Budget Watch Collecting - Things I wish I knew when I started!
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- Опубліковано 15 гру 2023
- Things to look for when selecting a good budget watch. I wish someone made this video when I first started collecting watches.
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#budgetwatch #pagani #aliexpress
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Probably the best way for collecting things is to pick only what you like and resonate with without going with the trend or following what others say. This is exactly the essence of this video. Well done !
Totally agree!
I agree with you on the “always get the bracelet.” Even my local watch dealer/repair shop says the same and why. In all my years of buying and wearing watches I quickly learned that I have a preference for Quartz over automatic. Why? Because I’m lazy and I like to set it and forget it. 😂
Quartz is simply a smarter choice. It's not just about "set and forget", it's also that quartz are more reliable, more durable, more accurate, demand less servicing, they are lighter and thinner, they are cheaper... actually, they are better than mechanical in literally every way possible. So, quartz is overall of better quality... much better quality.
@@damyr I agree with you and also have mostly quartz, but the reason people get automatic movements is not for any logical purpose, but more of an artistic one. People like autos because of the history, craftsmanship and aesthetic. For me, I would only get an auto if the movement is nicely finished and I can actually see the movement, because what's the point of buying what is essentially an art piece and you can't see it?
@@boxlad7583 I like vintage cars, much more than modern ones, but those vintage cars were built some 50 years ago, and they're just restored to be still driven today.
For the same reason, I admire and respect old, vintage watches, with a true history. But there's a difference between an old vintage watch, which is some 50+ years old, and a modern replica of the same watch, which is built by machines and contains literally 0 art and 0 history.
All of that are just overhyped words and serve no other purpose but to advertise and indoctrinate people into believing they are worth of wasting pretty big sums of money.
Objectively, modern mechanical watches are nothing but a scam, which allows some (Swiss) companies to sell trash quality products with giant profits. And I'm sure they all want to keep the status quo.
Mind you, there are some hand made pieces which really are an artistic expression of their makers, but I'm rather talking here about mass produced mechanical watches, from $30 Chinese ones to $20K Rolexes.
@@boxlad7583 A vintage from 1900s is much different than a modern day replica, made by machines, with no history and no art whatsoever.
@@boxlad7583 Btw...see how many replies in this thread, but there are actually 3 of them? yeah yt is getting seriously sick with their cen-ship.
Vostok & Seagull 1963 for me, amazing mechanical watches at affordable prices & don't look like Rolex knockoffs
Orient is another great choice - Kamasu and Bambino in particular.
Glad to see another New Englander doing budget watches! Feels like everyone around here either has super money watches, or just has the target special and don't want to talk about collecting watches
That Hamilton khaki field auto was probably the hardest leather strap to break in in my collection but man do I love that watch😂
The only thing you did not mention is maintenance costs! I have owned 5 Rolex watches , Omega, Steinhart, Marcello(3)
Etc and sold every one of them. Just did not give me the joy I expected. And I couldn’t afford to have the Rolexes serviced every 5 years at around $1000 min !!
My collection now consists of
Steeldive 1953
Addiesdive 2023-1 mechanical quartz
Casio Duro 106 Marlin
And a Casio G shock
I love every one of them and will never buy an overpriced Rolex ever again !
Thoughts?
I've never owned any of the "luxury" brands, and I never will because of the cost of ownership.
I have one Rolex, service interval is 10 years. I will buy a second luxury watch, at a roughly 5 year interval. A survive every 5 years is not prohibitive imho
Service every 5 years is a blast from the past when they used rudimentary oils and cases were barely sealed. But in 2024 it's a ripoff.
Just being honest here, then you couldn't afford them in the first place. Like buying a Mercedes then saying I cant afford the service. Then you couldn't afford the car in the first place. But not owning a Rolex cause you cant afford the watch doesn't make the watch bad lol.
The great thing about budget watches is that even if you make a mistake it won't cost you a bundle. Out of about 60 budget watches (I have about 20 higher end too) I bought about 3-4 that i regret now but didn't regret at the time.
Although Hamilton is printed, it’s really neatly done and inline with its military routes.
Great Video ! Thank You ! Can't wait the next one
Thanks for all the valuable information Gary.
