Looking for first luxury watch: Aqua Terra, Santos, or Snowflake?

Out of these, I'm leaning towards the Snowflake or Aqua Terra.

Appreciate the input! What makes you lean that way just out of curiosity?

Omega, 100%. The co-axial movement is as good as it gets, and will not require money to be spent on servicing for a long, long time. Perfect for a single (for now) luxury tier watch collection. 

I would be curious to know which one felt better to wear. I think you can't go wrong with either the Snowflake or the Aqua Terra. I think the Santos might look a little small on your wrist, but I have been known to wear some smaller watches as well and have the same size wrist, so you will probably get used to how it looks. Personally, I like the dial of the Aqua Terra better, the Snowflake is beautiful, and that dial is amazing, but the power reserve indicator always throws it off for me. Really there is no wrong or no correct answer; it just depends on how it looks on your wrist and what you want. 

Thanks for the input! I like the Omega too and the jumping hour hand is a nice bonus

All three are great!  The Santos is quite comfortable and a large Santos would never look small on a wrist. 

Appreciate the input! The snowflake and AT were both pretty comfortable, especially the rubber strap on the AT. Honestly I was a little underwhelmed with the Snowflake when I saw it in person after seeing so many pics and videos online, it was almost too subtle. So I'm leaning towards the AT at the moment. I do love the style of the Santos though and would love to see one in person just to know what I'm missing. I wish Cartier had more ADs close to me!

I think the Snowflake has a little more versatility. I have a Santos Medium and a 7 inch wrist. The watch wears a little smaller, but the Santos isn't meant to be an overly big watch to begin with. This may not be to everyone's liking. I've also tried the Santos Large and it is a big slab of metal, so...

That was my concern with the Santos large as well, the proportions just look off compared to the medium size. How's the bracelet comfort on your wrist?

👌 Sometimes I barely know I'm wearing it.

Those are 3 great choices. The Santos is my personal favorite, but in your place I’d pick the AT For overall versatility.  To me there’s something a little formal about the Santos which I think limits when/where I’d wear it. Same for the GS, there’s something about the aggressive shininess of it that would make me feel conspicuous in some situations. Maybe the AT has these limitations as well, but to me it’s a little more of an allrounder.  But as others have pointed out, you really can’t go wrong. 

Bought an SBGX261 for £2k at the AD this week. It’s like a hybrid between the aqua terra looks and the GS philosophy. I had a snowflake before but much prefer the smaller size on this. They even have a white dial one (discontinued but available on the secondary market.) - it’s quartz but the 9F movement is every bit as engineered and precise as a mechanical or a spring drive. Save yourself £5k!

If you are in that airplane much with this watch I would go with the omega on a nato strap.   

Go for the Aqua Terra on the bracelet and buy it's rubber strap and a good leather strap and you should be good to dress it either up or down.  

With a 7 and...I want to say quarter inch wrist the 41mm is just about right or if you want it smaller go for the 39mm. 

I’d go Aquaterra or Snowflake 

Aquaterra striking and beautiful from a distance, pretty casual looking 

Snowflake is light like a snowflake, so comfy to wear.  Exquisite when viewed up close, and the blue second hand sweep is hypnotic.  Also a dressier option if you ever need to go they way.  

I Love both those options 

(I own a Prospex Diver with spring drive and it’s my favorite watch)

I'd argue the santos is the best of all 3 - its case and bracelet are the best feeling of all of the 3. You can also get 3rd party quick swap straps from places like delugs.  Eventually if you don't want to own a true dress watch, it passes off much better as one than the GS and  AT.  In general i think modern Omega is too thick (I have a globemaster, which i got used in 2020 for ~3500) - the cartier will feel better on the wrist. I've always been unimpressed with grand seiko - Zaratsu polishing doesn't really look better than high polishing. If I were buying a grand seiko - it would not be one of their older watches (e.g. snowflake) - but a newer one where they've done a fair bit of build quality and movement upgrades. 

