Hi! I have been saving for several years to get my fiancé a watch for a wedding present. I’ve saved about $1500 and with the wedding coming up it’s time to pull the trigger (maybe on Black Friday?)! Unfortunately though, I don’t know anything about watches. I was going to get him a metal strapped quartz watch from Shinola, but I’ve since heard that they aren’t the greatest watches.
Does anyone have any suggestions for this price point? I know that my fiancé likes the look of the Shinola watches (and he currently wears a Citizen watch with a leather strap). Sorry for the very open ended and potentially dumb question, but I want to make sure to get him something great (especially for so much money 😬). Thank you!!
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Longines and hamilton are within your budget.
Youre a gem, what a thoughtful gift. GL in the future with your new hubby
Consider the Junghans Maxbill - comes with date and without, in black and white dials, and they make quartz, hand winding, and automatic versions. The Maxbill is a really important historical design and really versatile for different occasions.
If he likes a little more color and flare, check out Farer - I particularly like their GMT (tracks a second time zone) and they make it in two different sizes and a few different colors and that’s right at your limit.
If he’s sportier, consider the Longines Hydroconquest which is just under your budget, comes from one of the oldest watch making brands in history, and as a dive watch, is built very well for just about anything he could want to do while also being sleek enough for work or dinner with a shirt and tie. Seiko Alpinists are about half of your budget and they are incredible watches that come in several different colors and can handle sportier pccasions while still being able to get dressed up. They also have a GMT versions that are a bit closer to your budget top. There are more colors from older models that are still available but a bit harder to come by. The mountain glacier colorway is probably my favorite.
And if he is into racing or just likes the looks of chronographs, the tissot prx chronograph is a great option that is typically priced closer to $2K but you can find them for cheaper on grey market, ebay, and Amazon.
Things you’ll want to consider are: 1) does he have a preference toward quartz or mechanical watches? Some people prefer the low maintenance set it and forget it aspect of quartz watches. Others prefer the engineering and complexity of mechanical movements.
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Watch diameter preference: some guys like bigger dialed watches, others like smaller watch faces. What’s his ideal fit? As a rough gauge, I have a 6.5in wrist and tend to prefer watches around 36-38mm in diameter. I say rough because I have a watches that are 40mm and 42mm, and a dress watch as small as 33mm. So it’s not a hard and fast rule, and the style of watch might affect the size I prefer. I like my dress watches smaller ( under 38mm) but my sport watches I tend to like on the larger side 38-40mm.
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how does he spend his time? does he wear his watch all the time? (Go for a sport watch with steel bracelet and 100m water resistance) Just to work? ( maybe consider something simpler in design and classy with just 50mm water resistance) is he very outdoorsy, hiking, diving, swimming snorkeling? (Consider a sport watch with 200-300m of water resistance, and solid shock protection) Does he dress up, black tie often? (Dress watch with Roman numerals, no date).
Hope this helps. Congrats on the pending nuptials.
Forgot about the Serica 5303
And the Formex essence
I think both are pre-order only as they are micro brands but depending on timeline, both watches that I would be thrilled to receive as gifts.
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Let him show you a few that he definitely likes within the budget, and then make the final decision. He’ll be happy to know that you like it too!