Promotion watch - suggestions?

How about Hamilton. Plenty of great options under 1k with mechanical movements   Great quality as well. 

Might I suggest a Squale? They hit all the markers for me. Excellent quality but still affordable on a middle-class salary, beautiful design, and juuuuuust under-appreciated enough that you’re not going to have the same watch that everyone else has. 😂

Oh and congrats on getting a full-time position! 

At that price point, and given your 15.5cm wrist size, I would say Seiko all day, every day.  

• Given Seiko's lean manufacturing techniques, very difficult to find higher quality, reliability, and fit & finish at that price point
• Given that Seiko watches are designed by Japanese designers, first and foremost, for the Japanese populace, the watches will fit your wrist better than the Swiss brands.  Cases and lugs tend to curve down to better hug small wrists, clasps are smaller and curved to fit small wrists, etc., etc.  On paper, my 44.2mm diameter / 14.4mm thick SBGJ237 was an absolute non-starter.  On the wrist, it wears significantly smaller and more comfortably than the 42mm diameter / 13.6mm thick Breitling Premier I used to own

Congrats on the promotion!

Congratulations @justtickingalong on the promotion - definitely a good opportunity to mark the occasion too!

I'll preface my recommendation by saying I've never owned it personally, but it is on shortlist of watches I've been thinking about snagging and it appears to have solid reviews. Its not a traditional blue but I think that its actually makes it more in line with the Seiko Ginza. Take a look at the Orion Hellcat F6F Blue. I think it got a great set of specs, fantastic size and would be very fitting for an everyday work watch (see photo below).

Good luck again and happy hunting (its usually the best part of this hobby!).

Can’t ever go wrong with a Seiko. 

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm not sure why, but I've never really considered Hamilton. Looking online though I feel like these are watches I'd need to browse in person to get a real feel for them so I'll do that the next chance I get 😀

Ohh I hadn't heard of Squale before - they look good! I especially like the 1521 Onda with the waves on the dial, that's a nice touch.

Thank you for the suggestion! I think this is a contender 😀

Thank you! ✨

I love the brand. I have a Jazzmaster day/date auto. it’s my dressy watch so it doesn’t get a lot of rotation but I purchased it as a reminder of when I finally finished my degree.

Seiko does seem like the obvious choice at this price point, you make some good points!

I'm glad to hear that they generally fit smaller, I guess I can be a bit more adventurous with larger diameter watches in that case, thanks!

Thanks @bevelwerks, I thought it seemed like a good reason to buy a watch! (Although really, what isn't a good reason to buy a watch 🤣)

That is an excellent blue! Looks like they also have a good red coloured one that's a nice shade. Thank you for the suggestion! I will add it to my list to consider 😀

Congrats on the promotion!

Take a look at Orient. They make some really sharp looking watches and depending if you are looking for something dressy or sporty, they've got something for everyone even with a small wrist. They became a subsidiary of Seiko back in the 2000's. Had one a while back and really enjoyed wearing it.

If you want a more name brand watch, Seiko and Hamilton are definitely your best bets. For Seiko maybe look at the various SARX series watches. Very good for the under a grand price point. If you are ok with a smaller brand I think Christopher Ward is going to be the best bet under $1k. They have $125 off vouchers all the time, so you should be able to get one of their new C63 lines under budget

I think Traska is a very underestimated brand. You'd get a beautifully finished watch with a easilly servisable movement (seiko nh35) and the best sratch resisting bracelet and case out there. This, in my opinion, make it a very good watch to remember an event: it will stay beautifull and if something happen you can service it without breaking the bank.

The Ginza is going for big money now. I missed the chance on getting it for ~USD600 only. Sigh. 
For USD1K, my suggestion would be Seiko SARB series. 

Tissot PRX PowerMatic 80 - a colleague of mine just bought one, blue waffle dial, it’s really nice. Under £500 brand new.

Have you looked at the Seiko Presage range. There's plenty to consider there. The SPB167J1 is pretty nice...

Thank you!

They do seem to have quite a variety - plenty of watches to wade through, thanks for the suggestion!

Thank you to everyone with suggestions and sorry I didn't get back to everyone! I did end up making my choice in the Baltic MR01 Blue.

Great choice. Very classy. And congratulations on your promotion. Don't forget to buy something for your wife/girlfriend.

Agree and glad to see some love for Squale. 1545 is a solid option and could even score the gmt version with some change for a celebratory dinner 😉

congrats on the promo! 

for me, before you pull the trigger…. go on eBay, search blue mens watch, and see what you can get nearly new for your budget…….amazing what you can pick up. I snagged this for £250 and they are or were £380,