Recommendations for my first chronograph

This cost me the equivalent of $250 a couple of years ago. OK it was cheap even then but they are out there. There is very slight plate loss, nothing you'd notice on the wrist. Inside is a Venus 188, one of the better cam-switched movements and IMO a bit more classy than a Landeron. I hardly ever wear this as I haven't had it serviced, but it keeps excellent time. Getting it serviced would take me over your budget, but not much.

Which one of those chrono dials looks best in person? The blue one sure is talking to me...

Baltic is making the buzz in France. I know a lot of vintage collectors which moved on them... Never seen one but the design is really nice... Now, expectation on the movement must be low if you doNt want to be disappointed

I got this a while back for just under 300 bucks 😀
A nice reversed panda dial with a creamy patina and a Venus 210 movement if I remember correctly.

Wow what an overwhelmingly positive response. Thank you all so very much for all the input and suggestions. I have so many more options to look for now.

I'll keep my fingers crossed to hopefully find a few of these options on ebay. Any other suggestions were to look? Being up in Central Ontario we don't really have a pawn shop network or private jewelry shops that would support this type of vintage market place.

I saw this on Ebay the other day. For $35 it looked interesting

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brown-Leat...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

Here's a thought.
http://www.good-stuffs.com/Sea-Gull-M199S-chronograph-with-moonphase-ST1908_p_163.html

What in the... 🤮

It looks like a 5970G homage, except the subdials are all screwed up and the movement does not even appear to be a chronograph. All for the low low price of $35. I'm honestly fascinated that something like this exists. Who would buy it? What do the subdials even indicate? So many questions.

Speaking of Sea-Gull...



$300: https://www.longislandwatch.com/Seagull_1963_Chronograph_p/6345a-2901.htm

I don't want to discourage you because there are CERTAINLY some pretty great deals/chronographs out there for $400. However, I wanted to make two points:

1. $400 still sounds like it's a bit of money in your situation. No shame in that. Everyone faces different financial constraints in their lives. If this is the case, then I recommend you focus more on studying/trying on watches before actively looking for a watch to PURCHASE on eBay. This not only gives you the opportunity to reach a kind of financial equilibrium, but also helps you narrow down what you really like/dislike in watch.

2. I won't speak about modern watch, but specifically for vintage you might want to hold off. While there are some proper $400 chronograph options, many many many MANY of them have issues. Redial. Improper hands. Pushers. The list goes on and on. Not to mention what someone else said about servicing these mechanical marvels. I once purchased a BEAUTIFUL chronograph for a mere $500. Thought I got the deal of the year. Until it ended up costing me about that much just to get it running properly. Oh well.

At any rate, there will always be this urge to think "prices are moving higher and higher. I have to get in NOW if I want to be able to afford anything". But I often find it's that kind of rushed mentality that gets me into trouble out of all the purchases that I've made.

You've got plenty of support in this community already, so take your time and good luck.

That's why I said it was interesting 😀

thank you all for all your insight. I am excited to see if I can find a gem in that budget range.

I will now keep my eyes open for a decent watchmaker in my area and know that a proper service will cost approx $4-500. Perhaps someone soon will want to sell their collection to pay off those Christmas visa bills 😀

The post got me thinking. I have a few (three or four?) Vintage chronos that probably came in under the $400 mark. In each case, these were bought in poor condition, missing parts, non-runners, and with mechanical issues. This one is the last that I completed and really out of left field: