hey guys, first time buyer here and i want to get a watch in the 500-600$ price range that i can wear on multiple occasions. i am thinking something 42mm because i have big hands and then maybe getting a a few straps that would go well with color matching on different occasions.
thank you for all the advice!
Seiko or Tissot you are welcome
Orient
Orient Bambino
I would suggest the Seiko Panda Chrono.
it really does punch above it’s weight. It’s tool watch-y enough to be casual, but classy enough to look good in more professional settings.
the problem with a seiko pressage cocktail time, is it will only really look good in a fancy setting.
I would try and find one of the waffle dial pressage watches. that are more tool watch looking cheaper. like seiko waffle dial
A Seiko Presage is ideal for you.
I got my brother a movado for graduation. I see him wearing it all situations except sport related
That was my first professional watch. Super iconic yet affordable. If you go this way, make sure you get one with a sapphire crystal.
Check out Seiko presage 60s collection.
I was thinking a cocktail time would be a good choice
Certina DS ACTION. New if you can find or second-hand
My favorite is a Seiko SRPB41. Often referred to as a Seiko Cocktail Time. I have watches costing considerable more, and this watch leads the league in comments/questions by a considerable margin.
Great on a suit, easily slides under a cuffed shirt, yet you can wear them with shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt. Good size, they all hover around 40mm, give or take .5mmThere are dozens of watches in this particular Presage family. Web pics are washed out, over-priced. Go look at YouTube. They’re stunning in person. Can be hard to find in a store.
Watch prices range from $300-ish to $495. Department stores might have 1 or 2. Long Island Watch has a bunch, and they discount them a decent amount. Amazon will have some, and Teddy Baldassare’s store might have a couple.
Here’s almost everything about Cocktail Times except the 2022 and 2023 releases.
https://www.theseikoguy.com/presage-cocktail-time/
The model I mentioned above is one of my favorites, and I have 3 other Cocktail Times. SRPJ13 is another I got last year. The SRPJ13 has micro-scallop cuts that play a bit in the light, and form several patterns, one that is extremely subtle, almost like it’s an optical illusion.
The SRPB41 dial pattern is available in a few other colors. Green, pale blue, a charcoal, a silvery color, a few others I can’t recall. Pink and a reddish dial for women.
Browse that link I included. Some are discontinued or Limited Editions. And on eBay, they might shock you. I have an SRPH78 that’s now over $1000. The common ones don’t go up in value, but they’re still amazing, you can get them used to $225-$250.
They just released the SRPK15, looks the same as the SRPB41, but has a gold seconds hand and is on leather, comes with a deployant clasp. And is NOT discounted yet.
One last thing: Seiko leather on watches below $750 is not good. You’ll get 6 months out of it. It’ll start to crack and split like a pair of Walmart dress shoes. Go spend $10-$20-$30 on a better strap. Or two. One casual and one dressy.
Also, anytime you have leather on a deployant clasp, it will last longer.Maybe look at some Hamilton watches if there’s any nice ones in budget
In my opinion the 500-600 range doesn’t have great value, outside of some interesting microbrand options (Zelos, Farer, Traska, Baltic to name a few)
Until you reach $1-1.7k (Oris, Sinn, etc), there is far better value to be had in the $200-400 range.
If I were you I’d nab 2 watches: dressier watch on leather like an Orient Bambino or a Seiko Cocktail time, and a diver (bracelet/rubber) from Seiko, Orient, or maybe the Casio Oceanus line.
Personally think this will be a much more enjoyable entry into watches for you. If you’re dead set on a single watch woth a ton of strap options, my rec based on what you’re looking for is a PRX 40mm.
Orient, Tissot, or Hamilton.
You might be able to get a pre-owned Hamilton Murph. It’s a little easier to dress up, versus the other khaki field models.
Throw on a canvas strap, NATO, even a rubber strap for sports use.
Get a vintage-style leather strap, sailcloth or perlon for casual wear.
To dress it up, there’s all manner of leather straps, but you could give mesh a try too.
I thought Hamilton fields have zero water resistance? Pretty fragile for a field watch.
Huh? No. The Auto is 100m which is perfectly good for a field watch, and the Mechanical models are 50m which is meh but certainly not zero.
PRX would probably fit the bill. It’s slim and sporty but looks good, too.
Has proprietary straps, though. You have to get them aftermarket.