Help me find a watch... budget c£500 (and a thank you!)

[Gingerbiker67]

Firstly, can I thank all the contributors on this corner of the Pistonheads Forum for helping me while away many hours browsing and learning. It’s probably the nicest bit of the website!

I’d like to buy a watch. I’d always promised myself that a Omega would be my retirement gift to myself, I have my Dads old one from the 1970s and I liked the thought of following on with that.

Unfortunately ( and a long story) ill health means I probably won’t get that far. As an aside I would recommend to anyone who is in a similar position and likes the outdoors get an eBike. Mine kept me out and about even well into chemotherapy/ radiotherapy and continues to do so now. Although I avoid the steep stuff in the woods it gives freedom when other events seek to prescribe it.

Budget creep and man maths won’t work; there is lots of other stuff to spend money on in the future: days out when all the C19 cloud lifts etc. The watch is a treat and needs to stay affordable. It will be funded by selling one of my road bikes: let me know if you would like a Cannondale CAAD 10 with carbon cranks and lots of nice bits- light as a feather and a dream to ride. I’ll eventually pass the Omega and this new watch on to my son.

So I already have a couple of Seikos that I like, and a couple of G Shocks. None are special but all are good, they cope with mountain biking, car tinkering and sitting at a desk all day. I volunteer in a Mountain Rescue Team so not dying at the first hint of rain, decent readability will help.

I was lucky enough to go to Cupertino last year and spent some time at Apple. I am a self confessed Apple fanboy, and for the last year have worn an Apple Watch most days. I have sold my Garmin Fenix 5 sapphire as the Apple works so well, I’ll forgive it it’s ( comparably) poor battery life.

I have been looking at divers or pilot watches. Reasonably robust, I don’t need a watch for formal attire, the Omega does that. I’d love a mechanical watch but there is more choice with automatic and even more quartz.

I’ll add some links to watches I have seen and liked below, but I’ll post this now as last time I tried I managed to loose my initial post...

Thanks in advance

In no particular order:

Bulova


Alpina




Baltic

Edited by Gingerbiker67 on Friday 19th February 09:29

Hamilton



And my favourite, but would probably have to be used:

Christopher Ward

Edited by Gingerbiker67 on Friday 19th February 09:38

[Al_85]

Firstly -hope you're on the road to recovery.

At that price range, I'd be looking at Hamilton. Their Field watches are iconic, automatic, well made and the brand has good provenance. All things I look for.

I got the Khaki Field 38mm and put it on a Nato as my sort of everyday watch and its great. Holds up well against my Omega and Tudor. Sounds like you lead an active lifestyle, so I think a Hamilton and stick it on a Nato would be a good match.

Plus - there is decent discount to be had at the moment. I got mine from WatchNation online and they were the cheapest.

Good luck!

[Uncle John]

I have the Bulova Lunar Pilot in black. They can be had for £350 if you look around. Super accurate quartz, great legibility & a lot of history.





All of your shortlist are nice watches. Good luck with the search.

[Gingerbiker67]

Thanks AL-85, I’ll add that to my places to check.

Uncle John: I didn’t know the Bulova history before I started looking, it’s amazing

[vixen1700]

A lttle over budget at £640 but you can get the real McCoy Flieger from Stowa.One of the original four Flieger manufacturers. A lovely watch for the money.

https://www.stowa.de/en/Flieger+Klassik+40+Ikarus....

[Barchettaman]

vixen1700 said:

A lttle over budget at £640 but you can get the real McCoy Flieger from Stowa.One of the original four Flieger manufacturers. A lovely watch for the money.

https://www.stowa.de/en/Flieger+Klassik+40+Ikarus....

Or you can get a real McCoy Flieger well under budget from Laco. I’ve owned one and it was very nicely finished.

€340

[vixen1700]

Barchettaman said:

Or you can get a real McCoy Flieger well under budget from Laco. I’ve owned one and it was very nicely finished.

€340

True, I thought they were more expensive than that.

[Gingerbiker67]

Thanks, I hadn’t come across Laco. They look good value.

[vixen1700]

Surprised you could get an automatic Laco Flieger for £345:

https://www.firstclasswatches.co.uk/laco-augsburg-...

https://www.firstclasswatches.co.uk/laco-aachen-bl...

Tempted by one of the blue Baumuster Bs myself at that price.

[Ninjin]

If you after a Divers then the Certina in Automatic movement is a under the radar bargain.

https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/collections/certina-...

The metal bracelet version in 43mm is £725 but you can easily get 10% off using first time buyer voucher.

If I had a £500 budget then I would for sure be trying to get 3 hand Swiss Movement Automatic. I think £500 on a Quartz even with chrono function, is just not money well spent.

Edited by Ninjin on Friday 19th February 14:43

[r159]

If you fancy Christopher Ward, sign up for their magazine, you’ll get a £100 off voucher pretty quickly.

I’d seriously think about 2nd hand, this Certina cost me £285, £550 less than list...


Also check out Tkmaxx, they often have Hamiltons at good prices.

Edited by r159 on Friday 19th February 15:51

[r159]

Ninjin said:

If you after a Divers then the Certina in Automatic movement is a under the radar bargain.

https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/collections/certina-...

The metal bracelet version in 43mm is £725 but you can easily get 10% off using first time buyer voucher.

If I had a £500 budget then I would for sure be trying to get 3 hand Swiss Movement Automatic. I think £500 on a Quartz even with chrono function, is just not money well spent.

Edited by Ninjin on Friday 19th February 14:43

£521 for the Certina above
https://www.cwsellors.co.uk/products/certina-watch...

[r159]

This metal Luminox is smart at less than budget
https://www.watchnation.com/product/luminox-navy-s...

[blingybongy]

Of the watches in your list I'd have that Baltic in a heartbeat.
One word of warning about the Bulova, its only splash proof, make it two words - it's big and wears big.
Check out
https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/

[egoold]

Bulova Lunar pilot is a brilliant watch or What about a Glycine Combat sub ,

[Dr.Seuss]

Baltic Aquascathe is a very nice watch, but you need both the beads of rice and rubber strap IMO. I also have a Orient Kamasu which is superb! I’d recommend switching out the standard Orient bracelet with a jubilee bracelet from strapcode.

[Gingerbiker67]

Great range of choices to look at; current top two are the Hamilton and the Laco Aachen; hunting the best price down.

Forgive me an idiot question; if I buy from Europe will it now be like previously buying from America with VAT / other taxes to pay?

[Ninjin]

Unfortunately, yes.

[Drooles]

I have the Hamilton field watch and it’s a nice thing - being a hand wound movement it’s a bit different from my other watches and I like that.

I’ve mentioned in another thread though, that I don’t wear it as much as I should because it doesn’t have a date window and I don’t seem to be able to function without one!

Water resistance is not great either...

[Gingerbiker67]

Drooles said:

I have the Hamilton field watch and it’s a nice thing - being a hand wound movement it’s a bit different from my other watches and I like that.

I’ve mentioned in another thread though, that I don’t wear it as much as I should because it doesn’t have a date window and I don’t seem to be able to function without one!

Water resistance is not great either...

Have you actually caused problems with water ingress, or is it problematic because you have to remember to remove it?