One for the watch enthusiasts..

ajf

ajf

ajf

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Joined
30 Oct 2006
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Worcestershire, UK
I have wanted a nice 'mechanical' watch for many years and hopefully next year will be in a position to buy something.
Hoping to budget upto £1500.
What should I look for? Reading some of the posts here has surprised me with the reputation some manufacturers seem to have (such as Tag) and also that some use bought in movements.
Within my budget are there any watches that are good quality made by the manufacturer?
I am not after an all singing all dancing watch, but would like something simple but stylish. It would also be nice if the movement is visible in some way as it is the craftmanship that has always intrigued me with watches.

Two I have seen are an Oris BC3 and TT1. What else should I look at? I assume the likes of Rolex are out of budget?

On a different note, assuming these are genuine are they a good budget watch:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SEIKO-MENS-AU...ryZ31387QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SEIKO-DAYTONA...ryZ31387QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks
Andrew
 
A used Rolex , maybe a ND sub or ExpII could be within budget , for £1500 new I would look at the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean


re visible movements this is not something that mnay of the good watchmakers go for, Panerai do though but at £1500 you would be struggling , one reason is that the movement on an automatic watch is generally not much to look at as the rotor covers a lot of it
 
I find most of the Omegas bulky looking. The De Ville co-axial GMT seems nice but a bit out of my league I think!
Cheapest Rolex I had seen and liked online were the Air King - not sure if these have a good reputation from reading around?. Also like the DateJust models.
Not too bothered about the visible movement, just nice if it was something that was featured.

How are the Oris watches percieved? I know they are considerably cheaper than Omega etc so presumably not 'as good' but at the lower end of the market I am looking at is there a siginificant difference in quality between the good brands?
 
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Ive had this watch for 5 years and its never been off my wrist, i even have a manual job and its still in top notch condition and has never given me any problems whatsoever.Though it is battery powered and not mechanical.
0449_3.JPG
 
bbspeed said:
brietling navitimer
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£1500 would be pushing it, maybe a used one on leather strap might just get down to that sort of figure

if he really wants an "in house" movement then that would rule most Breitlings out , though at £1500 it rules most "in house" brands out
 
Maurice LaCroix perhaps?

The mechanisms are based on sound ETA designs and the designs offer something a little different.
 
Rotty said:
other reasonable brands to look at

Epos, Fortis, Oris , Sinn , Ollech & Wajs, IWC
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Those Ollech & Wajs watches seem good for looks/value but they (specifically the M series) bare a distinct resemblence to one of the Rolex models to an amateur eye?

Also what do these bulky diver watches look like on thin forearms? I've only ever seen them on stubby ones.
 
Thank you for all the replies. Done a bit more reading also about movements and was surprised hwo many use the ETA movements as their base. I assume therefore that most of those watches are still of a high quality?

An in house movement would have been nice had it been in my budget but as Rotty replied there seem to be few/none in my range so I will look at what is available for my price range.

The Oris range has the most that I really like. I couldn't find any IWC that would have been affordable but there were wuite a few nice watches if I win the lottery!
The Ollech and Wajs seem very cheap but I really like the designs.

If I was to look at a second hand watch where are the best places to look or purchase?

Also out of interest, what is it about the Tag watches that have a bad name on here?

Andrew
 
You could get a nice Tag for £1500 (well less actually), maybe something like a Carerra, I know a lot of people here don't like them because they're not technically built in Switzerland but still I think they are a very nice looking watch, durable and accurate. I've had my Tag Link for 3 years now and still going strong, no scratches either. My mate bought a Rolex 3 months ago and the strap on his is already scatched up but then that is probably down to it being a cheaper model (Air King) and having a matte finish.
 
ajf said:
Also out of interest, what is it about the Tag watches that have a bad name on here?
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Tag are a design and marketing company rather than a watchmaker , they contract out the case manufacture, buy generic movements ( on most models ) and have them assembled in many places ( often the far east ) , they are oackaged in Switzerland to enable them to be sold as "swiss made"

they generally are hard wearing and have a lot to choose from , the downsides are as above and horrific depreciation
 
Sirrel Squirrel said:
You could get a nice Tag for £1500 (well less actually), maybe something like a Carerra, I know a lot of people here don't like them because they're not technically built in Switzerland but still I think they are a very nice looking watch, durable and accurate. I've had my Tag Link for 3 years now and still going strong, no scratches either. My mate bought a Rolex 3 months ago and the strap on his is already scatched up but then that is probably down to it being a cheaper model (Air King) and having a matte finish.
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brushed ( matte ) finishes do show scratches up easily, if you know what you are doing though marks are easily removed , a polished watch will always be easier to keep looking good though
 
Rotty said:
Tag are a design and marketing company rather than a watchmaker , they contract out the case manufacture, buy generic movements ( on most models ) and have them assembled in many places ( often the far east ) , they are oackaged in Switzerland to enable them to be sold as "swiss made"

they generally are hard wearing and have a lot to choose from , the downsides are as above and horrific depreciation
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aye, that's about it really but if you see one you like you might as well go for it!
 
Generalisation ahoy: Tag watches are for people with more money than sense - people who buy for the label without appreciating the detail that goes into watchmaking. Either way I would not touch one with a barge pole.
 
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Rotty said:
£1500 would be pushing it, maybe a used one on leather strap might just get down to that sort of figure

if he really wants an "in house" movement then that would rule most Breitlings out , though at £1500 it rules most "in house" brands out
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Could go for a Sinn Navitimer same movement they got when Breitling sold up they are available for around £1000. I dont really get this in house movement thing, arent Seiko autos an in house job.

But he did say he liked the Omega AT and found other models bulky, so what about a JLC or a Tudor
 
Sirrel Squirrel said:
aye, that's about it really but if you see one you like you might as well go for it!
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no problem at all with that, each to their own, I have owned 5 Tags in the past but always made sure that I paid nothing like full price for them, just bought them wore them a few times and shifted them on , probably wouldn't buy any more though
 
Chabsy said:
Could go for a Sinn Navitimer same movement they got when Breitling sold up they are available for around £1000. I dont really get this in house movement thing, arent Seiko autos an in house job.

But he did say he liked the Omega AT and found other models bulky, so what about a JLC or a Tudor
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Tudor are Rolex cases with ETA movements, no problem there but nothing special IMO, JLC though are an entirely different matter, they are generally regarded as one of the "Big 5" top watchmakers
 
psyr33n said:
Generalisation ahoy: Tag watches are for people with more sense than money - people who buy for the label without appreciating the detail that goes into watchmaking. Either way I would not touch one with a barge pole.
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Don't you mean more money than sense?
 
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