Would love some watch recommendations, first post here :)

Bell & Ross BR-05.

I would recommend youtube.

There are a ton of great videos on this subject.

Urban gentry & Teddy Baldassarre have made alot watch lists around different price points.

Enjoy the research 😊

Check these videos out.

Best watches under $5000

https://youtu.be/lc1ozJ3IoiI 

Watches under $10000

https://youtu.be/6R64EBmJqVo 

Good luck 👊🏽

Contrary to what others have said, at this stage I would recommend to resist the temptation of watching YouTube, looking at blogs and social media etc.

First, explore yourself the websites of the watchmakers that could fall in your budget (you can easily find lists of watchmakers online). This step is not difficult, yet many people skip it out of laziness. If you want to go with a reputable brand at that price point there aren’t more than 8-10 that come to mind, so it won’t take long.
 

Second, I‘d suggest you to go to visit an AD and see ”in the metal” those 4-5 models that you shortlisted after your exploration of the collections from the brands you can afford. This way you can feel the watch and form your own unbiased opinion. Take your time there, and take pictures.

Last, once you have a shortlist of 4-5 candidates and more or less an idea of what you think about them on your wrist, go wild online and check out the specs, see footage and macroshots etc.

Only the usual watches are hyped on social media, and it’s a spiral: you have to post / talk about them to get likes. Go explore first. Good luck!

I think you should start by clarifying to yourself what kind of watch you want. I don't see a common pattern for those watches you mentioned other than pricepoint. You have a budget, but do not start with the price! Otherwise, you might as well donate 5K to charity, get yourself a $100 Timex instead, and have details of what you want to remember engraved on the back. If you start with the criteria you may find yourself a great watch for 2K instead that does what you want on the nose, or perhaps you find that what you really want you cannot really afford

• style of watch? Dress, field, sports, pilot, diver, chrono, GMT?
• what constraints does your "close to daily" criterion actually impose on the watch? Do you need/want a date function? Many luxury pieces only have 30m water resistance, which is ok if this is treated like a luxury piece, but if you want daily usage out of this you probably want more?
• bling or understated?
• where does the "luxury" end of your request come in? Is this about finishing, about build-to-last, about impress-people, about complications, about brand?
• how should the watch remind you of said milestone?

Watching the videos would be a start.  Reading blogs and reviews would be doing a bit of research.  I agree with your advise to visit an AD and actually feel, touch and wear the metal is best source of purchasing decisions.  I'm confident after watching videos, reading blogs and reviews that @BookofTS would visit an AD and make that educated decision successfully.  Cheers 🍻🤙🏽

Have you tried the Cartier Santos de Cartier Medium?

If you want sporty, can't go wrong with the Black Bay 58, which ever colour you choose

if you want iconic, get yourself a Moonwatch Speedmaster. A previous gen 1861 movement should not break the bank

if you want dressy, why not have a look at Breitling Premier line ?

Depends on your occupation, “daily” can be very different. But usually, an sporty option if designed well, can go both casually or dressy. You had it initially, the OP is one example. And GS heritage collection although more on the dressy side, I found them also very wearable with things informal. If you are open to classic, Reverso Tribute Monoface can give you luxury, history, and an entire back case to engrave your memory. Obviously, if you are an field engineer, you should get a G-shock. 

Hey there!  I think all of the above commentary is fantastic!  Something that really resonates with me is the idea mentioned earlier (paraphrased):  "What am I really going for with this luxury watch purchase?"

Below are some potential motivations, and thereby what you might want to look for:

• Flexing - Flex culture gets a lot of hate.  But, it's genuinely why a lot of people buy nice watches.  If that is one's motivation, then the answer is simple:  Get whatever is the most easily recognizable watch.  People will see it on your wrist, immediately know what it is, and one can bask in the glow of that recognition.  If you spend any time at all on Instagram, you'll immediately see which brands / models to buy
• Heritage - If you're looking for a watch that has lots of heritage and a great backstory, then obviously this is the wheelhouse of the big Swiss brands.  For example, Breitling supplied timepieces to the RAF during WWII.  Rolex and Omega have long supplied the military, and have over a century of history, etc., etc.
• Technology - If you're a mechanical technophile, then something like the Zenith Chronomaster Sport might appeal.  Alternately, both Grand Seiko's Spring Drive and Hi-beat movements are technological marvels
• Eye-catching beauty - If beautiful dials and cases and faceting is important, then you can't beat something like Cartier and / or Grand Seiko

Everyone's got a different reason for buying the watches we buy.  In my mind, it all boils down to what narrative seems to best suit you.

