Reply With QuoteFirstly, welcome to the forum. Secondly with your budget - no diamonds and no quartz. Go bold and go for a JLC Reverso or Cartier Santos
Good luck
Help me buy the right *ladies* watch for me please?
Dear All. x
I'm sorry, I always think it's a bit rude to ask for help with your first post...but watches are beginning to do my head in!! :)
I have about £2,500 to spend on a watch. It's going to be the watch I wear every day, and I'm don't mind a bit of bling, but not too much! I'd like a watch preferably by Omega or Rolex and I'm happy to buy second hand. I realise this opens up a whole wealth of choices, so I'll narrow it down a bit. :)
I've been looking at the Omega Aqua Terra (with diamond dot hours) - but should I get mechanical or quartz? (I have read the threads about this decision on here, but still undecided!) My husband has a James Bond ltd edition Seamaster and when it was serviced (one of the luminous dots fell off!), it cost about £350! Eeeek!
I'm also considering a vintage Rolex. I've found a sweet DateJust with a purple face (not for everyone, but I like it), which is from about 1987.
So, my questions are:
1) Mechanical or quartz Omega Aqua Terra?
2) Is it safe, as long as I'm careful, to buy a watch Ebay?
3) If I buy a Rolex from 1987, is it going to wear out in 10 years time?
I think that's it for now....can anyone help. Sorry if my questions are boring...but £2,500 is a lot to spend on a watch, isn't it? (well, maybe not to some of you, I see!! Wow!)
PS: I have a couple of bog-standard Tag's and don't want to buy Tag again...the build of Omega and Rolex seem so much smoooooother and supple on the wrist. :)
Firstly, welcome to the forum. Secondly with your budget - no diamonds and no quartz. Go bold and go for a JLC Reverso or Cartier Santos
Good luck
Hi Gina
A lot depends on what you want out of the watch. Vintage Rolexes are perfectly good for daily wear but the servicing costs (approx every 5 years) would be about 1/3 more than a newer model. Are you looking for a classic ladies size 26mm or are you looking for a larger size men's watch which could be 34-36 mm.
A Rolex will generally hold a greater amount of it's value as there is a strong pre owned market for the watches. A budget of £2500 would give you a good choice of Rolex date/datejust/airking models
You have a good budget, and for that I would be going for a newer Rolex - in very very good condition, but lightly used. You will save a good amount on the new price and have a very nice watch.
The choices for me would be, what size do you prefer, and do you want a date? You have a wide range of older women's size (around 24mm/28mm) up to 36mm - there are some very nice 34mm, or you could try and find a very nice Date Just (36mm) and there are so many dial options out there to choose from.
I really like Omega and have quite a few of them, including the same watch as your husband - but I would recommend going for the Rolex out of the two brands - and the newer style bracelets are a huge step forward - so make sure you have a look at one of those - they aren't much more expensive than the older models, so it makes sense to go for one of them.
It's just a matter of time...
Tudor have a ladies range called Glamour that includes watches with diamonds. Come in sizes of 26mm, 31mm and 36mm. Might be worth a look.
http://www.tudorwatch.com/en/config/...11/31_blackpl/
No Quartz!
id also be tempted to say no Aqua terra as well.
At 2.5 I'd be sticking with rolex all the way. Air king, dj or oyster perpetual.
Welcome! Another vote for the AT from me.
Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm not sure about the Cartier Santos and the JLC Reverso, because I don't like square watches and I'm not sure they're terribly water resistant? Tudor was a new one to look at, but I hadn't even heard of Tudor until two days ago...and if I'm going to spend some money on a watch, I want people to say 'Oooooh!' at least...lol! (alright the cognoscenti would say 'Ooooh' at a Tudor...lol)Originally Posted by Omegamanic
God, you all seem to say mechanical. I'll take that on board!
The trouble is with the newer Rolexs in my price range is that they look BORING! Really...I tried a lower priced new ladies Oyster in a shop and almost nodded off looking at it. ;)
The size should be no more than 30mm for my puny wrists.
Ok...so it's narrowed down some more. I think it's still betweeen an Aqua Terra (mechanical!) and a newer Rolex (if I can find one i like!)
