As the title really, want a new watch, got 250 to spend, any opinions on what I should go for? Currently edging for a seiko divers, what else is there for this money?

Seiko or Citizen at that budget.

I second that, especially if you want an auto.

I’m currently wearing an auto Citizen Promaster diver, in titanium (NY0054 if you’re searching by model number). Not a UK one sadly but there are plenty of sellers on ebay who can send from the far east. Keeps great time, is wearing very well indeed (with plenty of swimming and *gasp* actual dive use) and cost just under £100.

If you like bracelets and chunkier divers watches, you really can’t go wrong with a Seiko Monster – fantastic quality for the price. Again, far east only so off to ebay for one.

Or if you want another option, take a look at Christoper Ward – http://www.christopherward.co.uk/ – british-designed, swiss made. A mate has a C6 diver and it’s very nice indeed. Bit more expensive and quartz-only (auto due soon apparently, for more money of course..) but quality-wise it would hold it’s own against any of the big names at 3-4x the price.

I just don’t get spending that amount on a watch.

hmm, Christopher ward, ever heard of that make, just had a quick look, they look good, cheers, I’ll have a look at the monster too

Oceanus are nice.
They are made by Casio with GShock guts but look like a divers watch with solar power, auto time update and titanium case/strap.

http://www.bijourama.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/montre-casio-OCW-520TDE-1AVEF.jpg

Nixon Banks, £250 on the nose …

Another vote for Seiko here. Certainly over Christopher Ward.

Lots here directly from Japan.

How about a Black Monster?

Alternatively you could get a British designed watch in a more classic style from Time Factors

liking that monster, have you used that site before?

Casio calculator watch, and give me the remaining £240.01.

Then stop being vain and realise that it’s just a watch, and even though it may lose 0.01 of a second a week, it’s still going to tell the time to a degree that any human could really need. Plus you can add up on it, and spell out boobies when you turn it upside down.

as far as I can see this thread isn’t titled “the rights and wrongs of spending money on a watch”

I want to spend that amount of money on a watch, you don’t. I like nice things, if you aren’t interested then don’t read the topic, simple really isn’t it

liking that monster, have you used that site before?

I’ve not but members of a Watch forum I’m a member of speak highly of it.

I almost forgot. This cost about £250. Limited edition one of only 50 in that style.

Chill Warton. You obviously don’t see the benefits of having boobies written on your wrist.

And it would be wrong to say I’m not interested in the subject. I’m interested to see how you can justify that sort of outlay on something of no intrinsic value when there are far more important things that the money could be spent on. Like bike bits.

i prefer boobies on my hands….

why spend 250 quid on a watch? it looks good, plain and simple, Maybe I am vain, no more than most people I don’t think, yeah i could spend it on my bikes but the only thing I need / want are new road wheels, and I have the money for them as well, so why not, its a little treat!

don’t be a dullard.

Get a nice vintage one.

g-shock for something that tells the time, oceanus if you want it to tell the time and look like a piece of jewelry, anything else if you just want a piece of jewelry ( and there’s nowt wrong with that, if that’s your thing ).

CaptJon – Member
I just don’t get spending that amount on a watch.

Davy – Member
Chill Warton. You obviously don’t see the benefits of having boobies written on your wrist.
And it would be wrong to say I’m not interested in the subject. I’m interested to see how you can justify that sort of outlay on something of no intrinsic value when there are far more important things that the money could be spent on. Like bike bits.

No intrinsic value? Do you actually know what the term means? Of course a watch has intrinsic value, and £250 is not a lot to spend on a quality object that the owner derives pleasure from owning. That’s like criticising someone for spending £600 on a pair of wheels just ‘cos you happily pay £200. I currently wear a G10 Tracer-type watch that cost me £82, but I’ve owned a TAG Heuer for the last 27 years that cost me £250. That watch will last me the rest of my life, and will survive being totally immersed in water, which is more than a cheap calculator watch will. I had one of those once, thought it was quite the cool thing. Then I grew up and stopped wearing toys.

I bought one of these from amazon in the US £300 on the highstreet here, Cost me £150, but i did get my American in laws to bring it over to avoid the postage costs.

Its nice, chunky, keeps decent time and it keeps the time for 6 months ( or so) with out winding down.

Seiko watch#

Keeps great time

I would expect any watch at any price to ‘keep great time’. If it didn’t ‘keep great time’ I would return it.

Or does it actually keep ‘better’ time – somehow warping the space>time>fun>excitement continuum by somehow creating wonderful time through the majestic sweeping of its second hand?