In my own case, I buy Omegas and Grand Seikos.  

• I buy and wear my Omegas because I like to pretend that I'm James Bond.  The watches are bomb-proof, there's lots of heritage, the co-axial technology is awesome, there's just enough cool finishing and details to make the watches interesting to look at, but ultimately...  James Bond...  Pew, pew
• I buy and wear Grand Seikos because both the Spring Drive and the Hi-beat movements are out of this world good.  The faceting and diamond polishing are way beyond anything you can get at that price point from any other competitor that I know of.  I can spend all day just staring at the dials of my Grand Seikos - whether it's a $3,000 quartz or my $9,100 White Birch.  And, finally, nobody knows what Grand Seiko is, which is the best, because I hate attention.  The only time anybody has ever noticed the watch on my wrist, it's been a Grand Seiko.  They say, "Hey, that's a cool-looking watch.  What is it?"  And I say, "It's a Seiko."  End of conversation

Good luck!  Keep us posted on what you decide!

I’ll look into Urban gentry, already seen a ton of video from Teddy and others like Bark & Jack haha

Hey man, really appreciate the points you have made. I think I prefer a dress  or sport watch but will stainless steel/titanium bracelet. Preferably with a date function and would be cool if it has gmt as well. Regarding water resistance, 100m+ would be ideal, though I likely won’t go swimming with me. Also big plus if it has a sapphire case back.

With regards to luxury, the most important thing for me would be the finishing. I want to be able to look down and appreciate the small details and thoughts that went into it

When I visited the cartier boutique, they didn’t have the medium in stock. I’ll give it another shot later.

With respect… your post is I have $6-10k, recommend me a watch. I agree with some previous comments, the examples you have given really do not convey anything about what you want or consider desirable. 
What actually appeals to you in watch? Judging from your reaction to the GS it might be dial and form over movement, but then again a GS Spring Drive movement is an impressive piece of engineering. Others are too big or too boring, so maybe something brighter or garish, maybe midsize to low 40mm sizes? You could go for some real leftfield options, like an Oris SixtyFive bronze with neon dial, a Seiko cocktail, an anOrdain with their beautiful ceramic bezels, a Hamilton Ventura, a Corum Bubble with a design of your choice, a Nomos, a Cartier Tank Asymmetric… none of these are helpful to you because I am just firing models at you without context. 
I also agree with the recommendation to try something on in the flesh, especially given how scattergun your approach has been to date. Assuming you are “relatively” new to this (and apologies if you are not) the last thing you need is a bunch of excited watch people barking random models at you as this will effectively introduce scope creep into your experience, and may even put you off entirely.

I note that you were looking at a Rolex, and I know the market is pretty crappy right now for new, but maybe look at the grey market with a reputable seller. It might be that you want a Rolex, and perhaps you should go with your first option.

There is no real one watch solution either; I always recommend a daily/beater to save your dressier/bolder pieces from accidental ruin, and I always believe a gentleman needs choices to suit the occasion. Your level of beater would probably be higher than most with your budget, but I think you can probably limit yourself to 3 for an all-round collection and still feel good about your collection. Again, this is my opinion, and I would not give it much more thought than that. 

OP is pretty cool, though the availability is an issue. I can’t see myself paying 1.5* market price for a Rolex. unfortunately my job isn’t that cool, I just sit in front of a computer all day wearing pretty casual cloth, especially given the WFH situation right now😂 I will certainly try on a couple more GS, but don’t think I’m classy enough for the reverso

Hey buddy, your points resonated well, I think we might have similar taste👋 

i don’t care for the flex, but the technology and beauty part really matters. Through my research, I found that the coolest thing is the Spring Drive, only downside is that the movement itself isn’t as gorgeous as something like the high-beat. 

since you own the white birch, do you think it’s wearable as a daily? Would love any other GS recommendations as well! 

