Looking for my first watch (36mm ideally, I think maybe up to 38mm? $8000 CAD price range)

Omega Aqua terra, Cartier santos medium, Breitling Chronomat 36,  breitling navitimer automatic 38, TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300  36mm

IWC Mark XX, Omega Speedmaster Hesalite, Omega Railmaster, Omega Seamaster 300, Grand Seiko Heritage SBGA413.

Aqua Terra Line

Welcome!  First rule is buy what you like, but it is a good idea to research as you have been. IWC makes awesome watches, the challenge is, for most of their watches under ~$7500, they often use off the shelf movements, yet the costs of the watches are 3-5x the price of comparable watches with the same movement. For example, the IWC 36 says it is an IWC 35111, which is their way of saying they are using a Sellita SW300. Yes, the add a custom rotor, dress it up, and regulate it, but so do many brands at a fraction of the price. That is always the rub. If you do not care about that, cool, go for it, but I would suggest a used one since they take a big hit on the secondary market, $3200 is a fair price on an almost new/new grey dealer.

If you like the Flieger look, Stowa, Sinn, and Laco each make a comparable looking watch with a similar movement. I believe they each have a 36 option, though not sure about on a bracelet. For my money, if I wanted that look, it would be hard to resist the value of the Archimede 36 pilot. It has a similar look with arguably a better movement for about $1000 USD. There is no way the IWC is 5X better than this watch price wise.  That leaves you money to try something else as well, but perhaps start with the a watch that has the look and feel you are after.

Grand Seiko offers a ton of watch for that money, but they do not offer many sport or pilots watches in a 36 size, though their lug to lug measurements make some of their watches feel smaller than the diameter would lead you to believe. Again, keep looking, you will find lots of good tips here I am sure.

Appreciate your insight! Yeah, a lot of the comments for IWC watches seem to be centered around the Sellita movement as you explained. Out of curiosity, I know Rolex has their own in house stuff, but have they ever used Sellita or ETA or whatever else before? Or maybe I should ask, is there another watch that is widely regarded by the community as a great watch that uses Sellita movement that is in the 5k - 10k price range?

I obviously have never held watches side by side that has a Sellita movement compared to a watch that has their own in house movement, but I'm just wondering if it's a very obvious difference that you can see or if it's just all perceived and that the difference is negligible.

Rolex has used other movements in the past, but mainly more complicated watches, like when they used Zenith for the Daytona, but largely their movements have been in house. There are other brands that also use Sellita movements in that price range, but get equally criticized, Hublot for example. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of a single brand that does not get dumped on for selling a $5K watch with a $300 movement. Again, IWC makes a heck of a watch and they have cool bracelets on many of their watches, but many collectors wait for them to take the price hit and buy them where the market believes they are worth. IE, I cannot wait to add a Mk XVIII, but everytime I go to buy something else comes up. Great watch for $3K, not so much for $5k. 

To the later question, can you feel the difference? Yes and no. For example, a chrono with a 7750 you will feel and even hear the rotor everytime you move your arm. You will not get that same sensation with a Zenith or other high end chrono movement. The crown action will also feel different depending on the movement. I would ask; as a first watch, or even 20th, how important is that to you? The beauty of an ETA or Sellita movement is any one can work on them, they are tried and tested, and overall very reliable movements for the money, perhaps more so than many in house movements. As a whole, it should just be one factor when buying.

I like to start off recommendations based on a couple of main factors: 1. What do you normally wear? 2. What do you normally do? 

It isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm a firm believer that you can always dress something down but it's much harder to do so up.

Should your taste/ lifestyle allow, I'd look into more dressy pieces but since you brought up an IWC 36 and Tudor BB, I would think you lean towards more "tool" oriented designs. I wouldn't shy away from Oris, they've been hitting it out of the park lately. I'd give Zenith a look as well but you get a little dressier there. With a budget of 8k, you could try a couple brands or just hit one and test out the boundaries of what you like. The watch hobby is pretty forgiving resale wise should you do your research. It looks like a few people have listed many other brands that are well worth looking into that aesthetic.

That being said, I wouldn't let posts on Hodinkee or even here for that matter sway you, just inform yourself and get what you like with that new knowledge. Honestly, it is a widely shared sentiment that one rarely gets what they truly want the first time around. The more knowledge you get before pulling the trigger, however, the more likely you are to land your winner. 

Good luck! 

Go for something you love and you know you will wear and cherish! if its your very first watch and you dont have a lot of knowledge maybe buy something inexpensive like a seiko(something you like) have the exp of what you would like in a watch and then buy an expensive watch just a suggestion though if you love something go for it. Good luck

Older Rolex date just

The world is your oyster

Ha

$8000 CAD fotr your first watch is way too much, you are bound to get it wrong first time. In-house movement at this price point tend to be overrated, they give you exclusivity without giving you anything special - and in addition maintenance down the line is an issue. IWC fliegers do not give you exclusive looks, because they are based on WW2 fliegers and look pretty similar to other watches of this ilk, e.g. a Stowa would be a good alternative.

