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Since so many knowledgeable people interested in watches are around here ... What are some affordable, good quality watch brands? Somewhere around 100 to 300 Eu

by thjan 9y ago

Since so many knowledgeable people interested in watches are around here ... What are some affordable, good quality watch brands? Somewhere around 100 to 300 Euro maybe? I like those beautiful, elegant designed watches but 10k EUR upwards is way out of my league.

wickawic 9y ago
Seiko and Orient have lots of nice mechanical watches in that price range.
- dmreedy 9y ago
  to recite the rest of that refrain, Orient in particular is worth a look because they not only make some lovely stuff, but all of their movements are manufactured in-house.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- Thaxll 9y ago
  Indeed :) http://www.orient-watch.com/products/category/item/?category_id=39 http://www.orient-watch.com/products/category/item/?category...
tyingq 9y ago
I am not an expert, so I can't vouch for build quality, but skagen.com watches are my favorite in the low end of your price range. Mostly because of the look. They have styles that are different, without being oversized, gaudy, or obvious knockoffs of expensive brands. The thin titanium ones are understated and nice looking to me.
qarioz 9y ago
If you want automatic you can't go wrong with Seiko low end such as Seiko 5 series. Some even rated for diving. If you value accuracy as in quartz, can't go wrong with g shock. Basically known for it's toughness.
- rsync 9y ago
  Agreed: If you want a "real" watch (one that works mechanically, without a battery, etc.) you really can't beat the Seiko 5. I prefer the SNK805 color. Costs about $100 on Amazon.
penetrarthur 9y ago
I was heavily spammed with vincerocollective.com watch ads up to the point when I just ordered one. I am not an expert, but the one I got does its job - it looks good.
jumanjisama 9y ago
I would highly recommend JUNKERS https://shop.junkers.de/en/ https://shop.junkers.de/en/ For the mechanical options, they use either ETA or Miyota (Citizen), both of which are very good. And the build quality are excellent. Best of all, it doesn't break the bank to get their watches.
ilitirit 9y ago
There are different ways to look at a watch - as a basic timepiece, a fashion accessory, a status symbol, an investment vehicle, a collector's item etc or any combination of these (and more). The way you see them (and your budget) will determine what type of watch you should get. Generally though you would be fine with just sticking to the established brands. While I don't know what style of watch you prefer, for 300EU I don't think you can go wrong in terms of quality with a Seiko.
mabcat 9y ago
You might like to look into Parnis. The brand is used by a group of Chinese makers producing watches with decent, if budget, internals and styling inspired by famous brands. Some people find it's a good way to see what style of watch will suit them when they're rich, some people think it's cheap plagiarism. I've got two that I'm very pleased with. If you decide on this path you'll need to do a bit of research and exploring first. A good starting point is this thread: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f72/buying-parnis-read-first-798342.html http://forums.watchuseek.com/f72/buying-parnis-read-first-79...
coldpie 9y ago
You can also check out the used market. I mostly buy mechanical watches from the 60s through the 80s, you can often find cool vintage stuff with some patina for $20-60, including shipping. Check out the WatchUSeek forums, or the WatchRecon app on Android. Many sellers are in Europe, too. If you want a new watch, I'd start looking at Seiko, Citizen, and Seagull watches in your price range.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Mikeb85 9y ago
Seiko.
graham1776 9y ago
Check out my page: http://www.watchagents.com http://www.watchagents.com. I made a list of all my favorite used vintage watch resellers. To answer your original question: Seiko or Orient. Great mechanical watches, watch lovers give you a nod, not overpriced, high value!
cr0sh 9y ago
If you want to get into something interesting (from a historical perspective) - these watches can be found rather inexpensively: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raketa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raketa Look for ones with mechanical movements prior to 1990 or so (?); they were one of the last (or maybe the last) company making mechanical analog movements (non-quartz) long after every other watch manufacturer switched. Eventually, they had to switch too, but like 30 years later. There's a story (pretty sure its true) of the czar buying a failing Ohio (?) watch maker, lock stock and barrel; literally, they bought the entire company and employees, and moved the employees to Russia to teach them how to make mechanical movement watches - and that continued on through the Soviet era. But with glasnost, etc - that came to an end - and quartz took over. I recently purchased one of these watches - it was fairly inexpensive (about $70.00 USD); it was a Lunokhod commemorative watch - with a 24 hour movement, and an orange face. In many cases, you can get these watches as "New-Old Stock" - because non-quartz movements fell out of fashion, and the old stock just sat unsold. But now, with collectors learning about these watches, and the want for mechanical movements, they've come back. But because so many exist, they are still fairly inexpensive to find and own (even the really old versions of such watches).
- coldpie 9y ago
  I've had my eye on a few Raketas from the ~80s, though I haven't picked one up yet. Very nice styling, and a largely unknown brand so they're cheap!
- robert_tweed 9y ago
  If you want a very interesting Russian watch from a historic and engineering perspective, your first port of call should be the Vostok Amphibia. There's far too much to write about these, but this article covers most of it: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/vostok-amphibia https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/vostok-amphibia For the in-depth engineering details, be sure to follow the watchuseek forum link. The interview with the designers is also good, albeit written in Russian so parts may get lost in translation. For completeness I'll just mention the Poljot 3133, which is an excellent, low cost mechanical chronograph. It is the most technically advanced Russian movement, while the Amphibia is the most advanced case design. Poljot went out of business a few years ago, but there's still enough stock around that you can find plenty of new watches with this movement from companies like Volmax. Vostok are still making new, fully in-house mechanical watches, and they are just as good or in some cases better than they were in the 90s. Meranom are their official online retailer. Note that Vostok Europe are a completely different company that no longer use any Russian parts, although they did use Vostok movements in their older models. I personally would avoid older Russian watches unless you are prepared to spend a lot of time on research, or don't mind buying something that isn't what you were expecting. The vast majority on the open market are frankenwatches (mixed-up parts, often botched internal repairs).
pps43 9y ago
Seiko and Orient for mechanical, Citizen for quartz. Many interesting models are sold only in Japan, but you can get them through SeiyaJapan or Higuchi-Inc.
danieltillett 9y ago
I will add what I have on my left wrist right now - a mechanical digital watch, the a Hamilton Pulsomatic [1]. I have had more conversations about this watch with people than any other in my collection. If you are a geek you will like this watch. 1. https://www.wristwatchreview.com/2010/02/10/hamilton-pulsomatic-automatic-digital-a-classic-futuristic-watch/ https://www.wristwatchreview.com/2010/02/10/hamilton-pulsoma...
watchesbysjx 9y ago
At that price a Seiko would be my recommendation for durability, reliability and ease of service. Either a Seiko 5 for the low end of that price range, or a Prospex at the high end.

