My father died last month, and I am thinking of getting my first real nice watch from part of my inheritance to have as a keepsake to remember him by and also to have an heirloom to pass down to my family in the future.  I have been doing some research, but I have some questions and also wanted to make sure that I am not missing anything.

I am budgeting approximately $10,000 for this purchase.  I have found that I tend to prefer the way that pilot and dive watches look.  I think I want a case size at least 42mm, but, based upon the way that my 44mm apple watch looks on my wrist, I am open to larger sizes as well.  I also feel like my wife's old 36mm apple watch looks too small on my wrist.  In terms of brands, I have been looking at Omega, Breitling, Rolex, and Tudor.  I am considering both new and used watches.  I anticipate wearing the watch daily during the work week.  I generally wear dress pants and a long sleeve dress shirt to work, but I sometimes have to wear a suit.

My questions are as follows:
1)  I have largely been looking online at Jomashop, Bob's Watches, Crown and Caliber, and DavidSW to get an idea of the various options in my price range.  Are there other reputable online retailers that I should also consider?  

2)  In a similar vein, are there any go to sites for used watches that I should consider or are there any that I should avoid?  Put another way, are there sites that generally do a good job describing the condition of a used watch (including any flaws), and, conversely, are there sites that have a reputation for not accurately describing the condition.

3)  If I decide to go the authorized dealer route, there is an Omega boutique and a Breitling boutique relatively close to where I live.  If I buy a watch from a boutique, is it similar to buying a car where there is usually room to negotiate the purchase price, and, if so, is there a general rule of thumb as to how much they are willing to reduce the prices by or is there any resource (like Edmunds for cars) that I can go to get an idea of a fair price range?

4)  Are there other watch brands that I should be considering?  Obviously, there are a lot of brands that have watches that fall into the price range that I am looking at.  I do not anticipate selling the watch, so I am not necessarily concerned about resale value.  However, since I would like to pass it down in the future, I would prefer well-known or well-established brands.

5)  Finally, is there anyone that has purchased or looked for a nice watch from a retailer in the northern Virginia or Washington DC area?  If so, are there any particular stores that you would recommend?  

Thank you in advance.

Nice to have a piece that means something.

I went to the Bellagio Omega Boutique and bought a few of mine.  Not usually into "customer experience" stuff but enjoyed the process and excitement of it all.

They didnt move on pricing but may at other shops.

As far as used I would be pretty cautious as there are some extremely good fakes. Maybe worth a chance normally but in this special circumstance Id buy tried and true.

Gray market stuff seems ok too but again given circumstance I would want full experience of what watch represents vs corner cutting.

Normally i wouldnt think like that at all but I bought mine for various milestones and didnt want any reservations on them in the back of my head.

Size wise I have smaller wrists and 41mm Seamaster 300 is really a nice fit.  The 45.5mm Planet Ocean looks great too.  Should be fine anywhere in that range barring huge wrists or meathooks for hands.

Good luck and post up what you decide!

Buy a Casio.  Remember your Father with a tech/semiconductor stock purchase.  Shit was crazy today!

I am wearing a $50 watch today.  One of my favorites was $15. (I had not worn a watch for the last 15 years)  I put some Rolex watches in my Amazon wish list.  I am pretty sure wife wouldn't say a word if I bought out an entire gun store and bought a Porsche the same day, but I would be deaded if I bought a Rolex.

OP that is a healthy budget. If I was looking to spend $10K on a watch of the size you are talking about I'd probably consider a Rolex Sub (although I would look for a nice clean 5-digit older model, I am personally not a fan of the newer Subs), an Omega Speedmaster or Seamaster 300, or a Tudor of some type such as a Black Bay 58 or Pelagos 39mm (both much more affordable but cooler I think). I'd also consider a Rolex Explorer II or a Tudor Black Bay Pro. Personally, I love the smaller 36mm Explorer but many would think it small by todays standards. It is the classic size however, and not for everybody.
Sorry I have no good tips on ADs in that area, I do my best to avoid NOVA/DC these days! I can say the Rolex/Tudor AD out at Tysons, Lenkersdorfer, was decent to me last time I visited (6 mo ago), of course did not have sports watches to sell, but they were very polite. They did have Tudor stock to sell at least.
By all accounts there are more watches at Rolex ADs now, or shorter waits, so I would try some on, see what you like, and set a timeline to try and get a new one at an AD before you went gray market. You should be able to get most Omegas and Tudors without a long wait (if any) right now.

