Watches

Blackticus · Post by **Blackticus** » Fri 09 Dec, 2005 16:18

I was thinking of getting a flashy watch as a treat to myself before the year is out and I was wondering what watch the other Z owners have?
I was considering getting a Breitlings, as the Rolex brands start at £2000 and they are the basic models.

garyw · Post by **garyw** » Fri 09 Dec, 2005 16:46

Watches are quite personal things, it really is down to how they feel and make you feel. In the sort of price bracket you have mentioned, all watches are good.
The UK isn't cheap for watches and its worth looking abroad. (or last resort ebay)
I and a few others I know here have the Tag Monaco in limited blue.(its car connection is from the "Lemans" movie)
The problem with Rolex is everyone expects it to be a fake..

garyw

BartS · Post by **BartS** » Fri 09 Dec, 2005 16:59

seen in Dubai

fake swatches.....

why you want to buy a fake swatch for a tenner when an original costs 40 is still a puzzle to me....

Blackticus · Post by **Blackticus** » Fri 09 Dec, 2005 17:10

so then what make of watch would you buy..do you know any info on breitlings.

risquenun · Post by **risquenun** » Fri 09 Dec, 2005 17:35

I have had TAG -terrible quality, following a service by them it let in water and they had to replace the innards. I did however own it for 10 years and sold it for £30 less than I paidd for it

I currently have an Omega Seamaster automatic which I purchased in Nevada for about £300 less than the cost in UK.
I have 2 Seiko Kinetics which are great - several jewellers have told me they are much better timekeepers than both the TAG or the Omega.
My favourite is a white faced Seiko Titanium Kinetic which I bought at Clarkes Village in Street for £120.
I agree with garyw that its all a matter of personal taste.

Alex L · Post by **Alex L** » Fri 09 Dec, 2005 19:30

Can't stand Breitlings, too big and flashy.

I too have an Omega Seamaster chronometer auto, had it for 6 years and it keeps very good time. Had one service which was £120 and took 3 months to get it back, otherwise worth every penny.

Worth looking around though as they can be found considerably cheaper than on the high street.

BostonGreenZ3 · Post by **BostonGreenZ3** » Fri 09 Dec, 2005 21:10

Hi

I have a Tag 2000 18ct gold exclusive and I love it - I think its sporty, really well made and top quality....

I also have 2 Gucci's as well

Tag and Gucci are my favourite makes and I've never had any probs with them, keep accurate time etc

Blackticus - I think you wont go wrong if you get a Tag - Choose one not too over the top and in your face - plain, simple and classy

I'm not too keen on Raymond Weil, Corum, Longines, Breitling (which are normally worn by pilots) & defo not Rado

Best thing is to pop into the jewellers and try some on and see how they feel on the wrist

Hey, come and pick me up and I'll come and help you choose

GAZ · Post by **GAZ** » Fri 09 Dec, 2005 21:52

l have a breitling Antares automatic not big and certainly not flashy.
Last service was about £140 and takes about a month
Oh and l don't fly plane's

wells · Post by **wells** » Sat 10 Dec, 2005 10:31

I have a Breitling myself which i love!!!! Tags are the citroen saxos of the watche world iam afraid

, so if you are looking to spend £2000 you will get a nice breitling for that

.

Alex L · Post by **Alex L** » Sat 10 Dec, 2005 10:36

I disagree, Tags are good watches. If they are the saxo of watches, surely that makes Breitlings the Hummer H2 equivalent, plenty of shiny bits and pretty poor underneath

wells · Post by **wells** » Sat 10 Dec, 2005 11:59

You may be right but i would much rather be seen in a Hummer

than a Saxo

Glasgow2.8 · Post by **Glasgow2.8** » Sat 10 Dec, 2005 13:50

I have a TAG sports watch - too lazy to go get the model number and a Raymond Weil Parsifal which I think is great as it is quite understated but looks fab and keeps great time.

Also have a RW Othello dress watch and a RW pocket watch.

Bryn · Post by **Bryn** » Sat 10 Dec, 2005 14:00

I have an Omega Seamaster in blue (ala James Bond!)

, and although it was not cheap i wear it as an everyday watch and it still looks as good as new. The glass is very impressive as it has not scratched though i have worn it many times on exercise.

Bloke · Post by **Bloke** » Sat 10 Dec, 2005 14:53

I have a Breitling SuperOcean that I have had for 6 years, still looks like new. Needs a service now though, so I am loathed to send it away for a month or so....

