Can those £500+ watches take a beating? Or do you have to be careful with them?

Well my Panerai is water resistant to 200m which is more than I am.

Generally a sports watch like the Omega will take a fair bit of punishment. It may not look as pretty but it will keep going.

dont buy a watch! i’m generally late for everything so if you dont have a watch, you can never be late. well at least thats my theory.

safe trails

Bought an Oris modern classic few years ago in sales for £200.
Think you need something better than a casio ( my other watch ) if you wear a suit..
Sometimes look in windows at watches and never seen anything else I would want.
Except a Maurice lacrois slim thin ñ but that was £2k.
Cheers
J.

another big up for Tag Formula 1, i got mine in 1990 for £85 and its been used every day and is still going strong, has gone through a few straps and had a service 🙂

colnagokid- Sure? My 91 F1 needs a few extra links (gf wore it for a few years and lost the ones taken out). She then (somehow) gave it a good whack so the movement second arm just ticks backwards/fwds one way each way!

Any Tag dealer?

Think you need something better than a casio ( my other watch ) if you wear a suit.

I used to work for a chap who these must be making the best part of a million a year. He always wore a swatch. Looked cr*p, i agree, but it seemed not to bother him. Never judge a book by its cover.

I like nice wates – for pretty much the reason RudeBoy states – but also because I appreciate the craft that has gone into making them. Even the common-as-muck Rolexes and the like.

I’m disappointed Panerais have become so popular in the last few years. I shall have to lust after something else (like the new “old” IWCs on the market.

Hmmm, some interesting stuff already posted. If you are looking for something quite smart then I wouldnít look past the Stowa Marine Original.

Iíd advise that its not worth buying second-hand, especially off ebay, the quality of fake watches is so high now that the swiss have outsourced their movement factories to china. Have a look at < http://www.wernersflyingwatches.com/default2.asp&gt; for some budget offerings, heard nothing but good reports regarding the service and quality.

I’m disappointed Panerais have become so popular in the last few years.

They’re not that common though. But there does seem to be a trend for big watches. Those U Boat and TW Steel ones seem to be everywhere.

I wouldn’t let it put you off though, the Panerais are really nice. Although I would mind an IWC Ingenieur.

ourmaninthenorth – do it, i have just bought an IWC Portuguese Chrono, just stunning, makes my speedy pro look like a toy.

I like pantsonfire’s Sewills Automatic on page 1 and MTT’s Stowa Marine Original on this page.

Not keen on the ones that look like they’d be advertised in by Lewis Hamilton or Pierce Brosnan in GQ magazine.

I’ve not worn a watch for about a year now, after my solar powered one died of SAD last winter. I could do with another, but don’t like the look of any that I can find for less than £50 and couldn’t bring myself to spend more.

I’ve got really good at reading the time off other peoples’ watches in the last year. At work, I’m always near a PC, so can get the time off there. Riding to work, I pass the market clock and one on an undertakers, so just use those to make sure I’m on time.

miketually – if you want a reliable watch for £50ish I’d look at CWC G10 (Cabot Watch Company), it’s the standard issue military watch and has been for years, don’t bother with an automatic go for the quartz. The nice thing is that you can pick them up on eBay (they are not a commonly faked watch because of their low monetary value) with a bit of history attached, i have one that was in the Falklands, lots crop up. Hope this helps.

Tissot ?

They provide mountain biking timing as well so its relevant.

not the rubbish touchey feely ones though.

Thanks MTT, I’ll do that.

hora – Member
colnagokid- Sure? My 91 F1 needs a few extra links (gf wore it for a few years and lost the ones taken out). She then (somehow) gave it a good whack so the movement second arm just ticks backwards/fwds one way each way!

Any Tag dealer?

Hora,
Someone (on here) recommennded this place for batteries etc, he might be able to repair, it was a week after I’d had my Tag battery changed by Tag – grrr!!! Might be worth a try.

Back on subject, I’d get another Tag if mine broke, worn it pretty much all day everyday for 15 years, sailing, riding, snowboarding, decorating, still looks and works like new! That’ll have cursed it 🙄 😀

CWC G10 (Cabot Watch Company)

I really like the look of those. Should be able to take a bit of a beating too, I assume. Found then for £80 at Silvermans, but will have a scout on eBay tonight I think.

