Choosing The Perfect Watch To Buy 

I feel like I met someone just like us...not the guy who can blow fortune over a watch but a guy who works hard and occasionally have to make some sacrifices in order to get what he wants.... That is real satisfaction!!

My first criteria is price. There’s no sense falling in love with a watch you can’t afford. My second is the look of the watch. After all, that’s what you will be looking at for the duration of your ownership of said watch. Then comes brand, movement and condition. My budget means that I have to look at a lot of used watches. Thanks for your insight into how you approach watch buying. It made me think about how I go about my watch searches. Great video as always!!!

Great choice, I love this first gen Omega Aqua Terra, it has such a timeless classic design, it's so versatile and it will never look dated, definitely an overlooked model in my opinion.

Really enjoyed this video because it gives us all a lot to think about. Also congrats on your Aqua Terra!

Yup! Totally agree! Got my self the same watch for my birthday recently.

I really like your approach to watch buying and collecting. Today, I picked up an IWC Aquatimer with the blue face. You are right, have been researching the brand and model for some time. Did my research and connected with this diver. Keep up the great content, much appreciated!

Really interesting and helpful video Peter. Getting into this hobby I think in the beginning it’s too easy to start to accumulate watches that don’t hold your attention long term. I think your checklist for thinking through new purchases is very helpful and beautifully explained. Keep up the good work.

Congrats on your new purchase, a stunning watch,cant wait for the review.Tip no.1 Im really confused choosing a watch,with so many brands but hey I realised Im in no hurry, time is on my side.Very helpful great vid.

Love the intro :) get excited each time I click one of your videos haha

I like this video, 5 criteria for buying a new watch. I really like the watch you bought too. Nicely done!!! So, I subscribed and go from there.

Good advice. Glad i looked back and chose this one.

Awesome vid. Well done. Keep up the good work. Can't wait for your review on this watch.

Another great video. Congrats with the new purchase :)

Excellent video! This is what the hobby is all about! Well presented and solid points!

I’ve been wearing this one for ten years! ....still in love😊

Great thoughts! Great video.

GreAt rules ! Never go wrong with omega. Pretty iconic !

Got the same. One of the most beautiful watch around, eternal. Great video, shots and script. Subscribed, compliments from Italy. Davide

Had to come through and check out this review after seeing your gorgeous shots of this beauty on Instagram. Man it's very nice...Gotta track one down

Thanks for this video and the gentle tips!

Thanks, Peter for these great tips👍🏾 You have excellent taste. My collection has exceeded 50 watches.....time to sell a few🥴

Good video, Peter. I like your choice. It's a top piece. Keep up the great work.

Great choice Pete, excellent advice, and thanks for the great content 👍🇬🇧

Love your videos. Great advice! :)

I love this aqua terra ! Will definitely be my next watch ! Great Video ! Cheers

Nope can't be bothered with all that I choose by love at first sight. If I go 'WOW' when I see a watch I like then that's the one I lust after. It doesn't matter if it's a mega expensive Swiss watch or a mega cheap Chinese watch, if I desire it and can afford it then I'll buy it, even if it doesn't fit my skinny wrist. I'm the one that's going to look at it all day long and if it makes me smile and feel contented then that's the only thing that matters.

just bought one, 2503.80 blue dial. love it. thanks Peter for great video

I love your "5 points" plan! So much so, I started with a target of an "Omega Planet Ocean." However, when I got it all boiled down to price, I realized I'm still firmly in "Casio F-91w" territory... 😒 Seriously, tho-- I do have my eye set on a "Black face, Hamilton Jazzmaster, day-date." I think your "5 rules" are a great way to acquire said "Jazzmaster" ☺

Beautiful watch and looks stunning on leather!

Love hearing your perspective, and how you, as a fellow collector, Go about choosing...Great piece !thank you very much! On a lighter note: Our step one is exactly the same. For me, if the answer to step one is Seiko It is very easy from there...I simply look at all of their active releases, Choose the ones I like, and then purchase the last discontinued model! They’re just as good or better, They are cheaper, And unlike all of their latest releases you are all but guaranteed not to lose money! Cheers!

Great purchase! Thanks for your tips.

I bought my first proper watch in March. It's the green 2020 alpinist. How I came about that decision was influence mainly by one factor -- the gorgeous green dial. I'm a sucker for green objects and wasn't necessarily a watch guy. I only started finding out more about watches after the purchase. I've since made a mental list of watches I want to purchase in the future.

Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 2503.50.00. I bought it one year ago; my first Swiss watch. Omega has the same design in a 36mm and quartz options. Choice of movement was big on the list, the 2500 Co-axel. I'm a fan.

What I was learning here is basically common sense, well summarized though. What I do like about your content is that as a photographer you clearly know how present esthetically with aspects like image composition. I myself not being a professional photographer but I did a lot of photography in my life so think I know what I'm talking about a little bit 👍🏻

Another really helpful and pertinent post Peter! I went through a similar process with my last purchase, just in a slightly different order. Priority # 1 was style. I wanted a 'One Watch Collection' type piece, a Rolex Explorer substitute if you will. Priority # 2 Was, (unfortunately) cost. I had a budget of around $500AUD. Not much. I didn't want to flip anything right away as I recently consolidated my collection to buy a few new pieces and didn't feel that I could sell anything that I wouldn't immediately regret selling only to re-buy the same piece at a (perhaps) greater price & with a few vintage Soviet pieces, struggle to ever find again, irrespective of cost. Priority #3 - Find a watch I like that fitted the above. I settled on 3 contenders. A Seiko Alpinist (Cream dial) - Yeah, what you sold! A Smiths Everest PRS25 40mm. Yeah - an homage, but an homage to a collectable piece that is no longer in production and a watch that has a name on the dial that (arguably) has a better claim to making an homage of an Explorer 1016 than most. Or a Certina DS Podium 38mm. A Swiss made watch with an ETA 2824-2 under the dial. Priority # 4 - Do a pros & cons list: The Seiko was #1 in X-factor but the cost and that loose 2nd crown (causing a wonky inner bezel) worried me - a lot. The Smiths was Practical, but it was £330 ($650AUD+) for an Homage watch with a Miyota 9 series mvmt. Big draw back. The Certina is a beautiful watch, close to the Alpinist in X factor. It's Swiss made. It's within budget- but- it's 38mm with a 47-48mm lug to lug. I have an 8"+ wrist. Priority #5. Wait at least a week and see where I land. What I thought about in that week : I have a Seagull 1963. It's 38mm and has a similar Lug to Lug as the Certina. It's always on my wrist. It's my go to piece when I'm not wearing a beater. 38mm X 47mm works. A beautiful Swiss watch with an ETA in my budget works. It feels Right. The Certina DS Podium it is! Priority #6. Pull The Rip Cord. www.jomashop.com/certina-watch-c001-407-16-087-00.html I had some coupons and got the piece for $250USD ($500AUD all up). It's still in the mail, can't wait to receive it. Haven't questioned my decision once. Let's hope that doesn't change when I receive it! Cheers mate. Anthony.

Great informative video. Well done and advice taken.

This first gen AT is such a sleeper. 36/39mm size, perfect bracelet, diver like WR, solid movement, and one of the best dial/marker/handset combinations out there. Its a true Datejust/oyster perpetual competitor. It looks like taste and class and money. I used to wear the 36mm when i was a waiter. Tables full of dudes would glance at my wrist, than ask if i was the owner. Happened once a shift at least. Im sorry i sold it, looking to rebuy it in the very near future.

New subscriber supporting a fellow watch reviewer. Nice job on the review and enjoy the subject matter. Keep it up!

Thanks Peter very helpful

Great presentation style. Thankyou for uploading this informative video

Superb video, Peter.

Very nice watch collecting philosophy. That Omega AT is a beauty and should you opt to sell should not loose too much in value.

Blue one here, 2503.80. It simply is my favourite among 9 modern pieces.

Great video! I'm already struggling at your 1st tip of choosing a brand. The list of brands I find interesting is extremely long. Literally A (Avi-8) to Z (Zelos) and everything in between. 4th tip: size: for me everything between 42 - 45 mm (I've a 6.15 inch wrist). 5th advice: affordability. Since I'm not wealthy, I prefer the up to 500 USD range.

I sold my cream Alpinist as well, And i really really like the monopusher inspired watch you currently have, but in green. I was so stupid to not snag one, i dont know what happened, but i instead purchased a pre owned Blue enamel presage, which i dont enjoy as much as i would the other. Made a mistake, hopefully i can sell the blue enamel and get myself a brand new watch i really like. Those indices SPB129J1 are amazing, reminds me of GS. Well spoken, the guide should help me and many.

It's interesting that you put affordability on the last. I think you're right that we have to prioritise the watch that we're going to like in the long run. Not just simply a watch that you can afford cheap and somewhat ticks all the boxes with its compromises. Setting a high goal is better than satisfied with smaller achievements eh?

