watchess, cartier VS franck muller VS chopard

[loveaddict]

hi ladies, this is my 1st time i am posting n this thread =)
i need your kind help and expertise, i am going to buy my 1st watch for myself without diamonds and quartz movement (the most basic model), i want something classic, and holds its value and well manufactured and beautiful ow and WITH LEATHER strap,
ow and i do have rolex already.
which ones do u think is the one?

1. franck muller the super basic ones

2. cartier (the super basic ones)

3. chopard happy diamonds (i will be grateful if someone can help me with the price)

all with leather straps, please if anybody has better brands to suggest please do so =) thank you ladiesss

[IntlSet]

I really dislike FM watches and frankly do not think they'll stand the test of time. They're not much better than Jacob the Jeweler pieces in my opinion: for people with more money than taste.

I'm not exactly sure how you can compare basic Franck Mueller watches to basic Cartier... the Cartier is significantly less expensive from my understanding, if you just choose a stainless steel Tank or something like that. Either way, I'd still get the Cartier.

Chopard Happy Diamonds is fun but could you wear it to work? If you work in a conservative office, it might not be the best choice. I've never seen the Happy Diamond collection with a leather strap... only grosgrain and steel or gold. I could be mistaken.

[bagshopr]

Cartier. It is such a classic. I have a Ronde Solo, it has a black leather strap and a round face with Roman numerals. It is easy to read, and I love it!

[solitude]

How about a Cartier Roadster? Its pretty versatile since it has changeable straps, leather and steel. You can also purchase extra leather straps in different colors.

[Miss Socialite]

I vote for Chopard. I have quite a few of their watches, with and without diamonds, and they hold up beautifully. They're classic and truly gorgeous. Besides not too many people own Chopard watches, so you would be somewhat unique in that sense.


As for the prices for the Happy diamond watch. There's a few questions you would need to answer. 1) How many diamonds do you want in it? 2) What metal and style (face shape) do you want? These things greatly effect the prices.
My basic Happy watches where between 8,000 and 12,000 Euros, which equates to $11,000 to $18,000 USD. There are Happy Sport watches with a brown leather band in either a round or oval face. They have have 7 diamonds in them and retail between 7,000 & 8,000 Euros ($11,000-$12,500 USD). If you want a stainless steel one or only 5 diamonds, it should retail between 3,000-4,000 Euros ($4,200-$6,300 USD).

Hope that helps

[oregonfanlisa]

Solitude, great suggestion. Love the Roadster. And you can get it in steel, which will help with pricing. As far as other Cartier models, you can't go wrong with either the Tank Francaise or Tank Americaine. Both are serious Cartier classics.

I have no idea about Franck Muller.

Chopard's Happy Diamond watches come in leather straps - mine is actually crocodile. They come in many different varieties, but I don't know if I would classify it as "classic". Furthermore, you said you didn't want diamonds, so I'm confused why you included this with your group?

If you want classic Chopard, might I suggest a La Strada watch? It comes in many varieties. Closely resembles a Cartier Tank but with much more dimension. And there are matching jewelry choices too. I have the complete set in yellow gold and diamonds, and I also have a larger stainless version with steel bracelet. (Sorry, no pictures handy right now but they are on the Chopard website). You can get it in a leather strap too in many case sizes (from extra small to extra large). It's very versitile!

[urologist]

I have watches from all 3, and it depends on what you are looking for. I disagree with IntlSet that FM watches won't stand the test of time--several of my friends who are jewelers have worn theirs daily for years. I think it's all in personal experience. That said, they are less recognizable to the average person than either Chopard or Cartier. Cartier is more classic, whereas Chopard is more "fun" (e.g. the Happy Sport series). The Happy Sport series can be used with a rubber or leather strap in addition to what you have listed.

I believe the Happy Sport w/diamonds is ~$11K now. You can find them cheaper abroad (e.g. in the Caribbean where there is a different price list) or at Lussori.com (I bought mine there, and they gave me a great discount and were super helpful).

Hope this helps!!

[Miss Socialite]

I'd hardly say that the La Strada is a "classic". It's a bulkier more modern version of the Cartier tank. IMO it's quite ugly, even with the diamonds. And the plain one is much worse. To me it looks like something you can get at one of those chain discount stores like Walmart or Target. If you want a true classic, everyday watch then go with a Cartier or Chopard Imperial. You can never go wrong with one of those.

Most Chopard watches are fairly simple watches that can be worn everyday. Whether it's to the office, lunch with your girlfriends, playing tennis or a night at the opera. It's all about how and where you want to wear it, after all you're are the one purchasing it. I own the diamond imperial watch and wear it on daily basis at times. It looks lovely and no cares that it may be inappropriate for a certain location. In fact most of my employees drool over it. Whenever I wear it they rarely, if ever, look me in the eyes. They're too busy watching my wrist

Good luck to you on your watch hunt. I'm sure whatever you choose will look beautiful on you. Wear it in good health.

[loveaddict]

omg ladiess thank you so much for your kind response, ok i have done my research based on your kind responses and it comes down to these watches, all in stainless steel;

1st option is the cartier santos 100 as u can see from the pic (may i know how much is this?)

2nd option is cartier roadster (does it comes in stainless steel?)

3rd option is chopard happy you and me as you can see as well from the pic (i wonder how much is this, from the net, it ranges around 5000-10000)

4th option is chopard happy beach

5th option is franck muller in medium size curvex also in stainless steel which i asked and only $5200.

ok my goal is to have a versatile watch that have with strap that can goes well day and night (casual but yet sophisticated), goes well with jeans and dresses (i am working from home, so i dont have to worry bout collegues and working environment), the watch has to be in stainless steel because i cant afford any other metal hiks and it is not a seasonal watch..

ow the last but not least, my budget is $6500 max (sorry for my small budgets). please help me and tell me which ones you guys will buy, and if you have better opinions please do tell me. thank you so much in advance.

[solitude]

Cartier roadster comes in stainless steel and its so easy to change the strap too! I'ld say get the roadster! Can go from casual to glam! Its like wearing 2 different watches for the price of one.

[loveaddict]

how much is the cartier roadster in stainless steel? do u mind giving me a trustable website for this? because in my country, the cheapest cartier u can get is $7000 tia.

[JanetBG]

A stainlss steel Cartier Roadster goes for around USD4400 in Hong Kong but most watch dealers give discounts so it is around USD4200 for one. But I think it only comes in automatic? and you said you only want quartz?

[Hokaplan]

I thought the roadster was battery. Does anyone have one that can verify?

[JanetBG]

My mistake. I just checked the Cartier website, Roadster has both automatic and quartz (depends on the variation)

[loveaddict]

omg its only about 4200??? anybody knows how to buy the cartier online?? thx uuu ladiesss. n i dun mind quartz or automatic...its ok