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Original poster

If your almost 21 yr old son would like a watch (not a smart watch) for his bday which brands should we look at?

60 replies

Snooks1971 · 16/10/2025 19:55

Budget is £400 to £500 max. We know nothing about watches, he doesn’t want an Apple Watch but something more old school.

Any brand recommendations please?

OP posts:
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Original poster
Snooks1971 · 16/10/2025 22:06

And yes, we are very new to the watches market, DS tried an Apple Watch for a week but it was sent back for a refund. He would like a proper watch (his words). It’s a lot of money so we are being considered.

OP posts:
Pinkladyapplepie · 16/10/2025 22:08

My son chose a Hugo Boss one, lots of different styles and prices.

Fleur405 · 16/10/2025 22:11

So random suggestion alert: my OH didn’t want an Apple Watch/smart watch as he likes old school watches. I got him a withings smart watch (which has the smart watch features but with an actual clock face). He was very pleased with it. Now I want one too!

I also like Skagen especially if you’re looking for a more minimalist style of watch - I had a great watch from them which I loved. Only issue is that they really don’t stand up well to going through the washing machine…

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Clothing
OneFootAfterTheOther · 16/10/2025 22:11

Tissot

2chocolateoranges · 16/10/2025 22:13

familyissues12345 · 16/10/2025 21:47

We bought our son a Tissot watch for his 21st last year and he was really pleased with it.

Our dd chose a Tissot watch as one of her main presents for her 21st birthday last year too.

mauvishagain · 16/10/2025 22:15

I like the Skagen slinky wristband but they are prone to damage. I've switched my allegiance to Bering watches which I think MIGHT be a spin off of Skagen, but I think are a bit more interesting and cheaper than Skagen.

@Snooks1971 , another reason for your son to try on and choose for himself is that the shop can then make sure that the wristband fits properly and the battery is sound. If it's an old skool leather wristband then it's not a problem, but a lot of metal link bands are much more fiddly to try to adjust at home, and I've known some jewellers recoil from ceramic ones!

AsideFromThis · 16/10/2025 22:42

My son has a really nice Casio. They’re not all cheapy

SpottyAardvark · 16/10/2025 23:09

Seiko, Tissot, Christopher Ward or maybe a pre-owned Longines. All would be good options, but you really can’t go wrong with Seiko.

Avoid ‘designer’ brands, eg Boss, Armani, Michael Kors. They are all just overpriced cheap branded tat.

PigletJohn · 16/10/2025 23:16

By "old school" do you mean quartz, or do you mean clockwork?

Do you mean "submariner style" or do you mean classic leather strap, white face, black hands?

Mammaamiaa · 17/10/2025 01:45

Go on reddit. Look at the threads for recommended pretend Rolexes from DHGate. They're about £80. You can't tell the difference with the really good ones unless you get up close.

KnightandDay · 17/10/2025 11:36

Mammaamiaa · 17/10/2025 01:45

Go on reddit. Look at the threads for recommended pretend Rolexes from DHGate. They're about £80. You can't tell the difference with the really good ones unless you get up close.

Edited

"Pretend" Rolex or Fake?
I wouldn't want to buy my son a fake Rolex for his 21st.

TonTonMacoute · 17/10/2025 11:43

Mammaamiaa · 17/10/2025 01:45

Go on reddit. Look at the threads for recommended pretend Rolexes from DHGate. They're about £80. You can't tell the difference with the really good ones unless you get up close.

Edited

Do not do this, unless you want to buy your DS a cheap knock off for his 21st!🙄.

How chavvy!

Original poster
Snooks1971 · 18/10/2025 17:32

PigletJohn · 16/10/2025 23:16

By "old school" do you mean quartz, or do you mean clockwork?

Do you mean "submariner style" or do you mean classic leather strap, white face, black hands?

@PigletJohn that’s a very good question! I have no idea; we have been like ships that pass in the night this week with work schedules.
Definitely need to sit down with him and work through the brands that everyone has so kindly mentioned.
Looking at watches is a bit like looking at washing machines for me; if it fits the budget and works, then it’s job done.

(Also faints from having pigletjohn comment on my thread even though it’s about watches not plumbing :)

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 18/10/2025 17:42

Decide on the type first. Brands come later.

For practicality, a white face and black hands are easiest to read, in a glimpse of a fraction of a second.

Black face and silver hands come next, and are common on military styles.

Gold, silver and coloured faces are more difficult to read, some might say less classy.

A stainless case will keep its looks.

Chunky metal bracelets are a style choice, but wear out the cuffs of your shirt, are heavy, and difficult or expensive to resize (he may still be growing).

My own preference is a leather strap that is very easy to change, but I am old and he might not like that,

I'm told giant dials (35mm or bigger) are going out of style.

