Gift watch suggestions
My dad has a milestone birthday next year and I'm looking to buy him a watch.
My budget is approximately $5000 USD with a bit of wriggle room.
He likes watches on the chonkier side and my mum has said he likes Seiko watches.
Quartz is preferred as I don't think he would take care of an automatic watch.
45 Replies
I mean taking care of an automatic isn't hard, it's just send it in for service every 5-10 years, it running out of energy doesn't damage the watch
Why not just Seiko, or if you wanna splash, Grand Seiko
Not significantly different than getting the battery changed on a quartz tbh
Realistically the only reason watches get expensive is cause they aren't quartz lol
I thought about a GS, just don't know what's out there aside from snowflake face
For some reason I thought automatics had to be taken into service once a year, five to ten is a lot more doable
They got a website, would just browse
Nomos Glaschutte another brand in this price range
If quartz is fine Seiko did invent quartz pretty sure, could just find one, but they broadly don't get that expensive if this is a status symbol element, just cause most of the expense comes from the small movements of an automatic
But if it saves you money and he doesn't care...quartz will be more accurate as well, it's better in pretty much all "objective" measurements
tbh this is going to be a semi flex item for him so I'm happy to go either way on what kind of movement
I'll take a look at nomos and see if they have some chonkier watches
Main things for watches are avoid luxury watches for the most part, you want a brand focused on watch making, and broadly Swiss and Japanese makers have the best reputations, but like Nomos is German so there's always options
Grand seiko quartz pieces are really quite nice too and are not your run of the mill cheap quartz mechanisms, fwiw
Not talking about the spring drive either, just their standard HAQ pieces
They are even decorated nicely
I'm also more of the type to service in the 3-5 year range for a watch I wear heavily, and would only go to 10 for something I wore really sparingly. But there is some leeway there
I don't know his taste but something like this is nice and has good heft to it
https://www.mjewelry.com/collections/grand-seiko/products/grand-seiko-quartz-ceramic-bezel-sport-collection-sbgp015-sbgp015-400731
https://www.mjewelry.com/collections/grand-seiko/products/grand-seiko-quartz-ceramic-bezel-sport-collection-sbgp015-sbgp015-400731
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Ya for the record I've always heard 5 for service, I prob wouldn't go too much beyond that, but it's not significantly outside of a battery replacement, might just need to spend longer at the shop (sometimes it has to be sent to the manufacturer to be serviced, generally your local AD can handle all this for you)
I love automatic/mechanical pieces so definitely don't want to advocate against them
Just do know that servicing for a nice mechanical watch can be expensive too, and normal quartz watches (not spring drive) are much cheaper to service and require less work because they have significantly fewer parts
Ya, like I said from pretty much all standpoints Quartz are "better" but they have less allure than mechanicals in watch circles due to snobbery/bias/whatever
I think the service interval for the 9f movement is in the magnitude of decades if I remember correctly? For the most part it is just battery replacement
While a gs full service for mechanical is probably in the $500-800 range for most models
And that's every three years
That's a hard no imo
Just go quartz then easy answer
Automatic watches are not the logical option for sure ha
Rawbert smarter than me here mb
(As I'm wearing one due for a $700 service soon)
Only thing I would say is to just try to sort out what your dad likes about watches to the extent possible without showing your cards
Some people just like the little gizmos that spin and oscillate and it's not logical but it makes them happy
If your dad has this affliction maybe a mechanical piece makes sense
Otherwise look through some of the 9f pieces, those would be my go to and I should honestly just sell my rolex and other watches and just get a 9f myself
No dude I am an idiot knee deep in this
Trying to save midis dad
@full of bubble tea (midi) do you think he likes a steel sports bracelet or leather?
Steel for sure
Thanks for all the advice
I think I'll prolly be looking at the GS quartz given all this new info
I may be happy to fork out for the service but dad is defs not
This one is cool too
They have some simpler time only ones that are classic and nice but it sounds like your dad wants a big boy
My opinion is that you don't need to spend close to 5k to get him a super nice quartz grand seiko. If you feel a craving to spend more get it a nice carrying case and call it a day
I would be fucking over the moon if anyone gifted me one of these, they are awesome
Yea I like the classic GS but the pic above is more in line with the stuff dad has
Tho nothing will compare to the diesel watch he has
Is he a car guy, airplane guy, train guy, etc?
He is a Costco guy
Hell yah
I ask because a ton of watches models have some sort of association to a job like pilot watches, train watches, diving watches. That kind of stuff
If he is into something specific like that you could get him something with a more personal touch associated with a hobby or career field he is into
I think that would make gifting something a lot easier and personalised but he just likes good deals 😛
A but above your budget but I think the Breitling Avi chrono is a good option
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Very classic heritage pilot watch with an automatic movement so low maintenance. Its a a pretty large diameter so big and chunky and breitling is a very highly regarded brand
They have them in a bunch of different color and strap options and you be able to find a nice pre owned refurbished one for cheaper
Referring to the serving discussion up, yah a service is recommended every 5-7 years and as long as nothing is actively wrong with it, it shouldn’t run suuuuper expensive. I would advocate for an automatic over a quartz just for the longevity of it. A well maintained auto is something that will last decades and decades
Fwiw grand seiko suggests the 9f movement should last over 50 years because the chamber is completely sealed
Breitling posts their service costs here - you can look at the estimated cost for a full service. Can be cheaper to find someone local to do it but it's usually bare minimum $250, and for a chronograph it'll be more
https://www.breitling.com/us-en/service/service-prices/?srsltid=AfmBOoqEfeofW3USbC8tDOwyDgmRSXaTnItO4rSfTZi8xWPZj9Y44TEf
Service prices overview
Get an overview of all Breitling service prices. All prices & services are compiled transparently here .
Maybe i’m just brain dead but 250-500 every 5 years is pretty reasonable imo
The reason that you should service a mechanical watch every 5 years is because the lubricants wear down even if the watch isn't in use. Service for a mechanical watch will likely be $250-500 from an independent jeweler, vs $20-40 for changing a quartz watch battery, so consider if your dad would be cool with that cost.
I'm doing this x multiple watches so I'm absolutely comatose
My point is more that if it's a gift, you want to be mindful of what you're signing the gift-getter up for
If he's into it for the long haul, go for a mechanical 100%
But quartz pieces are pretty awesome too imo
Yah thats a great point regarding the gifting aspect
If your dad likes chunky watches and would be cool with the upkeep of a mechanical, IWC and Panerai both have options under 5000.
Fwiw breitling also makes great quartz watches too
I love Nomos, but it's elegant and minimalistic, not "chonky."
I'll take a look!
I don't want this gift to turn into a "king of Siam gifts you an elephant" kinda scenario
You made the mistake of saying the word watches here lmao
https://www.tissotwatches.com/en-us/collection/categories/gold.html
One option you might want to look at is a gold watch from Tissot. Tissot can be hit or miss but their gold watches are a good value prop and they have quartz options. Your dad might also appreciate the symbolism if he's near retirement.
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ooh i didn't know about the symbolism - i think i might save a gold one for when he retires fr