One thing about the size of the watch/dial... one thing we have to consider is the overall look of the watch on the wrist and hand. I have 14cm wrist, extremely skinny... but i also have a problem of having extremely long fingers and palm. So my advise is just never let the lugs hang over the wrists, and never let the dial overwhelm the overall look of the hand. Tbh a 35mm with lug-to-lug of below 44 looks great and proportionate on my wrist, but when looking at the mirror and comparing to my wrist to hand overall look, i look like im wearing a watch from my kid days. So i prefer a 37 or 38 to a maximum of 40mm with lugs shorter no longer than 46mm. And the zenith primero 38mm works the best. I have a sub i bought about 8 years ago, those maxi case of the new ceramic models have such big and thick lugs it overwhelms my wrists, but fits borderline normal with then overall look of my hand. So always wear the watch and look in the mirror before buying, not just the look on the wrist

Congrats on the Aqua Terra, Peter! Enjoy your contents. How do you usually sell your watches?

Great guide.

I'm fortunate in the sense that being an old guy, I know exactly what sizes & styles suit. There are plenty of watches out there I really love, but on someone else's wrist. Very few watches in my collection were actually decided on beforehand by the processes you've outlined...watches tend to find me. For example, I wasn't looking for a black dial 1st gen Aqua Terra until I came across your reviews :)

Could you do another video review on this watch? Thanks keep them up!

Im 6’1 with 6.5inch wrist and my collection ranges from 34mm Timex Marlin to 37mm El Primero revival then stepping up to 6 digit 40mm Sub and ending with 43mm Sea Dweller. Now Sea Dweller is thick watch but due to width of ceramic bezel it reads and wears small. It’s different than other 43mm with all dial watches. I also tend to wear my watches always behind the wrist bone unlike many and can pull off all my collections without looking disproportional or silly. I also tend to look at whole length of my arm relative to watch size when choosing size.

Beautiful piece u got there! Do you happen to have the lug to lug measurements? Many thanks in advance!

Great video scene composition.

Amazing pictures.

Hey , you did great and that Omega is superb. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Congrats with your new piece and please share the reference 🙏🏻 Is there in blue dial? . Cheers mate!

Good video . Thanks . It took me a year to learn this . I made one mistake . I have one watch that is a good watch but I can sell it now. I can use the money to help me get a better watch .

Thanks for the video. For me it is basic stuff., but for a lot of people helpful information. I know what I need and want. For me the biggest problem is scratching an itch but deep down you want another watch. I have fallen into this pitfall. In the end you want the watch that you really want and selling watches and buying the watch that I really wanted is more expensive then saving and waiting for it. Patience and saving for the watch you want is sometimes difficult when you have an itch that needs to be scratched.

You can't go wrong with Omega, classic watch.

Well said

Peter, please make a video showing the details of how you go about selling one of your watches. Thanks.

Very nice watch!

Hey nice video! May I ask what the wait time was getting the Omega? Which store did you buy from if you dont mind me asking

Good points, I’ll add those to my criteria

You got an Aqua Terra with great black dial!

What exact reference is that Omega please? Stunning!

Sometimes you get a watch that you enjoy a lot more than you expected. And end up wearing it every day. For me that is a Casio. The steel square (DMW B5000). It ticks so many of my boxes. Looks nice on my wrist. Carefree as it is solar charged and has multiband 6 (atomic timekeeping). Worldtime (perfect for my travels). Waterproof to 200 meters. I love my mechanical watches. (Especially my Tissot Heritage 1936 and my vintage 1950 Omega). But I did not wear them much ever since.

The AT is lovely, though I will admit to preferring the later model with the date at 6pm - as bit more symmetrical.

Great ‘dumbed down’ “KISS” method if choosing a watch... as always crackin video and advise...👍🏻😎

I recently bought 2 Seiko (My first Automatic watches): Brand: Seiko Purpose: Dress Watch, Field Watch Movement: Automatic Size: my wrist size is 6inch-6,5inch, 34mm(dress watch) and 37mm (Field Watch). It's kinda weird at first since my previous watch is 40mm and a 44mm G-Shock... but what you guys think? Is 34mm too small for dress watch? Consider my wrist only 6inch

Great video. One thing I don't get at 4:00 is that you mention "you can dress it up by putting on a bracelet". And that you can "dress it down by putting on a leather strap". Certainly a leather strap is considered the more formal dressy option. While the bracelet is the more sporty casual option.

Can't decide if the Omega AT is worth the premium over the B&M Clifton Baumatic. Love them both but still torn. What's your opinion on this?

