Speaking specifically about Instagram, I have one good point and one bad point. The good is that people often post pictures of uncommon or rare neo-vintage and vintage watches, so you can discover things you’d otherwise never know about or never see simply by using google images. In fact, one of my watches, a JDM Orient Star, was bought off an Instagram seller.

The bad: social media is full of people “flexing” their wealth with ludicrous displays of material objects, and nothing grinds my gears more than so-called “investors” who hoard dozens of expensive or high-end watches only to put them into a watch-winding cabinet like chickens on a rotisserie, never to be worn or used. What a waste.

Textured/patterned dials + contrasting markers + lack of date windows or any other intrusions is my favourite combo. Very nice piece!

Vintage Omegas, pre-owned modern Longines flagship and silver arrow, and Japanese Citizen and Royal Orients are my recommendations. There’s a very nice vintage 35.5mm Royal Orient that comes in solid silver or gold within your budget, but I can’t remember the reference.

I’ve considered it, but seeing as I’m not usually in a position where my watches might get magnetised (outside of my own mistakes) I don’t think it’s worth yet another trinket

I feel your pain… I accidentally magnetised my recently-serviced vintage Omega with the magnet clasp on my wallet… it’s running two minutes fast per day now, so gotta sheepishly show up to the watchmaker again 😞

Agreed! I still think they’re nice looking watches, but now I’ve come across other luxury pieces that are more interesting, more unique, and cheaper, and also much cheaper watches that fill the same visual niche of JLC Controls and Ultra Thins. I don’t think JLC designs and pricing hold up well against Glashutte Original, for instance.

A controversial opinion, maybe: JLC round watches (non-Reverso). They looked and felt nice, sure, but a little too bland and not worth the extortionate cost. As for a brand I already had low expectations for and they turned out looking even worse, it would be IWC. Flat, boring, weirdly designed dials and cases for a lot of them.