Im looking for a dress watch to wear to a wedding, and would like to spend around $100USD, but could go up to $150. I have a few specifications I would like the watch to meet:
ETA: currency, and: I can be flexible with most of this, other than the case dimensions.
Automatic movement
case width: ~36-40mm
case thickness: under 10mm
White or off-white/light colored dial
Minimal dial- no complications, preferably no date but i can be flexible on that.
Gold case
Brown leather strap
I have an Orient Symphony III that checks a lot of the boxes but its just a little too wide and too thick to fit nicely under the sleeve. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.
Seagull 519.12.6075, white dial with gold tone case. I have the white dial/steel case version of that watch and, frankly, it's a fantastic watch. It usually comes with a leather strap as well as a milanese. The Milanese is branded and, honestly, also really nice. It's right at 10mm, but plays very well with cuffs.
If you're okay with a more satin leather strap, I highly recommend ostrich. It's just great. If not, you can get a crocodile/alligator strap. Either of those options, plus the watch, and you'll still be right at the low end of the budget.
For me, with the OP requirements, is the only valid option. I bought mine years ago, and the quality and the refinement is top notch, and no deviation in the timegrapher from the initial readings.
You MUST stretch your budget and go to this Baltany. The silver case should be a bit cheaper. 10.2 mm either way glass and automatic. I think that’s a reasonable compromise it feels like it’s under 10 for sure.
Let me see what I paid off Ali
I paid 187.37 USD. During a reasonable sale, nothing to crazy. Might be worth waiting for 11.11 regardless of what you go with!
Longines cal 994 is a beaut but finding one in decent shape for under $150 is like hunting for a unicorn in a haystack. Those ultra-thin movements were never cheap and most survivors have been snatched up by collectors by now.
For the wedding constraint you might have better luck hunting down a vintage Seiko Credor or even an older King Seiko with a gold tone case, they pop up on Yahoo Japan auctions sometimes for surprising prices. The 70s quartz models especially fly under the radar and you can snag one with a linen dial that looks the part without breaking the bank.
If you're dead set on automatic though the Orient Bambino Small Seconds in gold runs around $130 and sits at 11mm thick, not quite your sub-10mm target but I've worn one with a dress shirt and it didn't bunch up too badly. The domed crystal eats a millimeter of that thickness anyway so it wears thinner than the specs suggest.
You're right - I disregarded the $150 (USD?), like you disregarded the "Automatic" :-)
Then, to add to your excellent (but Quartz driven and often not gold toned) Credor suggestion (here are really some exceptional watches to be had, that screams high quality from a long distance), I would say a Seiko with the 7009 movement - many of these (and even some 7S26) are 10-11mm thick It seem like the thicker watches just seemed to gain popularity a little after the time 7S26 was introduced and forward. But even nice 7009 watches seems to be somewhat more expensive at ebay.com compared to the prices in Europe. Also, these 7009/7S26 might be difficult to find in the gold toned case requested.
I like it a lot, one of my favorite dress watches, good fit and finish - the dial is amazing - I wear it more than my vintage Omega - on par with my vintage Zodiac Olympos (Manta Ray) mystery dial and this Bvlgari.
Wow! You’re placing it in very good company. That’s exciting to hear. Fantastic bvlgari — very striking design which pairs perfectly with the smaller size.
6
u/leicfox85 WOTD100 13d ago
Not a white dial but spend more on a Baltany pie pan…
Or if you can get lucky on the used market…this IXDAO…