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Help Find a Quality Watch for $700 or Less

1K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  Frydaddy 
#1 ·
Hello all,

I know this is not exactly a unique thread but I am looking for some specific recommendations.

I want the best quality watch possible for around $700. I can stretch a bit but would prefer not to. I have had a Rolex GMT Master II (Pepsi) for about 14 years now and I have a vintage Rolex from my great grandfather (it's Franken unfortunately) and I have a number of Vostok watches which I love but I want a new watch...something different.

Things I want: exhibition back, sapphire crystal (on the front), date, the best quality manual or automatic movement for the money and something that isn't huge or flashy. Luminous markers would be nice but not required. No vintage or preowned unless someone can point to a specific watch for sale from a reputable seller.

I am considering the Tissot Visodate Milanais, Hamilton Intra-Matic, Seiko SARX029 (over my budget a bit but I am a sucker for Urushi). Are there any less common brands I should consider. I actually prefer manual wind if I can find a good one. I know words like "in-house" can be a challenge at 10 times my budget but the more done "in-house" the better.

Thank you in advance for your replies.
 
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#3 ·
I have and love my Hamilton Khaki Day Date H70505833. It retails at $980 but I believe I saw it the other day for about $400 less on Joma. The lume is great, it is very legible, and in general it is just a great watch. It has the H30 movement which has an 80 hour power reserve. One could make an argument that the movement is "in house" I suppose, as the H30 (same as the Powermatic 80) is a Swatch Group movement and Hamilton, just has Tissot, are both part of the Swatch Group.
 
#5 ·
Quite a few German watches would fit the bill on many points...with the possible exception of size. Many of the German brands seem to run around 42mm, which is too big for me. That said, it would be worth your while to scan through the brands over at watchbuys.com. There are quite a few there that I like...altho, admittedly, probably most will be a tad out of range (or worse :)).

Check out Mido, too. Baroncelli III is COSC certified...IIRC, a 2894, but a higher-level one if they're going COSC. Tissot Le Locle COSC is about $780 at Jomashop, and I think there are a couple other lines that are also COSC that should be a tad less.
 
#8 ·
I was pretty much sold on the Urushi Seiko but then I saw a picture of someone with the same size wrist 6.25" and it's just too big. Are there any smaller watches around 37mm or less that people would recommend? I can stretch my budget to $1200...I don't want to buy the wrong thing.
 
#9 ·
Archimede has been recommended already, probably because the company offers its Klassik line in both 39mm and 36mm. It meets all of your criteria, comes in a superb Ickler case, and is a stunning value to boot at under US$600 shipped. I'd opt for the 39mm just to get the SW200 movement, although the Miyota (Citizen) 9015 movement in the 36mm version is certainly adequate.
 
#12 ·
I tried on some watches today and I think I can handle the size of the Seikos. I am also fine stretching my budget a bit. So which of these two Urushi models?:

SARD011: This one isn't as clean but I like the extra complication but it is also more expensive.

SARW013: At first glance I prefer this one but I do not like the upside down power reserve...why did they do that?


Which one do you think is better value for money? The SARD is $300 more which is getting me to double my budget but, it's a nice watch.

(I tried to post pictures and links but I don't have a high enough post count)
 
#13 ·
I personally like the SARW011 better for looks -- I think the elegant style of the black and gold is somewhat undercut by the busy-ness, of the SARD011. Although, frankly, I'd wear either pretty happily.

Upside-down power reserves are a Seiko thing. I would normally have said that Seiko always does it, but there's a rightside-up PR there on the SARD011. I hadn't noticed that before, and it's counter to Seiko's usual PR style. At any rate, though, Seiko for some reason just strongly prefers to have PRs going down. It's an often-noted feature, but I don't think there's ever been an explanation for it except that it's just how Seiko does things.
 
#15 ·
I agree that the SARD011 is busy...though it is interesting that the subdials have less of an impact on the roman markers than the SARW011...are the hands on the subdials white? It is kind of hard to tell in the pictures.

Interesting about the power reserve design and Seiko. I guess if that's their thing then it doesn't bother me as much.
 
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