classic woman's watch - £500 budget

[daisyj]

I'd like to buy an good watch that will be elegant enough for evening but practical enough for day wear. I have a budget of around £500. I've never had a really good watch, but would like to use some money from an inheritance to buy something pretty that will remind me of my grandfather when I look at it.

If I'm spending more than cheap-high-street money I usually like to go for slightly more unusual small 'boutique' brands, rather than giving money to big companies that don't need it, although I'm open to all suggestions.

Any thoughts?

a good watch.

a classic woman- or a woman's classic?
ebel, omega, tag?

Where are you able to buy an Omega for £500, PP?

I would go for something like this

or this if you can go a wee bit higher in your budget.

£660

I would avoid the (imo) overpriced watches from designers such as Gucci, Marc Jacobs etc. They all have the same works as the Seikos for £200, just better marketing.

Second Longines. Had one for now almost 10 years. Have worn it every day and I still love it!

I have a Rotary which I love.

Small face, thin strap.
Very elegant.
As much a piece of jewelry as a watch.

ML- I agree you'd have to go higher- mine was £850 but I have seen the same watch for £1k- depends if you can do d eal with the suppliers. Not impossible in these economic times.

seiko, tissot and pulsar are all good too.

most expensive watch i ever had cost less than £50. Was perfectly adequate for everyday use, but also quite pretty.
Am at anyone having £500 watch budget!!

Don´t worry, humpty-I´ve never had a 500GBP watch budget.

Actually, the watches in the links look enormous & like men´s watches to me

I have a Hamilton Boulton watch - it's the same as the one Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffanys (it's a man's watch but is slim)- had it 12 years, just as perfect as the day it was bought.

Think it was about £400ish - in America as American brand.

this is a slightly newer version, more rounded edges

I have this Raymond Weil classic. I absolutely love it. Nice for day and evening, and looks really lovely with my platinum and diamond rings too. I think the photo makes it look a bit 'practical' and large, but it is actually quite pretty on.

I would definitely look at the classic Swiss brands for the type of thing you describe. Other brands do tend to be more showy and trend-based.

If you want something more special then do check out vintage watches. I bought a 1953 Gerard Perregaux at a car boot sale of all places, for just £50.

Ladies vintage watches go for a fraction of the price of mens watches.

Gosh Omegas have gone up a lot - I have one from ages ago that DH bought me that is now over £1000 but I'm sure was a lot less when I got mine!

Thanks so much for the excellent ideas and links everyone (and particularly to purplepeony both for pointing out my ambiguous grammar and suggesting doing a deal - sounds like a good idea).

Mme Lindt I never manage to find deals like that, that's brilliant. I probably don't have the patience though, but I did see that Watches of Switzerland do some good deals on reconditioned watches, which might be a good alternative.

ponymum - that's lovely.

Laurie - I'd never heard of Hamilton Boulton - that looks really nice, too.

And as for and , I can't quite believe I'm contemplating it either, but I thought it might be a nice grown-up thing to spend some of it on before the rest disappears into the black hole that is my bank account .

I have a gucci watch which was bought for my 21st birthday by my DH and I have worn every day since that day. It is beautiful, silver and comes in a small size (which is great for me....) and I have replaced the battery about twice, had the clasp replaced once (the aftersales people at Gucci are second to none - you get your newly repaired watch send in a beautiful box, tissue paper, ribbons.....

Mine was around £500 bought new, and the new versions of mine I think are still a similar price.

I think this is the new version of mine
www.gucci.com/uk/uk-english/uk/spring-summer-10/timepieces/#0-1145975-237932I16G08477 but mine is alot simpler than the one on that link....I get comments all the time about how understated, elegant and beautiful it is.

I am 33 this year BTW - so my Gucci watch has lasted nearly 12 years and still going strong (I can call it 'vintage' soon lol) and even being worn every day it hardly has a mark on it.

Jewelsandgems-your watch is a mere baby!
Have have my rotary 25yrs!