[howard331]

first i would like to introduce myself my name is howard and im from texas.....i had always like watches and own a about 5 nothing major im 23 years old and would like to start a watch collection but i dont know much about watches....i dont kno what watch to buy as my first collector purchase haha i have 2000 dollars that i have set apart for my 1st watch or watches but have no idea what would be the best one to get

i was looking at this zenith
Zenith Class 01-1125-650-01-C491 | Ashford.com


opinions and suggestions are very much welcome
thanks in advance

 

[Ottovonn]

I'm 24 years old, and like you, I recently started collecting thanks to WUS. I started with affordables and am now slowly purchasing more expensive pieces. I think that by exploring nice affordable pieces, you can develop your own watch preferences, helping you discern the "best" watch. Remember that only you can determine what the "best" watch is. Once you've figured out -- through trial and error -- what kinds of watch features you like, what parts leave you dissatisfied, you can strive toward a "grail" watch, a piece that you think has all the qualities you like and then some. Buying an expensive piece immediately could leave you disappointed.

Good luck Howard.

 

[sea0bass]

I think the Zenith you are looking at is only 37mm in diameter, a very conservative size. You should go to a watch store to try on different watches to determine what kind of what you like and what size suits you best.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

The Zenith class is a very nice watch and is a good dress watch if you dont have huge wrists. However I remember it being cheaper on Ashford a couple of months back. If you do decide to get it from them, try and chat with their sales ppl and see if you can get a better price.

 

[freqmgr88]

Welcome to WUS Howard. You picked the right place to hang out and learn about watches. Pretty chilly up there in Tyler this morning?

 

[howard331]

yeah i have been doing some research on the forum and i have seen really nice watches for under 500 dollards....like you mentioned im leaning more towards starting with more affordable ones and get a taste for what i find most suitable and fits my style instead a major purchase i might regret

i really apreciate the time you took to respond and share some insight ..thanks

 

[howard331]

The Zenith class is a very nice watch and is a good dress watch if you dont have huge wrists. However I remember it being cheaper on Ashford a couple of months back. If you do decide to get it from them, try and chat with their sales ppl and see if you can get a better price.

yeah i have a pretty small wrist i weight about 160 haha.

 

[howard331]

Welcome to WUS Howard. You picked the right place to hang out and learn about watches. Pretty chilly up there in Tyler this morning?

thanks. yeah i been doing some reading and learning so far....yeah it was just above freezing

 

[dbakiva]

Hi Howard. Welcome.

Remember, you can't buy everything, so take some time to learn what you like.
Have fun.

 

[howard331]

Hi Howard. Welcome.

Remember, you can't buy everything, so take some time to learn what you like.
Have fun.

yeah i have been on this forums for less than 24 hours and theres so many great watches i dont even know where to start looking haha....is there any specific watch brands in the 500 dollar range that i should look into. i see hamilton has some nice pieces

 

[dbakiva]

Hamilton is very popular, making some very nice medium priced mostly mechanical watches with some attractive designs. Tissot, another Swatch company, is also worth looking at with both quartz and mechanical offerings. Being Swatch brands, they have ETA movements (a Swatch company that makes movements), and they are very reliable and easy to have serviced. Victorinox has some fans here as well. They start out at very reasonable prices, and go up to above 2K for some.

Seiko has many many die-hard fans here, and small wonder, they make everything from very low price quartz and mechanicals, atomic synchronized watches, kinetic watches. Most folks here prefer Seiko designs made for the Asian market rather than their marketed-for-USA watches. Seiko's top line (too rich for you, and for me too, but worth knowing about) Grand Seiko, makes watches that rival some of the best mechanicals from Switzerland, and at prices that are comparable too.

Lots of fans here of diver watches, fleiger (pilot) watches, and all sorts of niche styles. Look to your heart's content.

Great thing is, looking is free. There are so many great choices in your price range. And you'll get plenty of opinions here.

 

[Ottovonn]

I second Hamilton. Although mainly a Seiko guy, I love my Hamilton Khaki King. It's probably the lightest watch I own, and at a decent price. The great thing about Hamilton is that you can get quality pieces for almost half off in the pre-loved market (check out the sales forums!). I've seen lightly used pieces that retail for around 800 go for around 500 or less.

 

[Bronte]

Like you, I'm a young guy that has only recently started collecting. I second the recommendation to start with some entry level pieces rather than going straight to a $2000 watch. I started off with two $400-700 pieces. During that time, my tastes have matured quite a bit, so I'm glad I didn't go straight for something higher end. I purchased an Oris Classic and a Sieko SARB075. I would look to the following brands, some already mentioned: Hamilton (esp. Jazzmaster), Oris (esp. Classic, Artelier, and TT1), Tissot (esp. Visodate), Longines (esp. Hydroconquest), Seiko (especially Japan domestic models, like the SARB line, see for example seiyajapan.com), and Stowa (esp. Marine and Antea). If you're interested in dive watches, there's a bunch of great boutique dive watch makers right in the $500-1000 range, see the WUS dive forum.

I would also recommend trying to learn more about watches in general. A lot of this can be picked up from reading threads on WUS and elsewhere on the internet, even Wikipedia. Learn about different kinds of movements: quartz, mechanical (manual and automatic), and more exotic movements like the Seiko Spring Drive. Learn about ETA SA, the major Swiss supplier of movements. It's also fun to check out some of the iconic higher end watches, like the Jeager LeCoultre Reverso, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Rolex Submariner and Datejust, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, the Patek Phillipe Calatrava, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas, and so on. You might find a future "grail" or two in this bunch.

Happy hunting.