r/Watches

My Fiance has very kindly told me that she'd like to get me an engagement watch, as she knows I love watches but don't have any real nice ones. I've always been completely taken by the Alpinist, but I really really love the Murph as well. My current watches are VERY meager, an armitron and a moonswatch (pictured), so this would be pretty much a daily driver / anything watch. I'd obviously hope that whatever I go with lasts forever, and is something I can always have / pass down if the time comes. With the newest iterations of the Alpinist and Murph, does one stand above the other in quality or build? I'm not even versed in watches well enough to know if wearing one of these in certain situations would stand out as wrong (ie. as a "dressy" watch). I spend a ton of time outdoors as well so hopefully whatever I pick will stand up to that, getting wet, etc. I plan one day to get a Longines Master Moonphase (but that's MUCH further down the road) as my real nice / dress watch, but I'm torn on which to go with for now. Any input is appreciated!

I know this is an extremely difficult task to do, but I have seen some crazy identifications on this app and thought I’d try. He is on the right and this was taken in the Second World War. (1939-1945 era)

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hey everyone! This is my first Mido, and I love it. It’s kinda heavy compared to what I’m used to, but overall it feels great. The 80-hour power reserve is really cool, and I’m loving the design, finishing, and the way it wears on my wrist. Definitely happy with it so far!

For context, I’ve been buying and selling on eBay since 2004. Dozens of watches and easily thousands of other items over 22 years, and eBay has been incredible the entire time. Their dispute process actually works, and honestly most sellers have been great to deal with too. In all those years I never once had anything close to what happened to me the ONE time I used Chrono24.

I bought a Sinn 356 listed as a “very good” 2022 example. When it showed up there was a hair and smudges visibly trapped UNDER the crystal, not on the outside where I could clean it. That means the case had been opened at some point. I documented all of it with photos and video.

The seller never once directly addressed the debris inside the watch. Every single reply just pointed back to the “very good, not excellent” wording in the listing, like that somehow covers a hair sealed inside the case. I kept raising the actual issue and they kept diverting to policy. Their only “resolution” was a small concession and then a return on my dime.

So here’s where Chrono24 left me. There was basically no buyer protection that actually forced the seller to do anything. To send it back I had to eat about $300 in return shipping and insurance out of my own pocket, on a watch that wasn’t accurately represented in the first place. And it’s not over. I paid $270 in import duties bringing it in, and now that the watch went back I’m stuck fighting DHL to try and recover that.

I stayed polite and factual with the seller the entire way through, and I have every message to prove it. Here’s the honest 1-star review I submitted on Chrono24. Judge for yourself how unreasonable it is:

★☆☆☆☆
The Sinn 356 was listed in “Very Good” condition. When it arrived, I found a hair and multiple smudges trapped under the crystal, not on the exterior glass, which I’d already cleaned, but inside the case. That’s not a subjective cosmetic quibble; it’s debris that shouldn’t be inside a watch a professional dealer has represented and priced as a clean example.
I sent high-resolution photos and a video clearly showing the hair and smudges beneath the crystal. The seller never once addressed them. Every reply deflected back to the “very good, not excellent” wording in the listing, which says nothing about contamination inside the case. When I pressed, I was asked not to portray the watch as being in worse condition than it actually is, despite the evidence in front of them. The messages read as generic and templated, and my central concern went unanswered through the entire exchange.
The only resolution offered was a €50 concession, then a return at my own expense. Sending the watch back cost me over $300 in international shipping and insurance, plus a long drive to a DHL partner and weeks of back-and-forth, all to return a watch that was not accurately represented. The set was also short of a complete example: a non-original strap, a brushed rather than bead-blasted buckle, no strap-changing tool, and a heavily worn box shedding material inside.
On Chrono24’s buyer protection: the mediation amounted to being told the seller wasn’t willing to do anything. If you’re counting on the platform to step in when a seller won’t acknowledge an obvious defect, in my case it didn’t. My advice, don’t rely on the written condition description alone. Ask for high-resolution photos from every angle and in multiple lighting conditions, including close-ups of the crystal, dial, hands, and case.

Here’s the part that really tells you what Chrono24 is about. I submitted that review three weeks after everything went down. It’s now been another three weeks and it still has not been posted. Six weeks total and it’s nowhere to be found, while this seller keeps his shiny “top” seller badge. They are clearly protecting their high-volume sellers and burying anything that makes them look bad. Zero integrity.

The cherry on top: Chrono24’s idea of making it right was a $150 credit toward my NEXT watch purchase on their platform. No thanks. There won’t be a next time.

Maybe the bad watch was just bad luck. But burying my review is a choice. After 22 years on eBay without a single experience like this, I’ll never deal on Chrono24 again.

A few things I learned the hard way:

**•**	Do not assume “buyer protection” means the platform will make a seller fix anything. Read exactly what’s actually guaranteed.  
**•**	Find out who eats return shipping BEFORE you buy, especially on international orders.  
**•**	Understand that import duties may not come back easily if you return the item.  
**•**	Save every photo, video, and message from the moment the package arrives.