Thanks all for your input, it's been really, really difficult trying to get to grips with it all.
One more question...what the heck is a 'beater'????!!!!! :-@
Last edited by GinaP; 24th November 2014 at 16:14.
Welcome from a newbie.
This helped me get to grips with all the different acronyms and phrases when I started. Credit to original poster!
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...TZ-UK-Glossary
Oh right! Hey, I'm looking for a beater then!
:::worries she sounds like a desperate sub::: :::that's not a Submariner you watch collectors!:::: lol!
1) Quartz (Without being patronising - if it's just the look you are after then go for the grab and go guts).
2) Unlikely
3) No
For a decent selection of second-hand ladies Rolex/Omega have a look at http://www.watches.co.uk/ and http://www.watchfinder.co.uk .
Breitling also make some pretty blingy ladies stuff too just in case you hadn't checked them out.
This is excellent advice.
Everyone will ALWAYS say "No Quartz" - it's a bit of a mantra on here - Like saying you must drive a manual OR only a car with a V8 and RWD is any good
For most people, quartz is a perfectly good choice. It's reliable, it's cheap to service and cheap to fix and the watch (assuming it has a battery in) will always be running and probably the right time, near enough!
Buy what you like the look of, not what a load of ageing men with an unhealthy obsession with jewellery and brand names on a watch forum suggest you should buy, you'll be much happier that way!
If more of us did that, there'd be less turnover on Sales Corner
M
Hav you looked at the Cartier ? They do a nice range of ladies watches in budget.
Thank you also Belligero and Jonny.Everyone will ALWAYS say "No Quartz" - it's a bit of a mantra on here - Like saying you must drive a manual OR only a car with a V8 and RWD is any good
For most people, quartz is a perfectly good choice. It's reliable, it's cheap to service and cheap to fix and the watch (assuming it has a battery in) will always be running and probably the right time, near enough!
Buy what you like the look of, not what a load of ageing men with an unhealthy obsession with jewellery and brand names on a watch forum suggest you should buy, you'll be much happier that way!
If more of us did that, there'd be less turnover on Sales Corner
M
I am kind of put off quartz by someone on here saying he was repaired a watch (Tag?) and said he could've replaced the mechanism (innards!) for about £20. That's quite off-putting you know! ;)
But I can clearly see there is a purist vs 'it's a watch, it measures time, get over it' thing going on here? :) I understand that. I collect 20th Century art glass (if you have any, I'll have a look for you) and it's the same thing in that case too. ;)
Snowman, thank you for the balanced opinion...it is just a matter of what you want really, isn't it? And not being ripped off...that would help! So...my search will go on for this week. Popping up to Bond Street and the environs this week at some point...then I'll make a choice.
xxxx (Eeeeeeek! After I've made a choice, I'm not going to look ANY MORE....ANY MORE!!! OK! Well......maybe a bit...oh no....then I might see something else...noooo! No more LOOKING!!!!) ;)
Speak for yourself ;) There's at least one female opinion already on this thread, but I can't comment on whether her obsession is healthy or not!
Anyway, my 2p:
Omega vs. Rolex: Look at Longines too - they're regularly reviewed as being under priced (compared to Om and Ro) but just as well made. They also have good history and credentials. OK, so I am somewhat biased towards the brand of the nicest watch I own - but they're still worth a look!
Omega Aqua Terra: I like it a lot. I'm a bit boaty so I dig the teak deck style dial, and think it looks better with a white face. I had a quick look and saw you could get a quartz 30mm with a teak-deck-patterned mother-of-pearl dial and diamond markers for about £2.5k or maybe less. The Auto 34mm version of the same is rather more expensive!
That brings us to quartz vs. mechanical - if you have no preference and have to ask, then I would suggest quartz.
Personally, I have a soft spot for very precise engineering, particularly mechanical (and I'm an electronic engineer by trade, so not being an anti-electric luddite), and love the idea of this tiny wee oscillating mechanism running on my wrist. Also the sweeping hand looks nice. And it's kind of nerdy.
