Recommend me - first proper automatic watch. budget ~£1.5/8k

[craig1912]

Bought a Speedmaster day/ date second hand, four years ago and wear it everyday. Had it services at Genesis watches who are excellent and reasonable cost too.

Edited by craig1912 on Wednesday 4th February 06:10

[Paul Drawmer]

C9 5 day by pdrawmer, on Flickr

UK company selling their own Swiss watches.
On line sales only - extremely good returns policy.

Automatic watch with 5 day COSC certified movement.

http://www.christopherward.co.uk/watches/dress/c9-...

[BRMMA]

I had a similar budget and requirement recently and went for a Longines Heritage Retrograde which i got in the Ernest Jones sale well under budget, seems a lot of watch for the money

[stuart-b]

BRMMA said:

I had a similar budget and requirement recently and went for a Longines Heritage Retrograde which i got in the Ernest Jones sale well under budget, seems a lot of watch for the money

Interesting, I was thinking much the same. Saw a fantastic Longines which has really caught my eye. Seems to be a reflection of the style I am after for this particular watch (an every day automatic). The other watches mentioned are all fantastic in their own right, and if I am lucky enough to own even half of them I would be very privileged indeed! I particularly like the micro manufacturers from the UK and Germany - to have the dedication to construct your own watch is awe-inspiring.

[Lorneg]

Kaelic said:

OT I know but Lorne have you added day/date to the offshore or am I imagining things?

Yup, the final 'double O' variant. Design is fixed and final now, and all existing Field Engineer chronographs can be quite easily upgraded to double O spec.

[stavers]

Hi,

First post in the watches side of the forum and hopefully can help you here.

I got my first good watch from a guy in the UK - chronomaster.co.uk - and found him to be great. He has some great deals on secondhand watches and is an official dealer for several lesser known brands.

I would recommend this (or something like it):
http://www.chronomaster.co.uk/fortis/watches/pilot...
Or even this for a bit less money:
http://www.chronomaster.co.uk/sinn/watches/sinn-fl...

Both have a Valjoux 7750 movement which is basically the same as the TAG (and several other big brands) and he might do a bit of a deal on it as well.

Good luck on whatever you get...

[NDA]

That Fortis looks nice....

I have a watch made by Fortis (bought many years ago) who can service those in the UK?

[BRMMA]

stavers said:

Hi,

First post in the watches side of the forum and hopefully can help you here.

I got my first good watch from a guy in the UK - chronomaster.co.uk - and found him to be great. He has some great deals on secondhand watches and is an official dealer for several lesser known brands.

I would recommend this (or something like it):
http://www.chronomaster.co.uk/fortis/watches/pilot...
Or even this for a bit less money:
http://www.chronomaster.co.uk/sinn/watches/sinn-fl...

Both have a Valjoux 7750 movement which is basically the same as the TAG (and several other big brands) and he might do a bit of a deal on it as well.

Good luck on whatever you get...

Both look good recommendations, there's some lovely stuff on that site

[andy_s]

BRMMA said:

Both look good recommendations, there's some lovely stuff on that site

& Neil is a long time oft recommended dealer.

[stavers]

NDA said:

That Fortis looks nice....

I have a watch made by Fortis (bought many years ago) who can service those in the UK?

Off the top of my head I don't know but it's probably worth emailing Neil and asking him as I am sure he will know.

[wotnot]

I'm in the same position as the OP, though with a slightly lower budget, and have been looking longingly at this:

http://www.watchfinder.co.uk/Baume%20et%20Mercier/...

Does anyone have a views on this one way or the other?

[BRMMA]

wotnot said:

I'm in the same position as the OP, though with a slightly lower budget, and have been looking longingly at this:

http://www.watchfinder.co.uk/Baume%20et%20Mercier/...

Does anyone have a views on this one way or the other?

That's a very good looking watch, i don't know much about the brand or VFM but it's definitely a nice looking thing

[wotnot]

BRMMA said:

wotnot said:

I'm in the same position as the OP, though with a slightly lower budget, and have been looking longingly at this:

http://www.watchfinder.co.uk/Baume%20et%20Mercier/...

Does anyone have a views on this one way or the other?

That's a very good looking watch, i don't know much about the brand or VFM but it's definitely a nice looking thing

I was thinking the same. I think it's a really nice watch. I don't know the brand either and I just worried that, having bought my most expensive ever watch, someone would inform me that they're over priced.
I know it's all a question of personal taste but you can't be too careful.

[PJ S]

wotnot said:

BRMMA said:

wotnot said:

I'm in the same position as the OP, though with a slightly lower budget, and have been looking longingly at this:

http://www.watchfinder.co.uk/Baume%20et%20Mercier/...

Does anyone have a views on this one way or the other?

That's a very good looking watch, i don't know much about the brand or VFM but it's definitely a nice looking thing

I was thinking the same. I think it's a really nice watch. I don't know the brand either and I just worried that, having bought my most expensive ever watch, someone would inform me that they're over priced.
I know it's all a question of personal taste but you can't be too careful.

Decent brand, nice looking pieces, rarely suggested – slightly forgettable for some reason.

https://www.chrono24.com/en/baumemercier/baume--me... – white dial version on bracelet.
That's more like the sort of money you should be paying.
Ask about age, if serviced, and then compare to the one linked – any leather strap and deployant/buckle can be fitted by yourself, if you're not a bracelet person, but you're always better off going for one rather than adding it later, since it tends to cost a fair bit more than the OEM leather option.

Spend time on there and look at others, and other brands – you might find something that takes your fancy even more.

[wotnot]

PJ S said:

Decent brand, nice looking pieces, rarely suggested – slightly forgettable for some reason.

https://www.chrono24.com/en/baumemercier/baume--me... – white dial version on bracelet.
That's more like the sort of money you should be paying.
Ask about age, if serviced, and then compare to the one linked – any leather strap and deployant/buckle can be fitted by yourself, if you're not a bracelet person, but you're always better off going for one rather than adding it later, since it tends to cost a fair bit more than the OEM leather option.

Spend time on there and look at others, and other brands – you might find something that takes your fancy even more.

That is a very nice watch, I think I actually prefer it with the white face.
Many thanks for the advice. Much appreciated.