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OP: Go to Amazon and look for an “automatic” watch. They’ll wind themselves with the movement of your arms and hands. Solar is a good option also.
@VTsnowbird - I’m not sure how a security guy can afford a Rolex. Even in 2003, a new BLNR was about $8400. The appreciation wasn’t bad - I sold mine two months, got back what I paid for it plus an Explorer II from 2010.
Watches are a hobby. If you don’t understand it, it’s cool. We can’t all like the same things! If things work out in 2023, we’ll go to Glashutte Germany and Le Brassus Switzerland to visit several watchmakers and take a few classes. Watches are fascinating little machines and the design iterations are a study in the horological arts.
Finally, someone posts who knows what they are talking about.
OP, there are still plenty of watches being made that are automatic. They range in price from a hundred bucks to tens and even hundreds of thousands.
However, I would say that the minimum price for a good automatic watch that will keep accurate time is about $1000. Cheaper automatic watches do not have accurate movements (which is the rotor/timing assembly inside the watch.) If you buy a cheap automatic, expect that your watch time will be off by several minutes a day, or even worse. Over the course of a month as you can imagine, the time would be way off. A good acceptable movement for general use would be +/- 5 seconds a day. You could wear that watch for a month and it would only be a couple minutes off. The more accurate the movement, the higher quality it is.
A thousand bucks for a watch might seem excessive, but at the same time, it will never need batteries and will generally hold value. So many battery powered watches are just throw away pieces, that's rarely the case with automatics.
I too have a Citizen Eco-Drive, which I really like...plus it's always accurate. I also have a self-winding Omega Seamaster.
I used to wear an Apple watch when I was working, but it needed charging every single day. I ditched it after I retired.
As for the security guard...you never know if that's a 2nd job or if they have other income...maybe it was a gift or fake...it doesn't matter though as people make choices that allow them to splurge on some things that others can't.
I personally tend to buy nicer things (Rarely the top shelf though.) but almost never eat fast food, drink soda, or any of the myriad of other things that easily add up to a car payment each month. It's all choices.
The only time I question what people afford is when they splurge on the swag and their kids go hungry or they are constantly complaining about not getting paid enough...
I didn't know OP was a female??
Eh, well if so...then my suggestions might still work as far as brands go but I have no idea what their ladies selection is like...I assume they have ladies watches as well, but may be wrong.
That’s completely true. How someone affords something is really none of my business! I’m conditioned to seeing folks living lavishly and then, complaining that they can’t afford college for their kids or can’t afford to retire. That’s especially true in Phoenix AZ, not so much in our new location.
When it counts, we try to “buy once, try once” for those items that will service our needs for an extended period. The only things I tend to, in the eyes of others, overspend on is, watches. That is, if they notice and based on 35 years of collecting, most people either don’t notice, are too polite to say anything or, is a WIS* like me who will strike up a conversation.
*Watch Idiot Savant, an endearing name given to someone who eats and sleeps all things horological.
I hate paying $20-25 getting batteries replaced in my watches. They don't even last that long either & I know to keep the watches you don't wear NOT ticking away so as to not use up the battery life. I have 1 watch that doesn't require batteries. I just have to wind it up & reset the time each time I wear it, which is no big deal. That's the way to go these days!
But I haven't been able to find watches like that these days. Anyone know any brands & stores to get them from of watches that req NO batteries? You just wind them up & set the time each day. TIA!
Buy your watch from a reputable jeweler that offers lifetime free replacement batteries.
That’s completely true. How someone affords something is really none of my business! I’m conditioned to seeing folks living lavishly and then, complaining that they can’t afford college for their kids or can’t afford to retire. That’s especially true in Phoenix AZ, not so much in our new location.
When it counts, we try to “buy once, try once” for those items that will service our needs for an extended period. The only things I tend to, in the eyes of others, overspend on is, watches. That is, if they notice and based on 35 years of collecting, most people either don’t notice, are too polite to say anything or, is a WIS* like me who will strike up a conversation.
*Watch Idiot Savant, an endearing name given to someone who eats and sleeps all things horological.
We are lucky to have a small business in town and one of the old timers is a horologist. The shop is filled with all kinds of unique and awesome timepieces. A museum, really.
We were out and about on Small Business Saturday and popped into the store, and we wound up chatting with the guy for hours. We left and kept walking thru downtown and I mentioned to my son his upcoming undergrad graduation, and what kind of gift would he want. We talked about a trip- kinda the usual things and then I mentioned you know you and I both love trains, you're a mechanical engineer, maybe a railroad pocket watch would be a great gift?
SOLD! We walked back in and talked to the horologist some more- he had 2 gorgeous Hamilton railroad watches. My son picked one out and he said come back in a month or so I can completely tune it, repair it and make sure it's a keeper.
And I'm getting the other one
I think timepieces can be functional, an investment and a joy. My son will take the back off the watch and just watch the movement to relax. OP I say find something that fits your style, then buy quality. My favorite clock is an old Seth Thomas that was in my great grandparents farmhouse. I used to run to the mantle at the top of the hour to hear those mellow chimes. That is going to the horologist for repair / service too!
We are lucky to have a small business in town and one of the old timers is a horologist. The shop is filled with all kinds of unique and awesome timepieces. A museum, really.
We were out and about on Small Business Saturday and popped into the store, and we wound up chatting with the guy for hours. We left and kept walking thru downtown and I mentioned to my son his upcoming undergrad graduation, and what kind of gift would he want. We talked about a trip- kinda the usual things and then I mentioned you know you and I both love trains, you're a mechanical engineer, maybe a railroad pocket watch would be a great gift?
SOLD! We walked back in and talked to the horologist some more- he had 2 gorgeous Hamilton railroad watches. My son picked one out and he said come back in a month or so I can completely tune it, repair it and make sure it's a keeper.
And I'm getting the other one
I think timepieces can be functional, an investment and a joy. My son will take the back off the watch and just watch the movement to relax. OP I say find something that fits your style, then buy quality. My favorite clock is an old Seth Thomas that was in my great grandparents farmhouse. I used to run to the mantle at the top of the hour to hear those mellow chimes. That is going to the horologist for repair / service too!
That’s just beautiful an it’s a great story. Yours is a lucky son.
It also proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same. This is an ETA 6497, a workhorse of a movement that’s been used in watches costing $300 to $4000. This one’s claim to fame is that I assembled it literally from a tray of parts. Looks familiar doesn’t it?
Oh, sorry. Not “buy once, try once” as I typed above. It’s “buy once, CRY once.” My bad.
That’s just beautiful an it’s a great story. Yours is a lucky son.
It also proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same. This is an ETA 6497, a workhorse of a movement that’s been used in watches costing $300 to $4000. This one’s claim to fame is that I assembled it literally from a tray of parts. Looks familiar doesn’t it?
Oh, sorry. Not “buy once, try once” as I typed above. It’s “buy once, CRY once.” My bad.
That's gorgeous! I'm amazed at your ability to produce that. They are really something aren't they? The guy that got ours in shape showed us his old machine he uses to 'run the lines'. I was pretty blown away by the meticulous nature of tuning these watches. Truly a respected art.
And.. I had no idea what the slits on my overall top pockets were for, nor the small pocket on my Levi's that I mistakenly called a 'coin pocket'. It was nice to get a little history lesson!
Oh and some of the fine ladies antique 'pocket' watches with the ornate chains, bobbles and charms? Stunning!
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