I know nothing about watches. Nothing. I have an Apple Watch but am interested in picking up something that I can wear in professional settings. I work in tech sales. Rolex’s are common in my industry but they scream douchebag to me. I want something that is well made and that will last. I don’t know watch brands but I’m hoping for something that is nice, will compliment a tailored suit or a blazer OR a black tshirt. And I want a brand that doesn’t scream that I’m trying too hard. TIA.
In that price range Tissot, Hamilton, Seiko all make great time pieces with respected heritage and movements. You can also go micro brands like brew, farer, etc.
My recommendation is tissot PRX, it has a timeless design and can be dressed up or down.
Just all depends what you like. Automatic watches are more fun for a first watch IMO, the ritual of setting your watch, date etc. are part of the fun. Quartz watches are also great if you want a movement that requires 0 effort to set and will keep perfect time till the quartz batter runs out. Automatic is cooler to me for a first watch cause it’s all mechanical with 0 electronics, that said, I own watches with both types of movements, it’s all personal preference.