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Want to buy my son a watch for his wedding. Suggestions? Updated - Purchased (1 Viewer)

Judge Smails said:
Smails Jr is getting hitched in 2 weeks.  I'd like to get him a nice watch.  Already helping out with wedding, rehearsal dinner, covering honeymoon etc so not looking to spend Chet money.  Still want a nice watch though.  He's 28.  Cool but not an overt hipster.  Usually dresses pretty casual.  I've seen him wear mostly sport watches with bigger faces.  I'm not a big watch guy.  Figured the FBG crowd would steer me in the right direction.  Ideas?
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Can I be your adobted son?

 
I know people don't like me saying that this range won't get a wedding-gift-from-a-father watch, but you have to consider that this is a watch your son is going to wear a lifetime and want to pass to his kids. So do you really want that to be an entry-level Swiss watch like Hamilton or Tissot? I did offer the alternative of a $262.50 Orient sporty dive watch that is going to be just as good as a $1k watch, with a sapphire crystal and an in-house automatic movement with hacking and hand-winding. I have seven watches, eight if you count that I still have an older Orient Mako, and I wear the Orient Mako USA II more than all of them, including the three that cost more than a grand.

Here's my seven watches, with the Orient shown replaced by the new one. Notice there's the green Seiko SARB017 Alpinist that people are talking about above: https://i.imgur.com/I1qWctX.jpg. With the SARB models being thrown around, I would suggest the SARB065 Cocktail Time. If I were to get the sort of sporty watch your son likes in your price range, I would get a Halios. Here's a suggestion right around your price range for a Longines Flagship.

 
Zow said:
I have never looked at my watch for the time.  A watch is effectively male jewelry. Admittedly, I wear mine so often because I have to wear a suit daily for work. 
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I almost always wear a watch and almost never wear a suit. I also look at my watch a lot for the time. Don’t know why- I guess it’s just quicker than any other method.

 
hagmania said:
I don't think watches look good, like at all. Maybe something that is a completely blank face, like just the minute and hour hands on it. The numbers and dials and bands all look incredibly dorky to me.
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Funny, I’m kind of an #######. If someone isn’t wearing a watch in most social situations, I dock a few points of respect. It doesn’t have to be a fancy watch, none of mine are all that expensive. It’s just the idea of not wearing a watch. It’s like not wearing a belt or wearing white socks with dress shoes.

 
Ilov80s said:
Funny, I’m kind of an #######. If someone isn’t wearing a watch in most social situations, I dock a few points of respect. It doesn’t have to be a fancy watch, none of mine are all that expensive. It’s just the idea of not wearing a watch. It’s like not wearing a belt or wearing white socks with dress shoes.
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Yeah I mean I'm a ####### slob so makes sense.

 
Ilov80s said:
Funny, I’m kind of an #######. If someone isn’t wearing a watch in most social situations, I dock a few points of respect. It doesn’t have to be a fancy watch, none of mine are all that expensive. It’s just the idea of not wearing a watch. It’s like not wearing a belt or wearing white socks with dress shoes.
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When I meet someone who talks about “docking” points of respect for silly things, I dock a few points of respect.

 
I got a replica Panerai for about $300.  It works great and looks identical to the real deal.  I haven't had any issues and have had it for over 3 years and wear it every day to work.  If  you aren't a watch snob but like the look of an expensive watch there are some high quality replica watches that will do just fine.

 
Do not give a Fauxlex as a gift. Seiko makes some quality watches as does VSA. Also check out a forum like watchuseek. They have a for sale forum where you can find some really good deals on slightly used pieces.

 
Eephus said:
The OP's intent is to find a wedding gift that will last a lifetime. I still have the watch my mother gave my dad for their wedding (a 1954 Omega).  It's very small and runs about a minute fast per 24 hours but it's really special to me.

A cellphone or smartwatch will be technically obsolete in a couple of years and unlikely to work at all a generation from now.
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Pretty sure they could service your watch so that it wouldn't run fast.  Maybe you don't want that though.

 
For the OP, the top of your range is just below the next tier folks have recommended. You could get a nice Omega for the low thousands if you’re at all open to stretching your budget, but within that range I’d echo the Hamiltons and also have an Oris I wear often that I found in that range. 

 
Has this become a watch question thread?

I'm having my 40th in 2019. I'm never one to ask for gifts, so I figure with a fair amount of notice I can pull off a fairly hefty request.

Does anyone know if a Calatrava was made with a sweep second hand, roman numerals and manual movement?

Not going to swing a new one, but gently used with box/papers may be my big 4-0 gift. Sets a dangerous precedent for my wife three years down the line though.

MVMT feels gimmicky. Same watches you can buy in bulk for 19.95 off of Alibaba. I like the Seiko idea.

 
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Ilov80s said:
Funny, I’m kind of an #######. If someone isn’t wearing a watch in most social situations, I dock a few points of respect. It doesn’t have to be a fancy watch, none of mine are all that expensive. It’s just the idea of not wearing a watch. It’s like not wearing a belt or wearing white socks with dress shoes.
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You're a pinky ring guy aren't you?