If so, can I have one please?

Mathewjb – love that watch – great looking. My fave watch is a Fossil retro LED watch, but it gets through batteries at such a rate I have given up on it.

I’d be looking at Tissot if I was spending £250.

nixon 51-30.. massive watch and looks nuts 😉 got mine a while back from usa when the pound was good and under 200quid!

I would expect any watch at any price to ‘keep great time’. If it didn’t ‘keep great time’ I would return it.

Mechanical watches vary, and +/- 30s a day will be within spec (vintage ones are worse), although usually +/- 10s is more like it. Quartz will be more accurate varying only fractions of a second a day, until the battery dies at least.

If your second hand matching the beeps on the radio is important to you, probably best not to buy a auto. If you, like me, are fascinated by and enjoy owning something that’s had some incredible engineering put into it, cramming 100+ parts into a tiny space with tiny springs and gears all moving around – then an auto is very nice to have.

CWC Chrono

Price: £275

Problem solved. Or you could buy a poncy fashion watch.

Big expensive watch = little dinkle – ask any woman

If your second hand matching the beeps on the radio is important to you, probably best not to buy a aut

Yeah, that is kinda my point – I am never so desperate to know an exact time that I get upset that my watch doesn’t keep ‘great’ time.

Funny thing is, I LOVE watches and aim to have, one day, a very expensive one. But I don’t think I have worn one for about 6 months.

£250 falls into no mans land of watches.

Not expensive enough to have the wow factor of Omega & Rolex
Not cheap (To most) so a G shock etc are a bit tacky for the money imo

In a similar situation i went for a Tissot because i felt they were understated and a reletively premuim brand for the money. I spent nearly £400 and got an auto quartz which has been absolutely the best watch i have ever owned and been faithfull for the last 10yrs. No one ever says “Nice Watch” but it can pass for a everyday watch and also for any part of my job its a reasonable looking business watch.

I dont go in for bling so for £250 i would get something i was gonna USE rather than something that looks good

deleted. Buy the G10, you know it makes sense.

do have a little chuckle to myself when a workmate who owns a breitling (sp?) which needs servicing keeps asking me the time.
the g-shock has amazing engineering, is solar powered, and syncs with the national time-signal every night. springs and gears are for my bike. 🙂

TandemJeremy – Member
Big expensive watch = little dinkle – ask any woman

I object strongly to that objectification.

TandemJeremy – Member
Big expensive watch = little dinkle – ask any woman

Obsessing over wherther XYZ says something about their dinkle size = little dinkle

Most of my watches tend to be cheap and cheerful but I have found myself lusting after one of these lately. Not sure how practical they would be though.

aaargghh my eyes!

Agree with what LittlestHobo said exactly. But I’d plump the other way and get a decent £50 sports watch = no bling aspirations (not saying you have them)

Another vote for Tissot. I got myself a Tissot PRC200 a few months ago. £220 for the chrono with leather strap. Think you can get them a bit cheaper now. All comes down to taste, but I love it. Understated, classy and timeless. I love it, and not lost a second since I set it, so as good quality as you need basically.

There’s a choice of face colour, braclet/strap colour, chrono/non chrono in the range.

http://www.tissot.ch/products/

Citizen Eco-Drive watches have been brilliant – worth a look

have a bit of a snoop about and see what’s the best you can get for your money. i bought a Raymond Weil dress watch (sorry can’t remember what model, i think it’s the othello range) back in 1995 costing £250, they are currently around £450. so i now have
a: a posh watch worth money if i want to sell it, or
b: a posh watch which i can keep and pass onto my son for when he’s older.

lots of work mates were buying rolex and such, but £1100 on a watch was a bit steep even for my snobby side.

if you’ve got the money to invest in a nice watch, go for it.

This is my Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180-03E Military style watch. Bought it from Argos for £45 sale last year.

The pic here.

Citizen Eco-Drive

Nothing fancy. So far the most I have paid for a watch is my Swatch at £50. D’oh! Time to upgrade.

My aim is to buy a watch that does not need a battery. Even eco-drive watch needs battery.

Did some research onto “cheap” & reliable automatic ones recently and decided my budget would allow me some Seiko Automatic … Particularly one with Hi-Beat movement.

I prefer automatic.

🙂

Festina? Had mine for 9 years with no issues, excellent watch.

Is that not a beauty!

$300

I was looking for something similar recently and ended up with a Traser H3 Chrono.