You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Significant birthday for someone
Recommendations for automatic watches under £1000? Can be a lot less than £1000 but that's the max
Head to Creation Watches.
Click on the Orient box.
Pick up a damn fine watch with an inhouse, automatic movement, for a lot less than £1k.
If not, do the same but click Seiko, the same applies.
Edit, they've currently got an Orient Mako for £91. £91. That's a ridiculous amount of watch for the money.
Longines are classy, and seem to have escaped the "look at my big shiny/stealth diver/NATO strap/matching heritage sunglasses" crowd.
Seiko diver. Classic and classy.
Failing that, any one of the many Seiko automatics, including vintage ones, from eBay. You can get a very, very nice watch for a couple of hundred quid
Have a look at Farer. British designed (fairly meaningless but they look very nice), and all have solid Swiss movements. They have some with the benchmark ETA 2824-2 movement which is very good, and very common in quality automatics, so won’t cost the earth to service.
...or a nice Seiko. Not much name cache for a gift, but they are just about the best made watches for under a grand. The Presage line look lovely. I’d prefer to receive something a bit rarer as a gift, personally, but that may just be me.
@DirtyLyle, Grand Seiko for the win, but a touch over £1k for the auto unfortunately.
I’d just google automatic watches with Swiss movements <1k
My recommendations:
Hamilton King Khaki (£420 at John Lewis)
Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 600 (£725 from Christopher Ward):
They do quite a large range of affordable automatics, the aviation inspired ones are nice also:
Not an automatic - but a seriously interesting watch is the Bulova Luna Pilot. It's got a high beat high accuracy quartz movement and like the famous Speedmaster has actually been on the moon. For £400ish quid that heritage is an absolute steal - comes on a bracelet too and in black IIRC:
I'll post more if I think of any.
Nite worth a look, Brit designed, owned, good looking, solid - I like them.
I'll say it again, £91. You'll do well to find anything better for under £1k, let alone £100.
Or stretch yourself, £186.
As you can see, I have a small Orient based problem...
Is Orient a Seiko brand?
I have a Christopher Ward C11 Makaira, which I've been impressed with. Striking looks and even the Ti 1000m diver was less than £1k IIRC.
I've just bought one of these from Creation Watches...A bargain for £250. Be aware though, that their payment page isn't secure. I used PayPal...
You could have a look at Magrette watches too. Made in New Zealand but with a Swiss movement.. They come in a proper presentation case too (which will get you bonus points if it's a gift).
The C60 Trident Ti Pro looks good:
https://www.christopherward.co.uk/watch/view-all-watches/c60-trident-titanium-pro-600-1-6
@lunge - yeah, I would love a Grand Seiko, but as you say, not cheap! I seem to really like their limited editions which are even more pricey.
OP - The suggestion of second hand Omega is good if you want a present with more of a name. Servicing can get very expensive though.
Steinhardt are another good homage brand ...
But my titanium watch scratches like buggery .....
Might be £91 but that Orient is gopping!
Junghans Milano solar and radio controlled - you don't much more automatic than that:
I ordered one of these yesterday. Seikos with 'J' in the name indicate Japanese made vs 'K' for Korean if you want to be a bit snobby.
This could be worth a look?
Reviews of watches from £500 to £1000
https://www.watchitallabout.com/category/reviews/500-1000/
The C60 Trident Ti Pro looks good:
https://www.christopherward.co.uk/watch/view-all-watches/c60-trident-titanium-pro-600-1-6/a >
Cor, I missed that earlier. That looks fantastic.
Might be £91 but that Orient is gopping!
Everyone has different taste, I like it, but hey, that's OK. Lots of variety in the range, I'm sure you'd find something you like.
Orient are indeed part of Seiko, yes. IMO they both offer better value than any other brands in the market my quite a margin. I've had a Chris Ward but they seem to have gone up in price a lot in recent years and I don't think they offer the value they used to.
Buying for myself under £1k I would not go anywhere but Seiko and Orient, but I guess for a gift I understand the desire to look elsewhere. The problem is the £1k automatic market is pretty poor, Chris Ward have generic ETA movements that are found in watches half the price as do any other "luxury" brands around that point. I think I'd be looking at Tissot and Longiness, maybe Hamilton as a reasonable compromise.
Seiko SARX055
titanium, snowflake, 1K. Baby GS.
umop3pisdn - what's that Seiko, it's lovely.
<div class="bbp-author-role"></div>
German Made watches are quite nice for under 1k
Try a Junghans Max Bill which is a lovely Bauhaus design or a Sinn 556 which is a little sportier and has a few variations under 1k.
