Recommend a luxury watch

[rigamortiz]

My grandmother recently passed away and my grandfather has given each of us grandchildren £2,000 from the sale of her car. I'd like to spend it on something I could keep for a long time and have settled on a watch. I've never owned a grown up watch before, the closest I've got is a Fitbit I had for a few years. I could go a little higher than the budget for the right piece but don't know where to start. What would you buy with that budget?

If topping up a bit, I’d look for a well cared for secondhand rolex from a reputable source/Authenticator with all the papers/certs etc. They really hold their value, often increase.

cartier would be my next choice but I think they like their Roman numerals and I read that you don’t so they may not appeal.

Thanks @Verv

chrono24 was an excellent suggestion. I fell in love with a Tag Carrera with diamonds for the hours. Then I found an Omega Aqua Terra with 4 diamonds and rose gold. It's expensive but subtle which I like.

I saw a few Rolexes that I liked but I just can't get on board with their business practices. I don't want to encourage a company that makes people beg to spend thousands of pounds. It's a disgrace (in my opinion). Not to forget that I assume every Rolex I see is a fake.

Vintage Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date from your year of birth.
Likely need to add £250-500

@rigamortiz I can see where you're coming from re Rolex, but the issue surrounding them is complex. They make an excellent product. The product is in demand and there arent enough manufactured to satisfy supply. The other issue is that people buy the "hyped" models at RRP to immediately sell on at a big profit. Rolex has attempted to curb this behaviour by operating waiting lists and only selling to clients who they believe will keep the watches and not immediately go hot footing it off to the nearest grey dealer to double their money. They do it to protect the brand, but it does make them appear to be making people "beg" which isnt really the case. Theyre just trying to keep the watches out of the hands of people who view them as commodities to profit from.
Side effect of this is that those who really want one "for life" have to wait which seems outrageous.

Customer service for both Omega and Tag is very good, so if youre buying for life they are trustworthy brands.

I have a men's Tag Carrera (I like men's watches on women) and I would recommend it. It is a nice practical watch ,pricey but not crazy expensive to fret over it.
When I was deciding which watch to buy the other contenders were Cartier Tank Must and Hermes Cape Cod Double Tour (large model). I love the Hermes double tour and I may get one at one point .

A luxury watch is a great way to remember your grandmother and have something meaningful. With your budget, you can consider brands like TAG Heuer, Longines, or even entry-level Rolex models. Take your time to research and try on different watches to find one that speaks to you. Good luck on your watch journey, and I hope you find something truly special!
By the way, speaking of watches, I recently came across an interesting article about where to pawn your watch in London. You could find their good deals for watches they have in store.

I would really recommend a website called Watchfinder. They are a very reputable trader in secondhand watches and an excellent way to buy. I stalked them for ages to get a Happy Sport style that I really wanted but had been discontinued and a friend bought a beautiful Breitling through them fairly recently. Some watches hold or even appreciate in value, some drop and some can have blips if they are temporarily out of fashion. Anyway, Watchfinder’s service is excellent, there is no pressure to buy when you go to see the watches and they are very thorough about provenance, papers, etc.

Sorry about your granny but that's a lovely way to remember her.

I bought a fancy watch to also mark something and was shocked at the service cost so glad someone's mentioned that already.

I'd recommend you go and try some on, make the most of the experience. I thought I'd want something chunky and was surprised that something more delicate suited my non-dainty wrist.

So sorry about your Grandmother, sending hugs.💐

Regarding watches, I can recommend Tag Heuer, there are lots of models & styles to choose from.
I was given one for my 40th birthday and still wear it daily, almost 30 years later. My particular model is in the “4000” series (not made now) but it was made in three size options, ladies, midi & mens. I chose the midi size because for me the ladies size was too small & dinky and the men’s size was way too big for my wrist.
Btw I wear it on my right wrist.

To get the most bang for your buck consider looking at the reconditioned market, some watches lose a lot of value really quickly so you might as well snag a bargain. Avoid Rolex as they are too recognisable and there are a lot of risks wearing one (I work in jewellery, promise I’m not scaremongering) Bulgari are nice, Patek phillipe are not too ostentatious but very good quality, most would say go for an automatic over a quartz but take in to account that servicing and repairs on an automatic are more expensive than a quartz. Look around pawnbrokers as well as the new retailers and when you decide what you like then look around to see where you can find it cheapest second hand with a warranty.
good luck

Longines every time. Luxury swiss watch, but good value.

Definitely go for a watchmaker, rather than a fashion house.

Mondaine

I am not a watch expert but I got a gift of one of these watches and it is absolutely gorgeous. It is very plain with a leather strap but so lovely, it’s very good quality. I had a lovely compliment from someone who used to live in Switzerland.

www.bonhams.com/department/WCH/watches/
Bonhams do watches in London and on-line. A wide range of prices. Vintage and modern.
If you go onto their website you can see the details. They also have results of previous sales so you can see actual hammer prices.
I have been to see them to look at an Omega Seamaster. Very helpful people indeed.

I have a Jaeger le Coultre 'Reverso'. I used to send it off, at great expense, to be serviced and fettled by a professional... until I found an excellent local jeweller who now takes care of it at a fraction of the price - and I'm talking around 95% less than I was paying to have it mucked about with by the professional.

A JLC Reverso is what I'll buy when I'm rich (IE probably never 😭)