By Jovan Krstevski
As the holidays get near so do our plans and as for me, nothing beats the fun of buying gifts for loved ones with a unique and timeless timepiece. Of course, I know how hard it is to look for the perfect timepiece especially when there are other things involved. So without any further ado, the following is a list of great timepieces that you can have for $2,000 or less.
Group 1. $2,000 and under
Oris Divers Sixty-Five ref. 01 733 7707 4064-07 5 20 24
This divers watch is made of stainless steel giving it that extra toughness. Of course, what makes it truly stands out is the Oris calibre 733 based on Sellita SW200 movement. The unidirectional bezel provides a breezy operation which looks quite subtle over the polished 40mm case and the sporty black textile strap. If you like classic timepieces, you won’t a mistake on this one since the dial is pretty much a reminiscence of the 60s. Think about squared numbers and baton hour markers which are fully equipped with SuperLumiNova plus they have Light Old Radium type patina which we only see on Omega watches. oris.ch
Price: US $1,650
Longines Heritage Military COSD
This is another timepiece with a classic take and a patriotic one. Its design is solely inspired by the 1940s Longines special watch for the British paratroopers so I’m pretty much not complaining at all considering its user friendliness, utmost clarity and, of course, fashion. This may look vintage, but its inner works are certainly not. The movement is based on ETA 2892-A2 sporting a date feature which was missing on the original watch. It can last for 42 hours which is more than enough in today’s standards. The dial is simply fascinating though which is available in black or beige. longines.com
Price: US $1,650
Hamilton Pan Europ H35405741
Another Swiss classic is the Hamilton Timeless Classic Pan Europ with a bursting automatic movement capable of reaching up to 80 hours from a single manual winding. If you are into trendy timepieces, this one packs more than a punch considering its colorful combinations such as bluish bezel on top of a polished stainless steel case and a dial sporting a bluish hue we commonly see on divers watches such as Seiko divers watches. The design elements are edgy making you stand out in the crowd. As for time telling, it is, of course, precise and very neat sporting complete calendar at the 3 o’clock. hamiltonwatch.com
Price: US $1,195
TAG Heuer Connected
Perhaps you’ve heard about smart watches but nothing like an smartwatch with a delightful twist. Yes, my friends, TAG Heuer is definitely joining the foray of smartwatch makers armed with its master craftsmanship when it comes to design elements. With the TAG Heuer Connected, expect a case made of titanium which is known for its utmost durability which is nowhere found in today’s smartwatches. It is powered by a powerful dual-core Intel Atom processor running on Android Wear operating system and syncs with both Android 4.3 or later and iOS 8.2 or later. It provides not only timekeeping but other stuff as well which is pretty sweet. tagheuer.com
Price: US $1,500
Seiko Prospex Marinemaster 300m SBDX001
I have always been fascinated by Seiko divers watches mainly because of their durability and, of course, design. The Seiko Prospex Marinemaster Professional 300M Automatic Diver watch is not an exemption. Definitely made for professional divers who can dive as deep as 300 meters. This watch survives that depth through its 44 mm single piece structure stainless steel case. That’s a pretty clever way of housing its self-winding in-house Caliber 8L35 yielding 50 hours of power reserve. Plus its dial is also very practical sporting Lumibrite coated hands and hour markers for maximum visibility. Its crystal is also made of a dual-curved Hardlex with non-reflective upper coating. seikowatches.com
Price: US $2,000
Group 2. $2,000 – $4,000
The following is a little bump in our selection but don’t notice the price yet, it’s the materials that make them valuable and, of course, the perfect craftsmanship.
