Help me pick a watch

[jason_carreira]

Trying to decide on an automatic watch for my birthday. Here's the finalists in my search:





Pros: Sapphire crystal, nice texture to the face, day & date, skeleton case back

Cons: it's 42mm without the crown, 45mm with which is kinda big, comes with a metal bracelet and I'll probably want to replace it with a leather one





Pros: Sapphire crystal, simple dial, skeleton case back

Cons: No day, a bit more expensive than my budget





Pros: Simple dial, skeleton case back

Cons: No sapphire crystal, no day





Pros: Nice texture, simple dial, day and date

Cons: No skeleton caseback, Not sure about the date with yesterday and tomorrow

[Tat]

Sea-gull with leather strap looks the best IMO. I especially enjoy the crown on that one. It looks like it would compliment your style the best with most versatility. Simplicity in the watch will compliment a detailed outfit. From a BD & sweater to a blazer & tie, you can use it all different ways.


Also seems to have that vintage flair to it, could just be me...

[allen_luo]

I'd have to agree with Tat. I can't speak for your style but I'd definitely go for that leather Sea-Gull based on looks, though I could understand how the lack of sapphire crystal could be a dealbreaker

[greg_s]

I like the first Orient followed by the leather strap sea gull. I like the texture and the date window on the Orient. Also, I have been extremely happy with my Orient.

[jicarv]

@JC - All three are very nice choices. Looks wise, I conquer with Tat and Allen on the Sea-Gull with the leather strap. However, I don't know anything about that company. I have an Orient and I think that they are great watches with a good Japanese movement. I personally would be skeptical to purchase a Chinese movement watch like the Sea-Gull. I know they've been around just as long as Orient, but I just don't know if the quality is the same.

[LesserBlackDog]

For me, it's a toss-up between the two Sea-Gulls. I like the onion-crown on the second one but I prefer the tapered hands on the first.


Sea-Gull is a Chinese watch company but it's got some serious street cred with affordable watch aficionados. As long as you get one from a reputable seller, I wouldn't worry much about quality.

[kmarizo]

I'm partial to the 1st Orient, I like the guilloché texture/pattern but I don't like the bracelet, I prefer leather. I bought the Orient FFD0F004W last year via the Dapper code (around $200'ish) .....I love it.


So if it were me, I would go with the 2nd Sea-Gull with the leather strap. Good reviews on the Sea-Gulls at the Poor Mans Watch Forum.

[alan]

Of all the watches listed, the third is may favorite. Not having a day wouldn't be a hinderance to me, but not having a saphire crystal is a bummer.

[CJJ]

I agree with Alan on this one. The third seems to have more versatility (not sure if that is something you are looking for). The metal seems to be brushed vs polished which I prefer and also holds up better IMO.

[jason_carreira]

Thanks guys! For all of these if they don't have a brown leather band I'll be putting one on it. I think after leaning toward the first Orient I just can't pull the trigger. It's 43mm without the crown... My current watch is 40mm and it's a diver, so the dial is even smaller. I think the 43mm with the small bezel will just look too big to be dressy.


It's a bummer that Orient discontinued so many models that I liked because I love their textured dials and all of those were in the 38-40mm range with sapphire crystal and around $100-125. Oh, well.


I'm still torn between the Sea-Gulls. I like the case styling on the 3rd but the sapphire crystal is a big draw. I'll probably go for the 3rd one and get a strap... Since this is a birthday present from my mom & dad I guess I'll save them some money.

[alan]

Oh, the 'rents are buying? How about this one? ;-)


http://www.tissotshop.com/tissot-visodate-men-s-silver-automatic-brown-leather-strap-watch.html


(I kid. I kid.)

[jason_carreira]

Yesterday I went to the mall to try on some larger (42mm) watches... I tried on a Tag Hauer Carrera that was AMAZING.... and only just north of $2k. Yeah... That was hard to hand back.

[bk]

http://www.perpetual-watch.com/

Check them out. I got one about a month ago after a long and hard search for an affordable automatic with a classic style that had a sapphire crystal. It's a chinese movement and that's clear; the movement shown by the display back isn't as pretty as it would be with a more expensive watch, mine's about 10 seconds fast a day, and the ticking is louder than on a very expensive watch. Still, for the price you can get a really attractive watch. I get compliments on mine on an almost daily basis.

[jicarv]

@Alan, that's a really nice Tissot you linked. They make good watches. I may put that on my wishlist.

[jason_carreira]

@bk those look nice, but a bit busy for what I'm looking for right now