A £2k early inheritance!

[Maxf]

Well, I received an interesting letter the other day from my Granddad with a cheque for £2k in it. He had decided to split his modest estate up early (he is 92 and very much still alive), with no real expectation of what we should do with the money.

So, I'm either going to spend it going to Vegas or buy a watch.

In terms of watches, I could either blow the lot, blow some and have some leftover or add a bit and buy something really special. I'm a bit uncertain about the last option as a) it wont be just from 'him' and b) if I have a lot more tied up I might get tempted to sell it in the future.

At the moment I'm thinking of maybe (all used):

In or under budget:
Zenith Class HW (white face) on leather
IWC Aquatimer
Tudor Blue Snowflake

Adding a bit:
Brequet Chrono
Vintage Rolex Submariner 5513

Adding a lot:
Vintage Rolex Explorer II (oranger hand)
Omega SM 300 - Navy Issued

I'm leaning towards one of the cheaper end of the list so the gift is purely from him. To 'snub' the money by adding another few £k seems a little rude as well, although I am perhaps overly sensitive about things like this.

Can anyone things of anything else I could look at? I like things with a bit of history!

[Maxf]

Mattt said:

Ignoring the watch question - before you spend it, is all ok from a tax perspective? I.e. will the estate have enough to cover the bill?

Unless he has 150 grandchildren then I think we'll be ok He is an ex factory worker (Perkins Engines all of his life) who lives in a rented house.

The modest estate is part of the reason I'm thinking quite hard about this, as even the £2k would have taken quite some saving.

[Maxf]

LukeBird said:

jdw1234 said:

I would suggest:

1). Don't go to vegas.
2). Don't spend so much you would consider/need to sell it in future.

Then you have a permenant reminder of your grandad on your wrist.

Completely agree.
Do you currently have a watch collection OP? That'd seriously sway my thoughts on what to buy.

Yes, I've got a couple. A couple of Speedmasters, Submariners, Datejust - nothing too exciting. I've had a Sea-Dweller and PO as well, but flipped them.

I'm a stainless steel 'toolwatch' kind of chap - although something a bit smarter would be nice as a change. I'm all t-shirts and jeans though.

[Maxf]

Thankyou4calling said:

What about an automatic bought for £1918, the year of your Grandads birth. A lovely reminder. Never to be sold but passed on as you see fit.

Thats a nice idea! Did you have something in mind, or were you thinking of trying my luck with used watches?

[Maxf]

Martin Keene said:

jdw1234 said:

I would suggest:

1). Don't go to vegas.
2). Don't spend so much you would consider/need to sell it in future.

Then you have a permenant reminder of your grandad on your wrist.

Edit: To the OP, what did your Grandad do at Perkins? I'm currently the third generation of my family to work there, in fact your Grandad and my Grandad must have worked there at the same time as my Grandad would have been 95 this year if he was still around.

Edited by Martin Keene on Thursday 22 April 22:33

Wow! Well, I'll ask him when I see him next - but as I remember he started when they were on Cromwell Road (IIRC) and he worked directly with Frank P, I seem to remember there were only a handful of employees then. He worked there through the war, as a foreman I believe (so working with hundreds of women!). He retired in the late 70's I think. I will find out more though!