I’ve Collected Watches for 30 Years. Here’s Where I’d Stop.

Spend enough time on Watch YouTube and you're bound to come across a video about the best watches at a certain price point. $500, $1,000, 10,000, so on. You'll get a good explanation of what you get at $500 and what you get at 1,000. These kind of lists have their place. But it kind of assumes that every time you go up in price, you're getting more for your money. And most of the time, you are. But at what point does a watch get so good that you should maybe consider just stopping there? For everybody, that point will be different. But I have the dubious honor of being one of those people that have spent more than 30 years wasting money on watches. I've made my fair share of mistakes, so I have a perspective on where I wouldn't go further. This is my run-through of common watch types and where I would stop and why. Let's dive in. The field watch is the simplest of watches. Usually, it's a two- or three-hander, sometimes with a date. The case is going to be toned down and basic. You usually won't see a lot of polished surfaces. The brands tend to prioritize sandblasting or some form of satination. The dials are legible. They are usually highly legible unimogs. The dials are almost always monotones. They're black, they're white, they're sometimes blue. You're not going to see a lot of sunrays or fumé dials. Bracelets are often straps or NATOs, but you do find versions with metal bracelets. Of the most popular field watches out there, there's the Timex Expedition in the cheaper end, a Hamilton Khaki that clocks in at around $1,000. Formex, Christopher Ward, a ton of brands have options. At just under $3,000, you can get a Longines Spirit, which technically, I suppose, is positioned as a pilot's watch, but I think it can double as a field watch. At $500, $700 more, Tudor has the Ranger, and then at close to $7,000, there's a Rolex Explorer. Above that point, pure field watches do become rarer, but there is something like the 5226 from Patek, which will set you back about $50,000. You will find brands that sell watches positioned as officer's watches, which share some of the field watch lineage, but there's not so much of a trench and infantry vibe to them. This goes for a 5226, which is essentially the upscale Hamilton Murph at a paltry $40,000, but you're going to be hard-pressed to call it a true field watch. Where would I stop? Honestly, somewhere in the range of $3,000, like the Longines Spirit. $3,000 USD, and I would go no further. That might even be stretching it. I might actually stop around a Hanhard Preventa or a Formex Essence. The key lies in the nature of the field watch. You don't want something shiny. You don't want something with polished edges and all sorts of detailing. You don't want some expensive lacquer dial. You want simplicity. That's relatively easy to achieve without adding a lot of cost. You also don't really need any kind of sexy movement with Cote de Genève and Perlage either. Ideally, the watch is behind a solid case back and offers 100 meters of water resistance, 50 hours of power reserve. That will be more than enough. There's a Hanhard Preventa. Any number of the many dirty dozen watches out there from brands like Vertex and others will serve you really well. These watches can all do the job and you won't be meaningfully missing out on anything. The Tudor Ranger, Rolex Explorer, all are better watches in terms of manufacturing, but for a simple watch, for a watch that is supposed to be basic, it just isn't necessary. And on top of that, those things that Rolex put into a good watch just aren't as visible in such a basic design. The sweet spot is around $1,000 and I wouldn't go higher than three. As for my channel, I would like to go a little bit higher when it comes to subscriber count. Half of you watching are not subscribed despite the fact that many of you are return viewers. Please support the channel by clicking the subscribe button below. Thanks a ton. The sister or brother or cousin to the Field Watch is the dress watch. Same starting point, almost. Three-hander, sometimes even just two, maybe, just maybe a date window. The case will be simple, but in contrast to the Field Watch, it will likely be polished. The dial will also be highly legible, but you lose numerals and gain some kind of stick triangle pointer or circular plots. Simplicity, again. Most of the time, the watch is going to be manual wide for thinness reasons, but also just on principle. It won't have a steel bracelet. This is strapped territory through and through. Orient have the $300 or thereabouts Bambino. Timex have the Marlin that will set you back less than $200. Baltic have different models that will cost somewhere between $500 and $800. Jonhans, a German brand, have