Great video, great watch. Only problem? Have to send the co-axial to Omega for service/repair, where they'll promptly make you wait six months while they empty your wallet.

Love that 2007 Aqua Terra. May I ask how much in Australian dollars you paid and what is a reputable source to buy one from. Outstanding video.

When it comes to size (which is my most important criteria) do not get hung up on the diameter only. The Diameter says a lot about the presence of the watch, but not necessarily much about the wearabiltity. The Lug to Lug distance is way more important for that

Nice watch

W(hy)tf couldn't you make this a "4 criteria"? That 5th one is always my killer! I would exchange that 5th with "time/versatility" one. Meaning what the look of it stays in a few years and if it'll be suitable in different occasions/ dresses. I'm more of a "small collection" guy, so i like to find an all-around watch to fill most of my needs. In this case, to spend a bit more now is ok... but i'm short in general... lol (bad olive harvest, 2nd year in a raw, we have oil... none is buying tho....) On the other hand, you're spot on mate, especialy by the way (i feel, never can be sure) you set your mind to look in general this "hobby". Pre-owned makes it more of a sentimental thing in my eyes, guess it works the other way around too (a watch having two or more owners has more to tell... to the other watches!!!). Plus marks have a story on their own. At the end this is a comment of many "own"s for a watch i don't own...yet! Cheers mate, stay safe, be happy.

Where did you get that black/grey strap?

Interesting strategy. Can't say I would buy that way. After trying on hundreds of watches. For me, the first impression on wrist is most important. I've bought and sold watches that I loved in photographs, and I've also bought and kept watches I dismissed from photographs. On the wrist is most important for me

Hey Peter, could you please tell me from where you git that black leather watch strap?

Good choice.

I need advice. There are three watches that I desire which are the new green Seiko Alpinist , the Presage SSA392 and the black Mido Ocean Star Tribute . Problem is I can only save for one watch at a time because of my current financial situation. I do not want to miss out on any of these . How do I go about acquire these ? Add to that conundrum I'm currently saving for an black Aachen 39. You can probably get that i only recently got into watches .

Peter.... man...I messed up. I had this watch in 2020 and sold it just before your videos came out. Watched your vid and have re- watched them now, and realised that I had the perfect watch all along. Since selling my 2503.50 aqua terra I've owned a few Hamiltons, a Speedy and IWC 16 as well as a few Seikos Everything is sold now and I'm back to just my G shock 5600e and W86 casio I need a year to save to re-buy the Aqua Terra Do you think this model will still be easy to find next August (my 40th)? There seem to be 16 on Chrono24 and another 10 or so on Ebay I just worry they'll disappear but I can't get one until next year Thank you

legend

That first gen AT is so good. Much better the the later gens (in my opinion).

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Mine is budget; chronometer movement; 41-44mm case diameter; one extra complication other than time and date; folding clasp on the strap. So this leaves me with only a few choices... Breitling, Bremont, Chanel, Chopard, Ebel, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Tudor, and Ulysse Nardin.

Content for the sake of content, thank you for sharing anyhow

Yes. As much as i love dive watches, for my smaller wrist I really have to look. A lot of them are maybee wright size and look, but are too heavy and cumbersome for every day use. Still rocking my fathers Citizen dress 36mm on perlon strap thats over 30 years old. It all comes down to comfort. Maybe a new Seiko presage line in 38.5mm IDK - will I love that one for 30 years? I would actually really love Oris big crown pointer date in 36mm. Yeap.

I like it. What's the reference number of this watch? From what I've found it was issued 15 years ago, but it's hard to identify exactly this model.

Christopher Ward, my Swiss watches!

Preowned is the way to go for many brands...especially Omega. Let somebody else take the 40%-50% depreciation hit. Unless your Omega AD is giving you 35-40% off MSRP.

How about the crystal? Do you consider if the crystal is an acrylic or mineral or sapphire?

What is a media or platform to sell your watches, because I'm fell stock with some watches... And I thinking to sell

Which black leather straps is that Pete?

Leather watch band seems very good. What is the brand? Thanks.

1. Brand - Patek Philippe 2. Purpose - Dress Watch 3. Movement - don't care 4. Size - 37 - 42mm 5. Affordability - $250,000 : \ 6. Oh. Guess affordability should OBVIOUSLY be No.1

can someone please tell me what's that blue seiko 0:39 on the left. thx

Hi, can anyone help with a serial number for this watch please. However I search I always end up with bezeled divers. Many thanks...

Where do you sell watches most often?