Something I would recommend to anyone contemplating a several thousand dollar watch purchase:
1. Hesitate. You could buy a car with this money, so do a similar amount of homework as you might buying a car.
2. Write down a list of the things you want out of a watch, noting what it is about the expensive one you like. Start with features. So:
pilot/diver/racer/dress,
case shape, material, thickness
dial size and color,
bezel type and color,
complications,
minimum water resistance,
crystal type, caseback type (e.g. exhibition)
styling: arabic numerals, roman, minimalist indices, etc.
i'll assume for the moment that we are 100% focused on mechanical movements
3. Spend some time (I would recommend a lot of time) on the internet (worn and wound, hodinkee, forums) finding options that meet all or most of those features. You should be able to find a half dozen or so, from the $200 Seiko, Citizen, Orient, to $500 small brands that are sourcing Miyota or Seiko movements, to the guys using swiss ETA movements at or around $1000+, to the germans doing the same thing the big swiss brands do for cheaper (e.g. Nomos), to the investment piece you have your eye on that all look quite similar. Take note of what features you are getting or giving up at each price point.
4. Now that you have a menu, reflect on the intangibles. We are talking about buying something that generally keeps time less well than a $25 casio; the intangibles are as valid as anything. Does it matter if the movement is in house? Does the brand have a pedigree, in horology or in style/film? Does name recognition matter to you? Or the fact that Roger Federer wears them, or navy SEALs? Will you sell this in 10 years time or does your decision to commit that much money hinge on whether you can? These are all perfectly valid and intimately personal. No judgement here.
After that you'll probably understand a lot more about watches in general, and about the purchase you are contemplating making. The choice should be a lot easier and you'll know exactly why you made it.
I recently ended up going for a mkII Anstead Oceanis recently after having my eye on several $1000+ divers (think Zodiac's heritage line, Kobold in terms of aesthetics) basically because the in-house/swiss movement thing just doesn't mean much to me, and after some research came to the conclusion that any difference in reliability between miyotas and seiko movements and swiss ETA or in-house brands are fairly speculative. The build quality is good (solid components, and anything with a 300m depth rating has to get the fundamentals right) and I happen to think it's beautiful. At $500 the secondary market value doesn't really matter to me, and for all I know I could end up passing this on to the next generation anyway if I treat it right.
1. Hesitate. You could buy a car with this money, so do a similar amount of homework as you might buying a car.
2. Write down a list of the things you want out of a watch, noting what it is about the expensive one you like. Start with features. So:
pilot/diver/racer/dress,
case shape, material, thickness
dial size and color,
bezel type and color,
complications,
minimum water resistance,
crystal type, caseback type (e.g. exhibition)
styling: arabic numerals, roman, minimalist indices, etc.
i'll assume for the moment that we are 100% focused on mechanical movements
3. Spend some time (I would recommend a lot of time) on the internet (worn and wound, hodinkee, forums) finding options that meet all or most of those features. You should be able to find a half dozen or so, from the $200 Seiko, Citizen, Orient, to $500 small brands that are sourcing Miyota or Seiko movements, to the guys using swiss ETA movements at or around $1000+, to the germans doing the same thing the big swiss brands do for cheaper (e.g. Nomos), to the investment piece you have your eye on that all look quite similar. Take note of what features you are getting or giving up at each price point.
4. Now that you have a menu, reflect on the intangibles. We are talking about buying something that generally keeps time less well than a $25 casio; the intangibles are as valid as anything. Does it matter if the movement is in house? Does the brand have a pedigree, in horology or in style/film? Does name recognition matter to you? Or the fact that Roger Federer wears them, or navy SEALs? Will you sell this in 10 years time or does your decision to commit that much money hinge on whether you can? These are all perfectly valid and intimately personal. No judgement here.
After that you'll probably understand a lot more about watches in general, and about the purchase you are contemplating making. The choice should be a lot easier and you'll know exactly why you made it.
I recently ended up going for a mkII Anstead Oceanis recently after having my eye on several $1000+ divers (think Zodiac's heritage line, Kobold in terms of aesthetics) basically because the in-house/swiss movement thing just doesn't mean much to me, and after some research came to the conclusion that any difference in reliability between miyotas and seiko movements and swiss ETA or in-house brands are fairly speculative. The build quality is good (solid components, and anything with a 300m depth rating has to get the fundamentals right) and I happen to think it's beautiful. At $500 the secondary market value doesn't really matter to me, and for all I know I could end up passing this on to the next generation anyway if I treat it right.
Comment