I think this one might have been used in the first Gulf War. It’s not clear from the description though 🙂

I have got something like the first of the Seikos on this thread, brilliant watch, 25 years old, loses about 1 minute a month, never needs batteries, never needs winding, utterly bulletproof. Lovely watch, I change the strap every 10 years between a rubber and a stainless one. Cannot be beaten, I paid $300 AUS 25 years ago, never changed it, never regretted it.

MTT – that Stowa is nice. I, too, like simple watches (to the extent that I don’t like the date on them). Good call on the CWC watches – they’ve always intrigued me, and would clearly be tough as nails.

Right now, it’s not the time for me to buy a Panerai (real or fake) or an IWC come to that. Shame, but that’s my micro-economy right now!

null

This is the one, UTTER BARGAIN !!!

miketually/ourmaninthenorth – 😀 like a badge of honor, if you have a hunt around you can get them (or slight variations) that go back 30 – 35 years, go for it. People in the pub will start to ask you how many people you have killed though, prepare a cover story. “special forces” really?

Stowa are looking less attractive at the moment given the strength of the euro-pound, the back is even nicer.

The Panerai back is nice as well

if you have a hunt around you can get them (or slight variations) that go back 30 – 35 years, go for it. People in the pub will start to ask you how many people you have killed though, prepare a cover story. “special forces” really?

I work with a guy who’s ex-RAF (the rumour round work is he was SAS, but he wasn’t – RAF Regiment). I wonder if he’s got one he’d like rid of?

If he has, it’s probably a Traser or something else from Silvermans. All those fit into the £500 price bracket and they are pretty hard wearing too.

Mind you, I have a Casio G-Shock I got for about £7 in 1989 from Gatwick Duty free. Still works, still keeps good time.

trevorx – Member

You want a Tissot T-touch Touch.

Get a few good functions too and the oh so sexy touch sensitive screen.

Erm no you don’t.
I had one of those, after 5 years the hands stopped syncing with the LCD display, no problem I thought, £380 watch should be repairable, well yes, yes it is, that’ll be £190 please as they have to replace all the inner workings due to them being none servicable!!! Most of watch repairers said not to bother as its more trouble than its worth.
I didn’t bother…

G-Shock

Hmmm. I had a bit of an obsession with watches a few years back and have owned everything from a Casio G-Shock to a couple of very nice Breitlings which I was so nervous about wearing in case they got damaged or nicked that I sold them.

Now happy with a Zeno (very similar to the Panerai) and a good old Seiko Diver auto + a Citizen Quartz for work which cost £20 off Ebay and keeps better time than any of them!

Eddie at TIMEFACTORS has several very nice miltary type watches and others to suit your budget, although )as you will see) they tend to be made in limited batches and stock runs out quickly. Thoroughly nice bloke who is extremely knowledgable.

I had forgotten about my old army watch its a CWC G10 I think. Havent worn it since I left the army, dug it out of a shoe box full of old army crap. Think I will treat it to a new strap and a new battery.

😀

hora- sorry have to say Im taking about the original F1 the plastic one.
I think any GOOD watch shop as opposed to high street jewelers who sell TAG will do the work in store, quicker and cheaper too.
I use Berrys I know they have a few shops in the North but dont know if they are nationwide, if you buy a watch from them they do free battery replacement for life, px etc.

G-Shock

Redthunder – now that is cool. But only 200 made. And 3000+ euros!

If you like Tag then just get a Carrera, you know you want to. It would help me too, knowing I’m not the only silly bu$$er to waste so much money on a watch. :0.

I like my TAG Monza Calibre 36.
Cost almost as much as my bike!

Another Tag F1 owner, got for my 21st, worn every day for last 15 years and taken some punishment across various mountain ranges without fail

Now have opportunity to buy latest F1 model, but not sure if it really does it for me this time around, now liking the look of a Bell & Ross Marine or Demineur, hmmm nice quandry to be in 😉

My 3 year old son grabbed my Omega’s buttons whilst learning to swim – the service cost was not cheap- “how often would this happen?” – I now wear a casio when ‘playing’.

I am going to try to get my Tag fixed (thanks for the recommendation dooosuk) but there is lots of food for thought in all the watches that have been recommended!