BUT the servicing of said wee mechanism surely will cost more than the battery changes. And it's going to be inaccurate to some degree, certainly moreso than a quartz watch. The logical side of me says quartz is the smarter choice. The romantic side says no. I do have an Eco-Drive (solar-charging battery) which is a great compromise, but I don't think anything you're after will have anything like that!
All that said, you don't buy a posh watch to simply tell the time in the cheapest way possible. You want a posh watch - and it's totally up to you what that means.
My wife (who has very little interest in watches) wears a Rado Jubile. She's worn it constantly for the last ten years and it hasn't got a mark on it. It is a Quartz though and available brand new (with diamonds) for less than your budget.
You said all that so well Sara! I"ve seen you elsewhere on this board too, I've been trying to research before posting. :)
Well, you know...I AM a bit nerdy too! And I like thinking that a nerd might look at my watch and think 'Hey, sweeping hand...cool'. God, I'm pathetic really, it's about impressing people too...that's not right is it??!!!! But I think it's part of it. ;)Personally, I have a soft spot for very precise engineering, particularly mechanical (and I'm an electronic engineer by trade, so not being an anti-electric luddite), and love the idea of this tiny wee oscillating mechanism running on my wrist. Also the sweeping hand looks nice. And it's kind of nerdy.
Longines doesn't do it for me, not because it's not a great name, but it's because I grew up in the 80s (I'm 50 now baby!) and Rolex was the uberkind then and my husband has Omega, so I like that too. And yes, I feel the same way about the Omega diamond hour Aqua Terra...it's boaty and a bit sporty and chunky. I like that...those are on sale on Ebay for £1,995 in quartz...tempted!
I'll have another look at the Aqua Terra quartz and the mechanical (mechanical is NOT so pretty!) and then compare to a lower end Rolex...and make a choice.
I'll let you know. ::bumps fists with Sara::: (which is something I'd never do in real life, because I'd probably miss:::: ;) lol!
Also, I saw you like good water resistance, that's good if you feel the choice is big, as it narrows your choices somewhat.
When out looking in shops, try on a few sizes and make sure you find out what actual diameter (and maybe thickness) in mm the cases are, so you can then compare them with what you see online, especially if you can't find exactly what you want in store.
I found that choice (certainly try-on-able in-shop choice) is rather limited for automatic ladies' watches with decent WR that come under 35mm, which is my hard maximum.
Oh don't, I've posted all kinds of rubbish on here....
Well, ish and ish. It's not really part of it for me (I don't expect most people I know to have any idea about watches, or give a stuff about them), and I felt like an eejit fawning over my watch after a long session of clapping to swing music made it 20 mins slow - but I probably would enjoy chatting to another watch geek about it :D
That might be a good deal!
I know many people here wouldn't be so careful, but I love that my now-fiancée bartered locally and bought my Hydroconquest in a local jewellers (tons of them here in Hamburg) - I went back twice to fiddle with the resizing for free, and I have somewhere I can walk into during the warranty period with no worries (which was a comfort during said clapping debacle). A quartz on the other hand, less worries! Less things to go wrong! Hurrah!
The 34mm mechanical looks very much like the quartz, just bigger (make sure you scroll along the varied dials, straps, bezels etc)!
30mm quartz: http://www.omegawatches.com/collecti...23110306055001
34mm mech: http://www.omegawatches.com/collecti...23110342055001
There is a 30mm mech but it doesn't have the same MOP & diamond dial unless you also go with a ring of diamonds around the bezel - it's a bit much for me: http://www.omegawatches.com/collecti...23115302055001
Although the rose gold one's not bad: http://www.omegawatches.com/collecti...23120302055003
LOL! That made me laugh! I've just Googled your watch...it's a beauty!!! It reminds me of the Rolex Yachtmaster...is yours the ladies or gents version? Not entirely sure how clapping would make it slow...that's weird! Yes, buying from a shop is so much better for peace of mind. I can imagine me going back and saying 'take a link out' and then 'No, put it back again' then 'Hmm...not sure, what do YOU think?'....lol
And yes, you've hit it on the head that there isn't a mechanical Aqua Terra with diamond hours. Only the one with all the diamonds round the bezel...and I wear so much heavy silver jewellery and stuff already, I'd end up looking like I was wearing a dodgy fake! God, first world problems, eh?!