the Max Bill Automatic, which is less than $2,000. Nomos, too, are in the game with the ultra-simple Orions or the more characteristic Tangards, which cost you around two, two and a half thousand USD. IWC Portofino, five, 6,000. JLC will sell you a Master Control Ultra-Thin for seven, eight, nine, $10,000, depending on the model. Cartier, about the same. From there, it just gets more expensive. Sticking to three-handers, you can find Lange's, Patek's, and Chopard's for $25,000, $35,000, $45,000, usually in precious metals. For me, the sweet spot is around a Jonhans Max Bill or a Nomos Orion with the disclaimer. That's in that $1,500 to $2,500 price range. There are three things that really make a difference for me on dress watches that you don't get below this price point. It's accuracy. An Orient Bambino is a great watch, but specifically for a dress watch, there's something about timekeeping precision and a Bambino just doesn't always do it. Detail. Simple dress watches can easily look cheap. Where the field watch doesn't suffer from this, you can just tell on cheaper dress watches. Sometimes it's a hard-laced crystal, which, although not bad, just feels less premium. Sometimes it's the dial where the plots are just ever so slightly too rough and not clean enough. The base dial, even simple white ones, will have a hue or look to them that just looks cheap. This problem tends to disappear above $1,500. Straps, also below this price point. Cheap watches have cheap straps. Cheap faux leather or thin leather is just a place where brands save to hit a price point. A good strap that doesn't look plastic makes a world of difference. So why not $25,000 for a Catatrava? It is a better watch. It's got a gorgeous movement. It's got a gorgeous dial. It's got gorgeous case finishing. Well, it always depends. I personally wouldn't get a 5227, but I might get a 6119. This is a personal choice, but if you're going to spend that much of money on a watch, the ultra simple entry-level Pateks or Langers are just a little bit bland. For that kind of money, I want more detail, some subtle flourishes, and some more embellishments. And for me, that's a Clou de Paris case edge. It's a railroad track and a sub-seconds dial, and it's a, to me, more beautiful movement. An officer case back that opens and closes is actually a cool little detail, though. The point, though, is at that price point, simplicity is a little bit overpriced, and for a lot of brands, this is not where they put in the most effort. It's still a Patek, but it's like the Mercedes A-class. It's still Mercedes-level, but you're not getting the E or S-class experience. If it's purely for aesthetics and you have no concerns about movements and that kind of thing, you really don't have to go that high. The chronograph, the first real complication. You've got pushes, you've got sub-dials, and to me, there are four types of chronographs. There's the sports chrono, the mainstream chrono. That's where watches like the Daytona, the Speedmaster, the Hamilton Chrono, and the Zenith Chronomasters reside. These are your daily wearer, broadly popular chronographs. Then there's the racing chronograph. Mille Miglia watches, some Hanhart models, Tag Heuer Monaco's. I like to say that these are the watches for people that actually care about cars, be that Dodge Chargers, Morris', Ladas, or Ferraris. You've got your pilot's watches that emphasize legibility. Patek have one, IWC have an icon in the pilot's chrono. The Navitimer's in that pile. These watches are usually bigger, chunkier, and speak to a manlier man than the mainstream or sports chronos. The final category is the complication chronographs. You basically don't see these watches much in the lower end. You could maybe position a Seagull Chrono in this category, but usually this category is reserved for high-end finishing and complications. It's chronos like the Lange Datograph, the Breitling Premier. It's about beauty, it's about refinement, it's complexity. And with that in mind, there are four different places I would stop. For the sports chrono, I would say the stopping point is the Rolex Daytona at $16,000, or potentially the Speedmaster at $9,100. It's not that you can't get good sports chronos for less, you absolutely can. Seiko have the SSC813 for around $700, which is very compelling. The Carrera Glassbox from TAG at around $7,000 is also a gorgeous watch. The Black Bay chronograph is around $6,000, depending on the configuration. So why do I suggest going all the way to Omega Rolex? Because of two things. In pure sports chronos, the field is pretty thin between $3,000 and $8,000. IWC do have the sports performance chrono, but realistically the IWC you'd get is the pilot chrono. There just aren't a lot of upper mid-range compelling