Mahalo for the great video. I appreciate you sharing your wisdom from watch collecting over the years. Just recently started and looking forward to the day I can reflect back on my years of experience. 🤙
That is awesome! Thanks for watching. Also nice job on your channel! I will have to watch some of your videos.
I could listen to you ramble about watches all day Gary. Also love budget watches (out of necesity, I'm not rich...yet). Got me some Casios and Timexes mostly. Working towards saving for an Orient, and then a Tissot, and a Longinges. Those are three brands that really speak to me. Never got on the Seiko train.
Seikos leave me cold. No interest whatsoever.
To realign your chronograph pull the crown out one notch then press the pusher. It will step until you get it back to 12:00. Nice vid mate 👍😎🇦🇺
Thank you for taking the time and giving us your knowledge of collecting. Absolutely loved you and your collection. Tons of great ideas. 😊
Thanks so much!
Just came across this video. And I must say I appreciate your humbleness. And I appreciate that you get what you like not what others say you should get. I have just got back into watch collecting. I currently own a Seiko SNZH53 “Fifty Five Fathoms”, Citizen Promaster NH8380, an older Citizen Eco Drive my grandfather gifted before his passing, A Casio G-Shock GBA-900 and an Apple Watch S7, And I was thinking of getting an Invicta pro diver but then was steered away as someone essentially said I shouldn’t get a watch just because it looks like a watch I want. How after watching this, you’ve refreshed my mind back to my original thoughts. Watch collecting is a hobby, not a talent/skill. And it’s not like anyone else is going to be wearing your pieces. So I might get the pro diver. Sod what others say. I want what I like not what others like. Collecting watches is all about having a good quality piece that you’re happy with.
My daughters boyfriend has a Invicta and it looks great! I think they make some excellent watches and a few that are a little over the top.
I think its cool to see someone discover what is important to them in a watch.
Thanks.
A well done video, my wife was listening in the next room and also enjoyed it. I raced motorcycles at Bryar all through the 70's and maybe even stopped at your station!
Very cool! I worked at the Shell station at the bottom of Gully Hill in Concord. I have lots of memories of Bryar, Saturday Night stock cars (neighbor raced), motorcycle June races, and SCCA races.
Great collection 😀 I love the citizen
I'm a watches lover,
I have many different styles of watches just for fun and wear them rotate.
Since I am not a professional collector, so I only see them as some amusement gadgets, and never had any expensive purchases, the only Swiss's watch in the group is a Wenger military frield watch cost only $60 AUD.
The rest is a skeleton Bulova sport 100m water resistant, a Seiko King turtle 🐢diver, a Seiko 5 sport diver ,a Seiko chronograph racing watch, a Citizen eco drive pilot, a Citizen dress watch with day date quartz. ...
My thoughts maybe very different from others that I reckon your property is the one more value than some of the expensive watches if you want pass it to the next generation...
I love budget watches and beaters. My favorite category. I do appreciate this video. It's kinda like cars. I'd rather see somebody's unique project than another million dollar show 69 camaro.
However, I like genuine stuff from the 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Always on the lookout for old Seikos particularly. Lots of great deals to be had. I came across an '83 7a speedtimer for $35 the other day!
I would so much rather spend my money that way, on something genuine, that these Chinese knockoffs you're displaying that are worth less now than when you started the video.
May I ask where you find these deals?
@danieltrezub8130
That was at a thrift shop/antique store. I have found great deals at certain pawnshops and old independent jewelry stores that deal in used/vintage stuff.
Then, offerup and even fb marketplace can be a place to find watches.
It helps that I live just outside a huge city.
thanks for the video.
On a unrelated note I wish i had a dad that was into watches and we could had conversations like this . listening to you made me imagine it.
Thanks for sharing!
I got that Pagani in the last sale too: homages the Omega Project Alaska or the moonswatch Mission to Mars.
I just clicked "subscribe," and it shows you have 1,000 subscribers. Congratulations! I hope your channel grows with exciting videos showing your knowledge and experience.
Thank you so much!!
I always look at the caseback. It is the most intimate part of the watch. No stranger can see the caseback, only the watch owner knows what is hidden on the wrist.
