Best 3-watch collection under £200
In the last two weeks I had posts setting the budget to £30 and £90, respectively, so I bump it up again. At this pricepoint you can have self-winders that are not pot-luck, but reliable: if you stick Chinese, or combine a more expensive centrepiece like an Orient with some cheaper watches that still fulfill a function/desire the dearer watch does not.
The depicted Carnival falls into this price range, and it is even a watch I own and like, but I leave Carnival out as I had mismatches between watch and specs for my two Carnivals. Watches I own at this pricepoint would not make a very coherent collection, so I will stick to watches I do not own. [update: since making the post, I bought the Accurist in a shop and ordered the Tandorio - has yet to arrive; and for the Corgeut I found out that it is not an original design]
My first choice is the depicted Corgeut. Corgeut makes quite a few watches at this pricepoint. Although Corgeut makes a lot of homages, this seems to be an original design [update: no, it is not]. Applied digits and sapphire crystal - this is just a nice GADA watch.
As my second choice I pick this Tandorio, with a modern German flieger vibe. They also have more vintage looking military pieces, and sometimes you can trade up for a pt5000 movement with an extra £20 or so.
Leaving China, quite a few good quartzes can be had at this price, and I am rooting here for a solar-powered one, this Accurist:
UK-based German expat. Likes cheap watches. Not bothered about brands.
I’m going to go with this Seiko 5 that I’ve seen advertised for £105.
Then this Timex for around £70.
And that will hopefully leave me enough for old faithful.
All with a wr of 50m. The Seiko’s a good daily wear, the Timex will allow me to mix it up and the F-91w because if you’ve only got around £25 you can’t do much better than that.
I’m going to go with this Seiko 5 that I’ve seen advertised for £105.
Then this Timex for around £70.
And that will hopefully leave me enough for old faithful.
All with a wr of 50m. The Seiko’s a good daily wear, the Timex will allow me to mix it up and the F-91w because if you’ve only got around £25 you can’t do much better than that.
That seiko's insane,a right mishmash of styles but it works and looks so unique. A bit like when you see on those cooking shows and they throw loads of random and contradictory ingredients in and something great tasting comes out the other end.
That seiko's insane,a right mishmash of styles but it works and looks so unique. A bit like when you see on those cooking shows and they throw loads of random and contradictory ingredients in and something great tasting comes out the other end.
That’s a great summation. I really like all three of my choices, but that Seiko is strangely cool.
That’s a great summation. I really like all three of my choices, but that Seiko is strangely cool.
More than cool,I've just seen a post on a new GS quartz and the similarities are uncanny and there's only £4900 price difference
That’s a great summation. I really like all three of my choices, but that Seiko is strangely cool.
I actually like the Timex best of your choices, it is a real clean design, a proper GADA. Nothing wrong with the F91W, just a tad lazy as a choice: I'm sure there are some modern Casios that give you all that plus things where the old guy falls short, e.g. decent backlighting.
The Seiko just does not do it for me though. I am not a fan of digited bezels to begin with, and black date wheels are usually a pain to read.
Late reply for me but I think at ~$220 USD, I'm beginning to think in terms of one watch territory with supplementary pieces to round it out.
And honestly, theres no better choice at this price point than the Orient Kamasu (available on Amazon for $177 if you choose either blue or my favorite teal sunburst dial). Honestly, there's a part of me that wishes I never got any further than this as a watch collector because there's literally no reason to go any further. Sapphire crystal, aluminum bezel, in house automatic movement, 200m of WR. 42mm x 47mm x 12.8mm. 22mm lug to lug. Add some straps and you never need for any other watch.
But it's a 3 watch challenge so I'll fill in with some simple ones.
Timex Easy Reader for a dressier watch. ($36 on the Timex website and $31 post discount codes
Casio F-91W ($13 on Amazon)
But this is mostly about the Orient. Its such a good watch for the money with incredible aftermarket options.
I have to correct myself here: the Corgeut is not an original design, but a Tudor homage. Pretty much an exact copy.