Throwback Sunday: Six watches for a S$12,000 budget

DEPLOYANT - the watch magazine for collectors, by collectors

We received a lot of very positive feedback on our $5,000 budget selection, so we thought we’d raise the budget and give it another go Here we explore what you can buy for your S$12k

As with the earlier article, our original intent is to focus on watches which are off the beaten track, but when we began writing in earnest, the task proved to be very difficult.

This is a price segment which is perhaps the belly of watch collecting…the broadest segment, and with the most popular watches

But one thing for sure, you will not see Rolex on this list Not because they are not recommended, indeed we cannot recommend Rolex highly recommended enough, but you already know to look out for them.

As collectors ourselves, we are painfully aware that getting a stainless steel Rolex from an Authorized Dealer at retail price is going to be a huge stretch for most people The market is kind of crazy – and these watches are seriously constrained in supply Our advice is to grab that SS sports Rolex if the opportunity presents itself on you.

But only at an Authorized Dealer at retail price All the super popular Rolex models like the GMT-Master, the Submariner, the Explorer or the Air King are broadly within this budget But please don’t pay over retail to the black market seller.

Consider, instead these other options.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Coaxial Chronometer

Perhaps we start with the other rather obvious marque – Omega But this one is readily available Our pick is either last year’s Seamaster Diver 300m Coaxial Chronometer (S$7,200 in SS bracelet) or the regular (non limited edition) Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch (S$7,150 SS case and bracelet) .

Limited edition Speedmasters are difficult to procure, and the term may seem to be an oxymoron these days, but that’s another story, so we leave it at that But the Seamaster Diver is not difficult to get at an Authorized Dealer or Boutique And is a sterling example of why Omega is such a behemoth.

This is a watch which is very competently designed and beautifully executed It is robust, it is aesthetically pleasing, and performs the tool task very well

The updated bracelet design gives the Seamaster a more masculine and sporty outlook

Another option might this year’s Time to Move new release, the Diver 300m Coaxial Chronograph (S$10,350 in SS case, SS bracelet).

A very similar watch, but with a chronograph movement instead of time only A full hands on review of this is coming soon

Back to the standard diver, the retail is only S$6,750 with a rubber strap or S$7,200 as shown in the photograph above.

We particularly love the brushed PVD dial in a chrome colour ceramic and laser-engraved wave motif and the ceramic bezel with a white enamel diving scale Movement wise, it features the Omega Master Chronometer Calibre 8800, which can be seen through the sapphire-crystal on the wave-edged caseback And the 5 year Omega warranty

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control []

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