Loved the video Gary, I just found your channel and subscribed! Keep being you and talking from the heart about your experiences in the watch hobby. You have a great style, and some really perfect lighting, audio & production values by the way. Cheers! -charley
Thanks and welcome
You were speaking directly to me Gary! great video
Cool, thanks. As I really appreciate your comments. Thanks for watching.
Love your vids! Keep it up. I'm on the same boat as you... maybe 1 to 50 too many watches haha
Hi Gary , just came across this channel after watching one of your recent Villages videos which i have been subscribed to for a while. Had no idea you were doing this type of channel. Very enjoyable and i am now subscribed to this one also. I also enjoy my watches but can never justify going the Rolex or Omega route, my money is too important to me. Buy what you like , what looks good on your wrist and what you can afford. Thanks for doing the channel, look forward to the future videos.
Welcome aboard!
Great review, loved it keep it up.
Thanks, will do!
Some good points here. I'm not a watch snob by any means, but to have a whole collection of Clomages... eh I dunno. I'm more sentimental... seems like you have that side too. I think there can be a balance between name brands and micros... micro brands seem to be the future. Enjoyed the video- thanks.
I see it this way: I have a bunch of clomages (some of them I will NEVER be able to afford or get i.e. Daytona or Blancpain Fifty-fathoms), recently buying a number of micro-brands and the occasional original.
Clomages are a stepping stone as a collection grows.
Nice collection, Gary. I do like the "fun" Pagani Design chrono but, to me, the 24 hour sub - dial doesn't make much sense without a date complication - unless you're going caving and simply want to know whether it's day or night up top (not a caver myself 😅).
Have a great weekend. Cheers 🍻!
Excellent tips. I’m happy I stumbled into your channel.
Welcome aboard!
Thanks for the vid! Haven't had to replace the solar cell in any of my Citizen Eco Drive watches after about 15 years of service.
Steven do you wear it daily?
@@GaryWatches No, but I store my solar guys in a clear top watch box placed near sunlight.
I’m just the opposite on dates, I love the symmetry of a no date watch.
In a solar/photoelectric powered watch, the capacitor (not actually a battery) doesn’t need replacing usually for ten years, sometimes 20, and time will tell if even more than that- because it’s a relatively new technology.
So the issue with opening the case back, is more of a problem with the automatics and servicing, in those time frames (in theory. Most of us don’t do service)..
Enjoyable and helpful! Hi from New Zealand
Thanks for watching!
Great call out on the size of the bezel, I have a Seiko that looks like a 30 because the bezel is so large LOL
Thanks for the video!
You're welcome!
Excellent video. I collect budget watches, although my favourite is Seiko dive watch
Good choice!
Nice advice. Glad I found the channel.
Welcome!
Man! those watches are stunning!
Thanks. I do have a few more coming with the recent sale but getting a lot more selective at this point.
Hello, just found your videos. You are spot on with most of your observations. I started with reasonably priced watches because of a self-imposed cost limit on my purchases. I slowly went up the price ladder where as now my collection contains Omegas, Tudors, Grand Seikos, etc. I totally agree with your observation on printed dials. Example, I have two San Martin's in my collection. A SM 62 mas homage with the gray dial that I love and a much newer SM BB pro gmt homage that I never wear because it has a printed dial. But the problem is that I have a much more expensive Hemel Airfoil that is of excellent quality but I rarely wear it. The reason? It has a printed dial and feels cheap. Let me just say that cost doesn't always equal quality. My Grand Seiko is of much higher fit and finish then my Omegas, etc. Thank you sir for your info.
I appreciate the input as I have been gravitating towards higher end pieces.
I enjoyed your honesty and personal advice. In the end I think everyone has to discover what they like and the reasons they like them. Personally I like a watch because it speaks to me. It says something different about itself and creates a talking point. I'm an engineer by trade so if the watch has some mechanical integrity or something clever or interesting I'm in. As far as I'm concerned it's pointless buying a piece of man jewellery if it does not make you feel good.
I agree 100% and collecting watches we all make mistake purchases on the road to finding the one’s you really like in your collection.
Gary you can usually adjust the setting of the second hand on your tissot to correct the second hand alignment. When it resets.
