What was the first watch brand that got you into watches?
For me it was Seiko
This is a brand that got a lot of us into the hobby, my first mechanical watch was actually a manual wind Poljot that I still have and enjoy.
Now that I am older I revisited my love for Seiko which had began in my pre teenage years as I always wanted a Seiko Kinetic Arctura when it came out but it was too expensive at the time and I could not convince my Dad to get it for me as much as I begged or tried to justify it with promised contractual chores or endless best behaviour.
I would grow out of this lust but the seed had been planted with the brand. I have been wondering lately if the release of the Omega X Swatch collaboration with their MoonSwatch will have a similar impact on teenagers that will later aspire to have the real thing. The Arctura for sure had me thinking a lot about a watch for the first time.
Fast forward 20+ years and I don't particularly like the Kinetic Arctura anymore nor would I ever consider picking one up on e-bay but still love Seiko as a brand, mainly because they offer something for everyone including this SKX011J that at 37mm is the perfect size for my small wrists with a 13mm thickness that sits nicely but can be a bit bulky during full sleeve season.
The orange dial really pops up and the factory rubber strap makes it an all round comfortable watch with a really nice fit and feel for me.
Specs wise the SKX011J is water resistant to 200 meters, the screw-down crown at four o’clock has the hefty crown guards on either side, the crystal is Seiko’s proprietary Hardlex material, and the bezel is a treat to handle with deep even clicks throughout.
Its kept ticking with the Caliber Caliber 7S26 movement which is automatic but non-hacking and non-hand-windable it’s based on the Seiko 7002 calibre, containing 21 Jewels, beating at 21600 vph, and has a power reserve of approximately 40 hours, the Diashock system prevents it from stopping should you drop it.
Some people have complained that the factory rubber strap can be a little bit stiff and one of the best things about Seiko is how much you can switch them up with this model in particular being an absolute strap monster looking amazing on rubber, leather and lastly the most popular combo is the Nato.
Over the years I have owned several other watches from different brands but I always find it interesting to know what watch got others into watches and believe that every enthusiast should at one point own a Seiko. I bought this one from a friend second hand and had it repaired to get it running again and its one of those watches that always gets a lot of compliments.
I look forward to sharing and engaging with everyone on here!
Established 2012 Specialise in the retail & marketing of watches Proud member of: British Watch & Clock Maker’s Guild / Horological Society of New York
Seiko SKX for me, just like so many others. For some reason, that has never translated into interest in their higher priced watches.
Seiko SKX for me, just like so many others. For some reason, that has never translated into interest in their higher priced watches.
Same Kris however I am seriously considering a Grand Seiko this year, just finding it very difficult to choose one model
One of the best value for watches on the market, its a model I recommend to everyone starting that will last them a life time
The Seiko SKX007 for me. It was my gateway into the world of watches.
The Omega Seamaster 300 is a gateway drug for watches for sure 😂
Seiko Kinetic... working for $4.10 an hour... this $400 watch was the coolest thing in the world to me
The Seiko SKX007 for me. It was my gateway into the world of watches.
This was a big one for a lot of people, do you still have it?
There were stages, started with Swatch and Bulova then the Ironman and Gshock now the reawakening was Orient, Citizen, Islander, microbrands and even some homage units!! That's were I'm at now, still budget but all Rabbit Hole😎
I still have it, works well but is in need of service since it loses more than a minute in a day. I got it back in 2014 so it is overdue for a service, planning to swap out the 7s26 for NH movement or get it serviced, haven't got around to it yet.
By big you mean the size?
I've worn a watch for as long as I can remember. However, it was a Seiko Kinetic I bought in 2006 that piqued my interest. I then went off the boil again until 2017 when I got my first Tag and been collecting ever since.
I still have it, works well but is in need of service since it loses more than a minute in a day. I got it back in 2014 so it is overdue for a service, planning to swap out the 7s26 for NH movement or get it serviced, haven't got around to it yet.
By big you mean the size?
I meant big as in for a lot of people, know a lot of friends who bought this model and still wear it today
Longines as a brand got me into watches, but my first watch was a Tissot. I was in the middle of overhauling my wardrobe to fit my age, (less Nikes, and more hard bottom shoes) and a "Men's wear Influencer" had mentioned the need for a watch and was showing off his Longines Heritage. my thought was nothing more than it was a nice watch, but wasnt whiling to spend anything really over $500 for a watch, leaving me to buy my little Tissot.
Then one day after cleaning out the house that my great grandparents owned, where my grandfather and mother where raised, I was at my parents house and noticed a Longines ashtray in a curio that I found extremely interesting, It belonged to my great grand parents. I think that, the quality, and the variety from that brand got me into watches AND willing to spend for Longines.
I meant big as in for a lot of people, know a lot of friends who bought this model and still wear it today
It's a classic. Never going to find a SKX type of watch again for the price today. Gateway watch to many people.
Cool post - for me, it was Nomos with their amazing and (to me) fresh sense of esthetics. You can feel that they love what they do and do not over relly on heritage/marketing to promote themselves. My Metro will always stay in my collection for that reason.
it’s Tag for me… but Seiko got me in the rabbit hole…
I'd have to say Casio.
I had owned other watches as purely utilitarian objects. But the 1st one that got me into the idea of watches, the notion that this was something worth investing time and mental energy into was a Tag Heur. I think that was probably pretty common for people who were young adults in the 1990s. In fact, I have a theory. I suspect that one of the reasons that so many people are sour on the brand is not that they have actually gotten appreciably worse. It's because they remind us too much of our younger selves. I think for a lot of collectors of a certain age looking at a tag is like looking in the mirror.
Seiko Kinetic... working for $4.10 an hour... this $400 watch was the coolest thing in the world to me
Same as I. I bought a Seiko Kinetic like yours but with a white dial in 1994. I was not making much but splurged $435.00 because I wanted a nice watch. It is still working.I had to change the capacitor after all these years. It is my most accurate watch.
Vostok. It was my love of submarines and WW2 combined on my birthday a year ago that sent me down this rabbit hole.
Tissot PRC200.
SKA371 from Seiko was what got me really going around 2010 (although I had an interest in watches beforehand). Also known as 'the BFK', I have some warm fuzzies to this day for the watch.
Ditto
Actually, it was the first watch I loved. My grandfather wore Omega quite a bit, so the brand that got me into watches was Omega, but this watch is the first watch I craved to have.
Stauer for me
I think this is an awesome question, because there’s something that started my watch interest (Fossil in teen years) then different brands/ styles over the years that can bring back those same emotions.
That's a "it depends..." question.
My first watch was a Timex mechanical from the 1970s.
I then moved on to Swatch in the early 1980s.
I then moved on to Fossil in the late 1980s - specifically those cool faceted crystals like this one...
But I wasn't really a watch collector yet.
It was when my love for mid-century modern design and rockabilly music turned me in the direction of the amazing work of Richard Arbib of Hamilton with their asymmetric electric watches that my collecting took flight (pun intended...all the space name references of the Hamiltons)...
The Altair
The Vega
The Ventura
The Meteor
The Spectra
The Savitar
The Flight
The entry watch-brand for me was Swatch. This one was the first swatch i got in 1992 and i wore it until it fell off my wirst. A few more were to follow until i stopped wearing Swatch watches around 2001... and about 20 years later i fell into the Seiko-rabbit hole.
I was browsing some forum and came across the SARB065. Quickly ended up down the rabbit hole after that.
The watch that started it all for me was an Ebel two tone wave watch. I still own and love it.
Seiko. I got a watch with a Save The Ocean dial and couldn't stop looking at it for the first week.
Panerai
First came across one in 1985 😍