Who's got the best 5 watch collection for 30k?

@VictorAdameArt Definitely you have the best options. Option #1 is missing a chronograph. Option #2 has two divers. Option #3 No pilot's watch.

All very good collections. For my taste Ckim4watches’ collection is the best amongst the four. I’d buy all those watches. Second would Staying warm.

So I approached this as an exercise in adding to my current collection, not in a vaccum. Current collection:

Rolex Datejust: Classic look but with just a touch of WOW with the red second hand. The first premium watch I owned and one that will be with me forever.

https://www.swisswatchexpo.com/watches/rolex-datejust-turnograph-steel-white-gold-white-dial-mens-watch-116264-48857/

Dornbluth 99.1: The next watch I bought, ~15 years after the Rolex. I was looking for something classic, dressy that not everyone knew about. Love this watch (side benefit of bringing me into the WC community, courtesy of @HotWatchChick69 who saw it on my wrist and sparked the conversation that led me here)

https://www.dornblueth.com/ref.cal.99.1

And finally:

Grand Seiko SpringDrive: Also courtesy of @HotWatchChick69 , great addition to my collection. I wear it with a casual strap, never bracelet, to dress it down. Love that I can wear it to blue collar places for work without it seeming ostentacious, yet real watch nerds know it's much more baller than the Rollee:

https://www.exquisitetimepieces.com/grand-seiko-sbge257-sports-gmt.html

With that in mind, my picks for the $30K collection adds:

(1) Omega Aqua GMT Worldtimer (MSRP: $9,200) - I expected to have an Omega on my list but walked into the boutique thinking it would be the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon.  I was surprised that after closer inspection and trying a bunch on, the DSOM didn't even make my top three in the store.  I loved this GMT Worldtimer.  It just felt like a much more expensive watch, great texture on the dial, nice fit and finish and cool but totally useless functionality (in my current job I only travel domestically).  This watch has jumped to the top of my want list and a good chance I'll take one home in real life as well as in this exercise

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watch-omega-seamaster-aqua-terra-150m-co-axial-master-chronometer-gmt-worldtimer-43-mm-22012432203001

(2) Breitling Superocean Heritage Chronograph 44 (MSRP: $8,300) - I end up with my black chronometer, only it's a Breitling and not an Omega.  I save a bundle in the "trade down" and come out with a watch I completely love.  A year ago I'd have said the 44mm case was way too big, but now I'm more open to cool watches of all sizes.  I don't have a black face watch in my collection...until now.

https://www.breitling.com/us-en/watches/superocean-heritage/b01-chronograph-44/AB0162121B1/

(3) Cartier Blue Du Cartier (MSRP: $6,050) - A real, no doubt about it dress watch.  I tend to like watches that you can dress down, but there's no dressing down this baby.  When I first got back into watches I completely dismissed Cartier as a "vanity brand", but I learned a little about the craftsmanship that goes into each piece and I came around.  This has some familiar elements to me (blue hands, simple with just a touch of pop) and a couple new ones (I love the blue crown and, even more, how the face of the watch is shaped around the crown).  Black tie events, meet your new watch. 

https://www.cartier.com/en-us/watches/collections/ballon-de-cartier/ballon-bleu-de-cartier-watch-CRWSBB0028.html

(4) Panerai Radomir Base Logo (MSRP: $4,700) - I'm cheating a bit here because the Panerai that I'd actually buy, the Luminor Due Luna Rossa, didn't quite fit the budget so we're going with this one.  This is probably the edge of the big size watches I could wear at 45mm, but f it, we got to 44 with the Breitling so why not.  Clean look and another black face, but very different from the Breitling I picked up above.  I've thought about pulling the trigger on a Panerai before, and now I finally do.

https://www.panerai.com/us/en/collections/watch-collection/radiomir/pam00753-radiomir-base-logo---45mm.html

(5) Nomos Club Campus 38 Future Orange (MSRP: $1,650) - I'm running low on funds but not too low to pick up a cool, very fun piece.  Super unlike anything I own, but something I'd definitely wear and, as I'm a Cincinnati bengals fan, it has a nice color match opportunity to boot.  Here's hoping I get to wear it to next year's Super Bowl!

https://nomos-glashuette.com/en/club/club-campus-38-future-orange-729

I pick up five new watches that are both unlike each other and unlike anything I own.  I'm thrilled with the way I spend my fake budget, and hope one day I get to do this spending spree for real!

