[Closed] Inspire me with your posh watches

Hamilton Khaki Field should be around that price, I like them, don't have one yet!

The recent Xmas watches thread has lots of nice watches at varying prices

My mondaine automatic fits both your spec and budget:

[img] [/img]

Dave

Tissot Visodate would be my first choice for UK sales and within budget.

Hamilton Jazzmaster Viewmatic around £460 Uk price (<£400 grey market)

Seiko SARX017 (Japanese grey market <£400)

i love my Rolex Daytona - it's one of my only prized possessions.

Oris Big Crown.
Be aware some watches cost more to service than a car!!

Posh and £400? think you might struggle there unless you get some moody omega from ebay that comes from india.

Something from Harold or an Elliott Brown

For £400 I'd be looking at an Orient Star of some description and a custom Toshi strap.

Or a Chris Ward.

Steinhart do automatic watches at that price point. I have one on my wish list

Tissot Visiodate or a Chris Ward would be where I would be looking. Orient Mako's are really nice too but have metal straps.

Seiko Tuna (used) but may need to up budget a bit.

Not that much on topic, but I've been looking for an excuse to show this off as I've only just got around to taking a picture of it!)

[img] [/img]

1936(ish!) Schwarz Geneve. Scratched, worn and beaten, with original glass, that will never be replaced. However, this watch saw quite some life with the original owner, and I am immensely proud to wear it in his memory.

Seiko Alpinist

Solid 14ct gold Longines from about 1960, recent documented service, £300 off ebay[img] https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/l7WEM2zqfdpcB_nyeWAE8IkXY8dAQDgIZh_xmATo0eg=w216-h162-p-no [/img]
and in nearly new condition.

I've got one of these very nice in the flesh. Shop about and you will find it cheaper.

http://m.watchshop.com/mens-hamilton-jazzmaster-viewmatic-automatic-watch-h32515135-p99931371.html?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=shoppingfeeds&source=froogle&gclid=CK3KwKPwur0CFTCWtAodiFUAVA

Christopher Ward C11 is a little over budget at £499 but I have one and they're very good, my Omega Seamaster has been relegated to second place since I got the C11, as much as I like it the C11 just looks great.

[url= http://www.christopherward.co.uk/men/view-all-mens-watches/c11collection/c11-auto-skt.html ]Christopher Ward C11[/url]

Hmm? Tissot or Mondaine it may well be..

Not *posh*, I'm not entirely sure how you define that! I guess a really expensive dress watch in gold but mine is hardly that. It's about the closest I'll get to a *posh* watch until the lottery coughs up and I can afford to spend 3 or 4k on something that matches my taste; which this pretty much defines:

[IMG] [/IMG]

Cost me £350 NOS.

Not *posh*, I'm not entirely sure how you define that! I guess a really expensive dress watch in gold but mine is hardly that. It's about the closest I'll get to a *posh* watch until the lottery coughs up and I can afford to spend 3 or 4k on something that matches my taste; which this pretty much defines:

[IMG] [/IMG]

Cost me £350 NOS.

Yobokies or AKA "harold" (seikoboy backwards)
Get something unique and you could be paying alot less than £400.

[url= http://www.benaruswatches.com/ ]Benarus[/url]
Check out the specs on these watches,the case,movement glass etc,not a well known brand. I like the clean looks. I have the steel Moray excellent watch.

£400 [b]is [/b]posh in my book.

As mentioned above, [url= http://www.elliotbrownwatches.com/ ]Elliot Brown[/url] have some nice watches.

I love my Oris Big Crown, bought with money after my father died. Its been back for repair twice in 5 years and finally seems to be fixed. Quiet and understated.

This ticks all your boxes although I don't know what case size you class as big. I nearly went for one of these but my budget increased so I opted for something different, however I know a few people with Christopher Ward watches and they are very nice. Different face styles and strap colours are available if that one doesn't float your boat.

