Watch advice

fitzgese

Looking for a watch with roughly the following characteristics (but open to recommendations):

- max budget E500
- heavy metal bracelet (i find a lot of the watches I've looked in this price range tend to have very light steel bracelets, I much prefer something that feels "heavy")
- powered by wrist movements rather than battery if possible, had a Pulsar watch before which was pretty great but it was pretty difficult and costly to get the batteries changed.

Suggestions?!

Wibbs

fitzgese wrote: »

- max budget E500

Quite a few options in that bracket, new and secondhand, even vintage(you could get some seriously nice vintage kit for that money, but I'd say that, being the oldfart vintage aficionado)
.

- heavy metal bracelet (i find a lot of the watches I've looked in this price range tend to have very light steel bracelets, I much prefer something that feels "heavy")

I hear that. I have found that solid linked barcelets tend to be only found at the more expenisive end. Others may have more options though?

- powered by wrist movements rather than battery if possible, had a Pulsar watch before which was pretty great but it was pretty difficult and costly to get the batteries changed.

Numero Uno Fitzgese; swapping out a battery should be neither difficult nor expensive. Though I have heard tales both in the real world and online how quite a number of jewelers etc charge silly money for doing so. It's a handy way for them to make money and frankly they're taking the piss. Battery cost? 50 cents to 10 euros tops and I mean tops, the average watch battery is around the 2 quid mark and that's for one, retail, wholesale and in bulk they're cheaper again. The vast majority of casebacks take seconds to open, pop out the battery, drop a new one in. Even the trickiest watch battery change can be done in under a couple of minutes. It's that easy. Hell, I've swapped a whole quartz movement out(that cost less than twenty quid) in well under an hour and I'm no watchmaker by any stretch.

Numero Dos; a watch powered by wrist movements, IE a mechanical automatic watch is much more expensive in maintenance over time compared to a quartz. A service is going to cost between 100 quid at the cheap end, nearly 200 at the reasonable, reliable end and up to many hundreds, even thousands at the expensive end. Quartz is cheaper to "run" over its life.

Another advantage to quartz and similar battery yokes is that they're ready to go any time. You can leave them off your wrist for days, weeks, months and strap them on and away you go. A mechanical, especially an auto needs near daily input from you. Now this is just one of the things that appeals about mechanicals, you're more involved in them, but it can be a pain to have to set the time and date and wind it if you've left one off your wrist for a few days.


TL;DR? I'd not write off the battery/quartz watch too quickly Fitzgese. They're generally cheaper to buy, cheaper to own, more shockproof and resilient and more accurate with it.

If I was going for a new or secondhand mechanical automatic that was cheaper to buy and run and needs scarily little maintenance, I'd go for one of the Seiko Diver automatics. They just run and run and run. Though not advised, they can and have gone 20 years without a service, still keeping time. Damn near bulletproof. For 500 quid you'd have a fair old choice in models too.

EG this example on Adverts.ie 200 quid, solid as feck and their bracelets tend to be meaty too. Or this on ebay a Seiko superior "monster" for just over 300 quid and it has solid link bracelet, so has a bit of heft to it.

fitzgese

Thanks Wibbs for the great advice, that first example you posted looks great, and ticks all the boxes in terms of what I'm looking for!

CarltonBrowne

Have a look at Obris Morgan - they seem to have the kind of bracelet you're interested in. Movements are Miyota but then the price reflects this. I've always been drawn to the Nevon (now discontinued) because I've always liked the Bund Blancpain-type bezel insert but I know I'd never be able to pull it off.
http://www.obrismorgan.com/

The other bracelet that impressed me recently was an aftermarket one for the Citizen Ecozilla by the people who make the Suppa adapters. I suspect the Ecozilla doesn't satisfy one of your other essentials though.
http://www.suppaparts.com/

bbbbb

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_0_8?k=seiko+5+automatic&sprefix=seiko+5+

have a look at seiko 5 automatic
Note some of the pics on Amazon are poor, check Google image search

blindsider

Wibbs wrote: »

EG this example on Adverts.ie 200 quid, solid as feck and their bracelets tend to be meaty too. Or this on ebay a Seiko superior "monster" for just over 300 quid and it has solid link bracelet, so has a bit of heft to it.

Wibbs - although I tremble in your presence, and bow obsequiously to your infinitely superior horological knowledge, may I query the ad you ref'd on Adverts?

a) Watch coming from Singapore? Creation Watches springs to mind - is this a 'grey' channel?

b) Pic 1 shows an Oyster bracelet (my own preference), pic 2 shows a Jubilee one - yet the advert makes no reference to either....


