Their history is borrowed from a previous existence.
Moratello Group acquired the company in 2006, with a focus on homage watches. Mainly quartz. $600 watches selling for $150-$250 in secondary markets.
Much like Gevril. Overpriced homage watches that don’t sell in department stores, only to be found later on Overstock.com and other clearance houses at massive markdowns.
I have watches from $50 to $7000. Any of them could be passed down, and for a variety of reasons.
Sentimental value aside, my collection of Seiko Cocktail Times would be the low end of the cost spectrum. $250 to $550.
Seiko Cocktail Time (Presage). SRPB41.
Or pick a different color. $320-ish. Stunning dial.
I have dozens of watches in all different prices, and that watch has more comments, compliments than all others combined.
Check out a YouTube video on that model. Web pics are awful.
Or one of the other colors in that dial pattern…. But I think the blue is the best.
SRPJ13 is another pattern from 2022. It’s more subtle, but still stunning.
$400 is really high for a Swatch.
Growing up, their watches were $40-$50. And they were popular. You wore them for a year or two, and when they were too beat up, you bought another one. Anyone could buy them.
Today, they’re $80-$110.
So they drop the Moonswatch. $250 is high, but the economy was better, the watch was a novelty, many people know the Speedmaster was the first watch on the Moon. Omega has marketed the Speedy for 50+ years. Billions of billboards, bus shelters, and magazine ads.
Also, the moonswatch had cool models related to our solar system. People could identify with those models.
Sold like wild fire.
$400 for a plastic Blancpain?
Who, outside of serious watch collectors, knows anything about a 50 Fathoms or any Blancpain watches? If you surveyed 50 people on the street about 50 Fathoms, 50 of them would give you a blank look.
Even the average Swatch customer, when entering the store, will google Blancpain 50 Fathoms to see what the original watch looked like and then figure out the association. And it’s still $400.
Watches are NOT an investment. Get that thru your head right now. If you look at the value of your watch after buying it, you’re going to be disappointed.
There are deals out there. They likely won’t exist on eBay or Etsy. Lots of Mumbai Specials on eBay and Etsy.
What’s your budget?
Look at your finances on a yearly basis.
How much disposable income are you comfortable spending? How willing are you to save for a watch you really want?
Set a goal. And don’t spend any money until you’ve looked at a watch, looked at competitors to that watch, and become comfortable/confident with your research.
I see many, many people that just go crazy, buying stupid sh|t, wearing it for a month, sometimes less, and then trying to sell watches “because they really, really want ____”.
Don’t do that. They’re often frustrated at spending $300 and getting $200 back. Or $500, and trying to get $325. Or $1000 and getting $750 back.
Have some patience. It is not a race. It’s a journey.
“But I really want ____ from this microbrand, they look cool!”
Again, they wear it for a few months and want to get rid of it.
Worse, some of them get modded, many of them horribly. Purple and green bezel inserts. “Where is the original bezel insert?” “I sold it on eBay”. Dumb.
After years of this, they have a collection of crap, they’ve wasted a ton of money and time. “Dude, I have some cool watches though!” Nope. You have an impulsive collection of crap.
I started with a Seiko SKX quite awhile back. Wore it for a long time. Then got a used Orient diver from eBay.
Soon after, I started looking at entry level Swiss watches. Hamilton, Tissot, etc.
I went on vacation, knew that I could get a discount overseas on a Hamilton. And I did. $1000 watch for around $600. I wore that for a number of years. I still have it, it needs a service.
At some point, my finances improved, I started looking at a luxury watch.
Rolex GMT was on my bucket list.
I put my name on the list at my AD. After about 2 years, I became tired of the Rolex waitlist.
I finally saw a Tudor GMT. Tried it, liked it. I waited for the bracelet version of the Tudor, and bought it.
Since then, I’ve added a few more luxury watches. And a few non-luxury watches. A few Seiko Cocktail Times. A Studio Underd0g.
I’m careful. I buy what I like. I buy watches that I know I won’t want to part with.
I wear almost all of my watches. I have a few I wear more than others. I have no urge to shrink my collection.
I have my eye on a couple watches in the future. They’re harder to get, and I’m not in a hurry.
My advice, go to a department store or an AD that has Seiko.
Try on a Seiko 5 diver. SRPD53 (or another color). $225 to $250. You might catch a Seiko sale this weekend.
You don’t have to buy. But try it on. They might have Citizen, look at those. I don’t know Citizen very well.
You should understand the differences between a quartz and an automatic.
Most people start with a diver. The Seiko SRPD divers are good, they’re available everywhere.
Tudor Black Bay GMT. It was my first leap above the $1000 price point for a Swiss watch.
I’d been on the Rolex GMT list for several years. I’d stop into the AD every 6 months.
I can remember stopping in, and they had the Tudor GMT on a strap, so I tried it on, and liked it. A bit more subdued than the Rolex.
So, I waited for a bracelet model, and then bought it. And I’ve been happy with it.
I just do not care to play the Rolex waitlist game. My AD doesn’t play the “you need to spend more to get an allocation game”. They just have a list, and you slowly move up the list. If my AD called and said they had the new green Sub, or a Batman, I’d probably buy it. But the waitlist, I’m just not into it.
And over the years, that first Tudor GMT led to a collection of Tudors and other watches.
I looked at the BB Ceramic. It’s a great watch.
I believe it was the 2nd Tudor ever with a display case back. The first being the Black Bay 58 925, released just a bit earlier in 2021. And, I liked it so much, I bought the 925.
I have the Pelagos 39. Wonderful watch. The t-fit bracelet is fantastic. It’s also great on an Erika’s Original Marine National strap.
Sinn 556. Sinn U50.
Tudor Pelagos 39, or the new FXD titanium black dial, or a BB58 black/gilt.
Oris Diver 65 Cal 400.
Grand Seiko SBGA467
IWC Pilot Mark XX, your Laco might get jealous. IWC Ingenieur.
Nomos Tangomat or Ahoi
Omega Railmaster.
Breitling Chronomat GMT (Tudor movement).
Squale 1521 Classic COSC
Seiko presage Cocktail Time.
It’s a collection of watches SRPB41, SRPJ13 are two examples. Web pics are typically awful, YouTube is better for looking at them.
Orient Kamasu. $275-ish here in the US.
Offers a sapphire crystal over the Seiko 5 SRPD divers.
Sinn 556 MOP.
Nomos Club Campus
Squale Sub-39 Vintage GMT.
Oris Diver 65. (Ask AD for a discount).
Seiko Alpinist.
I put down the Squale and Oris because they are a vintage-style watch. They dress up with a leather strap, much like a Tudor Black Bay 58.
I have dozens of watches.
This past summer, I added a Seiko 5 Rowing Blazers to my collection (the yellow dial), and 2 weeks ago, another Seiko Cocktail Time SRPK48.
I also have SRPB41, SRPH78, SRPJ13, and SRPD37.
They are relatively inexpensive, yet fantastic watches.