Best you can afford or Best bang for buck?

C. Both.

First watch waaaay back in '07, Orient Mako Gen I. Budget was under $150, but I liked the style of the SKX, which was running around $200 at the time. So it was the best I could afford AND it was bang for buck.

It's now been on 4 continents, disposed of more ordnance than an episode of Danger UXB, and BIP'd more IEDs than COD4 combined. 👀😝🤏🏻 HAHAHAHAHAHA 🤣

Or take my '17 Helm Vanuatu.* With available funds, heard about these "microbrands" reading up on watches late one evening after (pre)marriage counseling and jumped in with both feet. It fit the budget AND was the best tool I could afford.

*After getting refused yet again after a deployment at an AD, I went out and bought a killer engagement ring/custom set diamond, a sweet honeymoon in SF/Lake Tahoe, and various sound mitigation devices, some IWI goodness, some hand cannons, a Jeep, a motorcycle, and a fixie bike. (Just sayin..... that AD missed out on a lifelong buyer, and this was in '16/'17 long before the so-called spikes. So, the current trends of AD games isn't new to some)

Yes

I think most people’s answer is going to be “both.”

If you're chasing bang for buck, chances are you won't be buying what you really want. There'll be a short cut somewhere on some aspect of the watch and while you'll get 'bang for buck' you generally won't get the right colour, or case, or movement, or hands, or texture, or something that you'd prefer. There's usually trade-off somewhere to get it.

The one I like.

I have a foolproof strategy. I start with $0 so all watches are equally unobtainable, and then balance how long I am prepared to wait and save for my next hit....

I'm more likely to get a bang-for-buck watch when I'm shopping in the lower price ranges. Example... My Steeldive SD1970 was C$90 on sale from Ali X. Did I really want to have a name brand Seiko turtle instead? Sure... It's Seiko's design and it has a Seiko badge etc... But, the SD has the same Seiko movement, better crystal, equivalent bracelet, and was 1/5th the cost. In this case it was more about trying a turtle-style watch than having an actual turtle.

There are some higher-end watches I'd like to get. I won't be picking a Pagani design as a bang-for-buck replacement for a Seamaster, if you know what I mean. I want the heritage and warranty and the knowledge I saved for something I 'really' wanted.

Most people live in a world where a $5K watch is well out of reach, so I think we are starting from a badly skewed perspective.

I just had a chat with a new watch guy who thought a $300 CAD Seiko was a huge investment.

I didn't realize this when I opened with a compliment for his Casio A158, and a self depreciating comoment about my $1200 CAD Christopher Ward.... Now I'm the asshole for making a $1200 CAD watch seem like a "nothing".

All this to say, all of us are out to lunch, and need to keep this in mind.

Best for money, all day.

I have a general ceiling for what I will pay for a watch. I can certainly afford more, but over a certain price point there start to be things I would enjoy more than any watch.

For example, I would love to own a reduced Omega Speedmaster. I could handily buy one today. But I won't because it costs more than any watch is worth to me.

To wit, I'm a musician. Once the price of a watch goes over $1000 dollars, we're talking guitar money. We're talking synthesizer money. We're talking groove boxes and drum machines. And I get more pleasure from music than watches.

I also ride motorcycles and other motorbikes. Once the price goes over $3k, that's small-displacement dirt bike and street bike territory. That's the bad-ass e-bike for exploring single track realm. That's souped up, kitted and out e-moped for bombing around town kind of cash. And I enjoy motorbikes more than I enjoy watches.

I also love to travel. Very quickly, a watch could be an amazing vacation instead. I enjoy traveling more than I enjoy watches.

At a certain point a watch is as good as you could ever need it to be. And that point is honestly around or under $100. After that, it's just adding costly materials, extra features or complications, labor-intensive processes, and the almighty brand name to justify the price.

I like watches a lot. But they're not my primary interest or the hobby that means the most to me. So there's a tipping point where the price of a watch can outstrip my interest in watches.

I tend to start with the watch, that said my budget is obviously a factor in that choice.

Then I hit the brick and mortar stores and it all goes to shit! - most times I do the rounds I end up being really impressed with something I've not previously considered.

Then I wait and let the watch come to me in terms of what I'm still thinking about in the days after I've left the AD / boutique, I might need to save some money or I might not be ready to buy. It's normally ~ 3 months between decision and purchase for me … gotta make sure it's love not lust.

Then I wait for a deal, and there always seems to be one if you're patient.

Buying at the right price is really important I reckon, if you have $10 - $20K tied up in your watch box it makes sense to keep it 'liquid' if possible.

Spot on, and sounds like a healthy relationship with watches too.

I also find it difficult to justify more than 1000 euro on a watch, but I think it's a sweet spot where you can find quality and reliability that are worth servicecosts and passing on as heirlooms. Anything above that offers diminishing returns when compared to what else that amount of money can buy.

Both....

Those two are not mutually exclusive… they to balance both elements 🤷🏼‍♂️

Set the budget I feel comfortable with, and try to get the most out of it

If I was strictly "best you can afford" I'd end up with a one watch collection. As is, I usually start with some rather unique detail as a requirement and end up with the one model that is available/affordable.

E.g. GO SeaQ homage -> Seestern S434 (there are way more Rolex Sub homages)

Watch with a Swiss German day wheel -> Preisig (the only other one I'm aware of, Maurice de Mauriac, costs at least 3 times as much)

Sporty dress watch with a Damascus steel case -> Wise Adamascus AD7 (other Damascus steel watches are divers and/or sold out and/or way over my budget)

I'm more for the watch that "speaks to me" if its something realistic. Not necessarly best I can afford nor best bang for buck.

Both. I've just committed to buying the new IWC Ingenieur in titanium. Definitely NOT the best bang for buck.

I also own several Seiko's. Great everyday beaters.

I also paid way above retail for my Rolex GMT Pepsi.

Also bought a Christopher Ward so, yeh, I'm at both ends of the spectrum.

Option three... Whatever I want at a given time that works for me. 😁

Neither, the one I like.

Best I can afford - I wouldn't be happy with a compromise!

As so many have stated, it's a blend.

For me, it's like filtering for a car or house search. Check the boxes for what I want and filter for how much I can afford, then start searching for something that I like from those that fit those prerequisites.

I'd LOVE to have a nice, clean, Rolex OP. Straightforward, clean, minimalist. Beautiful! But at $6,800 MSRP it simply isn't going to happen.

To date I haven't exceeded $1000. Not that I don't have many watches on my love it list that are higher, if even only slightly.

Currently hovering over the trigger on one that retails for $1,000 and change but with sales prices I should be able to score for under $700. Yep, I can do that. Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium 42mm. Speaks to me. Bang for the buck. I can afford. Checkcheckcheck.