Need advice for first luxury piece

[PhantomThief]

Hey there guys, I'm new around these parts although I've been on WUS and SCWF for a while now. Always been lurking here, but felt it's time to get some advice from the local sifus.

Basically, I need a little help to decide on my first luxury Swiss watch. I'm in my late 20s and I just got a promotion recently, and would like to get something nice to commemorate the occasion. I'm not a wealthy person, nor am I from a wealthy family, so this could be considered a pretty big purchase for me. I'm planning (or at least hoping) to get a watch that I will be able to pass down to future generations.

I am currently in possession of an Orient M-Force air diver, a Citizen Excalibur, and a bunch of vintage Seikos (Lord Matic, Lord Marvel, 6139 chronos). My only Swiss piece is a vintage Longines Conquest from the 70s that I managed to get NIB a few years ago and a second hand Hamilton Khaki from the late 80s.

My budget for now is a maximum of 15k, but the lower the better. Taste wise, I'm a big fan of dive watches, and although many would consider it to be a fashion faux pas, I feel that the modern dive watch can be worn for nearly any occasion. So that adds to the appeal, as hopefully it would be the one watch that I could wear for nearly any occasion.

Having done some research, I was quite set on getting the Tudor Heritage Black Bay Dark, the previous generation with the ETA 2824 movement. Why? Well, there were a few reasons. Firstly, it is a classic design, and I'm a sucker for vintage watches. I felt that the design was something that would be able to stand the test of time, and that it'll look just as good 30 years from now, in the same way that the vintage pieces it was inspired by still look good since 30 years ago.

Secondly, although some complain that it's not an in-house movement, I personally feel a Top grade 2824, modified and tweaked by Rolex/Tudor provides for an excellent engine in terms of accuracy, reliability, and most importantly, future cost of service. I won't have a headache when it finally needs a service, because I could send it to my local watchmaker with confidence considering that it is just the humble 2824. No proprietary parts to worry about.

And finally, I also felt that it was almost a kind of limited edition, considering that it was in production for only a few months before they released the new models with their in-house Tudor movements and stopped the production of the "old" models. And to top it all off, I honestly feel the previous model captures the vintage spirit with the curved "Rotor Self Winding" print as compared to the new straight chronometer printing. And that's not even mentioning the gorgeous Tudor rose logo as compared to the new shield logo.

So having thought all that, I was pretty much prepared to go and get a Tudor, when I decided to go and ask for my local watchmaker's opinion. He didn't quite agree with me, and felt that Tudor was asking for way too much given the ETA movement. He also said that Tudor wouldn't hold it's value, and that I would be better off looking at a second hand Omega or Rolex at that price point.

Long story short, I've got my doubts. What do you guys think I should get? A brand new Tudor Black Bay, or a second hand Rolex/Omega?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[D'Andy]

I would chip in my 2 sen's worth here, since the brands that you mentioned held value to my heart.

A Rolex would always hold its value well, no doubt about that and with RM15k on hand, you could well hunt for a nice pre-owned 14060M (may need to top-up some given the depreciated MYR of today). Alternatively, a pre-owned Omega PO could be gotten for your budget too. Point to note was that you may need to allocate circa RM2k for overhaul servicing if the pre-owned watches had seen sufficient wear-and-tear over years of usage (general recommendation would be servicing for watches 5 years and above, although the Rolex and Omega movements were typically workhorses that should have no issues working fine a decade or more).



Since you mentioned about a piece that you liked to keep and pass on to your children, then I would suggest that buying new was the way to go. This way, all the battle scars made would be yours to make; and would have more sentimental values for your future generation. Tudor is a great brand, although many would argue that it was the step-brother of Rolex and only had hand-me-down technology. But I beg to differ. I had the Black Bay Burgundy and Pelagos 2-liner; and I would consider both these Tudor watches with top-grade ETA 2824-2 as very value-for-monies watches that performed well as daily-beaters. It depends on whether you need the date consideration, really. If you like vintage and needn't the date complication, buy the Black Bay. If you like the modern classic looks of the Pelagos, just park your monies there. Either way, you would walked away as the winner.





Do share with us on your final decision, mate! 

[PhantomThief]

I think you've summed up my thoughts pretty well. Rolex is always a safe bet. They're reliable, prestigious and they hold their value well. To me, the only downside to me is that I don't quite feel like it's time for me to wear a Rolex yet, if that makes sense. Almost like I'm too young, and not successful enough to join that club. I was also thinking that something like the older Explorer II, the 16570 would probably the closer to my budget.

As for the Omega, quite frankly I love the Omega Planet Ocean. But my concern with the Omega is whether or not it will be a beautiful piece in the future, as well as the movement. I know the 2500 was pretty much an ETA 2924 modified to have a coaxial escapement, so I would prefer the 8500, but then service costs and reliability could be an issue in the future.

I really do love the Tudor though. Both the Pelagos and Black Bay, although the BB fits my small wrists better. Out of curiosity, what's the street price for the ETA Tudor nowadays, considering that the new generation is out.

I think the conclusion here is that, whatever I pick, I don't think I'll go wrong

[psychokandy]

Go for what your heart wants. I have both Tudor BB and Rolex SubC and loved them very much. Somehow in Malaysia and Singapore majority of ppl will think Tudor is not a very good brand. There was once my colleague thought my Black Bay was a Tissot. My BB has been a year and running consistently at +6spd. I think this is within Chronometer spec. 

[RRL]

My view...you can start with Tudor then graduate to Rolex, that's your choice.

I was thinking of getting a Tag 4 years back, then I thought by just adding a couple more thousands (like RM10,000 more), I could get myself a GMTII. That's exactly what I did.

I would suggest you go straight to a Rolex. A pre-owned 14060M would be good start and they keep good value. Few years later, if you fancy an upgrade, you could sell it and get a more expensive one.

[elado249]

My opinion is just take watches dat capture ur heart, something that gives u the special feeling. Then you will realize that its a good worth purchase. Sometimes we going to feel a bit of regret after bought a watch. But if you'd have that special feeling for it, it will never burdens you. Unless if you r a rich guy, doesn't care how much money you spent on watches.

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[mike]

nothing wrong with an eta. much more reliable than the in house movement i would say.
if you have no plans selling it why bother about the value?
black bay is a pretty good choice.
if u like it why not

[elado249]

nothing wrong with an eta. much more reliable than the in house movement i would say.
if you have no plans selling it why bother about the value?
black bay is a pretty good choice.
if u like it why not

Some into movements.. So in house will b a big thing.. But yes, eta is awesome

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[dualcarb]

I do believe that if it's a watch that you would like to keep for future generations, then brand new is the way to go. But it does not have to be now. I held off buying a brand new Rolex till my first child was born. And the second one when number two was born. This makes it more meaningful, being a birth year watch for your kids.

So my two cents for now would be to get a used 14060 for your budget. Then flip when you are ready to go BNIB.

Good luck/Patrick

[dannyojw]

love at 1st sight? YES? NO? maybe pick those that have chemistry with