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Recommendations for a new watch

kimc

Coffee Mod
Admiral
All my life every watch I've owned has been a gift from someone else. I'm considering buying one myself now though and while I have a few ideas I'm interested in getting some other opinions.

So any ideas?
 
Well I don't know if you want one that will survive most of anything but I've had a Timex's triathalon watch for oh about 10 years now and I wear it every day.

It takes quite a lot of beatings but the band is really good and breaking long before the watch itself does.
 
I bought a simple no-name analog watch with arabic numerals from a Woolworth's in 1994 for $10, and even though I've had nicer watches since then, I always find myself going back to it. I can't stand flashy watches. In this case, I find simple a bit more elegant.
 
All my life every watch I've owned has been a gift from someone else. I'm considering buying one myself now though and while I have a few ideas I'm interested in getting some other opinions.

So any ideas?

Ooh, fun topic!

What style are you after? Automatic or quartz? Rugged or elegant? Dressy or sporty?

Interested in something that looks good or in the mechanical internals?

And, of course, approx price range?

In absence of information, one of the classiest, prettiest watches for ladies is Cartier's Tank Francaise, esp. in rose gold (item code: WE10456H). 18kt gold, 24 diamonds, and a timeless (pardon the pun) face/dial and bracelet.

71771121op8.jpg
 
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I recently did the same thing: choose my own new watch for the first time. I used an amazon.fr promotional offer.
Here it is. (I tried to find it in amazon.com for this post but failed.)
opex watch
A very simple, modest design with a minimalist bracelet that can't make you sweat. (I made a few personal adjustments to it.)
 
I have had a very simple, elegant looking men's Coach watch for seven years. I've replaced the battery once, and the only problem I've had is that the spring that locks the crown immobile has broken, so the crown occasionally pops out and my wrist changes the date. It's an irrelevant problem because I hardly ever use the watch to learn the date.

If you can afford them, and from what I know about you from your posts here you certainly deserve to buy yourself a nice watch, I highly recommend a Coach.

By the way, as a band director, the watch often comes off my wrist during rehearsal, and has been knocked from the podium many, many times. No scratches on the face, no damage to the watch. Like I said, the only thing that's ever gone wrong is the crown spring doesn't lock any more. The watch not only works for dress and casual, but like Timex used to say, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. It looks as nice today as the day I got it, and although Coach no longer sells this style, it's a basic watch style that will never go out of fashion.
 
I recently did the same thing: choose my own new watch for the first time. I used an amazon.fr promotional offer.
Here it is. (I tried to find it in amazon.com for this post but failed.)
opex watch
A very simple, modest design with a minimalist bracelet that can't make you sweat. (I made a few personal adjustments to it.)

That's actually pretty neat. Interesting wristband for it.
 
Be different, get a pocket watch.

I actually bought one myself just the other day, off eBay. Waiting for it to be delivered. It will look very cool coming out of my waistcoat pocket. :)

Maker? Hunter cased or open face?

In absence of information, one of the classiest, prettiest watches for ladies is Cartier's Tank Francaise, esp. in rose gold (item code: WE10456H). 18kt gold, 24 diamonds, and a timeless (pardon the pun) face/dial and bracelet.

71771121op8.jpg
A classic Art-Deco-inspired design to be sure, but the diamonds in the bezel and the absurd crown stone are a bit much for me.

I strongly prefer mechanical watches (preferably vintage). I'd recommend a well-cared-for vintage ladies' Omega--plenty of variety for fairly little money. I recommend against eBay as there are loads of Omega fakes out there. Other makers to consider are Mido and Seiko.

My current daily wear watch is a c. 1967 Omega Constellation, good for casual or formal dress. The case is stainless steel with a white gold bezel ring. Photos were taken by the restorer.

DSCN6439.JPG


DSCN6437.JPG
 
^ Thanks! To give an idea of how good a job the restorer did, below is a photo of the watch as-inherited. And yes, it was still running despite probably not having been serviced for at least a good 20 years. I have since replaced the bracelet in the previous photos with a contemporary equivalent. You'll notice that a couple of the links are slack due to the internal springs being broken; this part cannot normally be repaired or replaced.

DSCN1049a.JPG
 
I have several watches, from nice dressy ones to simple work or outdoors types, but the one I've worn almost daily since I brought it 13 or 14 years ago is my Timex Expedition.

It looks like this one but it's brown with green accents:


In the time since I brought it, it has been hit square on the face by a hatchet wielding kid - saving my wrist from a nasty wound (nothing sinister; we were clearing brush from a lot for my cousin's Eagle Scout project and the kid thought he was trying to hit a home run or something), it has gone skindiving and rock climbing, it has been in the washer and dryer more than once, it's been sat on and dropped and rolled over, it's had numerous heavy grocery bags hanging from it as I walked home, and the thing WILL NOT DIE. The old Timex commercials that said "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking" weren't kidding.

I've never had to change the nylon/leather cross-stitched strap and it's still in great condition. The pins have never popped out. The face is still quite clear and easy to read despite numerous hits and scratches. I can't even remember the last time I had to replace the batteries. The Indiglo light still works great.

I don't know what kind of watch you're interested in, but if you want a nice looking, multifunctional, affordable work and play watch that will last forever even if you treat it like crap, get a Timex Expedition watch (there are dozens of different types for men and women).
 
Be different, get a pocket watch.

I actually bought one myself just the other day, off eBay. Waiting for it to be delivered. It will look very cool coming out of my waistcoat pocket. :)

Maker? Hunter cased or open face?

Open face, and no special maker. Cheap & cheerful. Just wanted something that looked fun.

A classic Art-Deco-inspired design to be sure, but the diamonds in the bezel and the absurd crown stone are a bit much for me.

Hey, I'm all about the bling. :D
 
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