Sub £3k Dress watch

[egoold]

Have various watches all of which I really like but most are dive or sports style watches. Just realised I don’t have a slightly smarter dress watch . Getting married next year and would like something nice to wear .

Started thinking along the lines of a Tudor BB41 / royal / 1926. But wondering what other recommendations ? Happy to buy new or used.

[hmg]

Can’t go wrong with a nice 60s vintage omega sea master with a ‘beads of rice bracelet’

[hmg]

[Wills2]

Probably more than the budget but a Cartier Tank MC would be a nice wedding day dress watch IMO.

Edited by Wills2 on Wednesday 8th December 23:13

[WhisperingWasp]

I'm getting married next year too and I'm 95% decided my wedding watch needs (yes, needs!) to be the Cartier Santos medium, white dial.

That would be over this budget but I do think Cartier is a nice choice for this sort of thing. Perhaps one of the new Tanks? https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Cartier-Tank-Must-de-...

However, given your suggestions maybe you are more of a bracelet man? I do like the BB41 and the new silver dial one has a nice dress-look (but not too much so, imagine it would be very versatile). Also might be worth looking at some Frederique Constants which would be well within budget. Or a Maurice Lacroix Aikon for the bracelet and lots of dial colour choice.

Enjoy the search.

ETA: sorry, this was the Tank I was actually thinking of - the new solar one, for something different? https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Cartier-Tank-Must-de-...

Edited by WhisperingWasp on Thursday 9th December 00:23

Edited by WhisperingWasp on Thursday 9th December 00:24

[WhisperingWasp]

Have another: https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/collections/frederiq...

[RSTurboPaul]

Glashutte Senator Sixties?

[Barchettaman]

Mido Baroncelli at a third of your budget?
Only 7mm thick. A lovely thing:

https://www.midowatches.com/uk/baroncelli-heritage...

[BrokenSkunk]

The correct answer is a Reverso. 2nd hand of course at that money.

[egoold]

Prefer a slightly larger round dial watch , was maybe going to look at a second hand Aqua Terra

[SturdyHSV]

Just for a (very) outside suggestion, the Rado Coupole Classics look nice in person, nice dial finishing and case shape in profile and are a little more towards the classic 'dress watch' look by my understanding, which I've always taken to mean silver / gold with clean time only dial, slim case and black / brown alligator strap.



https://www.rado.com/en_gb/coupole-classic-automat...

41mm so will wear a nice size on most normal wrists, well under budget and a Swiss movement at least (ETA or otherwise )

Appreciate Rado are a bit of a no-no in watch circles though

[T6 vanman]

Birth year Rolex Oyster ??

[GCH]

egoold said:

Have various watches all of which I really like but most are dive or sports style watches. Just realised I don’t have a slightly smarter dress watch . Getting married next year and would like something nice to wear .

Started thinking along the lines of a Tudor BB41 / royal / 1926. But wondering what other recommendations ? Happy to buy new or used.

But...none of those are dress watches (sorry for the pedantry, but for some reason people mis-using the term 'dress watch' really annoys me).

Anyway, pedantry aside, my standard response to this is a reverso, on leather, which you should be able to pick up, pre-owned, within your budget. Engraving is optional.
(edit - I see BrokenSkunk posted the same...because it's true).
My other suggestion would be a Cartier Tank which is a bonafide classy classic and within your budget, new.

Edited by GCH on Thursday 9th December 16:25

[BrokenSkunk]

egoold said:

Prefer a slightly larger round dial watch , was maybe going to look at a second hand Aqua Terra

To a Reverso? As a dress watch?

You're either wrong and don't know it yet, or you have no taste!

Go and try one on. I didn't think I'd like them either. I have a night / day duo and it is an incedibly special watch.

[SturdyHSV]

BrokenSkunk said:

egoold said:

Prefer a slightly larger round dial watch , was maybe going to look at a second hand Aqua Terra

To a Reverso? As a dress watch?

You're either wrong and don't know it yet, or you have no taste!

Go and try one on. I didn't think I'd like them either. I have a night / day duo and it is an incedibly special watch.

Yeah I didn't get the whole Reverso thing, thought they looked ugly to be honest and then saw some actual video / pictures of one being worn with smart clothes / suit and realised how wrong I was

Instantly towards the top of 'the list', and I am currently totally enamoured with the Reverso Tribute Duoface (ref is Q3988482) and would love to get one perhaps in a year or two once I've saved up

[JeffreyD]

GCH said:

But...none of those are dress watches (sorry for the pedantry, but for some reason people mis-using the term 'dress watch' really annoys me).

Anyway, pedantry aside, my standard response to this is a reverso, on leather, which you should be able to pick up, pre-owned, within your budget. Engraving is optional.
(edit - I see BrokenSkunk posted the same...because it's true).
My other suggestion would be a Cartier Tank which is a bonafide classy classic and within your budget, new.

The price of such watches is testament to how people's perception of watch sizes has totally changed in the last 20 years.
Watches under 40mm seem to be disregarded by many.

[gregd]

Pre-owned Tank here.. Bought a pre-owned steel/rose Santos off them recently funnily enough

https://www.pragnell.co.uk/cartier-tank-solo-wsta0...

Budget creep and not strictly a dress watch but nice

https://www.pragnell.co.uk/jaeger-le-coultre-maste...

[daveenty]

hmg said:

Can’t go wrong with a nice 60s vintage omega sea master with a ‘beads of rice bracelet’

Would agree with this partially, I tend to use a slightly earlier one (c1955) though to me it should be on leather.

[Stunters]

I'm not sure whether it could strictly be termed a dress watch, but perhaps a Nomos of some description might be worth a look?

[Macneil]

egoold said:

Prefer a slightly larger round dial watch , was maybe going to look at a second hand Aqua Terra

Just what I was going to suggest!