re: Obtuse's guide to entry level Swiss watches under $2000

Why would anyone want a $2000 watch?

have an upvote for passion.

i wouldn't spend more than 100$ on a watch tho fer real dough.

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Serious question. Do you keep them all running? If not, have you ever had trouble getting one that's stopped, to start back running?

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I don't not keep them running I pull the stem on all the ones that hack when I take them off so I don't have to wind them up, a full wind reduces isochronism since low power reserve reduces the balance amplitude and makes the watch run faster. Watches that do not hack (primarily manual winds) I just wind before I set them.

I have never had a modern watch not start back but I have had a couple of vintage watches die when they wound down.

You have three options:

1. send it back to Seiko for repair
2. if it is out of warranty find an indy watchmaker that services Seiko to repair it
3. get a cheap watch winder $25 for a single up to as much as you want to spend ($2k for s single Orbita)

A lot has to do with how expensive the watch is, some Seikos are cheaper to replace than repair

Thanks for the great info

I love watch threads on here, appreciate the effort and the passion involved. One of these days I'm going to buy a modern Hamilton like the khaki to go along with my great grandfather's Hamilton pocket watch.

My Orients will do for now though, even if they couldn't make this list due to being a Japanese movement. And for anyone who asks, you always get the blue face on a watch.

There’s a nice Swatch store on oxford street. London.

Appreciate the reply, and the thread. If I knew I could get it fixed for $100, I'd send it to them. I kind of replaced it with a cheaper, solar Seiko, but I like the older one more. The old one is on the right below. It came with the black resin band. If I get it fixed, I'd go back to it.



Thanks again.

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What are some watch brands that you would avoid? I’ve always heard Tags are way overpriced

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I wouldn't shy away from any of the established Swiss brands with continuous histories. By that, I mean ones that didn't not "die" then years later somebody bought the brand and trades on the old name selling comparatively crap like Lucien Piccard and Invicta not saying you can't get a decent cheap watch from them it is just sort of a travesty especially for people that pay retail in the Invicta "boutiques". That said don't go buy a Tag, Hamilton or Ebel (basically any of the watche brands on my list save maybe Tudor) from a retailer. The discounted prices on Joma or Authenticwatches will more accurately reflect the true value of the watch. Tag gets a poor rep for the tons of F1 quartz watches with plastic bezels they sell at insane prices. In general the automatic prices reflect the true value when discounted online.

Value is so subjective if you like it and you are comfortable with the price then it isn't overpriced unless for example it is the unusual item like Tag F1s.

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I would say PP is giving the “tool watch manufacturer” a run for the money. Have you priced a 5167 or a 5711 lately? Before it came out, I tried to buy a 5522A (I don’t like complications) from my AD and was basically laughed out of the store — wouldn’t even put me on the list.

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I completely get what you are saying and you are correct though I see it a little different in that Rolex is making it hard for consumers to buy their bread and butter while Patek is pushing them toward theirs. I am not saying Rolex doesn't love the mark up their special in-house foundry gold though.

Patek steel pieces have always had a special following but not so much their sports watches, it has all gone haywire recently. I bought a 5167 5 years ago, a blue 5711 4 years ago and a 5980 just 3 years ago. I paid a 5k premium on the 5711 and the other two were just under retail, maybe 500 and 1000 off. I could sell the three now used for ~60,000 more than I paid for them which is absolutely insane. All this while my 6yo 5170 chronograph has depreciated ~10k.

I almost bought one of the 5522 at list in 2017. However, all the forumites HATED it so I relented because my only plan would have been to flip it without every so much as taking it out of the box. They are going for almost 3 times retail now new and the used ones are still a $25k premium and MORE expensive than a used gold 5524r Travel Time!

Of course, the 5522a was "limited" to 600 pieces which people thought was WAY too many to sell @22k.

So yeah PP is crushing people on the steel watches but it is a fairly new bubble for the Aquanaut and Nautilus which I just expect them to ride out.

I don’t know why you got any downvotes. This is one of my top 5 threads of the year.

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