Normally I avoid threads asking "which watch should I buy" etc. This is in a similar vein but bear with me....

I'm a vintage collector. Mainly Speedmasters but various Seamasters, Geneves etc come and go as well. However, watches have taken a back seat recently as my partner and I welcomed our first child a couple of weeks ago.

I've had half an eye on buying a new, modern watch for a while but have now decided I definitely want to buy one this year. Partly to mark his birth, but also due to the fact that I'm now doing all the daddy stuff and a vintage Speedy isn't really suitable anymore as a daily wearer.
Now comes the issue, I'd like a Sub, Explorer 1, or possibly a Seamaster but my partner has made the (valid?) point that our situation has changed now, other things take priority and if I want to drop £5-7k on another watch I should consider selling one of my Speedmasters .

So, (finally) onto the point. As I don't particularly want to sell any of my Speedmasters, but I do want a nice new watch are there any alternatives I'm missing in perhaps the sub 2.5k bracket (which I could probably swing)? Needs to be new and needs to be nice enough to be my daily wearer, so an SKX for instance, while a great watch, won't cut it. I'm looking at Black Bays but they just aren't really Doing anything for me.

Any thoughts or suggestions??

 

You don’t seem to have something too specific in mind, other than modern and < 2.5k (jelly beans?)...

Some modern I debate getting as semi-bearer/wearers:

 

Maybe semantics, but to me this thread is quite different (ergo - better) from the “I can’t choose between x, y and z, please tell me which to buy...”. Because in those cases the OP has it narrowed down and wants strangers to make the choice for them. In your case, you simply want some options to consider.

I often find suggestions in these types of threads I either haven’t seen before or may have forgotten about.

Congrats on the addition to the family and all the best!

 

Bronze Seaforth? Current combo is bronze with green dial, I believe. This purple is still proto.

 

Sounds like your heart is set on a Rolex. She should understand Congrats on your firstborn

Edit : as his birthyear watch, its a compelling argument re 'value, investement bla bla etc'

 

I'm all about the Speedmaster, but I recently branched out.

Check out Nodus and Yema.

 

Firstly, Congratulaions on the new mini davdt.
I quite like this. Quite a few strap options and colour combinations available.

 

If you're used to a manual, NOMOS has some options in your range that are very aesthetically appealing, depending upon taste of course.

https://nomos-glashuette.com/en

No chronographs yet though...

 

I think the Tudor Black Bay 58 is well worth considering. I picked up one recently and love it. It's also good value for money.

 

Hi David,

Congrats on the newborn!

Being in a similar situation

https://omegaforums.net/threads/too-many-choices-cant-make-up-my-mind.104922/

I'm looking forward to your thought progress after all of those suggestions.

My personal experience was, that with every child my interest in watches did not necessarily fade, but my willingness to just spend the money did.

Lately I find myself investing the spare cash for them, rather than buying for myself... Strangely it doesn't bother me one bit.

 

Congratulations and good luck with your search. Lots of good suggestions above. I would second the Black Bay and Longines Herritage line.

 

Congratulations, David!

You like vintage. You like the look of subs etc, but want a new and durable watch that can be a daily wearer without costing the earth.

What about a Freese101? I've got my name down for one and everyone I know who has one loves it. You might even have a say in what features it would have...



https://www.freesewatches.com/freese-101

 

Congratulations David, that’s such great news!

+1 for the Freese101, I love mine I wear it all the time. It’s great quality, fantastic value, truly special and a go anywhere do anything Watch. Apparently, it’s even puke resistant from 3 inches

I’d also recommend a Modern -ish Explorer 14270/114270, it still has the Vintage DNA of the 1016 at 36mm and feels rock solid and special. If you can justify swinging the extra budget.

 

I've stated this on other threads, so sorry for the redundancy, but I feel one of the best EDW watches out there is the Tudor Pelagos. It has a light, Ti case and bracelet, said bracelet has an on-the-fly adjustment option, comes with an OEM rubber strap, ceramic matte bezel, a non-AR flat crystal, and it's Rolex's sister brand! Only thing is price comes in about a grand higher than your budget. Should you reconsider going the used route you will find something closer for sure though. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better option IMO.

 

@lillatroll already beat me to the Rado suggestion, so I'll just heartily endorse that.

I'll also plug a Traska Freediver (microbrand that I recently had a chance to handle, very solid build quality), a Mido Ocean Star, Oris Aquis, or a Sinn 6068

 

Congrats @Davidt on becoming a dad.

Seems that some people here misunderstood what you were referring to when you said you were looking “sub 2.5K”?
I understood you meant “price under 2.5K” but others seem to think you want a “Rolex” “sub”.

Anyhow In the category below 2.5K indeed there are some vintage inspired Longines, and if you like tool watches then you may like the Longines skin diver, which is quite a beautiful reedition:
https://www.fratellowatches.com/hands-on-longines-skin-diver-review/

Note it is a 42mm watch which you might want to try on if you can. Also it’s barely under 2.5K euros- so perhaps a bit on the high side of your budget.

How about a modern Zodiac Sea Wolf ? I don’t know much about their quality but they certainly have the vintage inspired flair.

 

There are a few forum members who are fans of Baltic:

 

Regarding the Freese watches, are they applying tritium lume?

 

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

I’ve re-read my initial post and I clearly missed some details of what I’m looking for, I’ll put that down to tiredness!

@Syrte is correct, I meant a Watch under around £2.5k. I have several chronos so I’m looking at either a diver (or possibly a field watch, although the E1 and possibly the Railmaster are the only ones I’ve come across that I like). It needs to be 36-41mm, decent water resistance and classic looks etc.

I’ll look again at the Black Bays/Pelagos, but the Rado, Freese (although i think it has minimal water resistance) and particularly the Longines may work (although I prefer the earlier Longines without the date which i think have been discontinued).

 

As a fellow vintage collector who appreciates your taste in watches, I would like to take a contrarian stance here.

The 50th moonwatch anniversary is almost over. Sell or trade a Speedmaster and acquire a nice tritium 14060 before prices get totally out of hand. Have it serviced and pressure tested and wear the hell out of it.

Don't buy a homage.