options. Two, you can tell how good these watches are. The Speedy, the Daytona, especially for chronographs, you notice bad dial finishing. Mediocre case finishing stands out, and movements and the feel of pushes is just noticeable, and it's important. I'm not arguing that you have to get a Speedmaster or a Daytona. The Seiko SSC813 is a good option at the price, but this is a place where I would happily argue people up the funnel all the way to the Daytona, because every dollar gets you noticeably so much more quality, so much more watch. Now for pilot watches, I wouldn't go as far. We're dealing with cases that are going to be more simple. Dials are also going to be more basic. There's less intentional flash to pilots' watches, and it's not for lack of options. Our friends over at Patek will happily put you on the waiting list for a 5924 pilot travel time flyback chrono in platinum, but you don't have to go there. Hanhardt demonstrate this admirably. $2,500 for a flyback Panda chronograph. The movement inside is a Sellita AMT movement, which is highly respected. The watch is impeccably finished, and it's detailed without being overly adorned. It's just an incredibly solid watch. There's no compelling reason to go to almost double the price for a Longines chrono. $2,500 from a reputable brand will get you a great option. Stop there. As for racing chronos, there are lots of options. Tag Heuer Monaco, Breitling Top Time, just under 10K, maybe a Zenith A384. Do you have to go this high? Of course not. Are you paying a massive premium for these brands? Yes, you are. I definitely suggest going secondary instead of retail, but there are quite a few really well put together options in this space that are solid, excellently put together, and several of them have some level of iconic style status that is worth paying for. As for complicated chronos, here is not a question of stopping but going. A Breitling Premier has the vibe, but it's just not the same level as an 1815 chronograph from Lange. Any day for sure, just go to the high end. That's where the complicated watches are. That's the whole point of this category. I would not tell you to stop ever, basically. The sports watch, steel bracelet, dressy, but not quite, field, but not quite. This is the watch that usually gets the label of go anywhere, do anything watch. So many brands offer a model of this kind. Nomos Club Sport, 3,800, Longines Conquest, 3,000, 3,500, Omega Equiterra, 7,100. Casio have a model that costs six, $800. Seiko have the Presage Cocktail Times on steel braces that are also in that ballpark. Tissot Gentleman. Chinese brands will also offer you a pretty decent option for under $500. For me, the ultimate sports watch in this category is either the Datejust or the Oyster Perpetual. They are the pinnacle of what you can get. Above this price point, there aren't any real options. There are a lot of integrated options above this price, but pure play sports watches kind of disappear from the option space. I think high end brands just seem to see them as too pedestrian. They are too common folk, so you don't see them that much. But does that also mean that you have to go all the way to the Rolexes that I mentioned? Oh, it depends. If you want flash and eye-catching, then I do honestly believe the Datejust Fluted Bezel and Jubilee Bracelet is the only option to go for. That's the one I would stop at, going all the way up the funnel. But if you want a simpler look, less flashing, like the Oyster Perpetual, I don't think you need to go as far. Would I stop at a Tissot Gentleman or something of a comparable price? No, but I would be happy. The sports watch isn't complicated to make, so you get a lot for a relatively speaking little bit of money. As long as you steer clear of the cheaper models that try to emulate the Datejust, you're getting watches that look the business. I would probably stop around the price of a Tudor Black Bay One or a Nomos Club. You're getting a very solid movement, usually a very good bracelet with quick adjustment. You're also getting a dial that doesn't look cheap. It'll have a sunray blue, it'll have applied metallic plots and hands will be crisp, they'll be sharply defined. And for the most part, date windows will have decent alignment. They won't always be color matched though. The trendier relative of the sports watch is the integrated bracelet watch. You know the drill. It's a sports watch, but with a seamless transition from case to bracelet. Tissot PRX, IWC Ingenieur, the Grouse Grounger, Royal Oak Streamliner. I love integrated bracelet watches. The world doesn't need more of them, but for integrated bracelet watches, it's different from the divers. It's not a question of the desk integrated bracelet or the tool integrated bracelet. The fact is you have two directions you can go with the integrated bracelet watch. You can go for the integrated bracelet that is nice and you can go for the one that is a statement. If you just want a nice, well-built, well-specced integrated bracelet watch, stop at $1,000 and get the automatic waffle dial version of the Tissot PRX. Is the Christopher Ward 12 a little bit better? Sure. Mechanically, build-wise, but it won't speak to everybody. Maurice Lacroix icon, also nice. There are tons of nice ones at all price ranges, but good and decent, 1,000, 1,500 will do, and is a perfectly good stopping point. But if you want a statement piece, and I'm sorry, you can't stop at a Christopher Ward. I also don't think you can stop at Rolex. I mean, getting the groundscrounger is still a bit of a feat since it's quite desirable, so it will be a statement in that sense, but it's not at the level of statement that a Royal Oak conveys on overseas or a Moser Streamliner. But ultimate statement integrated bracelet watch is a luxury high-end Maison steel model, not some white gold version. It's the steel model you stop at. Granted, to get the steel model, you've likely bought your fair share of entry-level Galatravas and 1159s, but that's where I would say, stop. It would be worth every penny to go to that level. If you want a gorgeous movement as well, go Czapek Antartique or Parmigiani Tonda. And of course, you knew I was going to mention the Tonda. The GMT is the dive watch with an extra hand and different numbers on the bezel. 24 hours instead of 60 minutes. Some don't have bezels. When it does have a bezel, it's Rolex territory, and that's what people associate with the GMT. But there are, just like Pilot's Chronos, different interpretations of GMTs. Some veer into world timer territory. But the key consideration for me, for the typical GMT, is down to the movement. There are two GMT types, office GMTs and true GMTs. The difference, you ask, is small, minor even. The office GMT allows you to set the GMT or the 24-hour hand. The true GMT allows you to set the 12-hour hand independently. The true GMT is better suited for people who travel and frequently change their local time. The difference between the two, like I said, is minor. It's barely an inconvenience. But the fact is, if you want a true GMT, you're likely going to have to pay some more. Usually $3,500 or more. There are likely options that are cheaper than that, but it's not common and I can't, off the top of my head, think of one right now. For the true GMT, I'd probably stop at a Rolex GMT. I'm not a big fan of the GMTs you see from Moser and Patek and they are. At those prices, I think their Chronos and World Timers are much more interesting. Also, GMTs at that price point, like Moser, just fall short on ease of legibility. And I think that's something that's important. And that's not the case with the Rolex-style GMTs. If you want something compelling, go for a Tudor GMT. If you're going for a Cora, Manta, $2,500 for a very Rolex-esque design, if the Rolex design is not your jam, then I'd stop and not need to go further than $1,600. A fairer Lander, $1,600. You're not getting a whole lot more above this price point. So that's where I would say stop to get 90% of what you need. World Timers, basically a GMT with a globe and city names instead of a 24-hour counter, or both. The World Timer usually has a rotating disc integrated into the dial. And for three reasons, this is a place where it's hard to keep the price low. If you're going for a mechanical World Timer complication, that's just going to add cost. Cheap World Timers are also thick because of the movement and legibility can be a problem because of subpar dial design. Lastly, the quality of the dial work is just incredibly important when there's so much going on. Well, actually there's a fourth reason. Some cheaper World Timers just really aren't World Timers. They find ways to rework GMT movements or regular movements. And then they basically just add a bezel that rotates to track another time zone. That's fine, but that's not what I'm looking for. Alpina will sell you a World Timer for around $1,000. So relatively speaking, cheaper is possible. Ball have a $3,500 World Timer, which I think illustrates the challenge of legibility. Nomos at $4,700 go in a different direction with their approach, but succeed on most levels. From there, the sky's the limit price-wise. It's becoming a little bit of a theme, but I've got two stopping points. One is if you want a globe motif somewhere on the dial, or if you want a more GMT-esque kind of look. If you want the globe, you stop at the Omega World Timer. It's a chunky boy, 43 millimeters in diameter and around 14 millimeters in thickness, which isn't ideal, but the green and titanium versions are