I think probably Rolex offer good WR for their automatics, but the Aqua Terra is 150m...which is how deep exactly? So misleading! :(
So much to hold in mind...how long did it take you to buy your first proper watch?
Those are lovely watches (god, I know more about watches than I ever knew I did! But I just like beautiful things)...Rado's are sooo sleek! I'll have a look, but I think I'm going with mechanical now, just so I can say 'Nerrrr!' to the nerrrrrrds. ;) xxxxx
It's 29.5mm across the case without the crown, about 32-33mm with. Yes the ladies' one :)
Seeing as it's been running fine ever since I reset it after the go-slow, I can only imagine that on each clap I somehow jolted the balance or the pallet or something which meant it lost a tick or two... after 1.5 hours I guess it added up...!
I like WR that allows me to swim or take it into the shower with no incident, which I would say is 100m WR or more, if you take the industry's advice. Some say that it's all rubbish and that a 30m or 50m watch is fine - but I would say go with how the watch is put together - if it has a screw-in crown and case back then it's likely to be fine. Mind you since I was a kid I have swum and surface-dived in pop-back 30m WR watches without killing them - but Fossils and Swatches are less devastating to damage...
Weeelllll had I bought it myself I'm not sure how long it would have taken, but it was an engagement present so there was lots of umming and ahhing and hinting and whatnot first...!
I say, that was a bit forward when the lady only asked about a watch!
A mechanical watch WILL require servicing at approximately 5 year intervals, so either find a good local jeweller or brace yourself for bills around £300 to £500 from authorised dealers. A quartz watch will only require a new battery every 5 years or so.
I agree with the comments about avoiding diamonds because I fear that these styles may drift in and out of fashion.
With those things said, there is a big range of watches available but the AT is certainly a safe choice. You should take a look at new Tudor watches which fall in your price bracket. You can even get Diamond dotted dials, if you insist
Last edited by UKMike; 24th November 2014 at 21:47.
I know you said you wanted 30mm max but have a look at the "mid-size" 34mm Rolex as I think they look really nice and modern and if you did change your mind would have a wider audience to resell to. Rolex may not be the last word in horolgy but they are the "go to" high end watch brand for a reason so unless you want to start a watch hobby I don't think you can go far wrong with Rolex as in addition to the overall quality you have a good service department based in London when you need it (probably ever 10 years) that will make it like new again and no need to wait 3 months for an estimate from Switzerland like some "higher end" brands.
http://www.blowers-jewellers.co.uk/s...200_s18260.htm
http://www.blowers-jewellers.co.uk/i...olex/w2312.htm
Cartier Quartz santos - tu tone.
Or
Rolex Datejust (mid size) - tu tone.
Or
nope, that's it really.
- - - Updated - - -
Cartier Quartz santos - tu tone.
Or
Rolex Datejust (mid size) - tu tone.
Or
nope, that's it really.
That's just what I want too. Something that allows me to swim and shower. I don't want it going wrong just because I forgot to take it off once. I remember going into the Patek Phillipe shop in Bond Street to look at the umm....can't think what it was now....and the assistant said 'Oh no, you can't wear it in the shower' and it was £5,000...say whaaaat??? I have a lovely Swatch...I like that pop of colour! :D
I missed the date action? Dayamm!Originally Posted by Omegamanic
..............................................and do you want a date?
UKMike says: I say, that was a bit forward when the lady only asked about a watch!
A mechanical watch WILL require servicing at approximately 5 year intervals, so either find a good local jeweller or brace yourself for bills around £300 to £500 from authorised dealers. A quartz watch will only require a new battery every 5 years or so.
I agree with the comments about avoiding diamonds because I fear that these styles may drift in and out of fashion.
