We are often intimidated by the things we find beautiful. Like some watches, for example. When we find something that catches our eye, and it seems like out of our reach, we won’t even bother to Google for the price, or enter the store and ask for information. We just move on.
The watches on this list aren’t priced as highly as their looks might suggest. Or to put it another way, they’re friendlier than you think they are. Our buddy Sieg Suarez put this list together. While he likes to feature the watches VIPs wear in his Instagram page @watch_mnl, one of his other goals for the account is to educate its audiences about watches. The more you know, after all, the less intimidated you are. With knowledge comes power.
Sieg says his ground rules for this selection are: a) he only considered brand new watches, b) he purposely didn’t look at designer/fashion watches in the making of the list, and c) “These watches don’t only look more expensive than they are, but also, all these brands have solid backgrounds in watchmaking,” says Sieg, a lawyer and longtime watch connoisseur. “You are assured that all these are of high quality.”
So here they are: 10 of the newest watches in the market that look more expensive than they really are:
1. Tissot PRX Powermatic 80
Case: 40mm
Movement: Automatic, up to 80hrs power reserve
Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100m
SRP: SGD $950 or +/- P35,000 (available by Q3 2021)
Sieg’s notes: “Personally, I love this Tissot the most. It looks like the more expensive unibody watches- Audemars Royal Oak, Zenith Defy, Vacheron Constantin Overseas, etc. But you get top notch everything here for a fraction of the price. The quartz version is available already at $375. That is a bargain if you are not looking for a mechanical movement.”
2. Seiko 5 Sports SNZH57
Case: 45mm
Movement: Automatic, up to 43hrs power reserve
Material: Stainless Steel
Water resistance: 100m
SRP: P10,100
Sieg’s notes: “You will never go wrong with Seiko. It’s a watch brand which every collector should have. In terms of total package (quality, reliability, utility, longevity, brand heritage) for the price, Seiko really delivers.”
3. Longines Presence L4.790.4.11.2
Case: 38.50mm
Movement: Quartz
Material: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
SRP: CHF750 or +/-P40,000
4. Tudor Black Bay 36 M79500-0004
Case: 36mm
Movement: Automatic, up to 38hrs power reserve
Material: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
SRP: P146,500
Sieg’s notes: “Tudor is also owned by Rolex. Every Tudor is created with very high standards. In a Tudor, you can get a high quality Swiss timepiece for a relatively low price. The quality, brand heritage, and reliability are complete in every Tudor piece. Not to mention, in the past ten years, Tudor has really released aesthetically beautiful pieces which have shades of Rolex but at the same time, completely unique.
“For your reference, in terms of the looks department, this particular model can be compared to a Rolex Explorer 36mm. The Tudor Black Bay Chrono can be compared to the Rolex Daytona. The Tudor Black Bay GMT can be compared to the Rolex GMT-Master.”
5. Laco Pilot Watch Original Memmingen
Case: 42mm
Movement: Handwound
Material: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
SRP: $1,190 or +/-P58,000
Notes: “Laco may be a lesser-known watch brand but it has a rich history. During World War II, it was one of the five manufacturers for the German Luftwaffe (German Air Force) together with more known brands IWC and A. Lange & Sohne. The two other brands are Stowa and Wempe. Like IWC, Laco made high quality pilot’s watches.
6. Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical
Case: 38mm
Movement: Handwound, up to 80hrs power reserve
Material: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
SRP: $495 or +/-P24,000
7. Seiko Presage SRPC83J1
Case: 40mm
Movement: Automatic, up to 41hrs power reserve
Material: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
SRP: P23,400
8. Citizen Corso (BM7193-07B)
Case: 40mm
Movement: Eco-Drive (Solar)
Material: Rose Gold Tone (Stainless Steel)
Crystal: Mineral
SRP: $250 or P12,500
Sieg’s notes: The Citizen Eco-Drive uses light as the watch’s energy. According to the Citizen, this model, like the other Eco-Drive models, never needs a battery.
9. Orient Mechanical Classic Watch (AC00005W)
Case: 40.5mm
Movement: Handwound
Material: Stainless Steel
SRP: P12,000-P15,000
10. Timex Navi XL Automatic 41mm
Case: 41mm
Movement: Automatic, up to 40hrs power reserve
Material: Stainless Steel with Mesh bracelet
Crystal: Mineral
SRP: $269 or +/- P13,000.
Photos from the official websites and online shops. Follow @watch_mnl on Instagram by clicking this link.