Hey mate, I certainly didn’t provide enough information in my post. All the models I’ve listed, I did try them on in person! Your judgement on my reaction to GS is spot on, I loved the dial and the engineering behind it, but found it a bit towards the dressy end (the white birch).

I am new to the hobby and willing to explore, that’s why I’m asking for suggestions. I think you might be right about the one watch rules all, but for now, I would like to stick to one watch. 

Oh man!  You asking me to talk about Grand Seiko is like asking a dope fiend to tell you about their bong collection.

From left to right:

• White Birch - It's awesome.  Can easily be a daily wearer.  It's blingier than Liberace's diamond-encrusted robes, but nobody will know what it is, and if anybody asks and you want to fly under the radar, you simply say, "It's a Seiko," and the other person will assume it's a $50 watch
• Minamo - 5-day power reserve spring drive with Lake Suwa theme dial.  Much more subtle than the White Birch, as only you will notice the rippling waves on the dial under certain angles of lighting.  I honestly prefer the Minamo to the White Birch
• SBGE257 - Ignore this, as the SBGE253 was nixed from your consideration set
• SBGJ237 - People totally ignore the Grand Seiko sports models, typically, but I think they're absolutely AMAZING.  Especially the SBGJ237 and SBGJ239.  GMT functionality, along with rotating bezel for the ability to track 3 time zones.  Fully lumed sapphire bezel.  Hi-beat movement.  Absolutely mesmerizing.  Now, a lot of folks immediately dismiss these 2 watches because of the 44.2mm diameter dial.  However, as you yourself experienced empirically, Grand Seikos wear much smaller than their specs would suggest.  Generally speaking, a 40mm diameter case like the SBGE253 would be considered medium, but you said it fell out of consideration because it was too small.  GS is designed for thin-wristed Asians by thin-wristed Asians.  So, a combination of curved mid-case, curved lugs, curved and small clasps, "conical" case shaping such that the case back is much smaller diameter than the dial, etc., etc., end up making GS's wear small
• SBGJ255 - Titanium, hi-beat, GMT, with the amazing 44GS case design.  Only issue is that the watch is 40mm, and so might feel too small for you

I would say if you like GMT function, also take a look at the following:

• Mt. Iwate - The SBGJ201, SBGJ203, and SBGJ235 all have Mt. Iwate dials, which are absolutely killer!  They all have 44GS cases and are Hi-beat movement
• Seasons GMT - People love the Seasons GMTs.  In-person, they didn't do it for me, but others absolutely rave about them.  There are 2 Hi-beat and 2 spring drive options

Finally, if you need a dealer who can get you a really good discount on nearly any GS, let me know and I'm happy to make intros.

Good luck!

No worries, absolutely respect the choice of a GS, so I think if it is too rich for your blood right now then look at some options with a good balance of both engineering and style. I will the leave the fun part of searching what that might be to you :)

I think you will come to love the Aqua Terra. I think it's the perfect one watch 'collection'. Then again, what do I know? My grail is a Railmaster. 🙄

Now, based on those comments of yours, here are a couple of suggestions. First, I found this Union Glashütte Belisar on a website as a used watch for £1100, I reckon it will be about twice that new.

Then there is the wempe iron walker: 

The second is the GMT version - around this price GMTs generally are made to look a bit toolier. The Wempes are roughly between £2000 and £3000. I noticed quite a few nice sports watches in that range did not come on bracelets, so that is a limiting choice. 

This is awesome!! I saw that GS recently came out with the spring drive white birch, so I will definitely check it out as well. From the pictures online, I wasn't the biggest fan of the Minamo, but I will try it out after your post. 

What's interesting to me is that dimension-wise, the SBGE253 is actually bigger than the white birch, but for some reason when I tried them on, the SBGE253 just seemed small while white birch looked perfect. I suspect it's due to the convex design of the bezel. 

