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Introduction and question - How do you choose your next watch?

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello everyone, new here from England, been browsing forums for well over a year, thought it was time to sign up.

Currently have a TISSOT PRC 200 Chrono, a Rotary, and a mid range Seiko all on Hirsch and Di-model straps.
Naturally there are thousands of choices and I want my purchase to be something special, but the more I research the more options I find!! :-s

My next watch is to be;
  • Auto or manual,
  • non vintage, in age, not necessarily looks
  • New or second hand circa £1000

I quite like the brands with good history and/or offer high quality designs that are a little different, manufacturers like Fortis, Hamilton, Meistersinger, Longines, Oris. Christopher Ward and occasionally Tissot offer designs that I quite like.

There's also a few lower end pieces I aspire to own, such as Zeppelin LZ129 moon phase, one from Braun and a few more Seikos and a Citizen.

I'm quite style conscious and every watch for me has to be one I will wear not leave in a box. I work in an office so my style ranges from full on suite or smart office wear to smart weekend chinos/easy shirt all the way to modern or retro jeans and t-shirt or jumper other times so a vast array to maximise on my watch / outfit matching.

So i'm not really looking for watch suggestions but more my question to everyone is, how do you decided on your next watch???
 
#4 ·
I buy a watch according to its rarity, its movement and how well it is aftersought. I also value watches in very good condition and not powered by an ETA, Frédéric, Piguet, Soprod, Sellita movement. Box and papers are also a plus.
 
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#6 ·
I’m probably more of a checklist buyer than most. I have watches for specific purposes. I.e. one or two for work in the office, one for weekends and travels, one for variety for weekends, etc. It keeps my collection to a manageable 5 watches or so, which I prefer. So from that point, it’s a matter of which one do I want to upgrade if I have the money. I spend most of the cash on where I use it the most, for the office, and it also helps me to focus on buying watches I love, as opposed to watches I just like.

It also helps that I know what I like. Time only over complications, more dressy/smart-casual over sports watches.
 
#7 ·
Like most important things that I buy, I do a lot of research first--I look at reviews of as many watches as I have time for, follow leads and links to other discussions that seem to head in interesting directions, look at the various "wrist shot" and "SOTC" photos, listen to the positives and negatives about ones that seem interesting, and look for for good deals on ones that I think might be worth purchasing--used, NOS or whatever, but always in the aftermarket (I will let "buyer number one" take the usual 50% depreciation from just walking out of the AD with it), from a seller that can be judged to be truly trustworthy. Takes a lot of patience, and there are always going to be both hits and misses.

I also try to find things that are NOT forum favorites, but unique, interesting and valuable in their own way--in fact I tend to ignore most of the things that are trendy here in favor of something off the beaten track (and often cheaper) than what the majority here would be interested in.

And, I see this as a "hobby" (actually a kind of "pseudo hobby", as you really don't do all that much) that without some kind self-imposed limits can quickly get out of control, so I favor a small rotation, maybe four or five, over an unbridled large one, and look at any new purchase from the point of view of it replacing an existing piece--choosing the optimal candidate--while displacing one from the existing collection. As a result, each new purchase would simply replace one with something I considered better.

And, there is an endpoint. I am now at the point where all my main pieces in my collection (four, in my case) suit me perfectly--I am not looking to displace any of them, and while I know there are many other great watches out there that would be fun to own, I accept the fact that I just don't need another one, and can simply sit back and enjoy the ones that I do own.
 
#8 ·
I’m really picky, so that makes it easier to eliminate things. I’ve also learned that I can appreciate watches without having to own them.

I could probably make a flow chart for deciding when I’d make the jump from liking a watch to wanting to buy one, but the final question will always be “Will I actually wear it?” If the answer is no, then there’s no point in buying it.
 
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#9 ·
First, there are broad swaths of watches which do not interest me at all. Chronographs. Divers. Various complications. So those are out.

Of the rest that catch my eye, specs can be a deal killer. No place in my life for watches over 40mm, with lug to lug over 48. Ideally around 36-38mm diameter. Thinner the better.

I browse WRUW and SOTC threads here. And the sales forum. Manufacturer catalogs.

