men's watch question - please help...

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Milton

Milton

O.G.
Jun 12, 2006
1,345
4
#1
so, my bf and i are going to be getting engaged sometime before June 30th, and so i am starting to look for his engagement/wedding present. he has been talking for sometime about getting a gold watch, i'm not sure whether i would get something with a gold bracelet or just gold casing, but, i don't really know much about watches so i was hoping for some of your expertise. i know that he likes watches with a lot of complications and movements. he is not a fan of rolex's, he prefers smaller brands like audemars piguet, daniel roth, and jaeger-lecoultre. please help... brands, style names/numbers, websites to look at... i really don't know much about this topic, i just usually go for what's pretty... :D

thanks in advance
 
#2
I don't know how much you want to spend, but your list of brands is pretty good (in terms of complications and movements). I think the best place to start is a small high end jewelers. Their watch salesperson will give you way too much information about the men's watch market. Is he interested in having a calendar? Does he time things? Does he mind winding up his watch?

I prefer the gold case with a strap. Easier to dress up or down. These are my favorite gold men's watches:

Coultre
Model 142 24 20
(About 17K)
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Piguet
Model 25960BA.OO.1185BA.01
(about 34K)
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Glashütte
Model 90-02-01-01-04
(about 16K)
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Omega
Model 4632.31.31
(about 9K)

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#3
the coultre and glashutte are gorgeous, and very his style! i'm thinking of spending about 15k, so they are in the right price point also... he has a watch with a leather band, so i would love to get him one with a bracelet, but i don't think that it's really his style...
when we were in st thomas, he was fawning over the Zenith watches, do you know anything about those? it's so hard, i told him exactly what to get me ring-wise, but he won't give me any help with this, i'm trying to pick up hints where i can,,,
 
#6
Here's a Zenith of similar style. Whatever watch you decide to go with, call around to a few retailers to make sure you are getting the best price. Some jewelers (not the brand boutiques) typically give you 10-15% off the retail price. Good luck with your search. It was an adventure buying a watch for my DH!

Zenith
Model 18.1125.685/01.C490
(about 7K)
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#7
couturequeen, thanks for the advice... this weekend, he actually said he'd prefer one with a gold bracelet... i was a little shocked... so now i have to start looking for those. i told him he would make it so much easier for me if he just told me exactly what he wants... i have a friend who's father works in the jewelry district, so she said that she can get me 30% off once i decide...
 
#8
With a gold watch you can burn a lot of money, be sure that you negotiate a good deal. Try to get at least 25% off the MSRP.

Try to find out, what he likes, many men think that a yellow gold watch with a gold bracelet is too flashy, be sure that you know his taste before you get the watch (maybe by window shopping with him), he might prefer a watch in white gold or platinum.

If he already stated that he would prefer a watch with a gold bracelet the range becomes significantly smaller (which is good, because it makes your choice easier).

Regarding the actual watch: I think I'd get a Rolex, especially because they are very durable and are suitable for every day carry (what I wouldn't say of most other mechanical watches). If he wears the watch everyday, he'll be reminded of you evertime he looks at the watch. In the 15k range you should be able to get a gold Rolex with a gold bracelet, either a sports model (Submariner, GMT-Master or Daytona) or THE gold Rolex: the Day-Date.
 
#9
Dominik said:
With a gold watch you can burn a lot of money, be sure that you negotiate a good deal. Try to get at least 25% off the MSRP.

Try to find out, what he likes, many men think that a yellow gold watch with a gold bracelet is too flashy, be sure that you know his taste before you get the watch (maybe by window shopping with him), he might prefer a watch in white gold or platinum.

If he already stated that he would prefer a watch with a gold bracelet the range becomes significantly smaller (which is good, because it makes your choice easier).

Regarding the actual watch: I think I'd get a Rolex, especially because they are very durable and are suitable for every day carry (what I wouldn't say of most other mechanical watches). If he wears the watch everyday, he'll be reminded of you evertime he looks at the watch. In the 15k range you should be able to get a gold Rolex with a gold bracelet, either a sports model (Submariner, GMT-Master or Daytona) or THE gold Rolex: the Day-Date.
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Dominik, thanks for the advice. he did tell me he wanted something with a gold bracelet, and he wants a yellow or rose gold because he already has a stainless cartier.
he actually does not like Rolex, he prefers smaller brands, it would make things much easier for me if he did like them, but he wants something that you don't see every day on everyone. this wouldn't be his everyday watch, it would be more of a special occasion piece. so that is where i need some advice because i do not know a lot about watches.
 
#11
Hi, Do you know if he likes classic watches or trendy one ? Slim or Chunky/heavy ?
Did you consider De Grisogono ? They have some interesting watches with rose gold..
Another suggestion is the Zenith Defy Xtreme open. It is done in black titanium and rose gold. My DH got it last year and he loves it !!
Good luck with your search and I hope you will find the right one
 
#12
vancleef fan said:
Hi, Do you know if he likes classic watches or trendy one ? Slim or Chunky/heavy ?
Did you consider De Grisogono ? They have some interesting watches with rose gold..
Another suggestion is the Zenith Defy Xtreme open. It is done in black titanium and rose gold. My DH got it last year and he loves it !!
Good luck with your search and I hope you will find the right one
Click to expand...

i'm thinking classic and slim because he would be wearing it to more formal events. i've only seen the de grisogono with the skin bands, do they make bracelet bands?
i know that he likes Zenith, i will definately look at that one. thanks!
 
#13
Classic and slim? With a gold bracelet? Hmmmh, IMHO it's either classic and slim or a gold bracelet.

THE classic and slim is a Patek Philippe Calatrava (see their homepage for details), maybe he'd also like the Aquanaut or the Nautilus.

Jaeger LeCoultre also comes to mind.

A good choice for a classic watch with a bracelet would be an Audermars Piguet Royal Oak Chrono in yellow or rose gold (as shown above), but out of the $15,000 range.

A nice one is also the IWC Portugieser Automatic, available in rose gold, but not with a bracelet.
 
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