Happy to post screenshots of the full seller exchange in the comments if anyone wants to see how it played out.

Decided to go with the summer blue. Looked at the traditional blue, silver and bond 60. Loved them all, but only one for now. Finally got myself an Omega. Up next going to be looking at the Speedy Darkside possibly. 🫠

Timex is putting out some serious heat 🔥

What I find interesting is that several of their newer watches seem to reference very recognizable luxury watches.

A few examples that caught my attention:

Timex Deepwater Meridian → Omega Seamaster
Blue dive bezel, wave-pattern dial, big lume plots, date magnifier, serious tool-watch look. Obviously not a Seamaster, but I definitely see some of that late-’90s/2000s Seamaster DNA.

Timex Automatic E Line → Patek Philippe Nautilus
Integrated bracelet, rounded-square case/bezel, horizontal blue dial. The Nautilus influence seems pretty obvious, but Timex has made it its own thing at a completely different price point.

Timex Deepwater GMT → Rolex GMT-Master II
24-hour bezel, jubilee-style bracelet, cyclops, GMT hand, familiar overall layout. Again, definitely not a Batman, but it scratches some of the same aesthetic itch.

And that’s what has me thinking:
Can I basically build the affordable version of my grail collection with Timex? 😂

Instead of:
Omega Seamaster
Patek Nautilus
Rolex GMT-Master II

I could have:
Timex Deepwater Meridian
Timex E Line Automatic
Timex Deepwater GMT

Obviously I’m not pretending these are substitutes in terms of movement, finishing, heritage, materials, resale value, etc. A $200–500 Timex isn’t magically a $10k–$100k luxury watch.

But purely from a design and collecting perspective, I kind of love the idea.

Between the Deepwater, E Line, Marlin, Q, Waterbury, etc., there’s actually a pretty interesting enthusiast collection you could build within one brand.

So I’m curious…

Are these good affordable interpretations of classic watch designs, or is Timex getting too close to homage territory?

And if you had ~$1,000 to build a 3–4 watch Timex collection, what would you pick?

Hello dear watch lovers!
Need some help choosing a new everyday timepiece.
My current rotation is a Christopher Ward C65, a Citizen Eco-Drive, and a CasiOak, and I’m looking to reshape the collection a little and add something new.
Out of everything I’ve tried, the Seiko and the Longines HydroConquest felt the best, both in photos and especially on the wrist. What do you think makes these two work better for me?
I’m not a huge fan of the Murph and DV, but I attached a photo of it as well for comparison.

This took a while to track down. Now that I have it, I love it even more. Omega Seamaster 120, ref 166.0251 Baby Ploprof. This has service hands, but the rest is all original. Love the integrated bracelet and 39mm size. From what I’ve read, this was maybe the first integrated bracelet? Would love a fact check on that.

Just checking before i pull the trigger at $330 at jomashop

Citizen has one, but my collection needs a more sporty look.

The Orient has one? But they seem to be discontinued or no longer easily found? The face didn't seem radiant based on light like the Seiko.

What else? I think this is as good as it gets, considering the SSK series is already popular orange or not.

Please share, thanks.

I have a selection of sports watches but none that could be called dress pieces. I don't need a dress watch a lot. I can get by with my sports watches or none at the end of the day but i would like to upgrade my options a bit. I really like dressy watches and love the fact they can be upgraded or downgraded with different straps.

So i checked the market (used mostly) and picked three watches i really like. Two of them can't be seen anywhere unfortunately. My wrist is 17cm so i'm picking watches that can do casual easily but can also work as a dress watch if needed and hang their own in my collection.

1. JLC Geographic Sector. A prominent brand, great looking, non boring dial setup and fine size at 39mm and 11.6mm thick. I can see this one in any setting really, looks great on different straps.

2. Omega CK859. Another sector dial (yeah, i like them). A bit more boring, a bit less versatile maybe and people say it wears bigger than dimensions say (practically the same as JLC, just a bit thicker).

3. Cartier Santos Medium. Most polished, shiny (too much..?), prone to scratches. But i do love roman numerals, size is fine, strap changes are easy (but expensive). Maybe even too dressy.

I've added photos too. What do you say? First two need to be bought used. Cartier can be bought used or new.

I’ve been shopping around for my next big purchase for over a year with several top choices from many big brands and came very close to pulling the trigger on some of them.. until I saw this gorgeous new Longines release! It’s everything I was looking for in one package. Goes to show that patience is a virtue when watch collecting, and now I can finally relax 😆.

The dial is the kind you have to see in person to believe. I’m lucky to have a Longines boutique near me and they had it in stock. If you have the chance to try it on in person you should for sure.

Went with the Super Squale and was able to get it right under $1000 using Chrono which was a great experience for it being my first time. Planning on it being my daily driver for at least 12 months before I even consider another one. Not sure “how I did” but super excited regardless.
Feels good to have a nice (to me) watch finally!

Got into watches a few months ago and I’ve started to find my own taste. After picking up a few solid pieces for under $1000, I decided to finally pull the trigger on something luxury for myself.