With those things said, there is a big range of watches available but the AT is certainly a safe choice. You should take a look at new Tudor watches which fall in your price bracket. You can even get Diamond dotted dials, if you insist
Good points....blimey...all this stuff to remember, but I will! You lot are so anti-diamond, don't you know they're a girls best friend? Just a few can't be bad...can it? ::pleads::
I have looked at Blowers and still referencing them...and the 34mm Rolex is way to big for me. I'm an artist, and I kinda fancied a funky, larger watch, but honestly, they just look stupid on me. Annoying, because I like them a lot, but true. And yep, still looking at Rolex...god I used to love that brand in the 80s! lol!MB2 said:
I know you said you wanted 30mm max but have a look at the "mid-size" 34mm Rolex as I think they look really nice and modern and if you did change your mind would have a wider audience to resell to. Rolex may not be the last word in horolgy but they are the "go to" high end watch brand for a reason so unless you want to start a watch hobby I don't think you can go far wrong with Rolex as in addition to the overall quality you have a good service department based in London when you need it (probably ever 10 years) that will make it like new again and no need to wait 3 months for an estimate from Switzerland like some "higher end" brands.
http://www.blowers-jewellers.co.uk/s...200_s18260.htm
http://www.blowers-jewellers.co.uk/i...olex/w2312.htm
Omg. Just buying a mid size DateJust Rolex. Was a bit more than I'd wanted...but 2006, mint. Scared!
PICS plz!
You will easily find a watch for about £20,leaving you £2480 to spend on your husbands watch.
Merry Christmas ;-)
How about this:
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/%2A...l-1199298.html
IMHO go for a man size watch as I think they are not only cool, but extremely attractive on women. My wife tool my a Rolex GMTc and it looks amazing on her wrist. Prior to that she had a 44mm Panerai which also looked great.
Budget wise a send hand Aqua Terra grey teak dial in 41mm would look good and come in under budget.
Lol P9VLY! He has a watch that he likes, but I do feel bad spending all this money.
Sara. I've sent an echeque so it's gonna take a while to get here. Full box and papers, water tested etc. looks quite boring, but also very classy. I decided I wouldn't get fed up with it. Pics in about 5 days...excited, scared, worried! Xxxx thanks to every one xxx
Thank you all for your help in December. Somehow someone saying 'no diamonds at that price!' really got through to me, although I was so tempted! So I chose something really plain, which is kinda cool, because it's not obvious, if you see what I mean. :) very pleased with it, although it's gained about 1.5 mins since Xmas so have set by time.gov and might try leaving it crown up at night. (That's why the date is wrong...too much trouble getting the time set accurately and the date, just for testing)
Thanks again for the help, it was very much appreciated. xxxx
Very nice indeed :)
I got the wife a 31mm DJ on a jubilee with a white dial, she absolutely loves it.
If it's gained 1.5 minutes since Christmas (17 days) then it's running at +5 seconds a day.
That's not a problem at all for an automatic.. In fact it's pretty good!
Just set the date.. set it a minute slow at the start of the month and at the end of the month when it's a minute fast set it again and leave it alone for the rest of the time. Job done.
Hmm. Right place to ask the question. Plenty of ladies here. Atleast , they seem to be ladies based on their watch size preference and endless whining about about anything over 42 in diameter or 11mm in height.😄😄
Unnecessary.
My wife has worn one of these every day for 10 years, apart from the weeks it was away for a service. I can see absolutely no reason why she wont get another 20 years out of it. They are great watches and reputed to contain Rolex's most accurate mechanical caliber so a service might be in order. 100m WR is icing on the cake.
If you buy Rolex well secondhand the only real cost is servicing, the watch itself is as good as money in the bank.
Last edited by raysablade; 11th January 2015 at 20:47.
I like this thread because of its refreshing honesty.
Too many people here go out of their way to prove their watch choices are about anything but conspicuous consumption. Usually, at best, I tend to suspect they're slightly in denial.
This lady, right from the off said if she was going to drop 2.5k on a watch, she wanted it to be on something other people would be impressed by. Thus she was interested in rolexes or omegas. Likewise, the idea that a movement could be replaced for around £20 was off putting. Thus she was inclined to buy mechanical - reassuringly expensive, which is what we all want when making a luxury purchase.
A lot of us here could take something from this, and stop pretending our choices aren't influenced to some extent by similar considerations.
Very nice Gina... A grwt choice... Classic and well engineered
You'll never regret that purchase
Ben
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