I had the same Phoibos Wavemaster but on the engineer bracelet which was fantastic. I really regret selling that watch. The green dial was just fantastic. However all is not lost, I see that they are releasing a Wavemaster GMT with the NH34 in a couple of months time, and they’re doing the green dial! I think a re-buy is needed!
Great collection! Lots of fresh pieces! I find myself going in the other direction moving from budget homages to what I call “icon” pieces of various prices, Timex Marlin, Hamilton Khaki field like yours, Legend Diver, Junghans Max Bill, Hanhart, BB54 etc. Still have my San Martin 36mm vintage explorer as a daily beater however. 👍🏻
I totally agree! I recently have found myself moving towards more expensive watches like the Seiko Alpinist and Tissot Seamaster.
Great choices! Both excellent and timeless!
Thanks for the video. By the way, you can adjust the starting position of the chronograph second hand in most watches, your Tissot included most likely.
Thanks for the tip! So I went to do it and the battery was dead. Now I know why I like automatics more the quartz.
Very interesting collection. I really like the light blue. I don’t spend tons of money on a watch. I have about 10 watches and 8 of them are Fossil. Nothing fancy, but I like how they look. I usually buy a couple when I go to the Fossil outlet store and buy them at the outlet price. I know they don’t compare to Citizen watches, but I am okay with that. I like having many to select from so I can pick something to match what clothes I’m wearing. I can’t exactly afford the luxury brands. Maybe eventually I can at least get a nice Citizen or something similar.
Indeed, before the Watch UA-camrs era, info was sparse, the Aliexpress were not happening too. The best budget watches were SKX, Invicta Pro Diver & Vostok Amphibia. It was when Pagani Design PD-1639 with sapphire crystal, ceramic bezel insert & NH35 movt offered for US$75 only, the big bang happened, the rest is history.
Im with you. A lot of people prefer no date, especially on divers. I personally prefer having a date, especially if its done right and has symmetry with the indices. One of my favorite watches in my Laco Altenburg but every time in wearing it and go to look at my watch when i need the date, I’m quickly reminded it doesn’t have a date window. Love the channel, subscribed!
Thanks for watching and subscribing.
Good tips here thank you.
I only have a three-watch collection so far which is a Casio G-shock GA-400-1a, Rotary Aquaspeed AGB00085/W/04 and a Citizen Mens strap.
Great video, thanks for the insights.
About that Paul Newman watch that's a bit too small for your wrist. I'm in no way a pioneer 8n suggesting, but i gladly join the pack: try a bund strap. 1. Paul Newman used it too 2. It makes the watch seem bigger, more in proportion with bigger wrists. 3. It' rare and it's cool.
I inherited a soviet Raketa hand winding watch from my father, that dodn't blew me away. But i heard about it, and i made a bundstrap myself for it, and since then i rediscovered it, i fell inlove with it.
Great commentary...just discovered you via UA-cam algorithm magic! 😂
Awesome! Thank you!
Really great video
Glad you enjoyed it
Nice video. I got a Tissot this week and have to align the cronograph hand, it´s pretty easy, btw. There are videos here on youtube explaining the process. Cheers from Brazil.
Thanks for the tips! ua-cam.com/video/l06uEwDuOwQ/v-deo.html
Lol, my first mechanical was hmt. But when I learned more about watches, I went and got a batman 😂
... now I wanna get a Tudor, airking, Daytona panda, and skydweller
I love your vids..we share the same taste with watches. I prefer watches with raised chaptering not printed and also 40mm my smallest preference .
Glad some one agrees with me. Thanks for watching.
I can tell you're forthright, laidback and wise from pure experience.
It was like listening from an older uncle, pleasant.
I'm still new to the watch game (mostly digital) and I'm subbed!
Thanks for subscribing. Glad you like it.
A seperate video on budget movements would be awesome.
I like your collection.
Thanks!
I started out with liking the date, but I had to doublecheck on my iphone that it really was the correct date. Its a chore fixing the date every other month. Now I only buy watches without a datewindow 😊 Thank you for a very informative video, I learned a lot. ❤
I agree, but it is hard to find watches without the date window. I like watches sans date because I am really big on dials just mars that look.