One other brand to consider: Sinn.  They make some solid pilot's watches.

You could do a Sinn pilot watch plus an Omega Seamaster 300M and be under $10k, I think.

That being said..... can't beat a Rolex for many reasons.  An heirloom watch.

Tag for a similar situation.

My dad passed last week and left me an inheritance. I'm thinking a nice watch, which will cause me to remember him when I look at it.

For a while now I've liked the Rolex Milgauss and Air King (we were both pilots).  

I was just looking at the DavidSW site that was listed in the other watch thread.

Now I've got more homework to do. Any reputable dealers you guys can recommend in Florida?

This will be an in person deal. Can't see spending that kinda coin online.

I'd recommend trying on before buying especially over 42mm unless you have a larger than average wrist. Instead of the usual subjects (Rolex, Omega, etc.) there are better watches for same or less money.

I have a Glashutte Original SEAQ which IMO is horologically better than any diver, but because the brand is still relatively unknown, their watches sell for under MSRP. Watch Teddy B's factory visit of GO and you'll see they make most parts in-house unlike Rolex and they are hand built, unlike Rolex. I have a couple Rolexes and love them, but my GO is a better watch for less money. Plus you won't get stabbed wearing it in London.

I'm sorry to hear about your father.

I would note one thing: A 44mm apple watch is not the same as a 42mm dive watch. I'd definitely suggest trying a few on to get the feel of their dimensions before buying.

FWIW, DavidSW has a brick & mortar vic Orlando, I think.

When I hear 10k budget and pilot watch I think of the IWC ‘Big Pilot’.

Attached File

IWC is actually one of the brands that I was looking at. I was not that familiar with the brand when I first started looking, but they seem to have a number of nice options in my price range.

Questions

1) not that I know of

2) not a fan of Jomashop for something that expensive, because of warranty issues

3)  Boutique will generally not negotiate
How ever Authorize Dealers, generally will
Except Rolex they will not work with you at all, but pretty much all the other brands will

4) Omega, Breitling, Panerai, Rolex, IWC

I would go new Rolex Explorer Two  model 226570  if it was me used Rolex GMT model 116710LN

If you look used with your budget of 10k depending on just how pictular you are.
You might, might be able to pull off TWO watches of the other brands if you are OK with used.



Edit: apple watch sizes, are not like real watch sizes on the wrist.  Do not judge size by them.
But 40mm - 44mm is probably where you will land

A friend of mine has one, very cool watch, you have to see it in person.


https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/watch-omega-seamaster-diver-300m-co-axial-master-chronometer-42-mm-21090422001001

10K

Submariner or Sea Dweller.  Big R retains value quite well

I'm not OP, but if the watch is going to be an heirloom to pass down to family, they probably aren't looking at resale value.

Edit: And if kids or grandkids decide to sell it, they didn't buy the watch so they didn't lose anything.

This is an advance warning that this explanation might not make much sense as I am having trouble trying to put my general idea into words:

You are correct in that the resale value is not a primary concern of mine and I hope that the watch never gets sold.  However, I am taking the resale value into consideration and not completely discounting it due to the fact that watches from the more prestigious brands seem to hold their resale value better.  Since I do not have any way of knowing whether or not my children will pay any attention to or have anything more than a cursory knowledge of watch brands, I want to purchase a watch where hopefully, even with minimal knowledge, they will hopefully realize that it is a high quality watch and want to keep it and continue to pass it down, and it seems that the two best ways to try and accomplish this is to either pick a brand that retains its resale value so that a simple search would  show that it is a good watch and/or to pick a brand that is in and stays in the public consciousness (like Omega and their Olympics sponsorship) so it is more likely that they would recognize the name.

