SOTC - What to add next?

There is a lot within the sub 500 range. But it depends of course about what's available in your country.

Check out my articles about affordable germam watch brand.

I also published yesterday an article about how to build up an affordable german watch collection.

There are the links to my Part 1 and Part 2 of the series.

All brands do offer watches under 500 Euros.

The enthusiast standard for sub £500 is a Hamilton Khaki Field. It gets you into Swiss watches at a point that won’t break the bank (relative to watch collecting prices). If field watches aren’t your thing. A second Swiss option would be something from Tissot.

A German Flieger Watch would be a cool option from Laco.

The Segull or G-Shock are also great options, and if you like those, go for it! Some offerings from the Seiko ProSpex or Presage collection might also interest you.

And finally, there are dozens of Microbrands that fit your price point. With your collection, I don’t think that’s where I would go. I would look to get a piece or two from established brands to anchor the collection.

Note that my recommendations largely reflect my taste. Here’s the sub £500 watches in my collection:

Really nice collection so far ❤!

I’d say you couldn’t go wrong with a Tissot PRX (either a pre-owned auto or perhaps the quartz, to stay around that £500 budget).

If you’re leaning Gshock, a Casioak GA2100 might be a worth a look as well.

For a Seagull chrono, Baltic’s bicompax chronos are gorgeous. On the Aliexpress front, I had good luck with Sugess. (I am selling mine, however, as it doesn’t get enough wrist time). You could also keep an eye out for a Studio Underd0g, those are awesome.

That kind of IS my collection & I personally am saving for the Grail, a Speedy bought new from an AD.

If I was continuing in the sub-$500 category, I'd maybe look at a bronze flieger.

Some familiar (watch)faces there, so I would agree with your instincts on getting a G-Shock.

Imho, no sub-$500 collection is complete without a Scuba Dude!

Go to Jomashop. I have the mechanical white dial 38mm field watch by Hamilton. I love that watch! I bought it retail well above $600 with tax. But JS has it for a huge discount. You will love the simplicity but fall in love with the quality presence it brings.

Thanks. That’s a gorgeous dial on the presage, love that!

An affordable German would not be a bad thing to add as @Uhrologe suggested.

At this point I’d save and consider taking your collection to the next level of luxury watch. You have a good, varied collection of budget watches. I’m not sure what else can really be added in this range. Rather than put more money into these I’d start to look at Breitling or Omega. Sometimes you can pick these up preowned at good deals. I know it’s more money than you are currently considering. However, you have already invested in budget watches to a point where you could have acquired something that would hold intrinsic value.

The Sea-Gull chrono and G-Shock are both valid options. If it was my collection I would go for the GW-M5610U because I would feel it's incomplete without a square.

Whaaaat no Farer? But seriously I agree, instead of buying sub £500, you can save up and buy a Grand Seiko quartz or a Tudor.

I am aiming for a BB58 this year. But we shall see how that goes

Excellent point. I am aiming for a Tudor BB58 this year

I'm actually getting a seagull for valentines (I hope!) it's been one that I keep saying I'll get around to but I never buy it for myself.

Well.... I've dropped so many hints, I even sent a link to the one I want, bar growing wings and a beak I can't make it anymore obvious.

There is just something about how it looks, I used to be all about the flash, but nowadays it's more about the simplicity.

I also respect your collection and have to admit managing to amass such a collection for under £500 is no mean feat. 👍

I've been here too. I think it's important to try a little bit of everything. But I also think it is important to sell things off as they stop getting wrist time (unless it is some rare vintage piece that you couldn't just buy again easily).

Selling watches and keeping the collection concise forces you to think harder about what you value and what actually works for you in reality on a daily basis.

And after you've done enough of that, I'd sell as many as you can and to save the $ to experience the "genuine articles" ie the watches that some of these watches are emulating. You might find that more expensive watch is a let down. Or you might find it makes 90% of your other watches completely obsolete.

There are many different phases to collecting and experiencing watches! Don't get stuck on the notion of just seeking the "next watch to add" !

Sounds like some good advice. Cheers

Good luck on the Seagull, let us know how you get on. I’ve suggested to my partner that she picks a watch for me that she likes…. Not interested…

Yeah, I've been down the road of subtle hints. They don't work!🤣🤣

I'm a bit biased atm, but since you also seem to have a sweet spot for chinese homage watches, I would recommend you take a look at OceanX. Apart from their above-average water resistance ratings (from 30 atm up to 100 atm), their watches are exceptionally well made. I used to be a fan of Pagani Design and their various sub-brands, but seeing how much better quality you can get for just a few dollars more, I'm starting to think I've been betting on the wrong horse all these years...