FenceBooksCycle · 18/10/2025 17:43

TonTonMacoute · 16/10/2025 19:58

Seiko

Another vote for Seiko. We had a budget of this kind of amount that we decided to buy for DH with a small inheritance as a thing that would last a lifetime. At the time I had a colleague who was very knowledgeable about watches and he recommended this as the best way to get something that was excellent quality in our target price range. You do need to be careful because for every watch there's an element of the price that's about quality of materials and manufacture, and there's an element of the price that's purely about the brand's status in terms of fashion/popularity, and there's an element of the price that's about how rare (and therefore how much of the fixed manufacturing setup costs each purchaser is funding) that very specific design is. It's perfectly possible to spend £500 on a poor quality watch if you balance this wrong.

AmethystAnnotation · 18/10/2025 17:46

If you have a Beaverbrooks near you, they are mega helpful when buying a watch - will sit you down on a posh sofa, offer you a drink, and bring different watches out to try. Always have good service from them inshore even if only buying jewellery cleaner for £10. They have a good range of watches within your budget.

Original poster
Snooks1971 · 18/10/2025 18:03

PigletJohn · 18/10/2025 17:42

Decide on the type first. Brands come later.

For practicality, a white face and black hands are easiest to read, in a glimpse of a fraction of a second.

Black face and silver hands come next, and are common on military styles.

Gold, silver and coloured faces are more difficult to read, some might say less classy.

A stainless case will keep its looks.

Chunky metal bracelets are a style choice, but wear out the cuffs of your shirt, are heavy, and difficult or expensive to resize (he may still be growing).

My own preference is a leather strap that is very easy to change, but I am old and he might not like that,

I'm told giant dials (35mm or bigger) are going out of style.

V helpful again thank you @PigletJohn

OP posts:
Original poster
Snooks1971 · 18/10/2025 18:04

AmethystAnnotation · 18/10/2025 17:46

If you have a Beaverbrooks near you, they are mega helpful when buying a watch - will sit you down on a posh sofa, offer you a drink, and bring different watches out to try. Always have good service from them inshore even if only buying jewellery cleaner for £10. They have a good range of watches within your budget.

I had no idea Beaverbrooks still existed - thank you @AmethystAnnotation !

OP posts:
Original poster
Snooks1971 · 18/10/2025 18:05

FenceBooksCycle · 18/10/2025 17:43

Another vote for Seiko. We had a budget of this kind of amount that we decided to buy for DH with a small inheritance as a thing that would last a lifetime. At the time I had a colleague who was very knowledgeable about watches and he recommended this as the best way to get something that was excellent quality in our target price range. You do need to be careful because for every watch there's an element of the price that's about quality of materials and manufacture, and there's an element of the price that's purely about the brand's status in terms of fashion/popularity, and there's an element of the price that's about how rare (and therefore how much of the fixed manufacturing setup costs each purchaser is funding) that very specific design is. It's perfectly possible to spend £500 on a poor quality watch if you balance this wrong.

Show quote history

Good heavens this is so much more complicated than we imagined Confused
A lot to think about - thank you!

OP posts:
Original poster
Snooks1971 · 18/10/2025 18:10

PS @mauvishagain the store you mentioned is 54mins away from us according to WAZE :)

OP posts:
mamagogo1 · 18/10/2025 18:15

Mine is citizen as is DD’s, had it a while and still perfect time

2chocolateoranges · 19/10/2025 08:20

We took our dd watch shopping, we looked in a few shops and got her tissue from beaverbrooks.

Great service and knowledgeable staff.

I would let him choose his own watch, make a day of it go for lunch and have a shopping day trying on different watches to see what style and brand he prefers.

mauvishagain · 19/10/2025 11:01

I'd definitely second the comments about avoiding "Designer" brands.

If you go for a "designer" watch (eg Gucci, Hilfiger etc etc), you're potentially buying a cheap watch that is up-priced because of the fashion label. It's alsomore likely to go out of fashion!

Better, Ithinnk, to buy a watch from a watchmaking company (like most of those listed so far!)

AllMyExesWearRolexes · 19/10/2025 11:58

Seiko, Citizen, Orient, all worth a look. CWC for genuine military gear. My Seiko was £800 but the style is available in your range.
Also look at Jack_Hypoxia on Instagram, he's based in Thailand and custom builds Seikos to your spec. He's done 3 for me, the average cost was around £350, including UPS delivery. The quality is great and comms with him are good.

If your almost 21 yr old son would like a watch (not a smart watch) for his bday which brands should we look at?
If your almost 21 yr old son would like a watch (not a smart watch) for his bday which brands should we look at?
If your almost 21 yr old son would like a watch (not a smart watch) for his bday which brands should we look at?
If your almost 21 yr old son would like a watch (not a smart watch) for his bday which brands should we look at?
If your almost 21 yr old son would like a watch (not a smart watch) for his bday which brands should we look at?
SixSeven · 09/11/2025 12:13

Is Tissot a good brand?
And are there likely to be Black Friday offers as the one he likes most is about double the budget!