This topic is often mentioned about when hang out with my friends, my below reference has nothing to do about the brand culture and spirit, you may look it as a guide to non-professional folks, simply from the cost-effectively aspect.
For a majority of middle class, the purchase of luxury goods, certainly within your own economic ability, you may lean toward to the more advanced timepieces, cause many entry-level watches, though the price is much more accessible, but after a certain time period of wearing, you may find its gradually exposing shortcomings and lose interests to it.
For example, a phenomenon shows on many men when come to buying watches, their conception of buy watches often comes step by step in an increasing price order:
First step: a watch may purchase in college, with price about $300 to $800
Second step: after one or two years of work, they start to show interest to some moderately famous watch brands, a watch about $1000-$3000, brand like Longines, Tudor.
Third step: as the growing savings in their bank account, they may turn their preference to watch brand like Omega and Iwc.
Fifth step: Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, the similar world top class watches.
The last step: should be something about tearing down watches, discussing complicated functions, like minute repeater, tourbillion.
But think it twice, your first three watches are more likely to be wasted because majority of the watches can’t keep their value well. while watches buy after the third piece, apart from some few models of Rolex, the rest more usually can be seen are quartz or ETA, SELITA movements no matter from the brands of Longines, Channel, Bulgari, Tudor and a variety of other middle class brands, remember no matter how exquisite and delicate modifications and polishing they claim they have made to the watches, actually the most basic and essential heart of the watch is the $100 -$200 movement like ETA 2824, so if you have higher pursuit to the watches, don’t waste the money on these things.
But please note that I’m not saying the ETA or SELITA is bad, just the case it’s not cost-effective when the maker add some modification and put a case on it, they would charge you 10 times higher than the movement. In my own opinion, 6R15 movement of Seiko somehow is on par with 2824, but the price of the watches in these two movements varies a lot.
The same situation also shows in ETA 2892, the higher class watches are mostly having this movement, but in fact, a blank 2892 movement only sold about $200, don’t say the polishing brushing or adjustment the maker has modified. Once you open its case, the polishing is indeed better, but not far away better, still don’t worth the price.
So my advice is for some young men, if you have any thoughts on luxury watches, I high recommend you: control your impulse, learn more about watches, read and read, go forward to the fourth piece, otherwise, you just need to pay tuition fee to entry the watch world.
Young but don’t have enough cash for watches, why not buy a Seiko or citizen automatic instead, when you have the spare money in hand, Glashutte, Rolex, are a nicely choice to go for.
For the men having the economic ability, go for the watch with minute repeater or perpetual calendar watch, don’t waste your money on moon phase, another option in-house movement also a good choice.