I may feel the same way when I retire. Then who cares what day it is. 😀
@@jimbelcher6877 sn004 LE, sn008, sn121t 👍🏻🤍🙏
Get a tube of polywatch it will polish out most scratches on non-sapphire crystals.
Wish I saw this back in 1998 when I started ! Now at 46 watches, time to start selling !! lol
I’m getting to the same spot that maybe time to sell some.
I was looking to get a budget watch model from a, believe it was a Hong Kong company, and was really impressed on the decoration of the movement visible thru the case back. But a reviewer pointed out the printed-on numerals were small, and the lume was fairly non--existent. After considering those matters I had to agree and chose not to get the watch. After all, it's the dial that's visible, not the movement.
❤❤❤❤
Thank you for your honest opinion about all the brands and not criticizing with commercial purposes. I've been looking for a forever budget friendly with sapphire crystal, no battery, new technology ( ECO drive or mechanicals) and beautiful watch as my forever watch . I have one with a good motor from no famous brand since i was 14 and now I'm 30 and i think i should have another one. What would you recommend me in ladies watches? I'll appreciate it if you tell me your opinion 😊
That’s a hard question for me as I’m just not sure of your taste. I’m thinking of looking for a watch for my wife and you would think it would be easy for me but it’s not. Thanks for watching.
love to see that misaligned tissot !
Coming up! This was the most requested part of that video.
You are likely to open a mechanical watch to swap to movement or service it around the same time you would have to open a light powereded watch with a capacitor.
Depending on the quartz movements that are chronograph, most are adjustable so you can get that chrono hand adjusted straight up 12
I m going to show how it is off in upcoming video. Don’t think it’s fixable without opening it up.
Love your collection! Just started getting into the budget homage watches and picked up a Pagani Milgauss homage and im really enjoying it. The dial is gorgeous and besides the crown stem feeling a little loose, the wrest of the watch is solid.
What are your thoughts on 7S26 movement ?
I dont like printed dials either unless its a feild watch. Timex never fails to impress with affordable watches with nice raised indices.
You can adjust the second hand to 12:00 on your Tissot using the pushers when the crown is disengaged 🤓
Still does’t align watch this ua-cam.com/video/l06uEwDuOwQ/v-deo.html
Indeed, always get the bracelet if available. I too, do not care for screen printed dials and love applied indices, sunburst effects and multiple levels. Roman numerals are another thing I always avoid, which is odd, as I studied Roman History and Classical Latin for years. I prefer day/date complications, but I have settled for date only when I really like the watch (e.g. Seiko Presage or Land Tortoise). I only have one watch in my entire collection of about 15 without a date window, but it is a cool curiosity (the Seagull 1963). My preferred dial size is 38-40mm owing to a small wrist size (6.25") and I do not really like NATO or Silicone/Rubber straps, therefore they are usually changed upon purchase. Printed bezels seem to the norm these days and some are just laughable (Timex), and I haven't seen a ceramic bezel in mainstream affordable watches (e.g. Citizen, Seiko, Casio etc.) for some time. My collection is 50/50 mechanical/Quartz, but I only have one digital face (Casio), as I always prefer the analogue style. Anyway, excuse me for boring everybody with my commentary and opinions. Great video! Thanks.
I find it very interesting as everyone’s collection is unique since their is no right answer.
I always buy day/date now because I hate pulling out my cell phone and an hour later I forget the day again. I like Sapphire chrystals because I am always banging my watch on something. I like at least 100meter so I don't need to worry about it. Lume no longer matters as I have to put my glasses on at night to see the time anyway. I need at least one digital watch (Casio AE1000) and one smart watch for running. I love aftermarket nylon bands. I have tools to change my own batteries. And getting nicks and scratches is part of the history of my watches. My favorites: Invicta Pro Diver, Berny compressor and Titanium and Lorus.
Good video and smack on. But to me it is a journey with corners and false trails and just part of the learning process so I don't regret any watches I have bought.
I agree so much. I don’t carry my phone with me all the time. Lume is so overrated as well.
Haha, I disagree personally.
1) given that I often switch among the watches I wear, I can't be bothered to set the date. So unless suddenly I win the lottery and buy the Rolex sky dweller, and a winding box, I am not interested in date windows functionally.
