Went watch shopping today...

[Eddw86]

As some of you may know from my posts on this forum I've been looking for both an every day beater and a 'proper' special watch for my graduation for a while. Well today I went shopping with the Mother in Norwich to finally get the ball rolling.

My favourite watch of the day was a Longines Hydroconquest, black bezel and face, was incredibly good quality, better than the Tags the jewellers pulled out for me to look at, though I did think the Tag Carrera was a very lovely watch.

http://www.longines.com/watches/longines-hydroconq...
Was offered a 41mm for £600.

What are peoples thoughts on here about Longines? A worthy watchmaker? Thoughts about this watch in general?
It is to be my first 'proper' watch and my parents wish it to be something special and that will be kept for a long time.

Another beutiful watch that caught my eye was a raymond weil.
http://www.gentlemansgadgets.com/for%20men/images/...
Though this one was about £900

Any other suggestions?

Really just trying to get peoples thoughts on a serious purchase for me, despite its small price in comparison to some of the gorgeous pieces many of you own.

Another thought on beater watch shopping, why do all watch shops have the same selection of Seikos, there is a couple I'd like to try on yet no shops seem to have them!

Edit to link to correct Longines!

Edited by Eddw86 on Thursday 20th August 21:59

[Maxf]

So did I - I tried one of these on...

It looked great on the mesh and also the orange rubber strap. The trouble is, it costs as much as a very good vintage one.



ETA, sorry for my hideous thread hi-jack

Edited by Maxf on Thursday 20th August 21:36

[Maxf]

I like Longines - they have a great history of watch making and I believe a lot of the pre WW2 military watches were made by them. That's a nice looking watch as well.

The RW looks nice, but not something I'd buy.

[Slagathore]

Eddw86 said:

Another thought on beater watch shopping, why do all watch shops have the same selection of Seikos, there is a couple I'd like to try on yet no shops seem to have them!

They're probably from japan/far east.

They get loads of interesting watches for their own market. not really sure why they don't sell them in this country, I'm sure they would sell well.

Ebay is probably your best bet for finding the ones you want. I got my Seiko from rkwatchhouse on Ebay.

Or, you could get one from the website, but then you run the risk of not liking it when it arrives, and also paying import tax.

Of the two watches you posted up, that Longines gets my vote, the RW is a bit too dressy.

[VXR_Driver]

Eddw86 said:

http://www.longines.com/watches/longines-hydroconq...
Was offered a 41mm for £600.

Edit to link to correct Longines!

From what I've read, Longines seem to be very durable. That hydroconquest would make a great daily wearer.

With regards to the RW, please don't take this the wrong way, but isn't it a bit dressy for someone your (our) age? Think about when/where/how often you would wear it.

[andy tims]

The Longines is nice but I don't like the RW.
Personally I'd put more of the total fund into the special watch & for daily wear, get a nice Seiko for around £200 or less.

Edited by andy tims on Thursday 20th August 22:16

[Eddw86]

The budget for the special watch is about the price of the Longines, though it could go higher for the perfect watch.

The Seiko beater budget is seperate and set by me, probably about £100-£200.

The RW is admittedly a bit old for me but it was gorgeous in the shop, however I am more set on the Longines. Was very well built as well and can imagine wearing it for special occassions as well as for daily (not stressful) wear. They also seem to be quite highly thought of on here when I did a search.

I did wonder about an Omega Seamaster but not sure I'd be able to get a secondhand auto in budget and the Longines caught my eye.

If anyone has alternative, nice, timeless classy watches that would be attainable please feel free to suggest.

Edit to add that any wrist shots would be appreciated!

Edited by Eddw86 on Thursday 20th August 23:22

[andy_s]

Longines is good, no worries, the Weil will age perhaps though. Try off the high street - Sinn 556, Nomos, Fortis, Stowa perhaps?
Have a look through the make forums on watchuseek, they are all pretty good.
Even those with stunning pieces costing thousands on here are generally of a broad church and appreciate seiko to patek, so don't worry about price point!
The important thing is to get something you enjoy though.

[Stitch]

Longines is a great brand with a true pedigree - its at a lower price point than Omega etc now because that is the way the brand owner wants to market it.

One question - if you are having a daily beater and a more special piece, why are you going for a tough dive watch for the as the special piece? It seems to me that you will be in a situation where you take off your Seiko dive watch to put on your Longines dive watch - are you going to feel that much different having swapped one for the other?

Why not combine the budget and get one dive watch or make your more expensive purchase something other than a steel bracelet dive watch (not the RW though!)

[ShadownINja]

Stitch said:

Why not combine the budget and get one dive watch or make your more expensive purchase something other than a steel bracelet dive watch (not the RW though!)

Put the Longines on a Toshi?

[eccles]

Have you thought about Oris watches? They do a nice range, are well thought of and quite a few are in your budget area.

[Romanymagic]

I quite like the look of the RW

[Gompo]

Romanymagic said:

I quite like the look of the RW

Me too, if I was going for something that looked similar to the Longines, it wouldnt be the Longines if you know what I mean..

[VX Foxy]

I think it's just me, but I really don't get the popularity of watches like the Longines. They all look the same whether they cost £10 or £10000.