Buying new vs used- £1000

I'm looking to buy my first watch and I have a budget of around £1000. I've always liked the Omega Speedmaster but most of them are miles out of my price bracket. The only ones I've found are the Omega Speedmaster reduced which are 39mm in diameter. My concern is that the watch may be too small for my wrist and I have no idea what the price difference will be when it will come to servicing them.
On the other hand the Longines Hydroconquest Automatic is cheaper, has a greater water resistance and I would be able to buy it new.
Please help me and possibly suggest other watches around this price point. Cheers.

You are in a similar position to me, in that I was looking at Speedmaster Moonwatch or mid-size Seamaster pro 300. The Longines to me looks like the Seamaster and is waterproof to a similar depth. However I also gave a lot of thought to how wet I would likely to get over the course of a year. Apart form the obvious daily shower, 2 weeks in the summer was the only time get properly wet - i.e. swimming on holiday. I like the idea of mechanical watches rather than quartz, all those little cogs and springs appeals to me.
I would suggest deciding on the lifestyle it suits, look at loads of watches, trying some on and see which you really like. Until a few weeks ago I was perfectly happy with my Automatic Tag 2000, then saw a Moonwatch and started on a similar quest.

Ideally I would want to have a watch that I could ware daily, with a suit or casually. Lifestyle wise, I play a lot of sport and spend a lot of time outside, so would also like something that could withstand the odd bump and scratch. Which is why I as considering a divers watch.
After having a bit more of a look today these are the watches I'm considering:

Omega Speedmaster Reduced used


Longines Hydroconquest


Longines Diver Legend


Oris Aquis


Omega Seamaster Quartz used

I would strongly recommend trying all of them on. You won't really know what you want until it is on the wrist. They are way different in the metal. I first I wanted a seamaster 300, and then this or that based on pictures, but it wasn't until I slipped on the planet ocean that I knew I had the right watch, and it wasn't even one I was considering. I also have a hydroconquest, but it does not come close to the finishing and depth of the planet ocean or other omegas imo. good luck.

Like Dsio said about the speedmaster date and triple dates, great movements and a step above the reduced models. I like the fact your considering the smp300 used. But with those choices you have to factor in a service and maybe put up with a little wear and tear. Now the longines hydroconquest is a great watch for the price and new is the way to go with that model.
My suggestion is to have a look at the watches and see which one you like the most. I nearly pulled the trigger on a new hydroconquest a couple of weeks ago but a used omega 2264 came my way instead.

What makes you think a dive watch is any more rugged than any other type of watch????? 😕 This is a myth perpetuated by forums. 🤦 Dive watches are marketed to make you believe they're built tougher, but in reality only the case is more tightly sealed for better waterproofing..... and sometimes not even that! NOTHING ELSE - meaning no other parts in a dive watch will take any more abuse than any other type of watch.

Stop the madness! Here's a little debunking, slightly exaggerated to poke fun at the people who have take this myth to be fact:

http://www.watchtalkforums.info/forums/thread43143.html

..... and of course, some typical reactions from the ones who were lambasted who have no sense of humor:

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f74/your-dive-watch-really-so-tough-438778.html

So I thought I could put my $.02 in as I've tried on almost all the watches the OP mentioned.

-Original Speedy Reduced (38mm size, 3510 model number, 3220 movement) you should skip over. Weird dial, older model, difficult to service.
-The Speedy you pictured is not considered the "Reduced" but rather the Speedmaster Automatic. These come in many variations (Date, Day Date, Triple Date, Racing, etc) and as mentioned before the ones with the Valjoux 7750 based movements are all great pieces. They are around 40mm in size, wear a bit awkward though due to the thickness of the 7750 movement. One thing to note, these are rated for 100m depth, which for the most part means you can swim with them, but they DON't have screw down crowns. I myself would never chance the water without that feature. And I don't think you'll be able to find any, even used, at your price point.
-The Hydroconquest and Oris Aquis are rock solid pieces. If you are 100% set on purchasing new around your price point then they are solid choices, and a great all arounders
-The Legend Diver hits well above it's price point. After an extensive search for my next dive watch, and many suggestions made by fellow OF'ers (see here), I picked one up and couldn't be happier. I've gotten more compliments on this piece than my Speedy Pros or my 2254. Word of caution though - due to the long lugs it wears larger than it's 42mm case size. Don't think they can be had at 1000 BP unless you're purchasing used.
-If you must have a chrono but want water resistance and screw down crowns your best bet in that price point is a Sinn 103. They are a bit thicker than the Speedy Automatics but they have screw in crowns and are rated at 200m. Also they have a few variations (acrylic crystal, titanium, tegimented).
-I myself would never purchase quartz above $500, so that would automatically disqualify the SMP quarts, but to each their own.

But as someone noted before you really should try on as many as possible because you can never tell how a piece suits you unless it's on the wrist.
Best of luck with the search.

The dive watch reality check photos cracked me up and are probably fairly accurate ha. So in that case would you think this would be suitable for every day use? Was planning on getting one of these after

Nomos Tangomat

What else would you expect on WUS?

2531.80

Cheers for that post! it cleared up a few things. If I get the Legend diver i'd buy new, which I believe you can get for around £1200 which I could stretch to, but is it worth £400 more than the Hydroconquest? As has been mentioned before, I think i'll have to go and see them in person.

I think the Legend Diver is worth it on looks alone..... and since that's the only major difference, go for it. The Hydroconquest is a bulky watch - have you tried it? You'd have to have some loose cuffs to wear that watch with a dress shirt, but the Legend Diver is much slimmer and would slide right under most cuffs. Looks better on a strap too, which is more suited for wearing with.... a, um, suit.

save up a year for the Speedmaster Pro. The sunken chronograph dials, the larger size are winning factors and all very attractive to me for the Professional. The reduced just doesn't have that look.

Not a fan of the Longines Hydroconquest.

We should have a "Buy a Speedmaster Professional" or "get the moon watch" smiley. It would save a TON of time, and people like me wouldn't get tired of reading that same advice over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

spend 100 quid on a Casio and keep saving until you find something you really like.

+1 for the legend diver. I love mine, wearing it today and had no issues with my shirt cuff.

Stick the excess (£1000+) on Credit card at 0% for 12 or 18 months bingo got the watch you want 👍

OmegaSean

In my case I tried the full size seamaster, which looked absurd on my 6.75 inch wrist. The mid-size was a perfect look but too similar to my Tag. Then I tried the moonwatch and it looked perfect. The proportions and spacing of the chrono dials, overall feel and wrist presence were just right. In UK there are dealers who can source new speedys with full omega guarantee, boxes, papers etc for £2300, usually from Germany.
As to the appeal of dive watches, mine is waterproof to 200m so I can swim in it but the only use I have for the rotating bezel is timing my boiled egg in the morning. If nothing else I strongly believe the greater accuracy of a speedy chrono dial will immeasurably improve my breakfast experience.