Watch Collector's Corner: Exploring Timepieces for Every Budget

One of the questions I always get asked more than most is, 'Carl, do you ever put your socks on before your underwear?' Well I can tell you my GRWM videos on Instagram would certainly need to go behind a pay wall if I started to engage in that kind of behaviour.

The second most frequently asked question is 'Carl, I have a budget of X, what watch should I go for?' I always believe that watches are a personal thing, and what someone might find beautiful in a Casio G-Shock, will be lost on the next person.

I've done a quick round up watches in the follow price brackets.

• £0 - £500

• £500 - £2000

• £2000 - £5,000

• £5,000 - £20,000

• £20,000 - £50,000

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There are several great watches under £500. Here are a few options to consider:

1. Seiko Prospex Diver's Watch: Seiko offers a range of reliable and stylish diver's watches in this price range. Seiko has a great rich history, did you know they did cuckoo clocks back in the day? Check out my friend's YouTube channel when he visited the Seiko Museum in Tokyo, think you'll get an idea of the lineage.

2. Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster: Citizen's Eco-Drive technology means no battery changes are needed, and they have a variety of sporty and elegant options. They're not the most flashy or unique (you'll need to look at a microbrand to find more “off the wall” designs), but they're reliable and don't require much of any maintenance.

3. Hamilton Khaki Field: Hamilton's Khaki Field collection offers military-inspired watches known for their durability and style. Hamilton watches are precise, reliable and stylish making them the perfect choice for daily wear.

4. Tissot Everytime Swissmatic: Tissot is a Swiss brand known for quality, and the Everytime Swissmatic is an automatic watch at an affordable price. Tissot is considered a luxury brand. The brand uses high-end materials and produces pieces in accordance with rigorous quality standards.

5. Timex Waterbury: Timex offers a variety of affordable and stylish watches, and the Waterbury collection is a popular choice. With Timex you're getting a watch that looks good and has great functionality at an affordable price.

Under £2000, you can find a wide range of high-quality watches from various brands. Here are some notable options in this price range:

1. TAG Heuer Carrera: TAG Heuer's Carrera line features sporty and elegant chronograph watches known for their precision and style. TAG Heuer uses gold to impart refinement and longevity to your watch. Anyone that has followed this blog for a while will know my love affair with Tag Heuer.

2. Breitling Colt: Breitling's Colt series offers rugged and reliable watches suitable for both aviation and everyday wear. Well if it's good enough for Adam Driver right? Its 24-hour scale, aviator-style dial and broad, unidirectional bezel have come to define the unmistakable look of Breitling watches

3. Tudor Black Bay: I spoke about this on the blog a couple of months back. Tudor, a sister brand to Rolex, offers the Black Bay collection with vintage-inspired dive watches that are highly regarded. The defining characteristic of all Tudor Black Bay cases is the tall, monolithic flank.

4. Oris Aquis: Oris is known for its divers' watches, and the Aquis collection provides excellent value and performance. For most of its watches, Oris adapts high-quality Swiss movements using modular components while adding their own improvements.

5. Longines Master Collection: Longines offers elegant and classic watches in the Master Collection, featuring complications like moon phases and chronographs. The unusual rectangular case shape gives the watch an Art Deco feel that makes the watch timeless

Under £5000, you have a wide array of luxury watches to choose from. Here are some top options:

1. IWC Pilot's Watch Mark XVIII: IWC's pilot watches are known for their precision and aviation-inspired design. There is anti-reflective coating on both sides of the sapphire crystal to give it a unique feel.

2. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control: Jaeger-LeCoultre offers elegant and understated watches with exceptional craftsmanship. Polished bezels, subtly curved lugs and a polish case give The Master Control its unique character.

3. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Quartz: The Royal Oak is a legendary luxury sports watch with a distinctive octagonal bezel. At just 3.05mm, Calibre 2121 was the world's thinnest mechanical self-winding movement with date.

4. Panerai Luminor Marina: Panerai watches are known for their bold and robust design, often with large cases. One of the features that make this model unique is its luminous hands and hour markers— the reason it's called Luminor.

5. Zenith Chronomaster: Zenith is famous for its high-frequency El Primero movement, and the Chronomaster is a standout. The automatic high-frequency chronograph movement and the unique design language it established in over 50 years.

Under £20,000, you have access to a wide range of luxury watches from prestigious brands. Here are some standout options:

1. A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia: A. Lange & Söhne creates exceptional German timepieces, and the Saxonia is known for its elegance and precision.  The dial is crafted from a disc of solid sterling silver that's galvanised to a matte, silvery finish known as “argenté”. 

2. Vacheron Constantin Overseas: The Overseas collection offers sporty yet elegant watches with exceptional craftsmanship. It is revered for its focus on complicated mechanisms and for its utmost attention to detail.

3. Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean: This is Omega's luxury diver's watch, known for its robustness and style. Movements that are certified by METAS are accurate to 0/+5s per day and withstand 15,000 Gauss. Mr Bond's watch no less.

4. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms: Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms is a classic dive watch with a rich history. With their rugged builds, versatile good looks, and timeless style, dive watches tick a lot of boxes for enthusiasts and casual wearers alike.

5. F.P. Journe Chronomètre Souverain: F.P. Journe is a niche brand celebrated for its horological innovations, and the Chronomètre Souverain is a masterpiece. Endowed with a silver dial with glorious guilloché at its centre enriched with a hobnail pattern, aka clous de Paris.

With a budget of £50,000, you can explore an even broader selection of luxury timepieces, including some highly prestigious options. Here are some of the best watches you can consider in this price range:

1. Patek Philippe Calatrava: Patek Philippe offers various Calatrava models, known for their timeless elegance and craftsmanship. The elemental design codes of the Calatrava – its ergonomic round case, uncluttered dial, humble baton hour markers and easy-to-read small seconds sub-dial - are a true standout.

2. Rolex GMT-Master II: Rolex offers several GMT-Master II models, combining luxury and functionality for travellers. The bidirectional rotatable bezel with a 24-hour graduated Cerachrom insert are true hallmarks of fine craftsmanship.

3. Hublot Big Bang: Hublot is known for its bold and avant-garde designs, and the Big Bang is a prime example. The anodised satin-finished and polished aluminium, a modern, lightweight coloured material have to be seen to be believed.

4. Breguet Classique: Breguet is known for its elegant and historically significant timepieces, such as the Classique collection. The unique Breguet style includes the Breguet hands, engine-turned dials, the Breguet numerals, the secret signature to prevent counterfeiting and the off-centred dials, among others.

5. Richard Mille RM 011: Richard Mille is known for avant-garde designs, and the RM 011 is a popular choice among collectors. The RM 011 crystallises the inspirational foundation of the Richard Mille brand: race cars.