When I joined this forum many moon(watch)es ago I was looking for a couple of quality, affordable watches. My first acquisitions were a Seiko Spirit and a Speedbird. I soon progressed to a Speedmaster, then before long I aspired to own a JLC and Grand Seiko. I never felt comfortable wearing my most expensive watches though and I've now ended up with a few Seiko's, although some of them are more luxury than affordable.
This article describes a similar journey:
https://www.watchcrunch.com/kentucky...fordable-29107
Are you on a never ending cycle towards greater luxury, or have you found yourself travelling back down the more affordable road?
Last edited by Rocket Man; 16th March 2023 at 18:25.
I started with Seiko, and slowly built up through the likes of Oris, Smiths, Steinhart, TAG, then to Omega and finally Rolex. No plans to sell my Sub or Speedmaster, unless disaster strikes. The in and out has slowed down, actually.
Have currently:
-16610
- Speedy triple date
- U-Boat Darkmoon (oil-filled)
- G-Shock 5100
Works for me.
Yes, I’ve done similar; my first decent watch was a Tag Heuer 4000 back in about 1990. I’ve since had a variety of watches at various price points (not always increasing). Whilst I still own a couple of Rolex which I don’t wear much, my daily wearers are now a smartwatch and a few Seikos.
I like to try all sorts of watches. I’ve been able to try out many brands and types over the years. I don’t think I’ll be selling my remaining “expensive” watches though. The last watch I bought new was a Casio that cost me 49€, but the watch before that was about a 1000 times more. I haven’t got into the mega-expensive watches.
short answer: no.
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
No, but I’m tempted sometimes.
I wore a Zenith for years (18) and never really thought about it being an expensive watch, I just wore it.
Since getting into “collecting” I’ve often thought that a few Smiths would do the job.
Is my Mark XX really ten times better than my Smiths Navigator?
I've had several higher end pieces; Sinns, Omegas, a Rolex, Breitlings.
But now, Fortis aside, all mine are around £400 or less. I don't really care about the value of a watch, it's whether it speaks to me and whether I can read it.
Similar journey.
Cheap to Breitling to omega to zenith to Rolex but couldn't afford any higher. Now look at micro brands and lux value more
Yes, I have traveled that path, I started with an Oris, then several Sinns 356's 103's the navitimer 24hour one, (got stolen) 142's 656, 757, etc then a Breitling aviastar, several speedmasters, then Panerai, a 111, a titanium one and then a 1950...along with Dornbluth, Glycine, and im sure im forgetting some... Ended up with just 1 for a few years, an Omega dynamic 3 which was great then another Oris big crown for another few years and forgot about watches only to return and be horrified at the prices!! Oris big crown for over a grand! that's what a speedy costs! (oh... they have gone up too)Oris were about 300 quid. Anyway, I now have 2 of eddies navigators, (white and black) and a Serica... I like them a lot and quite fancy a honeycomb Everest but annoyingly I don't really have the patience for the panic buying thing on a Sunday....
Mine has been and remains all over the map. My 'watch journey' started with a Rolex, that I wore the heck out of for years, but since then has encompassed everything from the perceived luxury brands to a couple of hundred pounds. I like what I like I guess, I've never really thought about it so much.
To an extent I have in that I'm no longer prepared to pay £2k every year (with a host of other onerous requirements) to insure watch collections that include "high value" pieces. The ceiling with most insurers seems to be £15k for a single watch... staying under that threshold means that premiums become slightly more palatable.
Yeah kind of. I mostly wear my CWC 83 diver now. It’s not even an auto but it wears so well, it’s super reliable and looks great. It’s actually been a bit of an antidote to the sometimes slightly toe curling world of hyped automatics and the faux tool watch market. It kind of feels honest and quietly capable. I get the feeling that my other watches feel a bit embarrassed by it.
I have a couple of cheapish watches but they don’t get worn much. I tend to wear the more expensive ones or why bother having them at all?
Sort of. I never really gave up on affordable (or cheap if you like) watches. A few weeks after I bought my 16750 in 1986, I can remember buying a Seiko for about £40. In the '90s I bought a number of IWCs, a few Omegas, another Rolex, a JLC but I was still buying Swatches, inexpensive Seikos, a Pulsar and other stuff.
These days I'm very happy buying the odd Merkur or Pagani for my amusement. Still have some of the "nice" watches, thankfully.
Yes, from cheaper watches to Rolex and back to cheaper after the Rolex was stolen.
I don’t feel comfortable anymore with a watch worth thousands.
Yep, having had an assortment of mid-tier luxury watches over the best part of a decade, I sold my last one (114270) a few years' back, with no regrets, and am now down to two, a Christopher Ward and a San Martin. They wear and function beautifully, are as cheap as possible in the mechanical watch world to repair, and cause zero security concerns. Compared to CW, with the exception of Grand Seiko, I see so little (often no) additional quality in most brands in the 2-10k range that I don't see myself ever again re-entering that price bracket.
