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I know nothing about Women's watches!

727 views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  Gilby 
#1 ·
Hello. One of my friends found out I'm a watch guy and wants me to help her pick a watch. Problem is I know nothing about women's watches. She tells me she doesn't care Quartz or automatic. She wants something she can "wear to work and not too dressy on weekends" she wants to spend 500 or less. She is a law professor at a Midwestern state university. No one dresses up super nicely in this town. Ever.

Any suggestions? I know not much to go on, but anything would be helpful. Thanks!
 
#3 ·
She tells me she doesn't care Quartz or automatic.
Learning to understand womenspeak isn't easy but in this case it's fairly easy to see this statement means she wants a quartz. For a variety of reasons, the most obvious of which is even if she wears the watch everyday and even if the watch is COSC certified, that slight inaccuracy could make her late for a class after a month or two.

Aside from that, she's going to have to provide you with a little more detail. At the very least color and size.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Don't recommend an auto, bought my wife an auto Hamilton and setting the watch is too bothersome for her. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to buy a watch winder in order for that particular piece to get any wrist time. That piece also has a display back which she could give 2 craps about.

Hate to say it but a Movado may be the ticket here and Ashford may be the ride.


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#7 ·
This doesn’t sound like a good spot for a guy to be in, her tastes are most likely drastically different than yours, this could turn into an all-day shop-around and end up with zilch.

You need to figure out a way to throw the hook, perhaps take her to Macy’s, they have lots of woman’s watches in the $500 range. Get the sales associate (make sure it’s a woman),
once she’s hooked, step back and let the sales associate do what they do best.

Remember, whatever she picked out is awesome, no matter what you think. Top it off with a couple drinks if there’s a bar in the mall (don’t forget a compliment or two on the new watch), done deal.
 
#9 ·
This doesn't sound like a good spot for a guy to be in, her tastes are most likely drastically different than yours, this could turn into an all-day shop-around and end up with zilch.
Married man, definitely a bad spot. All day shopping :cringe: but if she is a "friend", this all day shop-around may be a good "in" and overall a worthwhile investment.

I would not step back too much, need to show her that she came to the right "watch guy" who is an informed buyer, just do go all watch geek all over the place.

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#10 ·
Main thing is, what metals does she go for in other jewelry, and what kind of colours does she go for? That will determine watch metals and dial colour, but if she's all over the place she might need two to be happy with how the whole effect goes (my wife does... gold/black and two tone/mother of pearl in her case, both on bracelets).

And yeah, quartz. RC quartz if you can, but there aren't many of those, maybe only the Citizen FC0000-59D and its other variants:
Watch Analog watch Fashion accessory Watch accessory Jewellery


They're pretty large as women's watches go, but also gorgeous, tough as nails (sapphire crystals and 100m WR), and accurate as non-HAQ quartz gets.

FC003-18D:


There are about a half-dozen other variants. They're RC world-time perpetual calendars with alarm and two displayed time zones... probably the complications winner for a ladies watch. The great thing is, zero fuss, just don't keep it in the dark and it'll look and work great for 20 years or so.
 
#11 ·
I would recommend a quartz watch, and if there is an outlet mall nearby, I would suggest she visits the Movado Company Store. They offer a range of watches at different price points, including Movados, Coach, Ebel, ESQ, etc.

I have these two Coach Futon watches, which are very nicely made homages to the Cartier Tank.


 
#12 ·
I recommend the ladies Seiko Presage SRYY011. I just picked one up for my wife from Seyia and was impressed with its quality, plus she loves it. Got it for about $300 and it compares favorably to Tissots and Hamiltons which would be at the top of her budget.



If you explained the difference between quartz and mechanical and she didn't rule out mechanical, which it sounds like from the OP, I would recommend an automatic. I'm asked for watch advice frequently and enjoy trying to get friends and family try a mechanical, however, I always respect the decision to go quartz if preferred. I've gotten a few people on to mechanical watches which is worth it to me, you can't get into mechanicals if you never try one. The ability to appreciate a mechanical watch is not gender specific so I think it is unfair to dismiss any auto's just because the subject is female. Lets be honest any wrist watch these days is as much an accessory as it is a tool, everyone today is surrounded with more accurate timepieces then any watch at this price would be, quartz included, so I don't think you have to worry about her missing appointments because her watch runs a bit slow. If she knows the difference between quartz and auto and leaves it open why not point her towards a solid automatic movement from a respected watch maker, who knows maybe in a few month she'll be on here looking for a grail.
 
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