Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

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Meps
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Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by Meps »

Morning

I think it’s fair to say one of the main reasons we went with CW is because of the value for money you get at that price point.

Which got me thinking...what brands and models offer the best value at various price points? (I appreciate many brands will play across various price points so feel free to limit to a specific product range etc)

My thoughts were:

Under £500 - G-Shock, Seiko Diver or Hamilton Khaki
Under £1.5k - CW Trident and C65, Longines Hydroconquest)
Under £3k - Tudor Black Bay / Omega seamaster (i have seen them on sale regularly below this price) / Hamilton infra-matic
Under £5k - entry level Rolex / Omega speedmaster / IWC portofino

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by 0uatiOW »

Assume you’re talking new prices rather than used....

I nominate Zelos for the first bracket. Some of their designs are heavy for my taste but the Mako is one of my favourite watches. The build quality is good, customer service is first class, and prices very competitive as well under the £500 mark.

I would definitely put Sinn in the Under £1.5K category - their 103 and 104 ranges are fantastic quality and terrific value.

In the under £3K bracket, agree Tudor (though personal experience means I’m very unlikely to buy another). I’m very interested in Monta & Brellum, although I haven’t seen either of those in real life, so I can’t comment on the quality, but what I’ve seen on the internet is extremely promising.
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Congratulations, OP. You have now made five posts and should therefore be able to view Sales Corner.

Under £500 has therefore now become much easier: pre-owned CW. There are quite a few nice examples around. You might even end up with a bit of holiday spending brass (theme developing here!)

Under £1500: Nomos Tangente, or sticking with CW one of the SH21 or JJ watches on sale or promo. Alternative: pre-owned CW plus cheap holiday.

Under £3000: Cartier Tank Solo XL, just about. Alternative: pre-owned CW plus decent holiday.

Under £5000: Speedmaster Moonwatch. Alternative: pre-owned CW plus nice holiday.

Having had most of those except SH21 and JJ (I sold the Nomos but still have the others), I love my Tank and Speedy and would never let them go. But given the choice again now I would go for the cheap watch and good holiday every time.

Good luck! :D
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by MorrisOx »

Under £500 - Marloe Coniston

Under £1.5k - Farer Aldrich/Endeavour/Stanhope/Ainsdale

Under £3k - Farer Moritz/Segrave

Under £5k - IWC Portofino/anything by Bremont

Think the value equation always struggles with watch brands which do high street retail. Hence 3 Out of the 4 categories in mine are online only.
C5 Malvern Aviator LE
C8 Pilot Mk1 004
C3 Malvern Chrono
C4 Peregrine 'Phoenix'
Eterna Airforce
Steinhart Nav B Chrono II
Steinhart Ocean One GMT
Bulova Moonwatch
Marloe Coniston Bluebird
Steinhart Nav B-Uhr
Longines Master Chrono Moonphase
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by Soporsche »

this is v difficult as there are so many nice brands and watches in each.
Under £500 - Seiko divers, some microband offers e.g. new Nardi
Under £1.5k - CW various, Oris (65/Aquis)
Under £3k - Omega Seamaster, Hamilton, In reality I'd go pre owned on Omega or IWC
Under £5k - IWC/Omega speedmaster LEs , JLC MC, Zenith EP
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A few CWs and other brands
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by jtc »

OP, I think it's unfair to put used/sale prices in with new prices...

For me, the escalation goes Seiko, Oris, Tudor, Omega, Rolex
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

jtc wrote: Sat Mar 07, 2020 11:59 am OP, I think it's unfair to put used/sale prices in with new prices...
I can see your point entirely, Jon.

Although my own post above was not meant to be taken completely seriously, I do think that a consideration of what might be available on the second hand market could open up some interesting and unlooked-for left-field possibilities. With certain glaring exceptions that have been discussed add infinitum on this and other platforms, prudent secondhand purchases can often prove to be remarkably perspicacious and satisfying.
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by nbg »

Good idea for a thread.

Responses will generally be based upon our own watch buying and wearing habits and with that in mind:

< £500
Seiko, new or preowned.
CW, certain models, preowned.
Happy to dabble at this price point.

< £1,500
Other than drifting up to about £800 and mentioning Seiko and CW again, that’s it for me. Anything more wouldn’t represent good value to me, as I would be unlikely to wear enough to justify purchase cost ( except vintage Omega).