100% I'd go for either the Cartier Santos or Grand Seiko Snowflake. Unique, beautiful pieces, that wear very well.

Side note, people love to say the Santos is too delicate, but it's built incredibly solid and has 100m water resistance, something many watches can't boast. It's something special.

Absolutely love this piece!

Cartier offers an 8 year warranty with any purchase. 5 comes standard, and it's extended to 8 when registered online.

Have you considered the Omega Railmaster? It has a similar look and a wonderful history.  I've look at it myself due to the smaller dial size.  

It's funny you mention the railmaster, I actually really like that model and thought it looked great in photos online, but I tried one on at the Omega AD and just didn't really connect with it. I think the all brushed everything on the watch just made it feel flat compared to the aqua terra. I still have a lot of respect for it and may pick one up at some point (especially with the discounts you can get on them)

I would recommend the AT because as Jody from JOMW the YouTube channel would say, it is the GADA - Go Anywhere Do Anything watch.

Snowflake really is an overrated watch (I love and own Grand Seiko).

I also love the Santos but if you want versatile, I'm not sure about a square watch.

Here's my AT at sunset 

Omega all the way. The others have their own pros, and you might even be tempted to go down those paths. And there's no shame in that; they're GOOD watches. But when you think of your life and lifestyle, what's the watch that's really going to look the best, in the most scenarios for you? I'd bet, hands down, it's the Omega. Think of that, and then imagine a scene in a year from now when you're looking at the non-Omega on your wrist and thinking, "Holy $%^#, I could have had the Omega instead..." If you can live with that, hey, grab the Cartier or the GS. But if you think that will annoy you, then you know what to do.

All three are great pieces, it all depends on what would fit your lifestyle a bit better, the Cartier is more dressy and can be dressed up or down for the aesthetic looks, the AT has the best water resistance if you tend to find yourself in pools and beaches more often, ps. I live in Miami so this makes the most sense for me, and the snowflake is a just a wonderful piece to look at and be ready to go down the GS rabbit hole 😂. Pick your poison they’re all beautiful watches anyone would love to have. I have been looking to add a new “diver” into my collection and has been leaning towards the AT to accompany the Speedy 

Another vote for the AT...At one time, it was a Grail for me.  I have since moved on, but retain my great love for this watch that I researched for months, because:  it is timeless, built to go to Hell and back in every way, can dress up or dress down, insanely comfortable. I'd get the bracelet and also the rubber...a SM for sure. 

The Santos is wonderful and the new ones pretty rugged, but I think that despite the fact that we now mix styles freely, it can pall when you really want to dress down and perhaps spontaneously go for a hike (ex-LA denizen here).  Also, more rugged, yes, but nothing like the AT.

I adore GS, but for me at least the responsibility of the zaratsu makes the wearing a bit...wearing.  Unless you don't mind that.  The AT and (to me) the Santos both scuff up nicely and look cooler for it.  

Anyway, agree as well that you can't go wrong--all great, great, beyond-great. Let us know your pick!

If I was looking for a top tier quartz watch this would be the watch I’d buy in either blue or black. I thought that a longines conquest VHP would scratch that itch but although I like the watch I find myself still looking at the GS 9F black and blue dial Models. 

 I prefer the AT as it’s a grail of mine. 
Personally I wouldn’t go for that dial but as a watch style I much prefer it to the others. 

I like the Snowflake the most out of the three, probably because it's the most classical looking of the three.  The Cartier would be my second choice and the Omega my third place pick.

Go for a watch that means something to you. If you’re dropping top dollar it has to mean something. Forget value retention etc if we met and I said why that watch? And you have no answer other than a 10 second pause before answering then it’s the wrong watch. Don’t listen to any preference on here. Only listen to yourself…. If you pull the trigger on the wrong one you will hate the watch. And almost all watch fanatics have made the wrong decision after asking other’s opinions. Good luck. 
 

I have the AT and the GS and love them both. Couldn’t pick a winner. Which is why I have both I suppose.