by thjan 9y ago

wickawic 9y ago

Seiko and Orient have lots of nice mechanical watches in that price range.

dmreedy 9y ago
to recite the rest of that refrain, Orient in particular is worth a look because they not only make some lovely stuff, but all of their movements are manufactured in-house.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
Thaxll 9y ago
Indeed :) http://www.orient-watch.com/products/category/item/?category_id=39 http://www.orient-watch.com/products/category/item/?category...

tyingq 9y ago

I am not an expert, so I can't vouch for build quality, but skagen.com watches are my favorite in the low end of your price range. Mostly because of the look. They have styles that are different, without being oversized, gaudy, or obvious knockoffs of expensive brands. The thin titanium ones are understated and nice looking to me.

qarioz 9y ago

If you want automatic you can't go wrong with Seiko low end such as Seiko 5 series. Some even rated for diving. If you value accuracy as in quartz, can't go wrong with g shock. Basically known for it's toughness.

rsync 9y ago
Agreed: If you want a "real" watch (one that works mechanically, without a battery, etc.) you really can't beat the Seiko 5. I prefer the SNK805 color. Costs about $100 on Amazon.

penetrarthur 9y ago

I was heavily spammed with vincerocollective.com watch ads up to the point when I just ordered one. I am not an expert, but the one I got does its job - it looks good.

jumanjisama 9y ago

I would highly recommend JUNKERS https://shop.junkers.de/en/ https://shop.junkers.de/en/ For the mechanical options, they use either ETA or Miyota (Citizen), both of which are very good. And the build quality are excellent. Best of all, it doesn't break the bank to get their watches.

ilitirit 9y ago

There are different ways to look at a watch - as a basic timepiece, a fashion accessory, a status symbol, an investment vehicle, a collector's item etc or any combination of these (and more). The way you see them (and your budget) will determine what type of watch you should get. Generally though you would be fine with just sticking to the established brands. While I don't know what style of watch you prefer, for 300EU I don't think you can go wrong in terms of quality with a Seiko.

