A watch as a treat to myself... suggestions please

[danb79]

I know nothing about serious watches in all honesty; I've a few 50mm TW Steel watches and my AWU2 which I wear all the time

But I never did anything with my Nan's inheritance and would like to treat myself to a premium watch

Ideally c£5k +/- £1k; but have an overall budget of £10k

I've big hands and wrists / forearms from all the training I've done and still do (I don't life heavy any more due to health issues; but still train every day); so I'd like a watch that doesn't look lost on my wrists

My AWU2 with a titanium strap:



I've always loved the look of Breitlings and would like to stick with that look (busy watch faces, dials etc) - I don't want just a plain watch; they don't interest me

A black watch would be nice, titanium too. Not gold, not shiny silver etc... I want it to look practical but classy at the same time, with purpose if that makes sense...

Suggestions (with links / pictures) please

[AB]

https://www.watchfinder.co.uk/Breitling/Cosmonaute...

I know it's silver case but it's pretty dark overall.

[Royal Jelly]

https://www.iwc.com/gb/en/watches/pilot-watches

Functional, low-frills tool watches. Historic significance from WW2. Lots of titanium/black/coloured case options here. The titanium/ceratanium watches are all fairly meaty, and have quite a big presence with the way they wear.

[M11rph]

Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Titanium.

Case diameter 43.5mm, 16.2mm thick so a fair chunk of a watch but manages to do classy and substantial IMO.

£8700 asking price, expect at least 10% off any UK RRP.
https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Omega-Seamaster-Plane...




Chronograph variant goes bigger still, 45.5mm. Various colours. Silver, but brushed and not shiny!
https://www.chisholmhunter.co.uk/omega-seamaster-p...

[Stedman]

IWC pilot or Portuguese?

[alabbasi]

Omega will fit the bill.

[rallye101]

A nice oversized panerai will be great

[Regbuser]

[danb79]

^^^

Thanks folks...

Narrowed it down to these:

Breitling Avenger green: https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Breitling-Avenger-Chr...

Breitling Endurance orange: https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Breitling-Endurance-P...

And this Tag: https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/TAG-Heuer-Formula-1-C...

I don't want to spend much more than £5k TBH; makes me uncomfortable

The Breitling Endurance leads the pack for me, I just think it's a super looking watch

Going to speak to a few local jewellers this week that deal with these brands and see what can be done; I don't want to order online ideally as would like to test drive them first

[matt666]

Don’t rule out second hand. Check Chrono24 or eBay - they have an authentication service which is very good at protecting the buyer, and can be as new with no marks, all the paperwork etc.

It’s essential to handle and try out the watches, I’ve had my heart set on watches before that I instantly did a u-turn on as soon as I tried them on.

That Endurance looks nice in the photos but it’s a quartz and £3k is a lot for a quartz Breitling IMO. Also it’s made of something called Breitlight, which is shrouded in marketing speak but could look and feel a bit plasticky.

You should be able to get into an Avenger second hand for much less than £5k and it’s a much better watch

[AB]

At that price I'd be buying used every single time, much more watch for your money

[Richtea1970]

danb79 said:

^^^

Thanks folks...

Narrowed it down to these:

Breitling Avenger green: https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Breitling-Avenger-Chr...

Breitling Endurance orange: https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Breitling-Endurance-P...

And this Tag: https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/TAG-Heuer-Formula-1-C...

I don't want to spend much more than £5k TBH; makes me uncomfortable

The Breitling Endurance leads the pack for me, I just think it's a super looking watch

Going to speak to a few local jewellers this week that deal with these brands and see what can be done; I don't want to order online ideally as would like to test drive them first

I'm a Breitling man too but would make sure you take a look at the Endurance in person. Feels quite lightweight and gimmicky to me.
As I said, I like a Breitling but with your criteria, I'd be going Omega as above. Looks good and will hold it's money better than a Breitling.

[Dicky Knee]

Can I suggest this:

https://www.hackettwatches.com/watch/2023-superoce...

To all intents and purposes a new watch and Dom Hackett has an excellent reputation.

If the bracelet isn't your cup of tea, ask Dom to source a rubber strap and it will look like this:

https://www.watches-of-switzerland.co.uk/Breitling...

[Geertsen]

danb79 said:

^^^

Thanks folks...

Narrowed it down to these:

Breitling Avenger green: https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Breitling-Avenger-Chr...

Breitling Endurance orange: https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Breitling-Endurance-P...

And this Tag: https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/TAG-Heuer-Formula-1-C...

I don't want to spend much more than £5k TBH; makes me uncomfortable

The Breitling Endurance leads the pack for me, I just think it's a super looking watch

Going to speak to a few local jewellers this week that deal with these brands and see what can be done; I don't want to order online ideally as would like to test drive them first

I’ve been trying to think of some options but I’m struggling to argue with the Breitling Endurance. I personally wouldn’t get it in orange but I like the watch a lot .

At £5,000 to £10,000 I’d buy a pre-owned Rolex Sea-Dweller probably, although there’s something not ideal about a pre-owned watch when the purchase is in memory of someone (as yours is). Not sure why, just personal preference.

Edited by Geertsen on Sunday 25th May 23:12

[megenzo]

I went for a Breitling Superocean Heritage 44 and really like it. I went from rarely wearing a watch (save for a very slim dress Raymond Weil) to wearing the chunkier SOH all the time. It keeps pretty good time, it doesn't need adjusting between date changes every other month.

I went for a couple of rubber straps, and the steel mesh one. I mainly use it with the holed divers strap.

If you want a busy face and a bigger watch, a Navitimer may fit the bill. Discounts can be had if you dont take up the 0% finance

[Hoofy]

I think you need to head to a watch shop and try some on. We all have different tastes and something you like online may not have the same effect on your wrist. I won't mention any brands but it's all very personal, even if you choose a well-know high quality brand. Right now, I can't help but wear one of my cheap bronze watches. I just love them and my "proper" watches get very little "wrist time" to the point where I wonder about selling them.