[img] [/img]

[url= http://www.christopherward.co.uk/men/dress/view-all-dress/c5swt-mk2.html ]Chr Ward Malvern Automatic[/url]

Not expensive, not posh, but relatively small and automatic. An option if you decide not to blow the full £400:

[img] [/img]
Mine looks just like that^. It was about £48 from Amazon (price goes up and down like a yoyo) and I paid £8.50 delivered for the strap.

Failing that, those Elliot Brown's look nice, I think they might all be quartz though?

Edit: someone posted a pic of an Elliot Brown Canford with a black leather strap on a previous watch thread. Very nice.

When I say posh, I mean something smarter, dressier, than the venerable G-Shock. Not really a fan of the complicated looking chrongraph/sports type, or metal straps.

I could, however be tempted by something like the seiko divers watch above. I don't mind that type as they haven't got all the fussy tiny dials and extra knobs...

I'd go vintage, doesn't matter how accurate it is - who needs a watch for time telling these days...

I recently had a similar amount of money to spend on a watch (I think it cost around £300) and went for this :

[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/13522754425_1d62f4526e.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3762/13522754425_1d62f4526e.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

I have a few other watches, but wanted something fairly plain and simple.

I think Tissot do a leather strap version in the PRS516 range.

For the money and given your description I'd go for a 1960s Omega Seamaster

Something like this:

[img] [/img]

or this:
[img] [/img]

The last one went for £200 on [url= http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?290283-Omega-286-mechanical-circa-1962-OHPF ]TZ-UK[/url]. £200!

Stowa fleiger

Look at steinhart I have just got one. They do very nice watches at your price point.

Steinhart are great but are q quite large, 42 for the diver is possibly the smallest they do. Stows flieger is a nice 40mm.
Or look at Grovana for a whole range of sport or dress watches (Grovana supposedly make the cases for Steinhart, aramar and a few others)

Oops. Stowa, not stows

I'd look at [url= http://www.stowa.de/lshop,showdetail,139625796912996,en,1396257981-13075,marine,marineautdatum,1,Tshowrub--marine,.htm ]Stowa[/url] too.

[img] [/img]

How about a Swatch Sistem51?
Automatic - check
Leather strap - mine, photographed below, is rubber. The black version, see the link, has leather.
Plain - yep
Not enormous - again yes.

Only about £100. Use the remaining £300 on a trip to to Switzerland to pick it up as they're not available in the UK yet.

[url] http://www.swatch.com/zz_en/sistem51.html [/url]

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/13533693545_13769f63a2_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/13533693545_13769f63a2_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Pick a watch you like, then send that picture to Yobokies as already mentioned

He can make you a clone, not a fake/copy, and will be very affordable. They're generally sterile, i.e. not branded to be a rolex etc, and use a Seiko as a starting point

I have a Seiko military base watch that he changed to look like a Sinn 556/656. I can't remember how much it was but definitely less than £150, maybe between £100 and £120. The front is sterile, the back still says Seiko as it still is a Seiko, including all movement etc.

Only problem is that its an auto so if I rotate watches too much then its run out of juice by the time I wear it again, but thats not the watches fault. Most autos are like that

Shinola

http://www.shinola.com/shop/watches/therunwell47-leather-watch-s0112.html

I have a Seiko SNZH55 - took off the metal bracelet and put on a black leather strap with white stitching. Works well for almost everything, it's less chunky/fussily styled than most dive-style watches so OK with a suit and anything less formal than that.

[url= https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6234/6280770162_6fc825fb21.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6234/6280770162_6fc825fb21.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Else if you like the more Submariner style, then Steinhart make some really nice stuff.

[img] [/img]

It's smaller than this in real life...

I've just ordered a custom Elliot Brown Canford, like the custom one in the blog post. It is still a quartz, but for the fact is costs what an auto would to service and looks like the sort of watch I've always wanted I am prepared to live with the occasional battery change.

It's being tested at the moment - but I am very much looking forward to getting to wear it!

I could, however be tempted by something like the seiko divers watch above. I don't mind that type as they haven't got all the fussy tiny dials and extra knobs...

[IMG] [/IMG]

You'll be lucky to find one for your budget these days, though, although they're still being made with a Citizen movement.
Apologies for the original double post, not entirely sure why that happened.

Love that Yema