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Originally Posted by Luwalira I'm really into buying a recpectable watch. It doesn't need to be a Rollie but I want a very masculine one, with great quality and name to match. My budget is max $500 which quite frankly for me is lower then it might be for you thanks to the low dollar exchange rate. I will be on the look out on eaby after some of the watches you mentioned. Feel free to post pictures of any watches you think look nice. |
Lu - From what I know, 1 USD is equal to about .7 ZAR. Am I right?
Even still, the world of respectable watches that can be had, or that you could possibly rationalize, is vast. Jump on Ebay or Google "vintage watches" and you'll be mesmerized for hours on end by what's out there.
Here's a primer:
FORTIS 
Fortis was founded in 1912 and has an interesting history. In 1926 they were the first to mass produce an automatic movement. Today, they produce "instrument style" watches with consistently good face design across their entire line.
The watch I'm showing you here is their
Spacematic Day Date. It's comes with equipped an automatic ETA movement with display back. At 40mm it's big, but not too big for my thin wrist. These can be found brand new for as little as $550 USD, but they also surface on Ebay from time to time. I'm thinking of getting one of these pretty soon.
Who doesn't love a display back?
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ORIS 
Oris is a brand that I'm not really fond of, although sometimes they come thorugh with the goods. These two fellas here can be had new for about $500 USD and come with an attractive display back. From the looks of things, the band is very well constructed and gives off a good deal of "hey I paid alot for this damnit" sheen.
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ROBERT http://www.robert-e.com/ 
The world is composed of those who want a Rolex Submariner and those who secretly want a Submariner but don't want to admit it. And then there's those who fall into the 1st category, buy a fake, but keep their deep, dark secret to themselves.
Well, the aforementioned - instead of being dorks and spending $300 on a "AAA Quality" replica, should have just been man enough to buy a Robert.
Robert is what I'd call a "high quality knock-off brand." That is, they produce watches that are pretty blatent copies of popular designs, but they give you everything you'd expect in a high quality watch: 300m Water Resistance, ETA Movements, solid bands, the works! If you're willing to forego a brand name you pretty much get the whole package for a relatively low price.
Their other watches are pretty good looking and are a definite cut above other "budget premium" brands like UHR Kraft.
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OMEGA
Search "Omega Seamaster" on Ebay and you'll come up with a jillion listings and watches of every shape, size and color. The Seamaster line has been around since the late 50s and has encompassed all kinds of watches - from serious divers, to formal pieces. All of the watches I'm showing you below are in your general price range. Don't take my word for it though - check out Ebay and you'll be amazed by the sheer volume of Omegas out there.
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I got this particular Omega off of Ebay last month for only $185! It's of 70s vintage and is in great shape. I love it to death:
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There's also plenty of good watch dealers on the internet that have tons of good listings. A great place to start is here:
coolvintagewatches.com (Check out their watches for under $300 pages)
Good luck Lu! Let me know when you've made up your mind.
Warning though: once you start, you're best off sticking with one watch you really love. My interest in watches has recently gone from a passing interest into a complete obsession. I'll probably have 5 or more by year's end at the rate I'm going.