The best hypothetical that I can come up with is a situation where I have narrowed it down to 2 specific watch brands, the Awesome Watch brand and Rolex.  The hypothetical Awesome Watch is mechanically superior to a Rolex, uses the same quality or better than Rolex for the watch, and has the same price point as a Rolex.  However, the Awesome Watch brand only puts out a handful of watches a year, and, as a result, while the brand is well known and well regarded by watch enthusiasts, the general public has virtually no knowledge of it.  If I knew that the recipients of the watch in the future would have knowledge of good watches, then it seems as though the obvious choice would be to purchase an Awesome Watch as my children would be more than likely to recognize the brand and keep the watch.  However, since I cannot know that, it seems as though the Rolex would be the better choice because it means that, even if my children do not have any knowledge of watches, they would be more than likely to recognize the brand and keep the watch.

For retaining value, get a Rolex as MOST steel sport models will hold value. Problem is you can't buy one from the dealer so you'll pay over MSRP in the gray market. If the market continues to "adjust" you're losing, but it could go back up, maybe.

However, you're right there are better watches for the same or less money that won't hold their value. If depreciation is important, buy like new preowned. I just bought a brand I never thought I could afford and will be here tomorrow. This is a great time to buy if you have the money.

I've always bought what I like and made the mistake more than a few times buying something I thought would fill my want for a certain watch. That strategy always failed and in the long run cost more.

The bottom like is buy what you like and never compromise. And tell your kids its expensive and don't throw it in the trash when you go.

Omega, Panerai, Rolex

Omega probably offers the most value for the dollar and you can get one immediately.

Try the big swiss Brands and Buy what you like : Rolex, Omega, Breitling

In that pricerange there are no really bad watches. Try as many as possible to see watch you like in on your Arms instead of render pics on the Internet.

Rolex GMT (the GMT outclasses the submariner IMO, but you can’t go wrong with a sub)
Omega Speedmaster

Timeless…. They will still look great in 50 years

Any other brand is either out of budget or isn’t guaranteed to stand the test of time.

You have two options given your requirements.  Rolex GMT or Speedy.

I'd be very tempted to go vintage Rolex from a trusted seller.  Buy the seller in this space.  Spend some cash getting it serviced or buying one that has been serviced.

Might also be worth watching the EE I’ve seen some very nice pieces from good rated sellers.

Omega Speedmaster Professional and the remaining money buy a Tudor Black Bay GMT.

I buy all my nice watches from DavidSW.  He's the absolute best!

My advice, which many may disagree with.  Once you get your wishlist of possible watches, try then all on but don't buy anything.  Then buy an homage (not a replica)  of that watch which is the same size and wear it for a few weeks.  It would suck to spend 10k and realize you dobt like how it fits on a long term basis and lose money bc of depreciation.  Or worse, feel ike you are stuck with a watch that you don't like wearing.  Also watches feel different on different bracelets/straps and different clasp sizes.  Oh ya, your wrist size changes due to temperature.  Something to consider is if the clasp has a quick adjust feature.  Good luck.

This isn’t bad advice. I’ve been lusting after a 36mm Explorer for quite some time but haven’t worn that small of a watch in many years. I recently had the chance to buy a Smiths Everest Expedition, another 36mm watch I’ve been wanting. After receiving the Smiths, I’m glad I haven’t purchased the 36mm Explorer. While I like the Smiths and will wear it occasionally, I don’t think I want 36mm for one of my primary, expensive watches.  I’ve learned the hard way I have a very specific range of sizes and weights I enjoy wearing and going forward I won’t stray outside of that range.

Yup I have lusted after a Tudor FXD but generally have not liked pass through straps on most watches because they weren't really designed to use them in my opinion and don't lay properly on the wrist. Found a knockoff on a certain website Ali******* and gave it a whirl. I like the fixed lugs and how it wears so well that I'm going with the real McCoy - once it gets the F out of Customs! Was supposed to be here Monday... then Tuesday... then Today... still waiting to clear at UPS in Louisville.

I know you bought the blue, I ordered the black... check this site out for some really awesome quality one pass straps.

I purchased a 2006, in great shape black sub from a brick and mortar jeweler for 10gs. I am extremely happy.