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Wallardy
·Hello,
I am new to this forum and to watch collecting in general. I suffer from a mild case of nostalgia (though from time periods in which I was not alive), which is perhaps why I have gravitated towards vintage watches recently. Don't laugh, but it was a Kronotron Electra I picked up a couple years ago at a flea market that prompted this interest. I had only had quartz watches before, so the act of winding and watching it go was enthralling. I now have a couple of Kronotrons because I'm a sucker for their weirdness (and I have gotten each of them for $10) and I also have a tiny little automatic Gruen that I got for $5 at a thrift store.
I recently got a small raise and wanted to treat myself to something nice. I saw a really nice stainless steel Seamaster with a honeycomb dial and stainless original bracelet at a local watch dealer and it looks really good, but as a frugal (not cheap! FRUGAL) person, I'm not about to spend $$$ until I know for sure that I'm getting the real deal and getting it for a good price. So, I'm researching, going down the forum rabbit hole, and trying to learn now before I pull the trigger on anything.
I also have a tendency to pick up what would be considered "masculine" hobbies, (fast cars, woodworking, fishing) so it's not surprising that I've been bitten by the watch bug. Yes, I'm a lady. A lady who drags her husband to the car shows, who repairs his shoes for him, who cringes when he buys a watch at Target with a pleather strap. Even though I tend to know more than him about dude things, like cars, I find oftentimes dealers of various trades try to see if they can fleece me until I throw out some jargon and take a hard line on negotiating, or bring my husband with me just to have a male presence. This is why I research a ton. I'm also trying to learn how to tinker a bit, as I love to do things that involve working with my hands.
I'm ready to graduate onto more quality pieces than a Kronotron. I want to spend less than $1000 initially and ideally $500 or less. I am aware that my budget is very limiting, but I am patient. I really love the look of Seamasters, Constellations, and Longines Conquests (pie pans especially) for my work attire, and am looking for some colorful divers or funky pieces for my more casual outfits. I am very open to lots of brands and styles. On the plus side, that's probably a good thing given my budget, but on the negative side, I like too many things so it's hard to pin down a brand or style.
I LOVE weirdo 60's and 70's watches (and some 80's). The Geneve Dynamic, Cosmic, small subs (I love the Doxa 200 because it's smaller, has wonderful colors and I'm obviously a big Cousteau fan, but obviously I will never be able to get my hands on one or have the funds for it), Zenith, Mondia, Caravelle, Seiko, Gruen, anything cushion shaped, all of the colors!
I'm on these boards because finding watches I like isn't the problem...the problem is I don't know is what a reasonable price range would be on most watches and I don't want to end up with any fakes, frankens, or fuglies.
Anyway, sorry for the lengthy intro. I have found a lot of these threads to be very informative already, so thank you for all of the time you put into these forums!
I am new to this forum and to watch collecting in general. I suffer from a mild case of nostalgia (though from time periods in which I was not alive), which is perhaps why I have gravitated towards vintage watches recently. Don't laugh, but it was a Kronotron Electra I picked up a couple years ago at a flea market that prompted this interest. I had only had quartz watches before, so the act of winding and watching it go was enthralling. I now have a couple of Kronotrons because I'm a sucker for their weirdness (and I have gotten each of them for $10) and I also have a tiny little automatic Gruen that I got for $5 at a thrift store.
I recently got a small raise and wanted to treat myself to something nice. I saw a really nice stainless steel Seamaster with a honeycomb dial and stainless original bracelet at a local watch dealer and it looks really good, but as a frugal (not cheap! FRUGAL) person, I'm not about to spend $$$ until I know for sure that I'm getting the real deal and getting it for a good price. So, I'm researching, going down the forum rabbit hole, and trying to learn now before I pull the trigger on anything.
I also have a tendency to pick up what would be considered "masculine" hobbies, (fast cars, woodworking, fishing) so it's not surprising that I've been bitten by the watch bug. Yes, I'm a lady. A lady who drags her husband to the car shows, who repairs his shoes for him, who cringes when he buys a watch at Target with a pleather strap. Even though I tend to know more than him about dude things, like cars, I find oftentimes dealers of various trades try to see if they can fleece me until I throw out some jargon and take a hard line on negotiating, or bring my husband with me just to have a male presence. This is why I research a ton. I'm also trying to learn how to tinker a bit, as I love to do things that involve working with my hands.
I'm ready to graduate onto more quality pieces than a Kronotron. I want to spend less than $1000 initially and ideally $500 or less. I am aware that my budget is very limiting, but I am patient. I really love the look of Seamasters, Constellations, and Longines Conquests (pie pans especially) for my work attire, and am looking for some colorful divers or funky pieces for my more casual outfits. I am very open to lots of brands and styles. On the plus side, that's probably a good thing given my budget, but on the negative side, I like too many things so it's hard to pin down a brand or style.
I LOVE weirdo 60's and 70's watches (and some 80's). The Geneve Dynamic, Cosmic, small subs (I love the Doxa 200 because it's smaller, has wonderful colors and I'm obviously a big Cousteau fan, but obviously I will never be able to get my hands on one or have the funds for it), Zenith, Mondia, Caravelle, Seiko, Gruen, anything cushion shaped, all of the colors!
I'm on these boards because finding watches I like isn't the problem...the problem is I don't know is what a reasonable price range would be on most watches and I don't want to end up with any fakes, frankens, or fuglies.
Anyway, sorry for the lengthy intro. I have found a lot of these threads to be very informative already, so thank you for all of the time you put into these forums!