 
Do people really use watches for anything more than telling time?

i would be looking for something sleek and fairly minimalist. 

 
Ilov80s said:
Funny, I’m kind of an #######. If someone isn’t wearing a watch in most social situations, I dock a few points of respect. It doesn’t have to be a fancy watch, none of mine are all that expensive. It’s just the idea of not wearing a watch. It’s like not wearing a belt or wearing white socks with dress shoes.
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belljr said:
You're a pinky ring guy aren't you?
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Ilov80s said:
Hell no. Just my plain silver wedding band. No necklaces or other jewelry. 
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:lol:

 
Ilov80s said:
Funny, I’m kind of an #######. If someone isn’t wearing a watch in most social situations, I dock a few points of respect. It doesn’t have to be a fancy watch, none of mine are all that expensive. It’s just the idea of not wearing a watch. It’s like not wearing a belt or wearing white socks with dress shoes.
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Wearing a non smart watch these days is like carrying around a pocket calendar or daily planner to write in.

Or a checkbook.

 
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matuski said:
Wearing a non smart watch these days is like carrying around a pocket calendar or daily planner to write in.

Or a checkbook.
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So a watch is silly to wear because I have a phone that can tell me the time but wearing a smartwatch makes sense because now I see my text messages without looking at my phone? 

 
Spike said:
Do people really use watches for anything more than telling time?

i would be looking for something sleek and fairly minimalist. 
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I have a watch that’s had a dead battery for over a year that I wear because I like the look and feel of it. I’ve just been to lazy to get the battery replaced :bag:

 
chet said:
Pretty sure they could service your watch so that it wouldn't run fast.  Maybe you don't want that though.
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I rarely wear my Dad's old watch.  It keeps time well enough for a evening out. Mrs. eephus runs slower than the timepiece. 

 
Ilov80s said:
So a watch is silly to wear because I have a phone that can tell me the time but wearing a smartwatch makes sense because now I see my text messages without looking at my phone? 
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The smart watch brings some functionality (improving every generation) and convenience to an otherwise outdated and redundant relic.

I don't wear a smart watch either... but a smart watch has some hope of making an argument for its place on a wrist today.

eta - but hey, you aren't alone.  I just stood behind a grandma at the grocery store while she wrote out a check for $9.76.

 
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The irony of all of this, of course, is that smart watches will soon replace our phones.

 
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matuski said:
The smart watch brings some functionality (improving every generation) and convenience to an otherwise outdated and redundant relic.

I don't wear a smart watch either... but a smart watch has some hope of making an argument for its place on a wrist today.
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I'm a watch guy with about 30 watches ranging from G-Shocks to Rolex and Omega.  I got a Samsung Gear S2 as a gift and think it's a fun little gizmo.  I wear it more often than I thought I would but I don't really miss any of the smartwatch functionality when I switch back to a regular watch.

At this stage in their evolution, smartwatches are basically a smartphone peripheral.  The screen size is a limitation that will be hard to overcome.  Maybe Apple's UI/UX is better than Samsung's but the one I have requires a bit more one handed scrolling and tapping than I'd prefer.   Purely as a watch, outdoor visibility and the need to recharge frequently are definite problem areas.

 
fantasycurse42 said:
:no:

For the 116520, I agree black > white, but for the 116500, white >>> black (as also reflected in grey market prices). 
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I paid MSRP for mine and had the choice.  Also paid MSRP for the one before and chose the white face. 

I might get the blue face platinum next.

 
chet said:
I paid MSRP for mine and had the choice.  Also paid MSRP for the one before and chose the white face. 

I might get the blue face platinum next.
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I can find it from a very reliable seller for you with box/papers for about 50 if you’re interested.

I’ll never pay more than MSRP, regardless of the demand - idiots paying like a gazillion percent increase on the 5711 right now. 

ETA:

think it’s actually a good time to flip, wait a year or two, and buy back at retail. Prices are nearing a peak in a lot of these watches right now, IMO.

 
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Watches help in social and professional situations where you want to check the time but pulling out your phone would be too obvious and possibly considered rude. That is a frequent enough occurrence for me that I felt it was worth it to buy one. It also comes in handy for certain work functions where I need to time things but my hands are occupied.

As far as a gift watch, i think the specific suggestions (in your price range) from the watch guys are solid. Automatics make sense as you can expect them to last 30+ years if maintained. Seiko in particular just makes dependable timepieces and there should be parts a plenty for Seiko maintenance years from now.

 
matuski said:
Wearing a non smart watch these days is like carrying around a pocket calendar or daily planner to write in.

Or a checkbook.
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Meh. I rather enjoy wearing something that I know will look and function just as well in 30 years as it will today. 

 
To the OP> I agree with the posts that if you bump your budget to the $2k-3k, you can get something really special and timeless that will last.

I say get something Swiss from one of the brands with heritage: Omega, Tag, Breitling, etc. Get something used from a reputable dealer. 

My wife bought me an Omega Seamaster as an anniversary gift a couple of years ago.  I've probably worn it every day since - I love it. She bought it used, but it's still in fantastic shape and I expect it will keep running for decades. 

 
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