....apols if I'm wrong - but I thought it was worth querying.

Of course, for the budget indicated, your suggestions are impeccable!

Wibbs

No, very good points all B and good catch on the bracelets. Plus the possibility of getting landed with customs charges on top. Yep I'd agree avoid that one and similar, best going "local", within the EU anyway and if you're not sure of what you're buying(and Seiko have a bewildering array of models, never mind the aftermarket modding culture) then go to a bricks and mortar authorised dealer.

Anjobe

If you like the Seiko auto divers and you want to buy in the EU these guys are excellent.

You could get a Sumo if you stretched your budget a little. Fantastic watches for the money, with a very impressive heft.

AFAIK the standard SKX007 bracelet is a jubilee, but there are lots of aftermarket options e.g. http://www.monsterwatches.eu/eu/index.php/bracelets/steel/ssoyster18

Are creation watches dodgy?

blindsider

Nope. They seem to have a good rep.

You may well get hit with Customs charges tho - because the watch is imported into the EU. (I believe it's usually <€30)

You should be able to buy with confidence from Creation.

jefferson73

Anjobe wrote: »

If you like the Seiko auto divers and you want to buy in the EU these guys are excellent.

You could get a Sumo if you stretched your budget a little. Fantastic watches for the money, with a very impressive heft.

AFAIK the standard SKX007 bracelet is a jubilee, but there are lots of aftermarket options e.g. http://www.monsterwatches.eu/eu/index.php/bracelets/steel/ssoyster18

+1 on the Sumo
get it from Chino, Seiya or higuchi.
$475

blingrhino

Casio edifice - great watch and some ltd editions out at the moment.
i bought mine recently and still trying to read the manual ! but a good solid heavy watch- think it was €395

Homer

jefferson73 wrote: »

+1 on the Sumo
get it from Chino, Seiya or higuchi.
$475

Or there's one on adverts

Wibbs

Homer wrote: »

Or there's one on adverts

Feckin shillers!:mad: why I oughta... But that said, not a bad option at all FG. Homer's example is a real beauty and at a decent price too*











*my paypal address is...

Lex Luthor

Steinhart diver?

3 different looks to these

http://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/OCEAN-1-VINTAGE-red-natostrap-included,191.html

http://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/OCEAN-vintage-Military-,477.html

http://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/GMT-OCEAN-1-BLUE-RED,9.html

fitzgese

Went for the Seiko Diver's skx007 in the end, actually ended up getting it from Creation Watches before seeing the rest of the thread.

Customs charge worked out at about Eur 19. Great watch, jubilee strap is pretty light, but feels really comfortable on the wrist, and the watch itself is nice and hefty.

Couldn't be happier with it, cheers for the advice

Mredsnapper

fitzgese wrote: »

Went for the Seiko Diver's skx007 in the end, actually ended up getting it from Creation Watches before seeing the rest of the thread.

Customs charge worked out at about Eur 19. Great watch, jubilee strap is pretty light, but feels really comfortable on the wrist, and the watch itself is nice and hefty.

Couldn't be happier with it, cheers for the advice

@fitzgese, When did you order? I ordered one from them on the 8th November and it's taking ages. DHL reckon I'll have it on Monday, which is the 24th.

fitzgese

Mredsnapper wrote: »

@fitzgese, When did you order? I ordered one from them on the 8th November and it's taking ages. DHL reckon I'll have it on Monday, which is the 24th.

Ordered just around the same time as you, Sunday the 9th, and had the watch by the following Thursday. Was suprised at such a fast turnaround to be honest. I had it delivered to Parcel Motel and picked it up from there, but don't see why that should make any difference.

The one thing that may have slowed things down was paying the custom charges to DHL, I payed them over the phone literally 20 mins after getting a text about them on the Thursday morning, but again don't see that being a major delaying factor.

Mredsnapper

fitzgese wrote: »

Ordered just around the same time as you, Sunday the 9th, and had the watch by the following Thursday. Was suprised at such a fast turnaround to be honest. I had it delivered to Parcel Motel and picked it up from there, but don't see why that should make any difference.

The one thing that may have slowed things down was paying the custom charges to DHL, I payed them over the phone literally 20 mins after getting a text about them on the Thursday morning, but again don't see that being a major delaying factor.

Thanks. Hopefully I'll have mine tomorrow.