First luxury watch - help
Hi everyone,
I have been recently promoted to associate and also got a generous bonus. Amateur when it comes to watches and feel lost for my first acquisition. Ideally, I would like to target a $5k-$6.5k budget. I had some options in mind, such as Omega Aquaterra (blue dial) or the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch. However, I might be childish but the recent collaboration with Swatch restrained me a little bit. I also like Cartier, but the yellow gold Santos is a bit out of my budget (the one I truly like), and people told me that Cartier was more about the brand than a good watchmaker (not sure how true it is). Mid-level Rolex would be great, such as Oyster Perpetual, but let's be realistic you can't find a brand new anywhere.
Any recommendation or guidance is appreciated thanks!
Bump
Check out IWC and JLC in that price range
watch deez nuts
Those are both good options. Speedmaster might be on the higher side of your budget (it might be around 7k if you get it new). Whichever one you buy get it on the bracelet, you'll get more bank for your buck that way. You can buy the rubber strap separate for like $300, but if you were to do it the other way around the bracelet would cost around $700. Also worth checking out the seamaster, I have one and really like it
Speedmaster would work. Definitely would stay away from SWATCH X omega. The retail of $260 is attractive, but it’s a ceramic watch with an omega logo. Buy something quality that you like. IWC is a nice starter watch.
I'd like to plug Tudor. The Black Bay series is really nice. Off the top of my head I would say they retail around $6k. There's something about them that me and my friend group love; I consider it a "if you know you know" kinda deal.
Second this idea. Beautiful piece.
Tudor watches are a great option for a first time watch buyer. They are owned by Rolex, so there is a similar look and feel, along with great quality as well.
What's the availability on Tudor? Are most models widely available? I have never shopped them so I have no idea.
When new models come out they can sometimes be tricky to find (e.g. BB58 was tough for a bit, I'm guessing the BB Pro will be hard to get for a while), in general they are widely available and you should not expect to pay over retail for them new
I love the design of the black bay series, but the issue I have is (1) The non-58 series are too thick / slabby, but (2) the black bay 58, which is great at <12mm thick, has a diameter that's just a bit too small for my wrist
If you don't have particularly large wrists, would highly recommend the BB58 (either the normal or blue are both great options)
If they could get the normal black bay range down to 12mm or so I would certainly pick one up. In particular I love the look of the red one
Might be worth checking out Favre-Leuba. It isn't as popular a brand but it's the second oldest in Switzerland. You could find something for a reasonable price that's also a bit different than what your peers have.
Can’t go wrong with Omega. Also, shop around a few authorized dealers, you’ll likely be able to negotiate around 10% off or so. Don’t go through the Omega boutique as they won’t be able to knock the price down at all.
Breitling Navitimer
Build a DCF for men’s watch using RE DCF? Or you can use CAPM?
Some of these have been mentioned, but here are my thoughts on some watch options. My recommendation is always to get the watch you really want (within reason) and if that requires you to increase your budget, wait a bit to save some more and then buy it, then do that.
And I don't recommend you get the Cartier that you mentioned, because I think there are just so many better watch options out there. I think of Cartier as doing good work across a variety of jewelry items, but they don't have the same caliber of watches as the above ones.
I am not a huge cartier fan, but I disagree. They are a different thing than the other brands you mentioned, but they are still a very high quality watch. The Santos design is a classic for a reason with a lot of history. Also, although not relevant to OP, Cartier's high end watches crush anything mentioned in this thread thus far from a watchmaking perspective. The Masse Mysterieuse they released recently might be the craziest movement I have seen from any brand.
Your instincts are spot on about Rolex. An OP would be nice and a great entry level into the Rolex family but my understanding is that a wait right now is measured in years for any OP variant.
This isn’t true and you are buying this ridiculous hype. There are plenty of people who are getting OPs (outside of maybe turquoise) with little wait and no purchase history. I’ve seen 1-3 months for most people interested in one. This is US based (nyc and also along the east coast).
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