So my hubby just got a job after over a year of searching (Yay!). After tightening our belts for so long to make sure we didn’t run out of savings, I’d like to get him something nice, sort of as a “Congrats on the new job/I’m proud of and love you/Happy first day of work” present (hope that’s not a weird thing to do). I’m thinking maybe a watch, he’s always wanted a nice one. So any suggestions for a nice manly watch that is not too showy, but still looks classy; would work well as an everyday watch, maybe a little sporty, but could also go with a nice suit if need be? And not crazy expensive, I mean I’d rather not empty the entire savings this late in the game!
How expensive is “crazy expensive”?
I was looking at some watches in a Mall in Bangkok the other day and there are some really crazy expensive watches out there and for me that means anything north of $10,000.
Omega Speedmaster - the only watch ever worn on the moon!
Pretty cool, runs about $1000-ish bucks if you can shop well.
x2 on Omegas, always a classy look. My dad gave me the Schumacher Limited Edition and I enjoy it each time I get to wear it. Tag Heuer also has a “sporty” line too. In fact, get him this one;
You can find NOS for about $700 and choice of dialface colors! Oh, chronograph is the way to go w/ the additional small dials(always a classier look)
Side note: I saw my wife’s OBGYN wearing a $38k Breitling. I hate him for it ;p
+1 on Swiss Army (Victorinox). Classics never go out of style.
Omega Speedmaster - the only watch ever worn on the moon!
Pretty cool, runs about $1000-ish bucks if you can shop well.
Please tell me where, exactly, I can buy an authentic Omega Speedmaster Professional in the U.S. for $1000. Tell me where and I will buy one today.
Beautiful, classic watch, but any one I have ever seen from a reputable used watch dealer/eBay is in the $2k ballpark. Some are significantly more.
Thoughts?
Paul
I bought myself an Omega Seamaster Chronograph recently -online ~$2800- and i am very pleased with it. Nice watch!
If you stick to stainless steel, you can get nice watches like Omage or Tag for reasonable prices. You can also do some shopping at reputable online or brick and mortar vintage watch shops and find something nice, that might feel like it has a litle history to it.
I wear my Omega Seamaster all the time. It’s stainless, black face, no frills, and cost me less than 2K. Fine in everyday clothes, and looks nice when dressed up. No too big, and I prefer the regular squared off links over the odd shape of the Tag metal wristbands. You could also get one with a leather band which might make it a bit more dressy if that’s what he’d want.
What a great present to think of for your husband!
So many things to consider:
budget? This will be your starting point and can guide where you look for the items that match the answers to the questions belownew or used? Significant savings can be had when buying used, but you’d need to know the questions to ask and where to go/not go for places to look that would lower the chances of fraudgold, stainless, other? Stainless will go with more things, but the gold will be more dressy as a generalizationwear everyday (you’ve answered this one)battery vs. automatic? battery operated will keep “better” time, but not by much, and the automatic(self-winding) will generally mean a better finished product
I just went through this exercise and can help walk you through some pitfalls and things to consider - PM me if you’d like any more help.
twomarks
Thanks for the ideas so far! Some of these are really nice, and its just good to have a man’s opinion.
As far as price, I was thinking around 1k (of course under if I can) - haha, that is what I love about ST, it keeps me humble by reminding me just how out of my league I often am. 10k?! Holy crap! Was also thinking stainless, for the versatility. Hadn’t even considered battery vs automatic, will have to think about that.
Oh - one more thing - it will matter how big a guy your husband is - specifically wrist size - since as the size of the watch (both diameter and height) will have to be taken into consideration. You don’t need to take measurements - just small, medium, or big boned is enough to go on.
Once I have that info - I can come back quickly with a few choices for you to look at.
twomarks
I was in the same boat last year and while in Switzerland got sticker shock. Tag’s were 3-4K. I settled on a Tissot Touch in titanium which I absolutely love. Check them out and see what you think. They will be under $1K.
10k?! Holy crap!
Isn’t it hilarious what people will spend a ton of money on. I said about five years ago that when my titanium Citizen EcoDrive finally bites the dust, I won’t buy another watch to replace it. All I need my watch to do is tell me what time it is and my phone does a perfectly good job of that. My Citizen–now 10 years old–is still going strong with no signs of slowing down for now.
(BTW, I’m not criticizing those who spend a lot of money on watches. Everybody’s got their thing they like to spurge on and I’ve got mine, too; it’s just not watches. For those that choose to spend lots of money on watches, more power to you.)
You could always get him this:
http://www.luxurybazaar.com/items/itemid_4982_Minute_Repeater_5016P__Platinum__Leather.html
It’s very understated and meets most of your criteria 
twomarks
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Personally I’m a big fan of Oris. One of the best values in Swiss timepieces.
Any Swiss watch in titanium is great.
Good call; turns out the one I was looking at was used, not new… so yeah, you’re absolutely right; you can’t get a new one for $1000.
It may be tough to find one that’s in good shape at $1000 as well - I could be mistaken, but from the ones I’ve seen, it’s about $2000 for a good used one.
Any direction on where to look for one at that price?
twomarks
Much cheaper solution - dinner, a card and a wild romp in the hay.