Contenders for the next watch in the fledgling collection: an hour or two in an AD...

Well, I have a 70s Constellation Quartz that was my grandfathers, is full of sentimental value but doesn't get worn much, and my brand new Speedy Pro S/S, complete with new box and all the extras. Both of these are keepers, the former being an heirloom already, the latter I'm hoping to become one for further generations.

So, now I have two very different but solid timepieces that will always be by my side (or rather, on my wrist!) I can now look to play the market a bit and acquire a couple more timepieces to start a collection.

I had the opportunity to try on a few contenders today; what do you think?

Omega Seamaster 300 - Blue/Titanium
I prefer the blue colouring over the black, and it makes a change from the black dialled Speedy. Very light, not too thick and has a nice, different look to it. Vintage yet modern, which I guess is what they were going for.

Omega Skywalker X-33
Another titanium model, I instantly liked the look of this when I first saw it. Reasonably chunky but again very light. Fitted on my wrist better than I expected (6.5 inch at a push wrist size!). The pushers had a nice 'click' to them, and the display quite clear. I'd never have much use for all the functions though, even as a military aviator. And it's still a Quartz, albeit a very good one.

Omega DSOM
Just had to try one of these on. Nicely finished in glossy black ceramic didn't wear as thick as I imagined, but still probably a bit big for me. Really wanted to see the GSOM but they sold the only one they had in.

Omega AT Master Co-Ax, blue dial, 39mm
The dressier option. I went for the smaller size due to the skinny wrists and it felt the most comfortable of the lot. I love the dial on this, nicely detailed without being cluttered and that blue really pops in the right light. Display back also looks nice, although I kinda prefer the 1863 on my Speedy.

Rolex Submariner Date/No Date
I have zero experience in Rolex - they've never really grabbed me, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Not a fan of the cyclops date, but the design is as iconic as the Speedy. Not to big, fitted quite well and finished nicely, but didn't really feel all that special. Both had a black dial. Would've like to have tried a new blue/black GMT Master II but they didn't have any.

Rolex Explorer
A rival to the AT, this had a 40mm (I think) case with quarter Arabic numerals and a grey/black dial. Again very nice, but the AT blew it away imho.

This was all I had chance to look at today. Quite a 'vanilla' selection I would stay, but I was sticking to what I kind of know as a novice in this game. My next acquisition will probably be a 'pre-loved' piece, as I can get more for my money, and if I don't get along with it I can always flip. I'll always have my Speedy to fall back on ;-)

Thoughts? Suggestions? I'm sure there are loads more I could've tried. I'm open to other brands, but I'm not a fan of Tag, and there are too many people at work with Breitlings - they're almost common!

Thanks for sticking with me, and I apologise for the lack of pics - it didn't really dawn on me til I was driving out of the car park and onto the motorway...

I do like the dsotm, but you must take a look at the gsotm. It is as if they took all the lessons learned when making the dark and applied it to the grey.

The skyfall is awesome as well. I have the 41.5.

Tough choices.

DSOTM would be my choice.

I don't like any of the watches posted except the Sub ND. The Explorer would be my first and only choice if it was the 36mm (ref 114270).

Just not a fan of modern Omegas (except the Speedy Pro).

All depends on how many you plan to acquire over time..

If this is it for a while, I'd do GSOM or AT...

The AT can be put on Leather if needed to be dressed up, and the GS comes that way...
Even without the leather, the AT can be quite dressy (see: Skyfall)...

If you are looking to expand the collection, and will some day add an AT/PO/Ceramic/ Tresor...then hell yeah, the SM300.... the current asking price will be seen as one of the greatest bargains in watch collecting history....

Black SM300? I'm not fond of the Sub ND too much, but it's the least of all evils listed. IMO

I tried on both the black and blue SM300. I liked them both, but I feel there are better priced options for the other Omega models.

A used Watchco SM300 runs about $2,000-2500 and a used SM300 Bllack dial co-ax is running about $5k used.

For ~$5k I would rather buy a PO Good Planet, PO ti, PO GMT, another Speedy LE, and there are probably a few others I can think of... But honestly I do love the blue SM300 co-ax (and the new blue dial speedy) but those are running over $7k used, so I need to pass on those for now.