mabcat 9y ago

You might like to look into Parnis. The brand is used by a group of Chinese makers producing watches with decent, if budget, internals and styling inspired by famous brands. Some people find it's a good way to see what style of watch will suit them when they're rich, some people think it's cheap plagiarism. I've got two that I'm very pleased with. If you decide on this path you'll need to do a bit of research and exploring first. A good starting point is this thread: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f72/buying-parnis-read-first-798342.html http://forums.watchuseek.com/f72/buying-parnis-read-first-79...

coldpie 9y ago

You can also check out the used market. I mostly buy mechanical watches from the 60s through the 80s, you can often find cool vintage stuff with some patina for $20-60, including shipping. Check out the WatchUSeek forums, or the WatchRecon app on Android. Many sellers are in Europe, too. If you want a new watch, I'd start looking at Seiko, Citizen, and Seagull watches in your price range.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Mikeb85 9y ago

Seiko.

graham1776 9y ago

Check out my page: http://www.watchagents.com http://www.watchagents.com. I made a list of all my favorite used vintage watch resellers. To answer your original question: Seiko or Orient. Great mechanical watches, watch lovers give you a nod, not overpriced, high value!

cr0sh 9y ago

If you want to get into something interesting (from a historical perspective) - these watches can be found rather inexpensively: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raketa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raketa Look for ones with mechanical movements prior to 1990 or so (?); they were one of the last (or maybe the last) company making mechanical analog movements (non-quartz) long after every other watch manufacturer switched. Eventually, they had to switch too, but like 30 years later. There's a story (pretty sure its true) of the czar buying a failing Ohio (?) watch maker, lock stock and barrel; literally, they bought the entire company and employees, and moved the employees to Russia to teach them how to make mechanical movement watches - and that continued on through the Soviet era. But with glasnost, etc - that came to an end - and quartz took over. I recently purchased one of these watches - it was fairly inexpensive (about $70.00 USD); it was a Lunokhod commemorative watch - with a 24 hour movement, and an orange face. In many cases, you can get these watches as "New-Old Stock" - because non-quartz movements fell out of fashion, and the old stock just sat unsold. But now, with collectors learning about these watches, and the want for mechanical movements, they've come back. But because so many exist, they are still fairly inexpensive to find and own (even the really old versions of such watches).

coldpie 9y ago
I've had my eye on a few Raketas from the ~80s, though I haven't picked one up yet. Very nice styling, and a largely unknown brand so they're cheap!
robert_tweed 9y ago
If you want a very interesting Russian watch from a historic and engineering perspective, your first port of call should be the Vostok Amphibia. There's far too much to write about these, but this article covers most of it: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/vostok-amphibia https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/vostok-amphibia For the in-depth engineering details, be sure to follow the watchuseek forum link. The interview with the designers is also good, albeit written in Russian so parts may get lost in translation. For completeness I'll just mention the Poljot 3133, which is an excellent, low cost mechanical chronograph. It is the most technically advanced Russian movement, while the Amphibia is the most advanced case design. Poljot went out of business a few years ago, but there's still enough stock around that you can find plenty of new watches with this movement from companies like Volmax. Vostok are still making new, fully in-house mechanical watches, and they are just as good or in some cases better than they were in the 90s. Meranom are their official online retailer. Note that Vostok Europe are a completely different company that no longer use any Russian parts, although they did use Vostok movements in their older models. I personally would avoid older Russian watches unless you are prepared to spend a lot of time on research, or don't mind buying something that isn't what you were expecting. The vast majority on the open market are frankenwatches (mixed-up parts, often botched internal repairs).

pps43 9y ago

Seiko and Orient for mechanical, Citizen for quartz. Many interesting models are sold only in Japan, but you can get them through SeiyaJapan or Higuchi-Inc.

danieltillett 9y ago

I will add what I have on my left wrist right now - a mechanical digital watch, the a Hamilton Pulsomatic [1]. I have had more conversations about this watch with people than any other in my collection. If you are a geek you will like this watch. 1. https://www.wristwatchreview.com/2010/02/10/hamilton-pulsomatic-automatic-digital-a-classic-futuristic-watch/ https://www.wristwatchreview.com/2010/02/10/hamilton-pulsoma...

watchesbysjx 9y ago

At that price a Seiko would be my recommendation for durability, reliability and ease of service. Either a Seiko 5 for the low end of that price range, or a Prospex at the high end.