< £3,000
Tudor, Grand Seiko, Omega. Tudor new, or preowned, the other two preowned.

< £5,000
Grand Seiko, new or nearly new providing a decent discount was on offer.
Rolex, one or two preowned that would still come in at that level.
JLC, a wide choice available preowned at that level.
Zenith, a wide choice new with discount, or preowned.

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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by MorrisOx »

Forgot to mention Hamtun in the sub £500 category.

Another UK watch brand start-up with some very solid divers and day/date automatics.
C5 Malvern Aviator LE
C8 Pilot Mk1 004
C3 Malvern Chrono
C4 Peregrine 'Phoenix'
Eterna Airforce
Steinhart Nav B Chrono II
Steinhart Ocean One GMT
Bulova Moonwatch
Marloe Coniston Bluebird
Steinhart Nav B-Uhr
Longines Master Chrono Moonphase
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Re: Best value watch branHds under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by Les47 »

How would you rate some of the steinhart models in the under £500 category
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by Meps »

Thanks all! Some interesting nominations in the sub £500 and £1.5k categories which I will definitely be researching!

In response to a few comments, I appreciate my description was quite vague but to clarify I was thinking about new rather than used. I mentioned Omega sale prices specifically as they do come on sale fairly regularly...not long ago I saw a white dial speedy for £2.2k at goldsmiths and aqua terra for £2.7k at beaver brooks and so you can (if you’re quick and lucky) pick up a new Omega for sub £3k.

I’ve been admiring watches for a number of years now and around 18 months ago I made my first significant purchase (a CW Trident Pro) which I thoroughly love. Ever since I have slowly been building a collection and I now have a diver, a classic leather dress watch and a SS dress watch and on the look-out for something new and importantly good value for money (hence the post!)
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Re: Best value watch branHds under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by MorrisOx »

Les47 wrote: Sat Mar 07, 2020 3:30 pm How would you rate some of the steinhart models in the under £500 category
The Ocean One is a solid buy - mine’s a black-red Pepsi GMT, bracelet & case finish excellent. Generally a fan of Steinhart, but some of the new UK brands like Farer and Marloe are doing some really interesting and original stuff.
C5 Malvern Aviator LE
C8 Pilot Mk1 004
C3 Malvern Chrono
C4 Peregrine 'Phoenix'
Eterna Airforce
Steinhart Nav B Chrono II
Steinhart Ocean One GMT
Bulova Moonwatch
Marloe Coniston Bluebird
Steinhart Nav B-Uhr
Longines Master Chrono Moonphase
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by Mikkei4 »

Meps wrote: Sat Mar 07, 2020 3:49 pm
In response to a few comments, I appreciate my description was quite vague but to clarify I was thinking about new rather than used. I mentioned Omega sale prices specifically as they do come on sale fairly regularly...not long ago I saw a white dial speedy for £2.2k at goldsmiths and aqua terra for £2.7k at beaver brooks and so you can (if you’re quick and lucky) pick up a new Omega for sub £3k.
I'd love to buy a new white dial Speedy for £2.2k - what model would that be please?
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by Lavaine »

500 - Hamilton Khaki
1500 - Oris Aquis and 65
3000 - Cartier Tank Solo
5000 - There are no value purchases at this price. You are buying jewelry, not a watch, and value goes out the window. If forced to pick though, I'd say the Glashutte Original Panomatic.
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Re: Best value watch brands under £500, £1.5k, £3k and £5k?

Post by Meps »

Mikkei4 wrote: Sat Mar 07, 2020 11:51 pm
Meps wrote: Sat Mar 07, 2020 3:49 pm
In response to a few comments, I appreciate my description was quite vague but to clarify I was thinking about new rather than used. I mentioned Omega sale prices specifically as they do come on sale fairly regularly...not long ago I saw a white dial speedy for £2.2k at goldsmiths and aqua terra for £2.7k at beaver brooks and so you can (if you’re quick and lucky) pick up a new Omega for sub £3k.
I'd love to buy a new white dial Speedy for £2.2k - what model would that be please?
It’s on goldsmiths for £3.2k at the moment...product description to help you find it! : OMEGA SPEEDMASTER MOONWATCH RACING CO-AXIAL 40MM MENS WATCH O32630405002001
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