And then I maintain a list of watches which have caught my eye. Also a one-in/one-out policy. So whatever is at top of the potential buy list has to appeal more than a watch I already have.

Sometimes it may be that a new discovery actually does appeal more than a currently owned watch, other times I just fall out if love with something I own and move it along for the next one.
 
#10 ·
I follow a ton of watch sites on instagram, so mostly what I see there that makes me go "wow, I'd like that!". Once in a while it's thematic - such as dial colours - I'm still short of a green and orange right now, for example. So the newest orange Monster by Seiko is really singing to me right now.

I don't always immediately follow through with the buying impulse though. Sometimes its a real slow burn...the A13A Pilots Watch on here, thats been on my radar for a year. Haven't pulled the trigger yet, for reasons most probably related to the missus tracking my finances like a hawk! :D
 
#11 ·
With the wide set of criteria you've laid out of contemporary (non-vintage) watches, I would do bracketed searches on eBay and Watchrecon and see what is available, and of interest to you with the criteria you laid out. The wide search should help you get a better idea of exactly what you are looking for and may help you develop more criteria to add to your search. Make a list of what interesting and then do research on the individual brands. Reviews and discussions on watch forums related to different brands are a good sign. Brands which aren't reviewed or discussed on forums are generally more fashion oriented than quality oriented. When you read what reviewers or the forums have to say about a brand, you'll get a better idea of how good or bad a brand is. Research on the brands, should help you disqualify more watches so you have a smaller list of individual watches to research. When you do your research on individual watches, again the presence of reviews and discussions of the watches you're interested on the watches forums are good signs that the watches you're interested are worth considering. The content of the reviews and forum discussion should help guide you to your final choice.

Best of luck finding your next watch.
 
#14 ·
It varies. At this point, it's got to have something unusual and distinctive. Sometimes it's technical; the only 2 watches on my wish list now, are still actually vaporware. One's the Citizen caliber 0100 we're hoping to see at Baselworld...1 SPY; the other is the regular production version of the Zenith Defy Lab with the compliant oscillator. Or like my last purchase...an Omega AT 38. Co-axial escapement.

Other times it's visual. The Nomos Club Atlantik just sings to me. The Hentschel H2 bronze is just plain gorgeous.

Coupla times it's been too nice a deal to pass by. At first my Vapaus Veli was that...but then, as a stretch goal, they offered a very small number of green dials. Ohhh yeah. Good green dials are NOT common. Ming 17.01 initial offering...the look's great, the price was excellent. I'm *trying* to avoid doing much more of this...but Stowa hooked me this past Christmas for a Marine Arabic to go with my Marine Roman. <sigh>
 
#15 ·
I began collecting watches that compliment each other and do not overlap in function e.g. dress, work, casual, travel, sports. As I collected I determined that I really love chronographs. So,in essence, I have two collections.
 
#16 ·
Some of the factors I take into consideration when deciding on my next watch are:
- the brand and its history,
- size (diameter and lug-to-lug measurements),
- rreading blog reviews, Instagram comments, and YouTube videos,
- view online wrist shots and if possible where the wearer states their wrist size,
- assessing its functions and movement,
- ease of serviceability,
- present lifestyle requirements or to mark a milestone event, and
- its overall aesthetical appeal.
 
#17 ·
Whenever I’m ready for a new watch, I start with the “What Are You Wearing Now” treads in each forum that pertains to the time of watch I’m looking for, usuall the Public Forum and Divers Forum. Whenever I come across a particular watch that I like, I then start a bit of research; visit the watch brands particular forum here at WUS if there is one to see what others are saying, read watch write ups at sites like Hodinkee, Worn & Wound etc...
 
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#19 ·
I geek out on it. I maintain an actual wish list--an Excel spreadsheet--to track watches I would like to own someday. I split them into G Shocks, other quartz, and mechanical and go from there. In the mechanical space, I am primarily drawn to the aesthetics of a watch and really tend to seek out watches with excellent bracelets. I am drawn to the classic watches from each brand.
 
#20 ·
I go to watch stores all the time. Try tons of stuff on. Watches that I keep coming back to are certainly ones I start to think about purchasing.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
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