Bell & Ross BR126 Carbon Orange
This is a 500 piece limited vintage beauty with all the bells and whistles of a modern mechanical watch. Moreover, it is a fully functional chronograph geared just for men so I’m pretty sure you will love its tough construction materials such as the Black PVD-coated steel case. It’s definitely macho alright which is easily seen on its black dial filled with Superluminova filled numerals, indices and hour and minute hands. It is powered by an automatic mechanical Calibre BR-CAL.301 with chronograph functions seen at the 9 and 3 o’clock resembling that of a race car dashboard. bellross.com
Price: US $4,000
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NOMOS Glashütte Metro Datum Gangreserve
A truly sophisticated city slicker, with all the brilliance of a classic hinted by modernity and, of course, style. If you love simplicity with a dash of graceful excellence, then consider the NOMOS Glashütte Metro Datum powered by NOMOS caliber DUW 4401 and with a NOMOS swing system. It comes in a stainless steel case with a slick bezel and elegant crown. The lugs are pretty with an 18 mm width just perfect for its black Shell Cordovan strap. The galvanized white silver-plated dial is adorned by mint indexes and black oxidized hands. The red seconds hand at the 6 sub-dial truly stands out just atop the date window. nomos-store.com
Price: US $3,780
Tudor Heritage Black Bay Black ref. 79220N
This is a superb divers watch with the purpose of getting you the most precise information whenever you need it on your dives. As such it is inspired by no other than its predecessor so its design is pretty much classic and very useful yet trendy. You can even wear it with a tie using its aged leather strap which looks pretty darn amazing. The sporty automatic caliber 2824 provides it up to 38 hours of power reserve. This tough divers watch can take you 200 meters underwater plus being a Tudor means you get the best of authentic divers watch elements. tudorwatch.com
Price from: US $3,425
Sinn T1 B
The Sinn T1 B was introduced in Baselworld 2013 making a debut with titanium cases for a divers watch. We now know how titanium greatly improves the toughness of a watch this caliber. Nevertheless, the Sinn T1 B truly stands out with its proprietary Ar-Dehumidifying technology which is very useful for professional divers. Imagine going along a spot with variances in temperature from 80C to –45C, normally all glasses get fogged up but not the Sinn T1 B. Further enhancements that make this watch great is its special depress-lock bezel, a clever technology that makes this dive ready tool just perfect. sinn.de
Price: US $3,140
Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase FC-715V4H4
Frederique Constant certainly maintains the highest standards in quality timepieces and their Classic Moonphase is a testament to such time-tested exceptional craftsmanship. This watch sports a rose gold plated stainless steel case with a convex sapphire crystal giving it superior clarity. You also get the fanciful 2-O-Rings crown which looks elegant during dressed occasions. The dial is exceptional with the rather subtle moonphase at 6 o’clock. The applied rose gold-plated indexes looks splendid over the silver dial with sunray inspired hands. Its workhorse is the 26 jewels FC–715 Automatic movement delivering 42 hours of power reserve. frederiqueconstant.com
Price: US $3,800
Group 3. $4,000 – $6,000
For this group, we’re going to tackle something more exciting after all with such price tag comes more surprises.
Breitling Avenger Blackbird 44
The Breitling Blackbird 44 is a high-performance timepiece packing a big punch which in horology world is simply coined as “power in action.” When I say high performance, well I simply don’t take such words for granted since the facts are there to guide your decision. The case of this amazing watch is made of titanium which is known for its toughness and lightness and it comes in black. It runs on its own self-winding Breitling mechanical Breitling 17 delivering a minimum of 40 hours power reserve. To experience the Breitling spirit, this is the best way to go. breitling.com
Price: US $5,100
IWC Pilot Mark XVII ref. 3265
This watch will make you never doubt the information on your timepiece ever again through its amazing feature being antimagnetic. Government spies or not we all need precise watches and, fortunately, the IWC Pilot Mark XVII offers maximum protection against magnetic fields by using soft-iron inner case which is scientifically proven by Swiss standards to deliver up to 80,000 amperes per meter of protection. In plain words, that means maximum precision in both normal and extreme situations. Just like a classic pilot watch, it features top-notch legibility by functional minimalism such as suing black dial against white indices. iwc.com
Price: US $4,000
Bremont Supermarine 500/BL
From its name you can easily tell that the Bremont Supermarine 500 means serious business. Its inspirations take cues from its classical character although the way it looks is modern and powerful. This divers watch is loved by professional divers especially its ability to go as deep as 500 meters. It sports a stainless steel case with a uni-directional rotating bezel. Power is provided by a modified calibre 13 1/4” BE–36AE automatic chronometer which is also protected by Inner soft iron anti-magnetic Faraday cage against magnetic fields. And it also comes with accompanying C.O.S.C certification aside from its serial number. bremont.com
Price: US $5,450
Cartier Ronde Croisiere ref. WSRN0002
This is a luxury watch from Cartier, part of the Ronde Croisiere collection. Cartier is into relatively simple and elegant looking sports watches with not so high price points, at least, that is what Cartier strives to answer. The result is, of course, retro-inspired casual sports watch and for the Cartier Ronde Croisiere, that means being stylistic with a powerful in-house movement. Unfortunately, Cartier Ronde Croisiere maintains its trend of puzzling dials, but considering the brand and the overall appeal, that is if you don’t really mind its design, then it’s still a keeper. Besides its has thin steel case that’s totally polished making for a vintage feel. cartier.com
Price: US $4,650
Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Quantième Complet Vasco Da Gama Special Edition
This is a special watch crafted in the tradition of fine Swiss watchmaking thus anyone who gets interested with the aesthetics of this timepiece has all the right reasons. Moreover, the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Quantième Complet Vasco Da Gama Special Edition honors Vasco da Gama, the great explorer who basically tamed India. This is mostly illustrated on the moonphase subdial at the 6 o’clock showing the night sky above the Cape of Good Hope that Vasco de Gama first observed when he entered the Indian Ocean in 1497. The watch runs on automatic MB 29.16 delivering 42 hours of power reserve. montblanc.com
Price: US $4,600
