a GMT in your price range but that would be useful with timezones etc

I'd avoid Tag, especially a Quartz - you are just paying for a name that has lost its appeal. They do make some nice looking watches but I wouldnt buy one new.

I had a Sinn 144 Ti (Titanium) which was very comfortable and light and used to rotate it with my Breitlings which both weigh a ton in comparison - the weight difference was only noticeable when you first put it on and soon got used to it. It's not like you will end up with an aching arm from wearing a few more ounces of steel

43mm will be the total case width.

For a grand, I doubt any of the watches you are looking at will be "in house" movements so you are really paying for Brand and aesthetics.

There are lots of brands in the lower tier luxury market and are all pretty much the same quality.

[jimmylimmy]

btw, Beaverbrooks do 0% Finance - stick a grand down as deposit and the rest on tick

[Dannyrado]

As said above, and as i've said before i LOVE my Sinn U1. So have a look at the brand.

I also live close to Cheshire Oaks outlet mall, and the Tag shop there has some nice pieces, for good prices.

My other thoughts are:
1) Do you happen to be going away anywhere in the near future? In Hong Kong for example most watches are less 20% ish, from authorised stores. Same goes for some of the Florida outlet malls.
2) My friend has an oris (williams f1, i think) and it's very nice.
3) I don't agree not to buy a new tag, just get it for the right price.

[Chris100]

The problem with the Tag shops in the Florida outlet malls is that they only tend to have older discontinued models, I was in Florida last month and found this to be the case. Before going I had in mind a perticular Tag Carrera model and found that the outlet stores did not stock it because it was a current Tag model, I did end up getting the one I wanted at a regular Tag dealer but still managed to get it for around £600 less than it would have cost me in the UK as the dealer was willing to haggle on the price something that none of the dealers in the UK seem to be willing to do.

[chris_s1]

Thanks for the advice guys. Plenty of things there to help my research.

I do travel a lot, will be in the states early next year at some point. Rarely go east though.

Thanks for the heads up about Chesire Oaks, I will be up in North Wales shortly after new year, so will have a look.

[Dannyrado]

Originally Posted by chris_s1

Thanks for the advice guys. Plenty of things there to help my research.

I do travel a lot, will be in the states early next year at some point. Rarely go east though.

Thanks for the heads up about Chesire Oaks, I will be up in North Wales shortly after new year, so will have a look.

Why would you want to go there??

[chris_s1]

Hahaha, not on holiday that's for sure!! I will be doing work at various NHS sites, Glan Clywd, Bangor, Wrexham etc etc

[CHG]

Don't discount a used watch... There are some great examples out there which look like brand new for a LOT less than retail! Plus, as soon as you wear it, it's going to get scratched anyway!

[briers]

I'm quite impressed by the Tag F1 - it's a nice looking watch to me and well under 1k.

But like you say, not that many features.

[jimmylimmy]

Originally Posted by briers

I'm quite impressed by the Tag F1 - it's a nice looking watch to me and well under 1k.

But like you say, not that many features.

why spend all that dough on a quartz?

[misterS3]

Tags aren't great for time-keeping (not always)

If you want an indestructible watch which will look good in 15 years of hard use... Rado...it's just a shame they are so limited in their designs.

[Dave_3]

I have an Oceanus - picked it up in Tokyo.

Cracking watch. Never off my wrist. Titanium case and strap, Crystal Glass, Solar charged and time controlled in the UK, mainland Europe, US, China and Japan.

Never have to bother with setting the time as I travel around the world, or for BST etc. Useful to have 3 different time zones displayed if needed.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...2&postcount=41

D.

[scooba0010]

Originally Posted by CHG

Don't discount a used watch... There are some great examples out there which look like brand new for a LOT less than retail! Plus, as soon as you wear it, it's going to get scratched anyway!

True, very true

[Billyray911]

Originally Posted by chris_s1

Thanks for the advice guys. Plenty of things there to help my research.

I do travel a lot, will be in the states early next year at some point. Rarely go east though.

Thanks for the heads up about Chesire Oaks, I will be up in North Wales shortly after new year, so will have a look.

There is also a Tag outlet at Bicester shopping village if that's any closer.

[SteveC]

In the £1000.00 range there's a lot of crap out there. Very average mass produced movements dressed up in fancy looking cases and hyped with mega $ marketing campaigns.

If you are going to spend hard earned cash on a good watch, firstly make sure you're getting a good watch!

Personally, with £1000,- to spend I would almost certainly look at the used market.

I would also consider spending a bit more to get something based on a really excellent movement that will last. The Omega's co-axial calibre for example is a real gem...accurate, long service intervals, robust and usually in a solid case. Or something based on the Zenith El Primero (unbelievably you can pick up a 400 calibre watch for something just slightly higher than your price range).
Take a look at El Primero images:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=el+...Q&ved=0CGMQsAQ

Now that's pedigree!

While most of those watches will be out of your budget, you will almost certainly be able to find a somewhat older, but hardly worn, pristine Zenith based on the 400 calibre.

Something like that represents real true value in this age of mass production. Question is, can you be bothered to put in the effort to find a really gorgeous artifact or will you settle for a £100 watch wrapped up in a £200 case with a £1000 price tag?

Admittedly its a little more than your budget but something like this is in a totally different ball park to any £1000.00 watch. Arguably better than the Rolex movements for a fraction of the cost.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ZENITH-EL-...item1e6966a45a

[chris_s1]

Originally Posted by SteveC

Question is, can you be bothered to put in the effort to find a really gorgeous artifact or will you settle for a £100 watch wrapped up in a £200 case with a £1000 price tag?

I think that's exactly the question........Thanks for your thoughts.

I'm not really a watch 'enthusiast' so if I'm really honest, the quality/pedigree of the movement and so on doesn't really excite me that much. I guess I'm really just after a flashy bit of bling that I will enjoy wearing.

[chris_s1]

Originally Posted by Billyray911

There is also a Tag outlet at Bicester shopping village if that's any closer.

Ohhh - thanks for that. I drive past that place at least twice a week and I've never been in!

[BanziBarn]

Have you considered Hamilton?

For a grand you can get this

http://www.jurawatches.co.uk/hamilto...ign=googlebase


It's got a 25 Jewels automatic movement and IMO the build quality is excellent.

Watches have been going up a lot though, I paid £790 for this only 3 years ago from a high street retailer.