Doesn't the majority of this forum consist of people in the UK?...and just say somone asks you what time it is , "oh one sec" *stares at the sun for a bit*....yea its about two thirty.
After today (fog everywhere) Wife: don't you have to get up and go to work? Me: Meh, can't see the sun, must still be night (rolls over and goes back to sleep)
I think people who're saying "just get a cheap one" are perhaps missing the point that any watch over £100 or so is really getting into jewelry territory. Yes, so maybe the odd specialist one has extra features really worth paying for at that price point, but for most of us we're spending that much because the things like good. Nowt wrong with that either.
I don't say that there's anything wrong with getting a nice expensive watch as jewelry. No one would say they're simply tools for telling the time of day. But the reason I made my first post was because a lot of people do use watches simply as tools but they wouldn't consider keeping their cheap watch as an option. When they come to their 21st or whatever it probably seems natural to make that tool they wear every day something they take pride in and enjoy wearing. But then a lot of people seem to blur the distinction between a tool and a peice of jewelry. The only reason that many people don't have an expensive watch it seems is that they can't afford one. People often wouldn't consider getting a cheap watch because they have the misguided view that they are inferior. If you think about it that's just not true. You can't expect something like a watch not to gain a few scratches over the course of its life. A cheap watch doesn't fall apart, it doesn't fail if it's dropped in the bath - it's not like a pair of shoes. It doesn't label you as cheap if you decide to go that way. Just make sure that when you're buying a watch you know why you're getting it. Do you want to be able to tell the time, do you want a fashion statement or do you want something expensive that you can treasure and gain personally from?
Any watch I have upto including to the value of £65 has lasted me at most 6months. I'm on my third one this year which has totalled upto around 60-90 beans. Now that everyyear for the next god knows how many years is just not practical i need a everyday watch which can take a beating, i dont even have a particularly hazardous way of life i just destroy them.
Costing over £100 doesn't make it jewellery, my Casio Protrek costs about £125. You can spend £6k on a Rolex and in 20 years time they won't repair it. Spend £3k on a patek Phillipe and they will repair it as long as you are prepared to pay for somebody to make the parts. I'm a bit surprised that given the amount of modding/fabrication/ideas on this forum some still don't get that if you buy a high quality watch you are paying for the time (scuse the pun) of several craftsmen. Have a peek at some of the watches made by IWC, Jaeger Le Coultre & Patek Phillipe. don't look at the gold, platinum or gem set 'bling'. Look at the models with the stainless steel cases and then see the work that has gone into making them some of the best made time pieces ever. I don't normally admit to this but when I left school I was an apprentice watchmaker at the now defunct Garrards in Regent street. I spent the best part of 14 years repairing watches.
This would be harder to scratch Then again I'm geeky enough to want this (to confuse others), this (uber geeky version), this (but I've never used a slide rule), this (the concept rocks), or this (for sheer nostalgia) But on second (well, third) thought - If I was from the UK I might swear by this
You could also forget things like fancy movements and just get a nice digital watch. I haven't worn a watch in several months. One of the most liberating decisions I ever made. -monkey
While I like my watch, I had to stop wearing it on a daily basis because when I sneezed, my left arm would go numb (too tight?). So it was either go to the doctor or wear the watch periodically. Don't tell my wife!
Just because something isn't made of a precious material, doesn't mean that it's not jewelry. The craftmanship counts as much for a gold and diamond ring as a stainless steal watch. Nobody here has said that a £2000 watch isn't worth £2000 in the materials and construction that goes into each one. What matters is what the watch means to you. In the same way that you would want your jewelry to be top quality and last for years you might want your watch to be top quality and last for years. Or if just want to know the time, you'll buy a cheap watch and get a new one after it breaks every 5 years or so. udjamaflip, you didn't say how any of your watches broke but if it wasn't some particular event such as dropping them or hitting your wrist against something then you must be buying rubbish makes. I bet most cheap watches break for exactly the same reasons that expensive watches do.
mostly from banging them around i find most watches cant take much pressure on the straps or the screen is what usually go, so one with a beast of a strap (i dont wear any straps that arent metal) and an undamagable screen would probably do the job, anyone know what to avoid in the links department? those links with pins just seem crap or is that the only type of metal watch strap.
I have to say If I had £400 to £500 to spend on a watch I would get one of the Tissot T-Touch's http://www.tissot.ch/?mod_collection/colid_0003/famid_0004 They look cool, touch screen and do everything apart from cook your dinner Greg
I'll second Tissot. My Dad's got one of those Touch ones with the built in compass that he uses in Iraq when he's off protecting engineers and it's barely got a scratch on it. I've got a cheaper one that just tells the time and the face hasn't got a mark on it, though there is a little chip on the casing that you can only see at a certain angle. Love it.
i'd buy an IWC ingeneur if i had the cash. whilst you pay through the nose, i personally like the idea of having a watch that would last you a lifetime (and you could hand on to your kids) and still only lose a few seconds, if that.
