18th Birthday Watch
Discussion
My eldest son is turning 18 in September and we'd like to get him his first "quality" watch. The Budget is 1.5k give or take and I've run a few things past him as I feel he should choose it. Current contenders are the Nomos Club Campus 38 (with open case back) and the Tudor Heritage Ranger. He's keen on something that will look good on a variety of straps and ideally that won't lose too much in the way of value. Any other ideas around this price point new or used?
I bought each of my boys a Sinn 556A. Got them both on bracelet so the boys can then try leather, rubber, NATO etc. It's better to do it that way round than have to buy the bracelet later.
The 556 uses an ETA movement so will be cheap to service. Looks smart with a suit or dressed down with jeans. WR 200m with a screw down crown.
The 556 uses an ETA movement so will be cheap to service. Looks smart with a suit or dressed down with jeans. WR 200m with a screw down crown.
An 18th birthday present is a very special and sentimental thing. All being well he should still be wearing it on his 70th birthday.
- Second hand value is utterly irrelevant.
- The longevity of a good mechanical is better than quartz.
- Buy something that will look equally at home on the arm of an 18 year old as an octogenarian. A JLC reverso is a beautiful thing and a second hand one should be just about in budget, but I'm not sure it's a young mans watch.
- I understand that you might want to buy new, but if you can consider nearly new you will get a much better watch for your money. Take a look at Chrono24.
- I'd push him towards something that won't date.
gregd said:
Thanks guys, some good suggestions there. I'm taking him to try a few things on soon so I'll report back
I have Omega, Tudor, but still have these 2 Seiko new in the box and look similar to the ones you are looking at. I still love them. I wouldn't worry about future value, let him spend his own money on something truly special in a few years time :-)
https://www.seiko-watch.co.jp/collections/en/presa...
https://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-men...
Edited by seadragon on Tuesday 13th August 16:30
The Nomos looks like it will date very quickly, but the hands on the Tudor are really unbalanced. I think Nomos is a lightweight brand compared to Tudor, and if you need after sales service I think you'll be better off with Tudor. I own a Tangente and a Black Bay, not too far apart in terms of list price, but the Tudor is in a different league.
That said, I'm sure your son will love it and cherish whatever you get him. After a lifetime of sports watches (Timex ironman etc) and latterly Garmin, my wife bought me a used Tag Link to wear in new job. Afficionados will probably look down their noses at the cheap quartz movement and unreadable silver face but it's the watch I would pick up on the way out if the house were on fire.
That said, I'm sure your son will love it and cherish whatever you get him. After a lifetime of sports watches (Timex ironman etc) and latterly Garmin, my wife bought me a used Tag Link to wear in new job. Afficionados will probably look down their noses at the cheap quartz movement and unreadable silver face but it's the watch I would pick up on the way out if the house were on fire.
My eldest was 18 two years ago and I bought him an omega speed master reduced. A birth year watch ie 1999. It’s not a huge watch but he loves it and it was about £1300.
My youngest is 18 next month and has bigger wrists. The 2001 era watches tend to be too small or not great designs (well not at my price point). So am looking at various tudor options (2 or 3 year old models).
My youngest is 18 next month and has bigger wrists. The 2001 era watches tend to be too small or not great designs (well not at my price point). So am looking at various tudor options (2 or 3 year old models).
gregd said:
He's keen on something that will look good on a variety of straps and ideally that won't lose too much in the way of value.
This isn't an especially helpful suggestion, as it'll be a grand or more over budget, but a second-hand Omega Speedmaster for circa £2.5k would do the job well - I can't think of many watches that look as good on such a huge variety of straps. Plus it's sporty on bracelet but dressy on a leather strap. Add in that it's an utterly iconic watch from a great brand that'll look great 50 years from now, and it's really compelling. Chronographs are a bit pricier to service though, and water-resistance wouldn’t be a strong point.I don't wish to assume anything about your son, but speaking from my own experience, I was quite hard on my watches during my teens and 20's. A NOMOS is beautiful, classy & respected from a watchmaking standpoint, but it's not something that overly lends itself to 24/7-go-everywhere-do-anything wear. If re-sale value is really that important, the second-hand market for a NOMOS is more restricted.
If the dressier option still prevails, also take a look at Stowa – another German company, using Swiss movements, with good heritage, and offering a huge bang-for-buck in that £500-£1,000 zone. They deal direct with customer, so you’re cutting out the 30-40% AD middle-man slice when bought new. And they can be engraved with a message for your son (engrave the rotor, rather than the case, so that it’s a dead-easy thing to swap-out & de-personalise if he wants to sell it later), or customised with solid-silver dials, hand-blued hands etc.
The Tudor Ranger is an excellent, versatile watch also, but it wears a little bigger than you might expect.
A dive watch is something that can handle the rough & tumble of a young man’s life – equally at home on the beach as it is with a suit – so for that reason I’d look at a second-hand Tudor Black Bay at circa £2k. The Black Bay’s vintage looks suit a leather or fabric strap very well, and aftermarket bracelets can be bought cheaply – it really is a durable and versatile wear.
Overall though, I think I’d probably recommend either of two 'realistic' all-rounder options:
1) A second-hand mechanical Omega Seamaster, for £2k or under. I’m not quite sold on their looks myself, but the blue-dial ‘James Bond’ featured versions (Brosnan onwards) are enduring, well-made & a bit of a modern classic. It’s a watch that’ll never really go out of fashion, does a lot of things reasonably well, and doesn’t need to be ‘babied’ in any way.
2) A TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 could be sourced brand new for quite a bit under £2k. Some people are a bit sniffy about TAG, but at your price-point most watches you look at will use the same easily serviced ETA movements (or a variation thereof). Yes, TAG can be overpriced, but look online and avoid the bricks & mortar usual AD suspects, and significant savings can be made. Some things TAG do annoy me, but it’s undeniable that the Carrera is the sort of good-looking, rock-solid, classy watch that’ll never date or be inappropriate in 99% of social occasions. Plus, it carries a lot of brand-recognition, which can’t be overlooked.
Just following up on my Oris suggestion. For example:
https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Oris-Diver-Sixty-Five...
And on a strap:
https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/-Oris-Watch-Divers-Si...
You should be able to get a decent discount on RRP as well. Generally you are better to buy on a steel watch band and buy leather/NATO afterwards.
Plenty more styles and excellent watches.
Muhle Glashutte are alot of watch for the money as well. For example:
https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/collections/muhle-gl...
Jura offer a 10% discount for signing up but not sure if you could do better.
https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Oris-Diver-Sixty-Five...
And on a strap:
https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/-Oris-Watch-Divers-Si...
You should be able to get a decent discount on RRP as well. Generally you are better to buy on a steel watch band and buy leather/NATO afterwards.
Plenty more styles and excellent watches.
Muhle Glashutte are alot of watch for the money as well. For example:
https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/collections/muhle-gl...
Jura offer a 10% discount for signing up but not sure if you could do better.
Interesting thread. I believe it is usual tradition to buy a watch for someone's graduation present. If your son plans to go to Uni then you might want to save that particular gift for that occasion and go for something different for his 18th (Lads and Dads day at Palmersport? Or just for him?). If he isn't going to Uni then fill yer boots, obv!
JM
JM
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