That's the Korean version but yeah, Recraft SRPC15J
stop it, Stop It, STOP IT, STOP IT
I don't need another watch! 🙂
a relatively obscure brand, but I quite like Eff9tyWon series by CahseeÖ
Depends on the style you're after. I've got a few diver-style watches, but I've mostly gone away from wearing them as much as I've got skinny wrists and they tend to look a little big/garish. 🙂
My recommendations would be to look at:
Steinhart - lovely German watches with Swiss Movements - Very reasonable prices for the quality. I've had a couple of nice diver watches. https://www.steinhar****ches.de/en/
Archimede Watches - lovely German/Swiss watches again - https://www.archimede-watches.com - I have one of the 'plain' pilot watches. No logo and very understated. https://www.archimede-watches.com
Timefactors - the Speedbird III if you can find them are lovely GMT watches. The Smiths Everest is a nice model too. https://www.timefactors.com
Seiko - so many nice watches!
Sinn - probably just under your budget. https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/products/sinn-watch-556-a-leather-leather-dark-brown-556-014-vintage-leather-dark-brown
Stowa - one of the original German pilot watch brands. https://www.stowa.de/en/Home/
Chris Ward - I've had a C11 too - and that was very nice - but too big for my skinny wrist. https://www.christopherward.co.uk
Elliot Brown - formed by ex-Animal founders and based on the south coast. They do mostly quartz, but do have some nice automatics. https://www.elliotbrownwatches.com/tyneham
Loads to go on there. You've unearthed one of my other interests 🙂
Look at Seiko SARX045 or SARX047. Japanese made and you need to purchase from there as it is a Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) release but well worth it (works out between £500-£600). The pictures you see online don't do it justice as it's hard to photograph. Check out this video, IMHO it holds it's own up against a watch 5 or 6 times it's price. I got mine here https://www.seiyajapan.com/products/seiko-automatic-presage-sarx045-japan-made
Hamilton Automatics all day long! Fantastic reputation and great quality for the price.
Try Timefactors.
Excellent watches. Eddie a good boy to deal with. Plus....not so many around..if that matters to you.
Love the Seiko JDM Sarx / Sarb models. Check out the Grand Seiko’s too.
Gents/ladies? Sports/dive/dress? Mainstream/niche?
lots around to choose from, but as a gift it’s really got to be something from a Swiss house at that price point IMO. Unless the recepient has a like for certain watches, in which case you probably wouldn’t be asking.
something like a longines hydroconquest/conquest for sub £1000 or for under £500 a tissot le locle.
Whilst a £90 orient is a very good watch for the money, it’s not really got the kudos has it. And calling it an in house movement is a bit rich... 😉 just because Seiko mass produce cheap movements for them doesn’t mean it’s really in house imo, you could say a £500 tissot has an in house movement because swatch own ETA, but it’s really not.
If it’s for a man, then second hand could be an option - if you’ve got time then picking up an omega seamaster for sub £1000, having it serviced for £400 gives you a very good watch with a proper value. Ladies are always trickier to sell the ‘second hand’ bit to as a gift.
What about something pre owned. I picked up an absolute steal of a seamaster for Mrs ws from goldsmiths. It had clearly never been worn as it had the protective covers on part of the bracelet.
Stowa, or Sinn. I have a couple and they’re lovely.
A mate has this and it’s lovely
https://www.stowa.de/en/Marine+Classic+40+silver.htm
Tissot ballade powermatic 80
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/tissot-ballade-value-proposition
Silicon balance spring for less than 1K, impressive. It’s a bit like a deore shifter having an XTR guts.
bit too dress watch for me.
A friend of mine who knows about watches says this is good, £500:
"just because Seiko mass produce cheap movements for them doesn’t mean it’s really in house imo,"
Bwahahahahaha, spot the lad with no clue.
Seiko don't make movements for Orient. They are 100% more in-house than IWC, tag Heuer, breitling and omega for example.
- All Orient movements are produced in-house
- All Orient movements are used in Orient watches only
I've got a Stowa Marine Classic too, gets more admiring comments than my other watches (then even more when they look at the underside view).
A Fenix 5 cured the >£100 watch-buying bug for me but when I was looking for a "good" watch I kept going back to the Damasko DA36 (or DA37 if you prefer the white face). DA34/35 for the no-numeral faces. Beautiful looking thing, whichever version. There's a DA36 here for £749
Timefactors 3rd'd
Lots of choice of interesting designs and some really good movements.