Anybody know of a good place in North London to have these wathces serviced, last time I gave it to the watch makers at Brent Cross shopping centre and it took nearl 2 months to get it back

Bloke

garyw · Post by **garyw** » Sat 10 Dec, 2005 15:17

Bloke, it looks very much like all the top watches take that sort of time, My clasp broke and it was sent back to Tag HQ, three weeks wait whilst a new clasp was fitted. My local stockist had a clasp in stock but couldn't change it due to it being a warranty repair. they have quoted me 3-4weeks for a service

whilst Tag do make some more "reasonably priced" watches, I do think there is a price break, where it leaves the "Saxo" description

garyw

Blackticus · Post by **Blackticus** » Sat 10 Dec, 2005 18:58

how much did you all PAY for your watches?(any pictures?..)
I dont really want to go over £1500...but the 0% finance deal they offer over 6months seems tempting. I live in south east london and was thinking of buying one from ernest jones..is that a suitable place?
My girl lives near brent cross so I would be interested to know where you brought yours from BLOKE?

Alex L · Post by **Alex L** » Sat 10 Dec, 2005 22:04

There are plenty of places, Watches of Switzerland, or Goldsmiths. I personally would only buy an Automatic as they have a "proper" movement and are likely to last longer between services. My everyday Omega is the same as Brynt described, its 6 years old, had 1 service and the glass is completely unscathed and only a couple of marks on the bracelet. It is still the same price in the jewellers now as it was then (£1,100ish) but managed to get it considerably cheaper so worth looking around.

Bloke · Post by **Bloke** » Sun 11 Dec, 2005 00:27

Blackticus wrote:how much did you all PAY for your watches?(any pictures?..)
I dont really want to go over £1500...but the 0% finance deal they offer over 6months seems tempting. I live in south east london and was thinking of buying one from ernest jones..is that a suitable place?
My girl lives near brent cross so I would be interested to know where you brought yours from BLOKE?

Mine was actually bought in Kuwait when my father worked there back in '98/'99

Was in Ernst and Jones last year for about £1000

Bloke

Ed Winchester · Post by **Ed Winchester** » Sun 11 Dec, 2005 23:21

Don't get too excited about which Swiss watch is better than another, most of them use acquired mechanisms from the same source. It is all about which watch really feels special.

Breguet and Omega for example are stable mates with Tissot and CK! And are part of the Swatch group. They are still very good watches however. Audi don't make bad cars because they share parts with skoda.

I have an Oris an Omega Seamaster and an IWC. I would recommend all of them but be cautious with Oris if you are heavy handed.

Don't be shy about asking for discount, I saved nearly £900.00 on the last watch. Jewellers can make you feel like you are privileged to be in their shop. They are not the only jeweller and you should expect between 10-15% discount.
This works for me: Make sure they have the watch you want, then tell them have a discounted price from another jeweller but will have to wait a week and you want to buy today.

I you are happy to buy online, you'll find healthy discounts from the likes of www.blitzwatches.co.uk and you won’t have to haggle!

greg_ch · Post by **greg_ch** » Mon 12 Dec, 2005 14:59

Some people collect stamps, with me it was watches, ever since my father borught home a limited (200) edition Swatch when I was a boy.

Not unlike a car or a hifi. Try it first. If it's a first 'quality' purchase many people find a chronometer quite large when compared to their current watch. It might sound like a strange thing to say but when you go to try and buy, wear the type of shirt you would normally wear day to day. If you normally take a double cuff a larger chronometer like a Breitling may snag.

For everyday pieces the Cartier Tank Francaise and Omega Seamaster are great picks. I switch between the two depending on whether I am wearing a suit in which case I go with the Tank Francaise or if I am traveling or dressed down the Omega Seamaster GMT (I travel a lot so the GMT is great.) IMO go with the classics and not mass market special edition e.g. James Bond as they don't tend to hold their value so well. If you just wanted one an IWC Pilot would be a perfect compromise between the two.

I only have one Breitling, I don't really wear it because it's too flash imo. I also have fairly small wrists and Breitlings just don't sit well on them. If you want a sporty piece then the Chopard Mille Miglia is a great piece and was my choice when comparing it to a TAG, which are often considered to be on the sportier side.

If I had to pick one from my collection it would be the Seamaster GMT as it fits almost every occasion and is nice and understated.