worth a look. The globe is laser ablated, which makes for a detailed textured globe that I think visually rivals a lot of much more expensive watches. The 8938 movement inside is excellent, and Omega pretty much nail-built quality on everything. It's not a Patek, but we're not talking about what's best here. We're talking about how you get 98% of the diminishing returns. If you ditch the globe, brings down the price significantly. Nomos at $4,700 is excellent, but it is actually a little bit higher than it needs to be. Personal favorite of mine is a Raymond Weil, which costs around $3,100. They do call it a GMT, but with city names on the dial, it qualifies, and inside is a Sellita SW330. Me likey. For a dive watch, throw on a bezel, give a watch 300 meters of water resistance, and you have yourself a dive watch. Options, millions, literally millions. Citizen, Suyosa, Seiko, Marine Master, Black Bay, Submariner, 50 Fathoms, Ulysse Nardin, Air. Find your budget and start spending. But here, I also say there are two stopping points. One for the luxury desk diver, and one for the tool diver. The difference, one is shiny and has a ceramic bezel, looks expensive, and is as much a statement piece as it is a tool watch. That's Rolex Submariner territory. And the other is matte. It sticks to an aluminum bezel. The case isn't highly polished. You're not getting white gold plots, and the buyer could conceivably actually use it as a dive watch. A Panerai Luminor Submersible at $10,000 inhabits that space. Price-wise, for the luxury desk diver, stop at $5,000 and get a Tudor Black Bay 41. This is where you basically get very little more beyond this point. Metast Movement, 70 hours of power reserve, class-leading bracelet with excellent adjustability. It's got a beautiful dial, and no, it's not a ceramic bezel, but with Jubilee-style bracelet and a very premium dial, this is everything you need. Now, for the tool watch, would I go Submersible Luminor? I love the watch, but it's way too expensive. Get a Pelagos from Tudor. It's probably the best real diver out there at the moment, and it's not even close. But if you are going tool diver, Citizen Suyosa. It's incredibly solid, looks great. It's incredibly versatile. It's less than $1,000. For that kind of watch, that's where I'd likely stop. Last one, Perpetual Calendar. Here, again, the key driving cost is the movement. To my knowledge, the cheapest mechanical Perpetual Calendar available is, outside of Chinese models, which I'm very little knowledge about, is the Frederick Constant, which is around $10,000. Most Perpetual Calendars are gated by precious metal premiums. You won't find a modern Moser, Bacheron, or Patek Perpetual Calendar in steel. So your options are actually really limited. But if I were to choose, I would stop somewhere in steel. There are quite a few really exceptional movements in precious metal cases, but we're going to get most back for our buck in steel. So it boils down, to me, to four options. Frederick Constant, $10,000 for the regular model and a little bit more for the integrated version. JLC Master Ultra Thin, IWC Portofino Perpetual at $26,000, $27,000, or the Big Pilot Perpetual. Those two Perpetuals are a little bit different. I prefer the Big Pilot version because it also has a moon phase and it displays the year. It's just a more complete version. The Big Pilot version in steel is about $44,000 over the $26,000 for the Portofino, so big difference. It's a big jump also from the Frederick Constant. For me, I would probably stop at a grey market JLC Master Control Ultra Thin. They are still around there. They are a fair bit cheaper than their list price. It's a super simple watch. I dig the IWCs, but they are both thick watches which won't be to everybody's taste and the Constant doesn't quite speak to me. So if I had to go this route, it wouldn't end up being cheap at all. I would end up having to buy the IWC. That's why the Master Ultra Thin is probably the one I go for. For most of the categories I've mentioned, I've offered specific examples of the price point I'd stop at. For most of these categories, it's not the case that the watch I suggest is the only option at that price. There are usually others around the same price point which I would be just as happy with. The point wasn't to anoint one specific watch as the best. The point was to illustrate where within a specific category, let's call them diminishing returns. I know I use that term a lot of times. That's where they really start to kick in. As long as you're not looking for a watch that has a super complex complication, then prices still remain quite doable. Those are my thoughts on these categories. Where would you stop and why? Share your thoughts in the comments. Keep it classy. Like, subscribe.