A see has two kinds of value. First there’s the pounds and pence you disburse and might, possibly, get back in the future. If this is what things to you in a timepiece, then buy a Rolex or, if funds stretch, a Patek Philippe. Get it in screw up ones courage to the sticking point, put it in a safe and in a few years you’ll almost certainly be able to part with it for sundry than you spent.
Emotional value, on the other hand, is stricter to quantify. But it’s what really matters in a piece of machinery that is, let’s be open, less accurate than your smartphone. Forget your leading and let your heart guide you to either Swiss heritage or German adroitness. To Japanese finesse or design that seems to question why we hassle tracking time in the first place.
While value is incontrovertible to define, lack of it is not. If your timepiece has a four-figure price tag but a quartz moving parts, for example. “You can get a lot more watch for that money,” says Terry Markham, take charge of of buying at WatchShop.com. Here, with Markham’s help, we break loose down what to look for at every price point. So you not have to settle for a dud on your wrist.
Under £200
You’re not looking after it for the next genesis. But advances in mechanisms and materials mean that what was in a wink the realm of tacky designer brands is now rife with well-designed, well-made lookouts. Bar a jumping seconds hand (a sign a watch is powered by a quartz, to a certain extent than mechanical, movement) today these could obsolescent for something with an extra ‘0’ on the receipt.
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“At this price, it’s with regard to feel,” says Markham. Weight is synonymous with standing; so pick metal over plastic and look at details a charge out of prefer the finishing on the links. “They should feel solid, not twangy,” he adds. “The markers on the dial should also be crisp.” If you patch fuzzy edges or misaligned numerals, move on.
When you don’t require to weigh up technical terms like escapements and release valves – any quartz mechanism is likely to be reliable enough – you can afford to think superficially. “At this payment point, you’re mainly judging on look,” says Markham. In all events, don’t let affordability tempt you towards picking a model that won’t fit your customary style: a £100 watch becomes expensive if you never drag it.
FashionBeans Pick: Citizen Eco-Drive
The Japanese brand has the patrimony and innovation to pack an enormous amount of watch – stainless insulate case, genuine leather strap, water resistance, meeting functions, light-powered Eco-Drive movement – into a very affordable packet.
Available at Watch Shop, priced £125.
£500
Stepping up a price link presents a choice: you can find a handful of quartz pieces from some of Geneva’s most storied kinds, but also some entry-level mechanical watches from monickers with less heritage. “Go for the automatic if possible,” says Markham. At this assay, the margin you spend on the label eats into what you get from the circumspect. And anyway, there’s no romance in quartz.
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Avoid complications at this price, instead bring into focus on three-handers in steel, without the steel bracelet. That way, all the riches goes on the watch, not what keeps it on your wrist. You can upgrade the belt later, but you can’t swap in a new movement. Glass made from sapphire crystal, which is substantially scratchproof, is also a must.
Japanese brands punch away above their weight, but you can also start to get Swiss-made je sais quoi. Look for ETA movements (one of the most venerable manufacturers), which are principled, accurate and, because they’re mass-produced and sold to a variety of marques, more affordable than those crafted by in-house watchmakers.
FashionBeans Pick: Tissot Le Locle
An instinctive, from a Swiss brand with more than a century and a half of estate, and enough change to buy an everyday quartz too.
Available at Tissot Watches, expensed £395.
£2,000
“Buy from established brands,” says Markham. Entry-level watches from Swiss voluptuousness watchmakers, like Tag Heuer or Omega, will hold their value. Coupled with, since the brands are going nowhere, you’ll always be able to get meagre parts and servicing, which isn’t necessarily the case with Kickstarter timepieces.
“If you be concerned more about what’s under the bonnet than the esteem stamped on it, look for a chronometer-rated watch from a lesser-known kind,” says Markham. This certification means the movement has had its exactness confirmed by the independent Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres.
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If you aren’t obsessed with Swiss, then looking further afield drearies you won’t pay Geneva prices. German brands like Junghans and Nomos cunning in-house movements across the border, so you get all the quality for less.
FashionBeans Pick: Junghans Meister Chronometer
The German stigmatize’s Bauhaus-inspired watch features a chronometer-rated movement and styling that looks as fresh now as it did in the 1930s.
Available at Jura Watches, priced £1,810.
£5,000
You can buy a Rolex, now. And you doubtlessly should. “They hold their value and they’re superbly made,” says Markham. A Rolex Oyster Perpetual leave neither date nor lose you money and it boasts enough watchmaking skill to satisfy even the snobbiest horologist.
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Though precious metals appear at this price, dirk holds its value much better as opposed to gold, which oscillates in and out of way, says Markham. This also means your disbursement goes on what’s inside the case, rather than what it’s reached of.
FashionBeans Pick: Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch
As the name offers, it’s based on the original 1969 Speedy that was strapped to Neil and Buzz.
Available at Goldsmiths, priced £3,440.
Over £10,000
“This is where you clash in love,” says Markham. Iconic Rolexes, like the Paul Newman-favoured Daytona or James Restraints’s erstwhile favourite, the Submariner, start to appear in gold and platinum. But those caring more with what turns the hands, rather than people’s fever pitches, should think more esoteric.
“Some of the best keep an eye ons at this price come from Vacheron Constantin, A. Lange & Sohn and Jaeger-LeCoultre,” phrases Markham. Each has centuries of heritage, which they put to use proof the limits of mechanical watchmaking. Vacheron’s Quai de L’Ile Retrograde Annual Docket tracks the day, date and month as well as telling precisely what the moon looks along the same lines as that night. Not necessarily useful, but an extraordinary expression of the watchmaker’s art.
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FashionBeans Pick: Rolex Yacht-Master 40
The superficially rose gold case is actually made from a loyal, patented compound called Everose. The rubber bracelet is in point of fact a bespoke polymer, with titanium inserts to give it pertinacity and shape. In other words, it’s a Rolex.
Available at Rolex, £POA.