These are just my opinions, but I would strongly urge you to try before buying.

grandmaster_flash · Post by **grandmaster_flash** » Mon 12 Dec, 2005 15:10

hey

I absolutely love watches, what i've found is that its better to buy via ebay.com and have the watch shipped over, as long as your careful and buy from a reputable shop you'll be ok

at the moment i have

ORIS F1 WILLIAMS ltd edition
TISSOT T-TOUCH
PAUL SMITH (dressing up watch)

i must've saved approx £900 all together by buying from the USA

hopefuly i'll be buying a TAG Steve Mcqueen this xmas, and i'll be looking to ship one over and saving approx £600 on inflated UK prices

hope this helps

jhb1 · Post by **jhb1** » Mon 12 Dec, 2005 15:11

Got to be a Breitling. I have had one for years and despite diving/sailing/skiing/biking etc etc it still looks brand new. Expensive but you get what you pay for. Not that common either.

Rodders · Post by **Rodders** » Mon 12 Dec, 2005 15:25

I've got an omega seamaster automatic, love it to bits. However i am upgrading to a rolex submariner next year, with the blue,gold and stainless steel if i can find one. they are like hens teeth apparently.

If you are going for a roly say away from the middy size and if you have the cash go for a white gold or platinum as they don't loose as much cash. in some cases go up.

garyw · Post by **garyw** » Mon 12 Dec, 2005 22:10

grandmaster_flash wrote:hopefuly i'll be buying a TAG Steve Mcqueen this xmas,

there were quite a few originals on ebay a while ago, same cost as a new one MkII

got mine from NZ and saved a few quid...

garyw

RobBruce · Post by **RobBruce** » Thu 15 Dec, 2005 15:20

I have an Omega Speedmaster Ltd Edition, which commemorates a certain drivers' F1 win.

Very nice, not as 'bling' as a Roller (although I LOVE the blue/gold/silver Submariner) and just a little bit different.

There's a huge selection of Omegas in your price range, along with many other brands.

Enjoy shopping!

Rob

spokey · Post by **spokey** » Thu 15 Dec, 2005 15:32

I use my mobile phone.

Giles · Post by **Giles** » Thu 15 Dec, 2005 15:41

spokey wrote:I use my mobile phone.

Well sell that pile of rubbish you call a Z1 and buy a decent ticker - there's enough clock waiving going on above to give you some pointers

Hawk · Post by **Hawk** » Thu 15 Dec, 2005 15:52

Spokey I'm with you. Personally I never wear one, but when I was last in Florida and met Mickey Mouse, I noticed he was wearing an MG watch.

spokey · Post by **spokey** » Thu 15 Dec, 2005 16:23

Giles wrote:
spokey wrote:I use my mobile phone.
Well sell that pile of rubbish you call a Z1 and buy a decent ticker - there's enough clock waiving going on above to give you some pointers

I leave the clock waving to the professionals.

tetchmeister · Post by **tetchmeister** » Thu 15 Dec, 2005 17:04

I have a 1995 TAG Heuer F1 Timekeeping Chrono, (that I can't find a pic of)

and:

Blackticus · Post by **Blackticus** » Fri 16 Dec, 2005 16:49

would anyone get a watch on 0%finance like they are offering nowadays?..over 6 or 12 months.

garyw · Post by **garyw** » Fri 16 Dec, 2005 18:12

Blackticus wrote:would anyone get a watch on 0%finance like they are offering nowadays?..over 6 or 12 months.

Whilst saying yes, why not if its 0%, you could argue that a nice watch is an indulgance, so if it can't be bought there and then, perhaps one should wait until they can.
But then again I wouldn't be driving my car and I'd be saving up until I could afford it outright, which could then be my last day in this world

garyw

QED · Post by **QED** » Sat 17 Dec, 2005 01:09

Omega Speedmaster.
(However unlike RobBruce, being a McLaren supporter, mine has nothing to do with MS!)

Blackticus · Post by **Blackticus** » Sat 17 Dec, 2005 12:41

I think I might do it over 6months.

Boysie · Post by **Boysie** » Sat 17 Dec, 2005 23:35

Hi
I used to buy those fake flash Rolex's
i decided to buy the genuine article a Rolex Airking its not to flashy
it does not get noticed by those unsavory character's looking for the flash watch to snatch
And nobody has ever asked me, is it a fake one
And it was under two thousand pounds
its goes with the car, refined and well made

Ray

///M_aniac · Post by **///M_aniac** » Mon 19 Dec, 2005 08:43

I have a very cool gold Raymond Weil watch.

s2thoudriver · Post by **s2thoudriver** » Wed 28 Dec, 2005 09:31

I have a TAG Monaco (blue face, silver strap) and a Cartier Roadster Chronograph. However, they are unfortunately replicas due to lack of funds

I used to have expensive watches until i got very drunk one night in Egypt, went skinny dipping then left a watch by the pool!!