2) and by contrast, I feel like in many watches, the date window interferes with both legibility and aesthetics.
a) E g., date window at 6, and it shows the number 7. Argh! Is it 6 o'clock or 7?
b) e.g. you have a metallic dial with numbers in font a. But (especially with cheap watches), the color in the date window is an ill-fitting white or black, and the date is in a font that clashes with the font of the numbers on the dial.
Of course that may have to do with the fact that the date wheel comes with the movement in a cheap watch - but that's the point. I want it all! Cheap, high quality, aesthetically pleasing.
Video brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department. Not much useful information about but at least its repeated information said a few times. Your voice is quite pleasant and soothing.
Do you have any recommendations on any of your favorite digital watches ?
I have owned the Apple watch version 1 when it first came out and then many garmin watches during my running phase of life. For me digital watches are important if you need it for health motivation and understanding your body.
Nice video. Friendly suggestion…there’s a reason TGV, Marc at Long Island Watch, etc. wear gloves. It’s easier for viewers to focus on the watch and not your hands. Cheers!
Thanks for the tip! I recently got gloves and we will see what the differences are.
I started collecting watches as early as 8 years old. I worked my up to 60+ watches and gave a good amount of them away to a friend that discovered that he had cancer as a way of helping him out financially. I helped him sell most of them online. I'm now down to sub 20 watches and I would say that the biggest mistake that I made was buying too many of them with quartz movement. From my current 19 watches, 9 of them are quartz movement. I personally dont have the tools to open them so taking my watch to a jeweler just to put batteries on 9 watches tends to be a investment that I regret making.
Loved that Phoibos, looks awesome. I do like to have a date complication also, but sometimes I just want to wear watches with a full "clean" dial (date at 6 might do the trick for some dials).
If you have the time, any words on the Luobin? I like the more minimalistic bauhaus version but not sure if it's worth the 50$.
Nice video!
I have had a number of requests to see more of the Luobin. Got to just get to it.
I have a Helm Vanuatu using the NH35. Its stability in accuracy is horrendous. All over the roadmap. Not sure how to tame it. I’m sure I have the same feelings towards it as you do with the chronograph not returning to exact zero. Thinking about the dipsy and problem solved.
So far I have had good luck with the NH35 but I’m sure not all have excellent quality.
I would be very happy to see Joanne Woodward rather than Paul. Result 👍🏻😁
Hamilton keeps missing my taste🤷🏼♂️. So I’m not jumping on that hype train. Do appreciate their history, and the latest model with the white dial is a looker. That’s it.
Good point on the dial and bezel size 👌🏻.
I usually prefer a date complication, yet I have some watches without.
I love the Hamilton.
If the hands on your Tissot chronograph don't centre at the top there are videos here that show you how to realign them
I would be happy if every watch was a no-date, as I never bother to set them. I check my phone for the date. Yes, you do get better value by buying the bracelet format, however I prefer leather straps overall. I would never recommend buying a watch off Amazon or AlliE or Ebay due to the prevalence of Chinese made counterfeits. If you are purposefully buying Chinese watches, don't expect them to last very long. The one Chinese watch I bought didn't last a week. Just sayin. Thanks for the video! ⌚
I, too, like to have the date. Is it the 9th or the 10th today? Glance at watch. Oh, yeah. I get a kick out of these watch channels that complain they like this or that watch, but the date kinda spoils it. Huh?? On the other hand, day, month, and year are superfluous. They can be nice complications but, really, who needs them. The day comes I need that information, it will probably be time to put me in the home.
I have to say that #mamacoo 's watches is amazing!
I usually don’t like dates because they ruin the symmetry. If It’s not at the 6 o’clock, I don’t want it
Yeah...you need to see the watch on your wrist
I scrubbed through the video and couldn’t tell what I was wearing that day. Did you see something?
look at Balfany watches.
So far I have heard great things about Baltany watches but two things slow me up purchasing them. They usually run small diameter and seem expensive for quartz.
I'm just a little confused.. I mean budget suggests printed And quartz etc..
Budget definitely means different things to each. For me I consider under $200 as very budget friendly category. Most consider budget is under $500 which can get you a very nice watch. Thanks for watching.