I am not feeling it and I am a huge fan of the SM300 co-ax. I have been watching these on the used market fairly close and the price on these are trending down. Eventually I will own one, just not sure when.

You have a speed master with a black face,
So I say go sm300 with blue face. Can't beat the master coaxial in terms of "guts" and the styling, what you much must like, otherwise it wouldn't be on your shortlist, is beautiful.

Darkside of the moon is a tremendous watch, but costs more than the sm300 and you already have a speedmaster...
If you're worried about the dsotm wearing too big, the sm300 is 41mm, so all the more reason.

So I vote sm300 followed by dsotm

I've personally always found the cyclops to be absurdly ugly. Total deal breaker for me. Submariner no date is pretty cool. Perhaps more classic than the sm300 but EVERYONE has a submariner...

Sky walker seems silly to me. Not pretty, classy or sporty. Just kind of awkward.

Thanks all for the contributions so far!

I don't plan on having a huge collection, just a handful of different yet complimentary watches that can suit all occasions (and my mood!).

I do like the PO, but didn't try one on yesterday. I think they look best on a bigger case, which is far too big for me. Having said that, the 42mm might creep into the shortlist (depending on thickness).

I think I will eventually acquire an AT. I like it too much to be left out. It may not be the next one though. The DSOTM is lovely, but probably a bit pricey for me, as well as being chunky. The GSOTM might sway me though.

The SM300 (blue/Ti) is probably the front runner at the moment based on the above, but I might see how the second hand prices pan out (although I may be waiting a while for that!).

Still open to other suggestions though, even from other brands I may have overlooked.

Can be sporty, dive (but anything at or above 44mm might be pushing it), or dress. Prefer bracelets tout open to straps. Preferably a good second hand deal. Cheers!

I know, saying "go with the one you love the most" doesn't help when you love them all. Of that list DSOTM/GSOTM will get the most compliments and will be more noticed. They are both something special. The X-33 is way cool, especially the brand new announced Solar Impulse edition, but that should not be your next watch, its probably more like watch 5, 6, or later. PO should be high on the list, its the perfect watch. Go back and try some on. The AT Master Co-Axial is sublime, definitely should warrant serious consideration. I would put the Rolexes and SM300 lower than the rest. I own a Exp II, but never wear it, the Omega's just push it right out of the lineup. There's no bad watches in your list though, you can't go wrong with any of them, there's always throwing darts at a dartboard to choose.

If I was buying new or near new, sm300. It's a classic just waiting to happen (again) and reasonably priced on the secondary market.

So many watches, so little time and money.

Personally I would gray or dark side. SuperDoc and Repoman have a boatload of knowledge even though they are not from Cleveland. On a serious note these guys have some gems in their collections and they know all about what is inside too.

Well, after a very pleasant experience in an Omega boutique today, I think I've decided on the next acquisition...

The 38.5mm AT with blue dial. I tried both DSOTM and GSOTM and loved the Grey, but a bit out of my budget and probably still a bit chunky for me. Also compared the Black/Blue Seamaster 300 and the blue version comes a close second. As soon as I tried the AT it just seemed another level though. Maybe it's due to being a bit dressier and therefore shinier etc bit I love how the dial pops in the light.

I'll probably go pre-loved on a 'Skyfall' edition as I prefer that date window and bracelet centre links, but we'll see.

A few pics...

Your wrists are thin. That AT looks very nice. I'm partial to the black SM 300 for obvious reasons. I stumbled across a really good deal on mine. Whatever watch you're looking for, check to see if the exchange rate on foreign currency helps the price. The British Pound stays pretty high. Dealing in Euros may help you. I'm in Canada and I don't think the dealers adjusted their prices to our falling dollar and it ended up helping me. If you look outside England, be sure you consider the duty bringing it back in your calculations.

AT looks great on your wrist...

An AD I was at recently said prices were going up in Canada. She was in process of changing the sticker prices while I was there.. only about 6% though. The sm 300 was going from 6k to 6400