So with my insurance money i went in search for very good replicas from abroad, not your 10 quid tenerife 'lucky lucky' ones. Both are 99% identical and if i loose it i simlpy buy another. I have also got an Omega Seamaster for a friend which was very nice .

I'm sure if i had the cash though i would love a nice collection of expensive watches. My favourite at the moment is the TAG SLR but you have to buy a Merc SLR to get one!

Rob

s2thoudriver · Post by **s2thoudriver** » Wed 28 Dec, 2005 09:31

I have a TAG Monaco (blue face, silver strap) and a Cartier Roadster Chronograph. However, they are unfortunately replicas due to lack of funds

I used to have expensive watches until i got very drunk one night in Egypt, went skinny dipping then left a watch by the pool!!

So with my insurance money i went in search for very good replicas from abroad, not your 10 quid tenerife 'lucky lucky' ones. Both are 99% identical and if i loose it i simlpy buy another. I have also got an Omega Seamaster for a friend which was very nice .

I'm sure if i had the cash though i would love a nice collection of expensive watches. My favourite at the moment is the TAG SLR but you have to buy a Merc SLR to get one!

Rob

dicko58 · Post by **dicko58** » Wed 28 Dec, 2005 10:52

Omega Seamaster with a blue bezel, the only watch in my opinion!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed 28 Dec, 2005 16:30

I yielded to temptation in 1980 while in Gibraltar, and bought an Omega Speedmaster Pro (Inscribed 'Flight Qualified by NASA for All Manned Space Missions' and 'The First Watch Worn on the Moon).

After a decent test lasting 25 years I have never had any problems, it has never been serviced - although I should have it lubricated and cleaned soon - and it still keeps reasonable time.

If you want an indestructable watch, buy one! Don't expect the type of accuracy you will get from a £1.50 digital - it's a bit of male jewellery - but it looks nice and it ticks. OK - you have to wind it, but that's part of the attraction.

I supose you could also use it as a knuckleduster!

Chris Xoe · Post by **Chris Xoe** » Thu 29 Dec, 2005 13:38

Omega Speedmaster (day/date model).

Not as good time keeper as my Seiko and cost £150 to service!

C.

John knight · Post by **John knight** » Thu 29 Dec, 2005 15:12

Well Blacticus, you certainly have rattled some peoples emotions when they have to justify the watch (image) they have ended up with. Interesting and fun. Now I have had a Z3 from year dot (still have) and have also purchased a new Z4 (4,000 plus miles now). So what watch do I wear. On my wrist is a 32 year old Rolex GMT master, yes bought that new. It does the job it was advertised for and does it well. I have a Breitling, a proper pilots watch. Got that in 1964 and don't use it anymore. Have an Airking I never use. Have a superb Hanhart model 1939 pattern repro Luftwaffe pilots watch. Brilliant for the cafebar and bemuses people who think they know their watches. For sports I use either a Seiko kinetic or a military CWC G10. The G10 is best for my requirements. I have other watches including the above mention NASA approved Omega Speedmaster (A Breitling was the first watch used by NASA in space because Rolex didn't give them free Rolex Cosmographs apparently, the watch they really wanted. Omega were third in the race but won somehow) What will I buy next. New bimetallic Rolex GMT master I think. Original James Bond watch incidently was a very old Rolex Submariner. Now for the Z4. I am quite disappointed, I also feel like a nokia salesman in it aswell. There that should amuse some of you.

Robin · Post by **Robin** » Thu 29 Dec, 2005 15:16

Mike Fishwick wrote:I yielded to temptation in 1980 while in Gibraltar, and bought an Omega Speedmaster Pro (Inscribed 'Flight Qualified by NASA for All Manned Space

Blimey Mike.
So were the Challenger & Columbus shuttles

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu 29 Dec, 2005 22:56

Hi John, welcome to Zroadster, hope you visit often and come on a cruise sometime.

Nick

maahny · Post by **maahny** » Fri 30 Dec, 2005 21:05

I disagree with Tags being terrible quality. I have had my professional series since I was 18(10 years ago!) and I have abused it and it still works fine. I even wear it in the steam and sauna rooms!

This year I also received a Seiko Sportura Kinetic which is the watch I wear most of the time. I also bought a Tag Heuer Monaco Python Edition which has a brown face and Python skin strap with a spare Croc skin strap! Got it in Dubai and saved £800 on retail price. Haven't seen any shops selling it in the UK yet.

Also have a few other cheaper watches I have collected along the way.

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