I've been fortunate enough to try out a few (to my income level) expensive watches from Omega and Tudor as well as a few 'mid-tier' watches from Sinn and Damasko, as well as cheaper watches. Like a few others on this thread, I've found that personally I don't feel comfortable wearing the pricier pieces (whether that's fear of damaging them, or for conveying an image that I personally don't want to convey in a lot of situations I'm in). The first issue is a possibility given my clumsiness, but the second I appreciate is largely in my own mind as most non-watch folk couldn't care less what watch people wear.
With the prices of formerly-affordable/attainable watches from brands like Seiko (or even Sinn, Damasko or other mocros) rising higher & higher (and QC seeming to get worse & worse in the case of Seiko!) the appeal of those brands is much less, as much as they still have a few designs that I quite like.
Maybe if I won the lottery my opinion might be different, but I definitely feel much more comfortable playing in the 'toddler pool' of cheap watches now. That way I can get to try out different styles or designs too and am much less likely to take a bath on the inevitable sale of said watch (which has happened all too often on my more expensive flips!).
I found the article the OP posted to be a good read and a nice choice of watches too that they ended up with.
Yeap,started with a couple of Tissot, Storm, Citizen then to a 2017 Rolex ND, then to a Monaco. Then sold the ND and got a Deepsea. Sold that as I realised that I’d get more enjoyment out of cheaper watches that didn’t remind me of TOWIE and Range Rovers. I’m happy now with a middle of the road collection of Tag Monaco, Tudors , Panerai, and a Seiko or 2.
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Yes that's where I am now pretty much. I started with Orients, Citizens and Seikos then moved up to Sinn, Longines, Oris and eventually onto Tudor and Omega.
Recently I've sold my Oris and Longines and replaced them with Seikos which I am wearing more than my Tudor and Omega and thinking of replacing the Tudor with another Seiko!
I joined this forum in 2009 with 2 x Seikos, subsequently went through 12 years of JLC, Rolex, Omega, Panerai and various other brands. Now the watch that gets the most wear is my G Shock and fitbit. I do still have an IWC Ingenieur, a Vertex, the 2 Seiko's I started with and a few other mechanical watches but I would say I am mostly done now as I don't have the disposable income I used to have.
I went from Timex and Casio to a Rolex Cellini Date (50515), then a BB58, now I'm more into microbrands, value for money and you don't worry about having your hand chopped off, so you've hit the nail on the head...
Started off back in the last centurywith mainly very affordable vintage Omegas that I was buying for around £40 a time from the US.
I then got into Rolexes but recently sold them off as they weren't getting worn much and the huge profits were nice.
Happy now with modern-ish Omegas and stuff around that price but still have a fair few older Seikos and other stuff too.
Cheers,
Neil.
Not really. Ive gone from affordable and worked up to holy trinity then back "down" to mid tier luxury I think which is where im happy.
I'm pretty much back to square one.
Speedmaster Pro > Sub 14060 > Speedy Tuesday > Sub 14060M > Oyster Perpetual 39 > Sub 124060 > Speedmaster Pro (Co-ax)
I don’t think I have ever had a ‘luxury’ watch
Firmly lower and mid tier and I am happy with my lot.
Anything luxury would not suit me.
I’ve been through the cycle a few times. Started off with quartz tool watches and had a CWC SBS which I thought was great but was ‘only’ a quartz so I sold it and bought a Tag Heuer Carrera. That too was eventually sold and I went on a journey of owning and selling various Omega’s, Tudor’s and other luxury brands. I always came to the conclusion that I had far too much money wrapped up in wrist trinkets and returned to a CWC of some sort. I currently only have 2 watches- a CWC RN diver (with SBS Day/date dial) and a Speedmaster Pro 3861. For now at least, these tick all the boxes for me.
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I think most would think a €49k watch as fairly mega expensive no?!Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK)
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I thought the same! Maybe a typo. Got me dreaming of a Calatrava...
Over the years I have gone from cheap Casio, Citizen, Rotary watches up through Rolex to AP and PP.
Settled back at Omega, Rolex, Tudor. The higher end watches are nice but not that nice to justify the cost IMHO.
It was affordable Seiko's when I started, and picked up a pepsi bezeled diver as my first. I moved onto a Planet Ocean after trying to choose something higher end for ages, and that still turns out to get the most wrist time. I then went for a birth year vintage 6105 8110 which I love. I then wanted a Rolex to wear to functions and hopefully as an everyday and got a DSSD which looks wonderful on my big wrist but gets very little wrist time due to cost. So I now stay pretty loyal to Seiko and I'm looking for a modern 6105, to save my original from too much wrist time, but also fancy a Panerai.
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Yeah I’ve definitely done this.
Started with Seiko Sarbs and SKX, dabbled with Orient and a few micro brands, then a bit of Steinhart, TAG Heuer AquaRacer and then a couple of Tudors before my first and only Rolex. Wore that every day for a year, got bored of it and sold it and went on a reverse journey - back to Tudor, then a TAG, a Sinn and I’ve currently settled on one Christopher Ward, my only watch, although I’ve been so impressed with it I’ve got another of their models on the way.
