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Benson23
92
Aug 10, 2017
I don't claim to be a watch expert, so forgive me if this sounds ignorant, but a non-hacking, non-manual-wind watch with midlevel vibrations watch for $200 dollars seems steep. What am I missing?
jlamb
67
Aug 10, 2017
Benson23I'm no expert either, but I don't think you find much that ticks faster than 21,600 for under $800 or so. The lack of hacking and hand winding is a shame, but again not unusual at this price. $200 for an in house movement from a reputable brand with power reserve indicator and sapphire crystal seems pretty fair to me.
Balto
1
Aug 10, 2017
jlambNot an expert at all but what is hand winding? I thought an automatic would be preferable over a watch that had to be wound by hand
jlamb
67
Aug 10, 2017
BaltoOldschool mechanical watches used to require hand winding to charge them each day. Modern automatics have a rotor that winds with the motion of your arm. In addition to this, some automatics can be hand wound by the crown, which is useful if your watch has run out of charge and you don't want to shake it about to get it started again.
Balto
1
Aug 10, 2017
jlambthank you for the insight!
RobAtPace
88
Aug 10, 2017
jlambA few of the "entry" level swiss watches that are on sale (e.g.: Tissot, Hamilton, Glycine, etc...) can be had with 28000 VPH and sapphire crystal for $300-$500.
I think this watch would be a fairer value at $150-175...
[added] What turns me off more than the VPH/BPH is the cheap bracelets ... I would rather a silicone/nato over the hallow links and ends.
jlamb
67
Aug 10, 2017
RobAtPaceThanks for the heads up, I had no idea.
I'm not sure I'd trust any Orient strap. I have a (relatively) higher end one and the leather it came on was atrocious.
A community member
Aug 10, 2017
RobAtPaceFYI - Hamilton has moved to 21600 on some of their newer entry-level calibers (the H-10 in particular), as a way of increasing power reserve from 40hrs to 80hrs. Supposedly it's a modified version of the ETA2824. It can be a crap-shoot as to which you'll receive if ordering online, and many vendors still identify it as a 28000 ETA2824 movement. I got a Khaki Automatic just after the changeover and for awhile thought it was a counterfeit as the Hamilton website had not yet been updated. That said, I've come to like the 80hr reserve as it gets me through weekends no problem while the watch sits in a drawer.
I agree the Orient would be a fair value at $150-175... $200 is a bit borderline for me, but got me to pause and consider it for a moment.
dholik8503
Aug 10, 2017
Benson23My advice is: 1) look at alot of watches, and sort out in general what you like--you will be wearing the watch and it's your money; 2) go to watch magazine sites, Amazon, eBay, Jomashop, Ashford, Chrono24, do a search from say $xxx down, and sort from high to low price--see what you can get for your budget; 3) make a list of promising watches and research the brands, and the dealers. You will not be able to out deal the dealers--no one is going to go broke selling you a watch. The entire point of this post is : by doing this work you become your own watch expert, you will learn a lot about watches, and that's fun. 😁 Happy collecting.
AUTigerFan
148
Aug 10, 2017
dholik8503This is great advice. I would add that you should be prepared for the possibility that your interest may turn into an obsession and that a collection of 3-4 watches can easily explode into a collection of a dozen or more at the blink of an eye, particularly if you like shopping on the lower end of the price scale. I don't get less enjoyment from my Seiko SRP301 and SSC017 and my Orient Ray II than my more expensive watches. Indeed, the Ray II and the SSC017 have become my daily wear watches, despite that I spent much more on other members of my collection. I agree with jlamb that $200 for an automatic with a power reserve complication, a display caseback, and a sapphire crystal seems fair, although IMHO, it is not a "must have" price.
arislan
1380
Aug 11, 2017
Benson23Sapphire and power reserve.
dholik8503
Aug 11, 2017
AUTigerFanYep, you nailed it. I an obsessive collector of lots of things. I am so far down the rabbit hole of watches it is not funny--except is is fun, so I keep doing it. Just retired, so that makes it even worse. Cheers.
AUTigerFan
148
Aug 11, 2017
dholik8503What else do you collect? My number one vice is Apple devices: approximately four dozen iPhones, iPods, iPads, AppleTVs, Macbooks, Mac Minis, iMacs, and MacPros. My six 2008 MacPro 3,1 computers are the worst - all are highly upgraded and they consume so much energy they double as space heaters. Fortunately, my wife has been bitted by the collecting bug as well, so she allows me to indulge my obsession.
dholik8503
Aug 12, 2017
AUTigerFanI am a landscape photographer now (just retired from my day job), and have collected photographs/prints for years. Also collect fountain pens/inks, vinyl/cd/sacds--you name it, if I get into it, I collect it. Ironically, I have learned the markets, values of items, how to research them, the dealers, etc.---but I don't buy much anymore. For me, the chase of collecting has informed my tastes and I know pretty much if an item is worth researching or not. I am grateful to other photographers, who have helped me with my photography/print collecting. These days, with the internet, there really is no excuse for not doing your homework.