There is certainly nothing, "logical" about the overwhelming majority of consumer goods purchases, especially watches.......especially nowadays with cell phones and $50 Chinese quartz watches that will keep more accurate time than a $100,000 AP. That being typed, I have had an affinity for watches since I was a very young child. I bought my first 'nice' watch (a quartz Citizen chronograph) from a long defunct anchor chain retailer when I was about 20 year's old. 30 years later, and I still have it, though it has not worked in decades.
Now, I have about 12 (mostly) "budget" watches. As others have mentioned, I only prefer an automatic, IF the watch has an exhibition caseback; otherwise, it doesn't really matter to me.
As I have become more aware of my mortality, and with no children to leave a 'nice' watch to, in middle age, I hesitate to buy something like an Omega, Tudor, or Grand Seiko (even 'pre-owned'), as "illogical" as it is, because, I can't stand the thought of only getting (maybe) 10 or 20 years of use out of it AND the watch ending up in the hands of someone who would not appreciate it, and it sitting at the bottom of someone's junk drawer.
Prior to the Internet, it was probably a little more difficult to find specific, out of production models, but nowadays, I'd say it's probably best to take 6 months to a year before purchasing an expensive item, just to help mitigate having, 'buyer's remorse". Often, after a period of time, you will say to yourself, "I don't know what I saw in that piece?" or, "I've found something I like even better."
Cheap? You want cheap? But well made? Hmmm. The hated Invicta Pro Diver fits the bill. I paid $60 including tax for mine. Seiko NH35 movement. Copies the Rolex Submariner in looks and function (Well, the Rolex does it perhaps two or three times better! FWIW, Rolex came out with a superbly ergonomic design and the world copied it, as did many of the watches you describe).
I agree, many have similar watches to the rolex.
My daily watch is 46mm because my wrists are flat, broad slabs topped with platform real estate. A 40mm watch looks like a toy on me. It sucks because most watches are 40mm.
Invicta do have big watches. I owned from 40 to 65 mm which are Huge 😅, but as watch collector I find them nice to have different models and sizes
@@yoyex2009 Yeah, I've owned an Invicta Grand Diver #3049 for twelve years and, to me, it's one of the greatest watches ever made. Most of the Invicta catalogue makes me want to puke (Gladiator Chronograph and Skull Artist collecitons come to mind) but the Grand Divers are just incredible. First-gen only though.
If you don't know what day it is, you've got more problems than what time it is.
Turns out that when you are retired, every day is Saturday. So I do sometimes forget what day everyone else thinks it is.
All my life I had a habit of relying on my watch for the date. Very hard to change after all these years.
Well, eventually you have to service your automatics too so…
To me Hamiltons are pricey I don't consider them a good deal
I agree.
14 years ago I bought a Hamilton field watch from an AD for $100 and today I could easily sell it for double that. The trick is to look for models or versions that are retiring.
I avoid the dates. When I wake up the first thing I do is check my phone and see the date and I remember that all day. I don’t know why people struggle with that. A date is just an unnecessary complication and a chore to set after you wear a watch that has gone flat. I could ignore it, but it annoys me when it is wrong.
7:51
I have my cheapo Casio field watch that I wear to work and definitely appreciate the day and date on it. Comes in handy. Also it might be because I can never remember the date...
‘No date, no deal..’ I don’t particularly like day/dates, but it has to have a date.
Dont mind dates but rarely correct the date.
Depends, in my work I do alot of journals and check dates back and forth all the time, I do need a date watch to stay focused.
BAD ADVICE! If you ask experienced real watch collectors, they will say "I wish I had a three watch collection". The search goes on and on. You pick up watches to scratch the itch. But this man just has heaps of scrap metal. These watches are copies. Are you trying to impress someone on the street because they mistake the copy for a Rolex or an Omega? Buy carefully. Buy what you actually want. This will take time. You may need to visit the boutique 3 or more times, before you buy. How the watch feels to you is vital. NEVER click buy a watch you have never touched. A Citizen or a G Shock is more of a watch than any of these AliExpress con watches.
One thing I have learned is everyone's taste is different. For me G Shock just doesn't do it at all. Thanks for watching.