Watch Suggestion (Dress Watch) For Under $1000

[Need_Help]

Hello :)

I am looking for a dress watch which is suitable for daily wearing as well. My requirements are :
1) Swiss made watch movement (sounds better and more reliable I think?)
2) Preferably 38-40mm dial (because my wrist is quite small, about 6 1/2 inches only)
3) Simple design (with only date would be sufficient), and I prefer index dial over numerals (looks less cluttered)

So far what I have in mind are these watches :
1) Tissot Visodate 1957 <-- (not bad, but I don't like the 'Tissot' font used on the dial)
2) Tissot Le Locle (the previous generation, the one with indices instead of roman numerals) <-- (but I can't find any now)
3) Oris Classic Date <-- (but the size doesn't seem to fit nicely, either too big or too small)
4) Oris Artelier Date <-- (quite like it, but price wise is a bit out of budget)
5) Oris Artix <-- (actually I like this watch, but it is too big and expensive)
6) Hamilton JazzMaster Slim <-- (like the simple design, but a bit boring)

I hope anyone here who has seen a lot more watches than me can recommend me some watches that fit the criteria. I am not just looking for new watches, in fact, if you have found any used but near new condition genuine watches (with papers) which fit the criteria, please do let me know as well.

Thanks and have a good day :)

[jwalther]

You need a vintage. IMO, with your wrist size, 38-40mm for a "dress" watch is too large. Most vintage models clock in at 34-36mm.

[v76]

I agree with the vintage Omega suggestions. To get even better value check out some of the vintage Longines and Zenith options ... in Longines the Flagship, Admiral, Sportchief, Ultrachron and Conquest ranges and in Zenith, Sport/AutoSport, Captain, Respirator and Defy options. Some other nice vintages would be Certina, Enicar, Zodiac, etc. at even more affordable prices!

[BDH]

+1 on the vintage Omega. I have 2 of those, and I also have the Hamilton Jazzmaster thin, which I wear as a dress watch, despite it's larger size on my (like yours) 6.5" wrists.

Here are some shots of those three I mentioned (I have one other dress watch, but out of your criteria), maybe they give you some inspiration! Good luck!

mid-1970s Omega Geneve


1948 Omega 'bumper' Automatic


Hamilton Jazzmaster Thin

[Maxvla]

I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on a Certina DS First $550

Certina DS First:
Model #: C014.407.11.051.00
-Stainless Steel
-Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
-Automatic ETA 2836
-200m waterproof
-Screwed-down crown + DS (Double Security feature of Certina)
-40.3mm

(more info and different colors/bands)

[Drgleeds37]

I 100% agree with the vintage recommendations when it comes to a dress watch. With a vintage you will get WAY more watch for the money but it will be very unlikely that it comes with "papers" since that term generally describes a warranty card which was expired and thrown out many years ago. As long as you are careful and know what you are looking for then you don't really need any paperwork with a watch, just buy from a reputable seller. The only issue that I see is that you will be wearing the watch every day and not just in "dress watch" situations so 38-40mm seems about right and you're not going to find many vintage pieces in that size range. If you can deal with the lesser size then you should definitely go vintage, imho.

-Daniel

[BDH]

I 100% agree with the vintage recommendations when it comes to a dress watch. With a vintage you will get WAY more watch for the money but it will be very unlikely that it comes with "papers" since that term generally describes a warranty card which was expired and thrown out many years ago. As long as you are careful and know what you are looking for then you don't really need any paperwork with a watch, just buy from a reputable seller. The only issue that I see is that you will be wearing the watch every day and not just in "dress watch" situations so 38-40mm seems about right and you're not going to find many vintage pieces in that size range. If you can deal with the lesser size then you should definitely go vintage, imho.

-Daniel

Sound advice Daniel. I think if you really want that 38-40mm size the Hamilton Jazzmaster thin is nice, and you will have money left over!

And, if you want to go vintage, and are thinking Omega (they are great on the vintage market), I think you can do beautiful vintage Omega's well below your price range, for an all original piece in excellent condition. Be careful with some of the re-dials, get a history lesson on watches you are interested in, the resources are available to you here! I'd bet the Omega or vintage forum could help you out a ton, and I'm happy to assist if I can (three pieces in my small collection are vintage Omega). In fact, Daniel has seen my vintage pieces before in person.

Good luck!

[tom_hanx]

If buying new, I suggest you consider the Tissot T-Lord (read more here: Introducing The Tissot T-Lord Automatic Small Seconds For 2011: This Watch Is A Winner, And Only.$975 - Blog - HODINKEE )



I would encourage you to consider also pre-owned or vintages. In dress category, 1k can get you some good stuff.

[Mike Rivera]

I love the vintage watches in this post, however, if you want a new watch, I recommend a Seiko Sarb. They come in a variety of dial designs in both white and black. They're about 38mm and have a fantastic 6R15 movement comparable (or better) than anything on your list.

The finishing on these is superb and worthy of a $2,000+ Swiss watch, yet they go for around $600. Definitely worth a look - here's mine (Sarb 021):




And here's another one (not mine), that's a bit fancier, Sarb 065. It's known as the "Cocktail".

[downtempo76]

Vintage is surely your best option for a dress watch, but if you want to buy new, I suggest a Stowa Marine, 40mm diameter, 10,2mm thickness, 48.6mm lug to lug, ETA movement. A very respected watch company here.