What is your favorite watch and why?

[Shuie]

I love that Mark XV. You should be able to find those on timezone all day for well under retail. Great watch. Great watch company also.

[Wrecked944]

I'm a big fan of simplicity. I prefer my watch to compliment my wrist without drawing attention to itself. So Rolex watches often seem like too much for me. Instead, I fell in love with an older design by Gucci. I liked it so much I bought two - one with the gold face for dressing up and another with a more casual, red and green face (it looks a lot better than it sounds).

[kach22i]

My latest watch the Hamilton Ventura, in the so-called "men in black" version.

Purchased here: http://www.campusjewelers.com/stock2.html

It replaced a dual dial Skagen similar to this (lost it with my wedding ring).

[s928s]

I like the variety, i have a small but growing collection. Rolex Daytona stailess, TAG 6000, porsche design crono, Movado Esperanza in gold, and a Mont Blanc small star vintage-brown leather band. Out of all of them I love the the Rolex the best. I have a hard time with selection's due to the size of the face and i have a small wrist. The porsche chrono is a little large for me. I always have to look at the "mid size" faces...limits the selection !!

I would think if you are starting out in the 1000-500 range and looking for a good buy,durable, and appealing watch. Go with the Tag's...good but for the money, timeless " manly" design..Just my $.02

[SLO-BOB]

another Citizen fan here. It was an anniversary gift from my wife so naturally it holds sentimental value. However, it is really nice and works great. It's an eco-drive diver. Very durable. Somewhere around $450 I'm told.

[speeder]

Quick question: Are Porsche watches any good, or just style excercises? TIA.

[GFORCED]

Originally posted by speeder
Quick question: Are Porsche watches any good, or just style excercises? TIA.

They're supposed to have a good movement and the new ones are titanium. Not many people would be very impressed with them though...

After owning many Rolexs, I switched to Cartier. Just bought a new Rolex though, as their new Special Edition line is amazing...

[Isabo]

Originally posted by speeder
Quick question: Are Porsche watches any good, or just style excercises? TIA.

A little bit of both. As far as I know:
The first manufacturer was Orfina: ok without being great.
Then there was IWC probably the second best watch maker in the world.
Now I think it's Ebel. I think Porsche or the Porsche family may have bought them. Usually well thought of.
*In an earlier post I suggested a Locman, that was before I saw the prices of some of the new models and in particular US prices. Locman is an alternative to a Swatch for me - cheap, cheerful, no pretensions: but there are Locman clones around now

Edit for error: eterna not ebel -Isa

[adomakin]

tag carrera is spot on. the monza is nice too. I did want a monaco but they are REAL big. the carrera/monza is a much nicer size


Andy

[smoak]

Rolex Special Edition Daytona 2004 model

This watch is expensive as all get out, but for a take no prisoners, money no object, watch enthusiast, its a must have. It is pretty damn impressive if you ask me!

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by jbripps
I have a Cartier Tank watch, no picture sorry, but I've been very tempted to get one of those Stauer watches advertised in many mags. The says something like, $159 on your wrist, and $679 in your pocket. Most of their watches are VERY handsome and look to be good quality. Anyone here have one?
Regards,

Regarding both Stauer and Steinhausen watches, which are both being advertised in magazines, flying papers, etc...

Under those lovely dials - which are admittedly very nice copies of famous watches of the past - lie very inexpensive Chinese movements that have proven unreliable for long-term wearing.

I believe that in the near future the Chinese will be able to compete on the world stage in the making of fine movements, but that's not the case today.

What these timepieces are, are masterpieces of marketing and deception, and along with their brethren - those watches for which expensive 'retail' pricing is claimed while offering discounts of 80-90% - should be considered for what they really are: inexpensive toys that may last a year or two before finding their way to the back of your sock drawer.

Worse, since these are all imported from Chinese factories with the seller being little more than promoter and distributor, there will be no parts stocked here. Instead, the entire movement will need to be replaced.

[carnutzzz]

Surprised more people aren't wearing the obvious- Tag Carrera!

Mine is the newer version of this one- still all stainless, but they classed-up the face a bit on the newer one by getting rid of the numbers and going with hashes, plus a few other details.

I'm pleased with it so far.

[FrayAdjacent911]

My Victorinox V-7.

(there is something special about the time/date in that pic)

[Joeaksa]

Rolex Daytona in 18k. Fell in love with it a long time ago and everytime I wear it the feeling gets stronger...



That said, the Tag Monaco is really nice as well...

[epbrown]

Originally posted by FrayAdjacent911 My Victorinox V-7.

(there is something special about the time/date in that pic)

Sure, it's 1:02:03 on 04/05/06

[stuartj]

Just about TAG Heuer. Steve McQueen never wore a TAG Heuer Monaco. The name and mark of "Heuer", a fine old Swiss house, was aquired by TAG, a design house, in the early 80s. Heuer were one of the very many Swiss manufactures that met their demise in teh Japanese quartz watch invasion of the early and mid 70s.

Generally regarded as mall horology, TAG Heuer in recent years hav followed the market and the resurgance of the mechanical watch by using unfinished ETA movements in re issue retro wathes.

Whereas you can vist the manfuctures of JLC, IWC, Lange, Rolex and many others and observe these firms making watches, the source of TAG watches is unclear.

[pizzy]

i think you can add patek to the list of true watchmakers. i think a eta 7750 chronograph movement in a well made case is a good value. ie oris.

[stuartj]

Originally posted by pizzy
i think you can add patek to the list of true watchmakers. i think a eta 7750 chronograph movement in a well made case is a good value. ie oris.

Indeed, and many others. Seiko, who as well as being the largest manufacturer, actually produce everything in their watches in house, right down to the luminova on the hands. And they make some very fine mechancial movements in the Grand Seiko.

Rolex "handmake" 800,000 watches a year, each "taking a year". Go figure. Bu then again A. Lange and Sohne arent a volume house, so a worthy point.

I have an Oris with an ETA 2824 ebauche and its a lot of watch for the money. Oris are what TAG should be, sans 20 years of consumer brand building. The Valjous 7750 is certainly the most ubiquitous chrono movement, but its aroiund in verious states of finish- the 7750 in an IWC is diiferent to the one in a Sinn, for example.

Cheers

[Flatbutt1]

huh...3 pages and no one said Baywatch.

[epbrown]

Originally posted by pizzy
i think you can add patek to the list of true watchmakers. i think a eta 7750 chronograph movement in a well made case is a good value. ie oris.

I like some of the Oris watches as well. My daily watch is a Wenger Swiss Military (which everyone seems to mistake for a TAG). I bought the Meistersinger I posted about a while back (which Cegerer mentioned previously) and I'm loving that thing - yopu can disparage it as a timepiece, but as a thing of beauty, it's unimpeachable.

My next watch will likely be a Panerai Luminor (most likely a Marina), which will be it for a while as far as watches go.