There’s definitely been something of an arc. I’ve never owned an Omega so maybe one day I’ll go back upwards again!
I started off with a Seiko, then a Speedbird III.
Then I recently inherited a luxury watch which I'd feel nervous about wearing in the wild, to be honest. It's a lovely watch but could just draw the wrong sort of attention in my locale.
The Speedbird seems to be in the 'sweet spot' for my day to day life. It's a reliable, good quality watch that flies under the radar. If it gets stolen, I'd be annoyed but not overly upset. I could replace it without too much trouble or expense (it's inexpensive to insure).
I can of course wear the luxury watch on special occasions in a secure environment.
Yes I have gone a sekonda in the early 1970s through Omegas and now have a Tudor Pelagos in the draw and am wearing a Casio G shock now
Yes, started at Tissot, moved onto my first expensive watch to me (Tag Carrera) then onto Rolex's where i finally got my grail (Rolex GMT Master 5 digit) after selling my Sub. Never felt comfortable wearing it around my local area so sold it, and now just a Seiko, a Timefactors and a nice Seamaster. I am tempted with the Railmaster on SC though and then i'm done i think.
Last edited by Martylaa; 19th March 2023 at 14:55.
I would, in all honesty, find it difficult to wear a cheap watch because it would be a horrible after wearing a good brand.
That must surely apply in all walks of life, it is human nature to strive for the best and to go back to lesser stuff is an admission of self defeat.
I am not so sure, the law of diminishing returns applies to virtually everything. Finding that happy medium is much more satisfying. I am not so sure I would call it defeat, more listening to your experience and wisdom. Flash trinkets usually mean less to people as they get older, or at least they do to me.
A very warped perspective on humans. If you’re still looking to impress people with your trinkets at your age I’d suggest that’s quite sad. Surely the value of your life experiences are more worthy of consideration than the constant inane need to show wealth and success.
Very very sad. If one's self worth relies on wearing something that only people like yourself and muggers appreciate then it's time to take a good long look at your life.
Confirms what I’d always suspected. Those of us interested in watches per se are watch enthusiasts. We wear watches because we like watches, not because they make us look or feel successful or in some way better than our peers. You say ‘a good brand’ as if that is what everyone is striving for - I used to be like that in the 80’s, then I realised how pathetic and shallow I was and grew up!
A Rolex is a better watch than say a Timex and a damn site more enjoyable to wear. Just a simple fact of life. If you think there's something wrong with that, then so be it but I'll stick with preferring the Rolex.
What do you expect of one asking about an under the radar alternative to Rolex that impresses the buddies
A fool with an expensive watch is still a fool. You can't buy class.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
I disagree that a Rolex is better than a Timex. As an exercise in manufacturing or production engineering the Timex knocks the Rolex into a cocked hat for efficiency of manufacturing and pure value for money, and there’s no comparison between the effectiveness of a Seiko quartz movement compared with the Rolex’s mechanical movement - however exquisite that little motor might be. I treat all my watches on merit, and every one of them was bought for what seemed at the time to be very good reasons - albeit different ones. I get pleasure wearing both - possibly more from the Timex as I’ve taken the time to customise it subtly in an attempt to make it unique and a little more vintage looking.
You never learn do you.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Mick, you are quite clearly missing the whole point of watch appreciation, why, oh why do you dwell here?
Genuine question.
PS, can you send a photograph of a Rolex on your wrist; have you ever posted a watch picture that you own?
Sorry, of course €49K is a ton of money - but compared to say €149K it is less. I've been fortunate enough to mark significant life points (some more poignant than others) with a significant watch purchase. I do sometimes fantasise about selling them all and consolidate to one rather special watch, but feel that variety is the spice of life. Martyn
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
My first 'expensive' watch was an Omega Seamaster Bond purchased in 2001 for £1,050. I've had many that have been and gone (including the Seamaster that was sold here): IWC Portuguese Chronograph (IW371401), IWC Pilot Chronograph (IW3717), Heuer 1964 Re-Edition, Rolex GMT Master II Pepsi (16710) etc etc. I now wear an Apple Watch almost all the time. Unfortunately, I can't wear it to work so keep a few others but am thinking of selling almost all of those not already let go and keeping just two or three.
Collecting mainly Rolex is what I used to like doing. My last purchase was an Omega gold pocket watch. My purchasing days are probably over and I apologise if you disapprove of that. I am truly sorry that I have upset you.
Please, Mick, you have not upset me at all, why do you think that? But, really, you haven't answered my question regarding your involvement (or lack of) with pictures of the watches in your possesion on this wonderful platform?
Could you please let us see a picture of your Omega, that would be nice.
It's obvious that my MO is so bad in your opinion that you feel the need to question my very existence here and write in and say "Mick, you are quite clearly missing the whole point of watch appreciation, why, oh why do you dwell here?
What am I expected to think.
Passive aggressive as usual.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
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