For a pilot watch with a bit more individual character a Sinn would be a good option.

Agreed with @uhrensohn and @Anuragvitta It is your money and your call obviously, but if its your first watch maybe get your feet wet with some entry level options and if you like them go for a more expensive version.

Archimede and Sinn were already mentioned, a third would be Laco for pilot style watches.

Hamilton Khaki field watches are also a good price and value for a first watch of a military style.

Within budget but a tiny bit larger than your range, have you considered the IWC Spitfire Automatic at 39mm?

Yup it's on my to try list when I'm at the store! The Mark XII looks great too but not many on the used market it seems.

if you search omega 1894 in chrono24 you will find your best bet for 36mm and not hyped but praise worthy watch. Jack on hodinkee and roger smith are a fan of it. Most beautiful dial from omega in a small gold case for 6k cad plus a bullet proof movement that roger smith said its built to last many life time. Im not willing to spend that much on a watch or like gold watch but its such w a beaty.

otherwise any cartier or datejust or explorer you can find should last a life time. :) 

if you want a big more left field try to look for a glashutte original panoreserve or an indie from german such as dornbluth or benzinger. Look around on watchbuys

Grand Seiko SBGX261

Photo credit: WatchCrunch user kentuckyman30. Original post with more photos: https://www.watchcrunch.com/kentuckyman30/posts/grand-seiko-sbgx261-3060

Size: 37mm, only 10mm thin.

Movement: fully in-house, hand-made, high accuracy quartz movement. Read up on the 9F movement! Super cool! Super low maintenance, just a battery change every few years. It’s so in-house that Grand Seiko even grows their own quartz crystals themselves!

Build quality/finishing: C’mon. It’s a Grand Seiko. 

Style: Great for everyday wear, but also dressy enough to be worn in formal settings.

Price: $2,200 but can be found cheaper on the gray market or used.

I’ll be buying one very soon!

Also consider the Longines Spirit 37mm if you still want an aviation-inspired automatic watch. 

Rich aviation history, stunning design, and a certified chronometer automatic movement for $2400. In fact, the IWC movement (Sellita SW300) is a clone of the Longines movement (ETA 2892). However, the Longines has an upgraded power reserve (80 hours vs IWC’s 42 hours) and upgraded accuracy as designated with its certified chronometer status. Get more, pay less!

Excellent watch, and even better when you consider the price. Comes with a black, blue, or champagne dial. All look gorgeous to me.

Our benevolent WatchCrunch founder, Max, even made a video on the 37mm Longines Spirit! https://youtube.com/watch?v=dB_ftd0HLuE

How about a vintage #iwc 3706 at 39mm?

Have you considered an IWC Mark XV, 38mm case. Here’s a shot of mine on wrist. 

I'm going to share some thoughts "in defence" of the IWC 36 - firstly just to caveat this by saying there are clearly some excellent suggestions on alternatives above, but a few things to keep in mind. 

The movement - there are very few (if any) fully in house watches, specialist manufacturers make everything from hairsprings and other movement parts, through to crystals and cases. Some of the most highly regarded watches use other manufacturer's movements - the Daytona mentioned above, early Panerai with Rolex movements through to IWC with JLC movements. IWC reportedly specify high standards from Sellita, as they did in the past from ETA and others and the finishing is visibly different as are the accuracy standards. My personal experience reflects this in reliability, accuracy and appearance. It wouldn't be a deciding factor for me.

Rolex are huge - as such, more of their manufacturing process and parts are able to be in house. They represent just short of 30% of market share on Swiss watch brands - IWC at under 3% will make stuff differently.

IWC finish - try to get one in hand, the 36mm is truly brilliantly made, in my opinion their bracelets are absolutely reference standard compared to ANY watch.

I certainly love other watch brands and watches too, of course. Plenty of those mentioned above are superb in their own right and by comparison BUT... don't dismiss your original choice based on comments in a forum. Enjoy the hunt for your perfect watch!

This is an old thread so this may be moot. But I own the Pilot 36 and it is currently my favorite watch. (And I also own Rolex, Omega, GS, etc.). Yes, you can get the same basic design and comparable movement for much, much cheaper (Laco, Stowa, etc), so it really is objectively hard to justify paying so much more based on the specs. (And you should definitely not pay MSRP - I got mine preowned for $3k). But in the metal, there is just something about the IWC that makes it very special. It’s hard to explain, but the finishing, feel, build quality, and design are just so well executed and well balanced. Sometimes, the simpler the design, the more difficult it is to execute it just right, and the iwc really does this. Again, I freely admit that objectively it makes no sense, but for me it’s totally worth it. 
 

Edited to add: with your budget, you might consider a black dial Rolex OP36. It’s quite low key, not obviously a Rolex at all.