Tje likes of Sinn, Stowa, Steinhart, Farer etc are all worth a look. So much choice these days you can look forever.
Probably best to pick the style you like first (diver, pilot etc), then look around. Some brands are better known for certain styles than others.
Are they a watch person? Only ask as if not, they might only appreciate the fancy-pants names. A generous watch of £1k may be slightly meaningless if not well known.
Could you maybe take some of the recommendations and ask their significant other what style they think they would like - as whether it's in house, hybrid or a far-more-accurate quartz 🤔won't matter.
All irrelevant if they are a watch person of course!
Love my Elliot Brown Tynham
https://www.elliotbrownwatches.com/tyneham
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4739/25444854808_74795a4509_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4739/25444854808_74795a4509_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/ELtwRf ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/17059060@N00/ ]eastham_david[/url], on Flickr
Seiko don’t make movements for Orient. They are 100% more in-house than IWC, tag Heuer, breitling and omega for example.
- All Orient movements are produced in-house
- All Orient movements are used in Orient watches only
As far as I was aware, it’s a Seiko licensed movement put together in house, and parts are shared. If that’s incorrect then I stand corrected. But IMO (and I did say IMO originally) that’s not in house. And I’d agree with you that most of the big Swiss names you mention aren’t using in house movements mainly, but some do at the top end.
Thats not to say I don’t think they make fantastic watches at the price point, simple movements put together well and they do run well.
"The problem is the £1k automatic market is pretty poor, Chris Ward have generic ETA movements that are found in watches half the price as do any other “luxury” brands around that point."
Not strictly true, for instance ETA's most commonly used movement the 2824-2 actually comes in four guises, standard, elabore, top and chronometer, using higher grade parts as you go up the chain (the chronometer is the same movement as the top just regulated more accurately and COSC certified), the 2824-2 just refers to the movement chassis a bit like a car having different versions of the same model line, an ETA in a Tudor for instance will be quite different to that in a Hamilton at quarter of the price.
Mondaine SBB CFF FFS, under £500 and Swiss made, with a red band is very nice, clear and easy to read face, not fussy or ostentatious.
Vortexracing - nice watch!
You could have a look at Magrette watches too. Made in New Zealand but with a Swiss movement.. They come in a proper presentation case too (which will get you bonus points if it’s a gift).
i have on of the Magrette watches pictured on page one of tt he thread. Nice watch, quite big but very light on the wrist, comes with a clear back and is nicely detailed. I bought it as a a scruffy watch but I wear it quite a lot now.
Just marking interest. I could do with a new watch soon.
Reminded me I'm still waiting for my Sinn 240 ST.
50% out of your budget I;m afraid.
Ordered June 20th:
I hate these threads...... every time one pops up I buy another watch I don't need, like this one today
Why does that Sinn have the minutes shown twice, wouldn’t it be better to have the hours on the inside?
I think it's because the outer bezel rotates for some pilot related time keeping task...
Orient licensed the 7006 movement and the 600x series magic gate way bitd from Seiko.
They have developed these into the 46 movement they use in most of their watches today, along the way adding complications like power reserve, something that Seiko don't bother with until high end watches generally and not on anything related to the 700x series (7sxx or 4rxx).
So it's a watch developed by them, made by them and only used in their watches. It's one of the most in-house watch movements available.
Vortexracing – nice watch!
+1
Just my 2 cents james, but what sort of age is the recipient? some great vintage watches can be had at the minute as the demand is really growing for them. Hand winding is no problem imo, i own a few autos and unless they are the uber movements of 100 hours reserve i can live with a hand cranker. For £1k omega/ jlc will be a bit of a stretch , but longines, eterna , lemania and loads of others can be got. There's also the option of a preowned modern,you can really go up the prestige here. I know for a gift it won't seem like an option to hand someone preowned. Or new i'd say these. But it's such a wide field, what is their style, dressy /sporty? how big are their wrists? Man or woman, etc.
Oris big crown/ aquis/ 65
longines hydroconquest /flagship
Hamilton jazzmaster
Christopher ward is great, but you just missed a sale, you may get a deal with 10 or more % off but i wouldn't pay rrp.
Tissot ,stienhart Etc. etc.
You will find most will share the same base movements an eta or sellita with various upgrades, and astechics.
There is so many options in your price range, stick to a reputable brand with good warranty, and good luck.
Seiko SARB17. Discontinued but lots new still available. Japanese Domestic Model so not that many around in the UK (relatively speaking).