Work has been super intense lately but I’ve been performing well and getting good feedback, so I felt excited to buy this awesome watch from an AD at a great discount.

I’ve also realized I’m definitely a sucker for impressive tech and movements. The fact that this 403 caliber has 120 hours of reserve and very little deviation was a key reason why I got it.

I have noticed I’m losing around 10s a day, going to wear it for a week and then see. Also I have the oris steel bracelet on order!

Hi all, long-time lurker and all that.

**Edit up front: I mean that the collection started modest, not that it still is**

I have had an appreciation for watches for some time, but I didn't grow up with money or around people with money, so it has taken a while for me to allow myself to buy more than a 50-dollar casio. Anyway, after kicking it all off with a Sangin Neptune in 2021, I caught a dangerous bug that has led to this small cache of watches (and a couple of cheaper models in storage while I'm overseas).

I have recently gotten more serious about curating an effective/useful collection, and have shaped those decisions around my tastes. Still a good couple of watches that I really want to add, but I'm still not quite wealthy enough to go out and secure everything at once (nor would I want to -- I like taking my time with them).

Hope you appreciate the gang; I really am only posting them so that I no longer have to bore my wife to death with watch talk.

Hello beautiful community,

Wanted to share my humble and beloved collection with you all. Every watch represents something to me, and I’m not an impulsive buyer. I put a lot of thought and time before pulling the trigger.

I’ll give you a summary, in chronological order:

1. Timex Weekender Chronograph (2017): My dear blue watch that has been with me daily back then, in many adventures, as my only watch, before watches became an obsession.

2. Victorinox INOX (2018): Another quartz tank, built to last (went through 120 tests of resistance as a tribute to 120 years of the brand). This holds a special place in my heart since it was a birthday gift from my parents. Heavily worn for years.

3. Seiko 5 SNK803K2 (2019): My very first Automatic watch. Gave me a different perspective on watches since it’s a) purpose built (field), b) mechanic, and c) only 37mm. I love it more and more as time goes by.

4. Laco Augsburg 42 (2022): At this point I still have limited budget but a deep interest in the horological world. I found this pilot watch from a brand that has more history than it’s credited for. It’s a fantastic daily beater, easy to set, easy to read, no non-sense. I still love to wear it.

5. Omega Seamaster SMP300 (2022): Here things got really serious. I just moved to Europe, over-performed at my job, and became 30 years old. At the end of the year, on my way back home (Brazil), I stopped at Gassan (Schipol airport), aiming to get a BlackBay 58. But I tried this on and I was just drawn to it, hypnotised… so I had to pull the trigger. It was my most expensive purchase ever, my legs were shaking. I remember having a beer and 3 glasses of Makers Mark after to calm down, and I couldn’t stop smiling! This is my pride and joy and wouldn’t change it for anything. I enjoy every single minute it’s on my wrist.

6. Unimatic UC2 (2025): By now I’m deep into watches, and micro brands are really growing on me. I went to Milano and had to stop by the Unimatic boutique. I went there because I wanted my first GMT, the UT4. But once I tried this one I just couldn’t resist its robust yet minimalistic and timeless design - I got it. And I LOVE it. Perfect for daily use in any circumstance. It just works.

7. Omega Railmaster Blue Denim(2026): my latest purchase. After looking around for a long time for something with an outstanding movement, well proportioned, discrete, and unique, I found this piece to be the perfect intersection of all of that. Fully brushed, unique dial, co-axial movement, and honestly, I’ve never seen and don’t know anyone who owns one, which attracts me. It’s an understated watch. I must say that the lack of microadjustment is definitely something that bothers me since it’s an amazing feature from my SMP300 that ensures I always have the best fit. But I like it… it’s growing on me as time goes by.

What is next?
Well, I’m torn between a Speedy(to complete my omega Trilogy) and an Explorer II 16570 Polar dial to satisfy both my wish for a GMT and a white dial. I appreciate your opinion if you’d like to share.

Thank you so much for reading!

P.S.: My wrist size is 18,5cm

I am looking to add a diver watch to my collection. I've ordered 2 Vaers: a DS2 Navy and a DS4 Solar Black. Both 42mm

Which one would you keep? I already have a blue/gold Marlin GMT, but blue is also a predominant color in my wardrobe

Let me know what you think!

Curious what people think…... Daniel Mink is definitely an obscure brand, but it’s Swiss made and uses the Valjoux 7750 movement. I actually don’t hate it. Apparently they were a thing about 20 years ago?

Anyone familiar with Daniel Mink or have any thoughts on it? It was a family members and I’ve been into watches for a while, but this is a new one.

I own Tudor, Sinn, Seiko, Omega….and now Mink?

My parents surprised me with the recently released Seiko 5 Sport Field GMT as a gift for graduating with a degree. I love the “desert sand” colour of the dial, and the size is just right for my small wrist. The GMT fuction is also pretty cool, as this is my first ever GMT watch + I also appreciate the small 24 hour numerals next to the regular hour numerals. It’s a really beautiful watch and a meaningful gift. Will forever cherish it!!