SO YOU HAVE SOME MONEY TO THROW ON WATCHES. LIKE UNDER RM 20,000 OR EVEN RM 10,000? DON'T WORRY, THERE ARE SOME COOL AND COVETABLE WATCHES TO GET YOU STARTED!

February 01, 2021

DATOKEEHUACHEE@GMAIL.COM

Worked at NTT Data

What is a good entry-level luxury watch to buy?

There are several brands. But to recommend what to buy it’s important to understand what you value in a luxury watch:
Brand recognition — Do you want all of your friends to be impressed or is the watch for you?
Horology — Are you looking for basic timekeeping? Or do you want additional complications like a stopwatch/chronometer or calendar functions?
Function — Is there a function/style that makes sense for you? For example, do you dive so that a diving watch makes sense? Or do you like the styling of a pilot’s watch?
Budget — Entry-level luxury means different things to do different people. I’m focusing on brands that have at least one new model costing US$ 2,000 or less. I also include Rolex and Omega, which have plenty of used watches that you can probably find.
If you only care about brand recognition, check out my answer here Scott Powell's answer to Which luxury watch brand is most recognized by common people? I do not want to buy Patek Philippe or something similar as my first luxury watch that only watch aficionados can acknowledge!
But if you care more about the watch than the recognition, here are some suggestions:
From the Swatch Group Brands & Companies:
Omega — Famous for James Bond and going to the Moon. Omega makes very expensive watches. You can sometimes get models on discount for $2k-$3k, but your best bet is find used Omegas.
Tissot - An old Swiss brand with classic styling. They have watches on the cheaper end of the brands I’m listing and their Visodate re-issue is getting some attention, TISSOT TISSOT HERITAGE VISODATE AUTOMATIC - T0194301603101 - Tissot® INT
Hamilton - Not really a luxury brand per se. But Hamilton has a long history — first in the US and now Swiss — and innovative designs that range from field and pilot to dress watches.
Outside of Swatch:
Baume & Mercier. Classical styling and in the same family as watchmaking giants like A. Lange & Söhne and Vacheron Constantin
Bell & Ross. A lot of military inspiration in their designs, the once-German company is related to Chanel.
Rolex. Horologists aren’t fans of “overpriced tool watches” but this brand identity is strong. If you can get one used and aren’t looking for many complications, you can’t go wrong. I’m not including a picture because everyone knows what a Rolex looks like :).
Tudor. The Toyota to Rolex’s Lexus. Rolex backing at a fraction of the price but with significantly less brand prestige.
MeisterSinger, Sinn, and Steinhart are brands to consider if you want to wear a unique watch that would win you some street cred with watch people but not impress your friends. Note the MeisterSinger has only hand.
Seiko, Seiko Presage, and Grand Seiko. Want a dive watch? You can’t get a better deal than a Seiko diver. Want a nice dress watch at an affordable price?
Seiko Presage. Want to dip your toe in higher end horology and impeccable attention to detail? Grand Seiko. The tradeoff is that you get very little brand recognition outside of watch fans. The average person equates Seiko with cheap quartz watches (which of course tell better time).
Tag Heuer. From Steve McQueen to Jesse Pinkman and Tiger Woods, lots of brand identity with Tag. Steve Colbert wears a Monaco. The Monza is my personal favorite.