The (Less intimidating) Watch Thread
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Hamilton (IMHO) is another brand that may offer “beginners” a variety of choices at a fairly reasonable price point.
It's a brand that I see mentioned often for entry level quality. And apparently the Khaki Field Watch is quite a deal, especially if it can be found at a discount or second-hand.
http://www.hamiltonwatch.com/collection/khaki/field/auto-40mm/h70595963-khaki-field-auto-40mm
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^I would have one of them… One of the looks I'm considering.
Probably not necessary to mention this but avoiding expensive watches by fashion brands is a must. Hot Ingrid bought me a (unasked for) Marc Jacobs ( [emoji22] ) watch about six years ago and it was the biggest piece of shit I've ever owned.
It cost about 350 quid, and the pins (?) holding the strap to the watch would bend or break once a month. The jewellers it was bought from tried charging me 25 quid for new ones every time it happened, obviously I refused. Eventually I took it to a quality watch shop in Oslo and they said it was made in such a way that the actual watch was too heavy for the gauge of pin used. Design fail much? In addition the rubber coating on the chain became greasy and disgusting and the watch let in water and got condensation under the glass all the time, despite being allegedly water proof.
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Still wearing me 100€ Citizen Eco-Drive… Daily... Gets abused at work... I tore the whole pin out once, accidentally... Shoved it back in, and it just went back to work...
It's ridiculously accurate, has a titanium bracelet, and sapphire glass... Bit like a 1995 Subaru: absolutely boring, but amazing value for money...
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The Hamilton Khaki field watches are solid buys. I have a chrono buried in a box somewhere. And a Hamilton X-Wind, too.
Man, I gotta sell some stuff…
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Love that old Seiko @sabergirl.
Totally agree with Reuben, stay away from Boss, Armani, etc watches.
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I'm not a watch guy at all. I have a Seiko 5 SKN809 and a Casio G-Shock. The Seiko kept horrible time and lost a minute or 2 every couple of weeks and the pins that hold the strap in kept coming out. I've been using my Casio G-shock ever since because it's indestructible. Both were cheap $50 watches so there ya go.
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After 25 years without a watch, I eased back in, a couple of years ago. If memory serves, I paid $220 for the Maratac GPT-1…
While I don't know much about movements, I know it has a Miyota 9015. Which, from what I've gathered, is a fairly reliable one. It has kept great time, and is certainly a "tank" of a watch. I like it, but the thickness and weight of it keep me from wearing it every day. Being my only watch, that is somewhat problematic. I've found another I'm interested in, as an everyday wear. I may just turn the Maratac around, and put down a few extra bones on this…
NAV B-UHR 44MM VINTAGE TITANIUM B-TYPE
The Steinhart runs just north of $500 USD. So, I think it would qualify as "less intimidating".I am still seeking a grail, though. I will dive into the deep end, when I see the "one". If there is such a thing.
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Seiko is an incredible value for a mechanical movement. I have a SARG011 (discontinued) that is as accurate as my Omegas.
The SKX line is a good way to get a "feel" for mechanical watches, but are really overrated. The dials are oftentimes misaligned, the accuracy is not great, but they are cheap. They went through a renaissance recently because of YouTube personalities but I'm pretty unimpressed. For a little bit more, you can get a Japanese Domestic Model with a much higher level of quality.
G-Shock is the way to go if you want something really tough and aren't into watches. If you get one with solar charging and Multi-Band 6, it's as low maintenance a watch you'll ever get. They have no personality, but they last with zero amount of maintenance. My GW-6900 has been through some rough shit and still looks new, only cost me $80. The alarms are handy for back to back meetings (my employees know to stop talking when my watch goes off, so I can get to the next meeting, keeps my meetings on time)
Edited to add photo:
Always my recommendation for a first mechanical all day every day any day. Durable, accurate, service will be relatively cheap if you need it and fits in with most casual/semi casual situations.
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Re: "ultra tough mechanical movements"
It's an oxymoron. Ultra tough is relative. A digital watch will always be tougher (I take my watches through firearms training regularly, and workout with them as well).
Any amount of moving parts will be more fragile than a device that's essentially one piece.
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I‘m in no way a watch collector or aficionado. I like automatic watches which can take a beating, because I don‘t go easy on my watches and don’t want to think about changing a battery. I chose my first automatic watch for the aesthetics (thank you Pierce Brosnan) and kept it that way with the other ones. Money is limited, because Giles is snatching any spare cent I have out of my pocket, so don‘t move in the expensive watches market, like some others here.
For the last 19 years I only had one watch and that was/is my Omega Seamaster Professional. 19 years without service, worn every day and on every activity (office, sports, physical work such as moving whole households and everything else you can come up with) and it is still going strong. This watch is a tank and goes as well with a suit as with a denim outfit or sports gear. A true heirloom piece.
My second watch is my Steinhart Ocean Vintage Military Mark I that I bought this year. I love the look of it, it has a high quality feel and a Swiss ETA movement. Overall an incredible value for money piece.
The latest addition is a modified Seiko Snzf17j, which now has a new saphire cristal, new hands, new bezel and new dial. I like the looks of it, because it is modded to have a lot of similarities with the Omega Seamaster 300, which is totally out of my price league.
There is one more watch that I want one day. The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 45,5mm. But it will be another 2 or 3 years before I will be able to pick one up in the used market without risking instant divorce.
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Any thoughts on service intervals?
There seems to be two groups of thought. One is to let it go until it breaks and then deal with the massive repair cost. The other is to service at regular intervals and eat the cost slowly.
I haven't figured out which camp I belong to yet, but in general I stick to maintenance schedules because I hate broken things.
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Well, Cole is 19 years into his Omega without service- that's probably saved him 1.5-2k in maintenance costs. Even if the watch needs massive service work eventually, he's still ahead.
I'm definitely in the "wear it until it breaks" category.
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My new affordable timepiece.
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Thanks man. It keeps flawless time. And it lights up like a Christmas tree when I press that round button.
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My current watch, very happy with it.
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