Looking for affordable dress wrist watches

[Edward]

I had a (fake) LV in both men's and ladies sizes; the ladies one looked better on my wrist.

Now wearing my Invicta, btw. Lovely watch so far. I could live without the engraved logo on the side of the case, but it's far from obtrusive given that I wear it on my left wrist. Loving the nylon Bond strap too. (I've stowed the bracelet in case I ever want to wear it again).

 

[Cocker]

I could live without the engraved logo on the side of the case, but it's far from obtrusive given that I wear it on my left wrist.

Ah, this is a mod I've been thinking about for some times now. A lot of people have done it apparently, filling the engraving and sanding everything to get a smooth result.

 

[Edward]

Mn, I've read about that being done, though tbh it seems a lot of hassle, unless you particularly wanted to enhance the Submariner lookalikey aspect. I've never reslly aspired to own a Rolex; for me it was more that I liked to look of that particular model, so went for something affordable that had that general look. I've owned a couple of fake Rolexes I bought for fun in China years ago, but as a rule I'd rather a "homage product" than a fake, if you follow me.

 

[UnknownSuspect]

A bit late to the party, but here's my thoughts. There could be a lot of debate centered around what constitutes a "dress" watch, and how such a watch should look, the complications it should (or should not) have. My subjective opinion on dress watches:

- should demonstrate understated classiness
- be smaller, thin and fairly inconspicuous (look for case diameters of 34-38mm, 40mm at a stretch if you are particularly tall AND well built with burly hairly arms)
- use leather straps exclusively (subjectively, brown straps go better with gold cases and black straps go with silver or white gold cases, but take your pick, bearing in mind that your skin tone may look better with either silver or gold, unless you are a neutral)
- minimum of complications (two or three-hand models with or without a small date function, no date magnifier/cyclops)
- simpler dial designs (plain, smooth, enamel or brushed surfaces with applied stick indices, bonus points for subtle or even no branding)

Going vintage is a good idea especially if you are looking for a piece with a mechanical movement (handwound or automatic) as opposed to a quartz movement. The issue with vintage is the propensity for a watch to require a service as soon as you buy it. Even if the watch doesn't gain or lose much time each day, a competent service will increase the accuracy of your watch and potentially prolong its longevity. The important thing with servicing is to use a watch maker who understands how to use original and period-correct parts, and preserving original features of the watch, particularly the dial. Some restorations overdo things and substantially alter the appearance of the watch dial, which I feel just causes the watch to lose value.

My own dress watch is a vintage Jaeger LeCoultre from the 1970s, thin, silver 33mm diameter case, 2 hands, no date, stick hour indices, tiny branding on the dial, handwound mechanical movement. It was fairly inexpensive considering the ginormous sums of money a watch can command. As mentioned by others, many options do exist. Grand Seiko models are stunning, fairly under-appreciated by the general public, yet are of fantastic quality. For the price of a brand new Grand Seiko, one may be able to procure a second-hand Rolex.

Again it's going to be a huge debate about which of those two is better. The thing in favour of Rolex is their massive fanbase, which means resale value is good. One could literally buy a second hand Rolex, and "rent" it for next to nothing for years, and then onsell it to the next person for as much, if not more than what they paid for it. I do feel however that most of the Rolex watches (ie. steel or gold cases and bracelets with their relatively large dials and indices) on people's minds are really sports watches, better off worn with chinos and a blazer, or a casual jacket and jeans, at the beach, or even better, while on an adventure.

On the topic of Rolex, I do like their solid and utilitarian feel, their robust movements, and in many cases their timeless designs. Quite a few of the older models in particular are great tool watches, with smaller designs and features that arguably make them more versatile. In the 9 years that I've had it, I've never hesitated to wear my polar Explorer II while engaging in almost any activity from gardening, to digging for shellfish in the sand, and with aforementioned blazer and chino pants to a cafe. It would fit in with a suit in a pinch, but I'd rather use something more subtle.

If you are looking for an affordable dress quartz watch, some could be found at your local popup shops if you are lucky. Shop smart and know what you are looking for. Alternatively look at Linjer watches. I recently bought one for my wife and they look and feel like a good watch for the money. They sport a minimalist yet contemporary design that wouldn't look out of place at all with a suit, yet the appearance doesn't go as far as a hardcore "dress" watch that only goes with black or white tie attire!

 

[Edward]

For black tie, I like a watch with as simple a functionality and dial as possible (true for any watch for me, really), black leather strap, silvertone case. With white tie, I stick exclusively to a pocketwatch.

 

[HudsonHawk]

They sport a minimalist yet contemporary design that wouldn't look out of place at all with a suit, yet the appearance doesn't go as far as a hardcore "dress" watch that only goes with black or white tie attire!

For me, no wristwatch "goes with" black or white tie. All appear equally gauche.