Which Watch for....

[arun1uk]

...my girlfriend.

We've had a good year, so as a pressie to her I want to find a watch that is:

- Automatic
- Date function
- Small round face
- Slim bracelet
- Diamonds on face (not too bothered about this really).
- About £1k

I've found this and think it's perfect, but before I buy it just wanted to see if anyone else has any suggestions?
http://www.fraserhart.co.uk/p-2215-longines-flagsh...

Cheers

[J888SXY]

Without being funny are you sure it's automatic?

Nowt wrong with it. My good lady has a diamond bezel Longines.

[arun1uk]

Yup, has Automatic written on the face, plus had a look at it in the store too. Seem some Tags for £850 ish, but they seem a bit chunky.

Pretty amazing price for the spec as well.

[LordGrover]

May still be a quartz? click

[deejuic]

That looks like Goldsmith's made a mistake. I don't think that Longines would put automatic on a quartz watch.

[arun1uk]

Nope, it's defintely an automatic. Held the watch, it has a skeleton back, so could see the mechanism.

[ShadownINja]

Sure she wants an automatic? Women (WIS excepted) prefer quartz as they don't care about the mechanicals...

[aberdeeneuan]

I got my missus an Omega Aqua Terra last year which she loves, it was on offer when I got it but it's the same as this:

http://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/product.asp?cid=1&...

[tuffer]

£995 from Mappin and Webb last week:

OK, so its a bit chunky but its a proper Automatic watch.

Edited to add, this was second hand but it is mint and the new price was about £2.5k. Down side is she wants a steel bracelet and that is another £700 But compared to the alternatives we were looking at this was still a bargain for a decent watch. I was actually never a big fan of the Ingeneur but this is really growing on me and I quite fancy one myself now.

Edited by tuffer on Wednesday 3rd February 06:10

[mikeveal]

It's personal choice but beware the difference between men and women. She may not appreciate your generosity as much as you think.

What I'm trying to say is that women do generally not view watches in the same way as men do, this can be seen very clearly in second hand prices. A second hand gents Omega in good condition will easily fetch >50% of the original price. For a ladies watch the figure is nearer 20-30%... women just aren't into watches in the same way as men.

So what I'm trying to say is two things:
1/ Make absolutely certain that a watch is the right thing to buy. Obviously you know your girlfriend so you'll be the only person that can answer this. Generally a grand spend on a diamond pendant or studs will go down much better, but there are exceptions to the rule.

2/ With second hand prices being so low for ladies watches, it'd be daft not to look at them. Second hand can also mean antique, which will open up your field to art deco watches from the 20's and 30's. As an example I bought my wife a solid gold Omega from the 1950's. It is in perfect condition with no patina or scratches. I paid £70. For a grand you ought to be able to find something really nice and very high quality. Whereas with a modern watch, at a grand you are just starting on the quality ladder.

It's your decision - I hope I have helped with the above.

[seaninog]

tuffer said:

£995 from Mappin and Webb last week:

OK, so its a bit chunky but its a proper Automatic watch.

Edited to add, this was second hand but it is mint and the new price was about £2.5k. Down side is she wants a steel bracelet and that is another £700 But compared to the alternatives we were looking at this was still a bargain for a decent watch. I was actually never a big fan of the Ingeneur but this is really growing on me and I quite fancy one myself now.

Edited by tuffer on Wednesday 3rd February 06:10

£995?????

It's a deal, it's a steal, it's the sale of the f*****g century!!!

[arun1uk]

Cheers for the help guys. I know she def wants a watch as she loves my collection and only really has a daily watch, which is nothing special. I know what kind of watch she is after as she always points the same sort out, i.e. SS bracelet, doesnt like gold, has to have a date function, mustn't be too bulky.
I want to get her an automatic as I think it adds a bit more character to the watch. I've tried to explain the difference between quartz/mech/auto to her and I think she understands the benefits now.

Mikeveal - good advice. She has enough jewellery as it is, the only thing missing is a nice watch so think I'm making the right decision.

That IWC is amazing for the price. I should be getting a Portuguese Chrono when I got to America in May. Cannot wait!

I've never really considered 2nd hand watches for some reason but it does make sense...anyone got any good site/shops to recommend. I think I'll take a look and see if I can get a good deal.

[ShadownINja]

If it's not an everyday watch, you'll be the one winding and setting it every time she wants to wear it if you get an auto!

[Fittster]

tuffer said:

£995 from Mappin and Webb last week:

OK, so its a bit chunky but its a proper Automatic watch.

Is that actually a womans watch or is she following the trend of women wearing watches which were designed for men?

[mikeveal]

Fleabay for second hand watches.
There are also good for sale forums on Timezone and watchuseek. However, these are WIS sites and as per my post above, there are not many female WIS, so sales of ladies watches on these sites are rare.

[tuffer]

Fittster said:

tuffer said:

£995 from Mappin and Webb last week:

OK, so its a bit chunky but its a proper Automatic watch.

Is that actually a womans watch or is she following the trend of women wearing watches which were designed for men?

It's a Ladies IWC Ingenieur, it's not small but the picture makes it looker bigger than it really is. Its probably on a par with a Ladies Brietling. Will take a better picture when I get home. We looked at a lot of watches, the Lady in the Omega showroom was wearing a mans size watch (and she was dinky) and it looked pretty cool, a lady sat at our dinner table on Friday night also had a mid/man sized Omega Chrono on and it looked well cool.
They seem to be pretty scarce and I heard that IWC are dropping the range, I am going to keep my eye out for some more as I would like to get the Gold version.