The 44.2mm sports watches looked huge, so I dismissed them🤣, will give it a shot!

I actually really like the SBGJ249, shosho from the seasons gmt, but after trying on the white birch, its design paled a bit in comparison😢.

I would LOVE an intro from your dealer, I've been going to the GS boutique to try on watches so I doubt there will be any discounts. 

Lots to talk about!

• SLGA009 - Here's a review of the SLGA009 White Birch versus the SLGH005 White Birch:  https://monochrome-watches.com/review-grand-seiko-white-birch-spring-drive-slga009-vs-slgh005-hi-beat-specs-price/
• Minamo - Photos COMPLETELY FAIL to capture what GS watches look like in person.  And GS is notoriously bad at photographing their own watches.  Like you, I was totally put off by everything I saw online with regard to the Minamo.  Then, in person, I was blown away.  Only issue is that the Minamo is limited edition, so it may be hard to get now
• Dimensions - I've read over and over that additional complications and numbered bezels end up taking up so much space that they somehow, in our mind's eye, shrink the dial of those watches.  So, makes sense that even though the SBGE253 is thicker than the White Birch and both have 40mm cases, the White Birch will look much larger
• Dealer - I'll send you a PM with his info

Man, I envy you!  You're just getting going, and that's when this hobby is most fun!

Save your money ( and the trouble and drama ) buy a GS. Any GS that fits your wrist. Exceptional quality no body comes even close, excellent customer service, readily available online boutique and ships to your door free with 14 day return window (I just learned that this morning). While most swiss brands these days putting chips on their shoulders GS is putting awesome pieces of art on people's wrists. When I spend $10k on a watch I expect to be treated like a valued customer not a beggar at their mercy, wait 5 yrs for a Rolex, get outta here. 

I would recommend either the Tudor Black Bay Chronograph or GMT.  They are good looking, with useful functions and keeping very accurate time.   I own the Tudor GMT so I may recommend it without hesitation at this price range.   

I think the key is to buy something that has lasting value both in overall aesthetics and timeless design. You should buy with your wrist size in mind - never buy a watch that is too large just because it's deemed cool. Lug-to-lug is probably the most important specification after the quality of the movement. 

My suggestion would be to look at the JLC Reverso - you can purchase a Reverso in different sizes based on your wrist size. There are so many different designs, metals, and complications to choose from and it is timeless. The quality is impeccable and better than any Rolex. You also can find them new and pre-owned - so you can find one that fits your budget.

I recently picked up the JLC Grande Reverso Grande Reserve - it is the largest Reverso JLC made and it fits my 7 1/2 inch wrist perfectly. 18kt Gold, manual movement with 8 days power reserve, and gorgeous brown crocodile strap. I had to purchase pre-owned since they only made these for a limited period back in the early 2000s. If I only could keep one watch from my collection this would be the one. It's perfect for most occasions - just not the beach or mountain biking.

Here are some of recommendations (based on your budget, daily wearer, and steel bracelet). 

From IWC

From Jaeger-LeCoultre: 

From Omega: 

From Panerai: 

From Zenith:

That Polaris looks so good, what are your thoughts on the movement? It seems that jlc is putting an older movement with only 40 hours of power reserve. The other models generally have 70 from what I can tell off their website. I’ll have to take a look though!

that zenith looks good as well! The seconds dial seem a bit odd with the 10 seconds per rotation, but I’ll see if I can try it on. 
Thanks so much for the recommendations!!

I believe you have a long way ahead but ... be patient ! Search in internet and ... be patient! Go to watch shops and ... be patient! You have to understand your taste, style of wearing watches, clothes you have, situation where you will wear the watch, etc. For your budget you will certainly find a nice good quality watch so ... be patient!

40 hours vs 70 doesn’t bother me too much, but that’s just me :) I’d be happy with (almost) any JLC 😂 

I’d be interested to try that new zenith one when it hits my AD - I think the brand has released some very cool designs recently. 
 

good luck on your search, keep us posted!