£300 watches

[paul]

Hello,
Could anyone please tell me if they think that a watch in this price bracket represents good value for quality/price. I currently wear a 20 year old Tissot Stylist Quartz, which has performed solidly.
If i increase my budget to the above mentioned figure, i can get bottom of the range watches from firms like Longines, & Raymond Weil.
My main concern is that as Longines are owned by the Swatch Group, their cheapest model may just be a re- badged version of my Tissot.
I realise that quality watches start with the £500 automatics, but unfortunately my budget falls short of this figure.
I should also say that i do not want a secondhand watch as i view them as being too personal. Am i correct in thinking that Citizen & Seiko, seem like good value products.
1would be grateful for any advice.

[Maui]

There are sometimes new automatic watches on ebay that are very good value for money. These are sold by dealers who want to off load stock quickly.
Both citizen and seiko are good quality.

There are also some replica sites that offer high quality replica automatic watches with the swiss ETA movement for around 300 pounds. these are 25 jewel movements but be carefull before you buy. Ask lots of questions.

[Maui]

Just remembered, check this site out www.bernardwatch.com
They sell high quality automatic watches brand name Avier I think with the swiss ETA movement and sapphire crystal glass. for around 300 pounds.

[Anonymous]

My advice would be look out for what's in the sales. You could possibly pick up a nice Oris for within your budget.

I really think that some Seikos and Citizens are great watches regardless of their price -- the Seiko SKX007 is   a fantastic automatic  and can be had for around half your budget (actually, even under £150 if one knows where to look). Better go this route and have a watch with some honest integrity than a fake/'replica' watch... I think that's just a waste of wrist space personally.

Sunnie

[tompw]

Hello,
Could anyone please tell me if they think that a watch in this price bracket represents good value for quality/price. I currently wear a 20 year old Tissot Stylist Quartz, which has performed solidly.
If i increase my budget to the above mentioned figure, i can get bottom of the range watches from firms like Longines, & Raymond Weil.
My main concern is that as Longines are owned by the Swatch Group, their cheapest model may just be a re- badged version of my Tissot.
I realise that quality watches start with the £500 automatics, but unfortunately my budget falls short of this figure.
I should also say that i do not want a secondhand watch as i view them as being too personal. Am i correct in thinking that Citizen & Seiko, seem like good value products.
1would be grateful for any advice.

Oris is a mid level luxury watch that does fantastic mechanical watches. Tag Heuer is another mid-range watch house to consider.  I wouldn't go near replicas as their simply fake watches only there to fool other people (including the owner!).

You will find many AD offering 6-12 months interest free credit, alternatively there are a few reputable grey-market sellers that have 20-30% off their RRP.  The only thing you will not have with them is the manufacturers warranty (but if you save £1,000-£4,000 its worth the risk!).

As for secondhand watches, they are one of the cheapest ways of owning a luxury to highend watch at a good price!  You will find that quite a few still have their manufacturers warranty still valid along with receipts.

The end decision is yours but in my view spending that bit extra on a really special watch is worth it!  I would do more research, decide the sort of watch you are after, join relevant forums and speak to people who own watches that you are interested in.

Good luck.