Okay, here is the reasoning behind my 5 watch collection!

So, given $30k and 5 watches, here was what I was originally going to choose: One of these for $26,500...

And four of these for $50 each…

And I got $3,300 left over for 3,300 bags of Cheetos.

The L.U.C. Perpetual Twin was the watch that grabbed my attention the most during our trip, beating out even the Lange’s, the Piaget’s, the Patek’s, and the VC’s that we saw.

But, that’s not a very inspiring 5 watch collection, right?  So, I guess I would actually go with this…

#1 - IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX in green - $6,150

I have honestly never given IWC a single thought.  They’re just not my thing.  But, the Mark XX in green was spectacular.  Absolutely gorgeous forrest green dial, and everything about it felt incredibly solid and robust.  I get why people like IWC now.

#2 - Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix in blue - $12,300

I’m not a dress watch kinda guy.  I’m a shorts and t-shirt guy.  But, I dunno, I guess it’s nice to aspire to be classy?  I don’t know why, but the Maltese Cross just screams “classy” to me.  I know nothing about this watch.  Other than that it has a Maltese Cross on it.  Good enough for me!

#3 - Breitling Superocean 42 Bronze - $5,850

Why this watch?  Because @Edge168n doesn’t like it.  The fat minute hand drives him nuts, because it used to be a 60-minute chronograph, but somehow Breitling bastardized this reissue such that it makes no sense anymore.  Well, you know what?  Suck it, @Edge168n!  It looks awesome!

#4 - Tag Heuer Carrera Date - $3,050

It’s a good looking watch!  Simple 3-hander with a date.  And Ryan Gosling is their celebrity ambassador.  I LOVED him in Drive!  I mean, in what other circumstance would you root so wholeheartedly for someone who would be clinically diagnosed with psychopathy, as his character obviously is in that movie???

#5 - Montblanc Star Legacy Automatic Date - $2,650

I like Montblanc pens… which tells me that I’m gonna LOVE their watches!

Total up the 5 watches in my collection, and you get exactly, on the penny…  $30k!!!

Voted for @ckim4watches because that Breitling offends me so much.

Voted for OP because the others had a watch that I really don't like for some reason. Don't want to say negative things, but my rationale:

That breitling super ocean and it's double bezel makes the worst dial to bezel real estate ratio in the world!

Omega aqua GMT Worldtimer is (sorry), but kinda fugly. The indices are so thick and not refined. That land mass picture is like north pole pov, but not very relatable. Just put a normal map pic...is this like a watch that was used in some polar expedition or something?

The OP is so plain jane. Different color (not blue), fluted bezel?

Here is mine:

Cartier Santos Medium $7050

Rolex Explorer 36mm $7250

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch sapphire sandwich $7600

Tudor Pelagos FXD $4100

Brietling Chronomat GMT 40 $5950

The Brietling is definitely overpriced but for some reason I am very drawn to it, stylistically one of my favorite GMT’s out there. Total comes out to $31,950, but shouldn’t be too difficult to get a discount on the Omega and Brietling to get under $30k

But . . . but you can't wear Cheetos on your wrist, although you can wear them on your fingers.

The average watch in my collection costs about $100. So for $30,000 I could pick out 300 watches. So here goes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Okay, not really. But the scary thing is, I could probably do it.

Lol, that's why the exercise was so helpful and fun, yeah, makes you think what would you do if you had 30K to burn but reminds us we don't 😆