The Breitling Watch Source Forums

mrcheatle's thread about getting a B for his best man got me thinking. I'm getting married this year and will have a best man and 2 groomsmen. I have been thinking for a while about what to get them as gifts, without much success.

Today I've been looking at watches for them. Not a patch on mrcheatle, I'm looking in the up to £200/$300 mark. I have just looked through over 1000 watches on Amazon, and while there are some truly horrific watches on there, a few gems stood out as 'maybes'.

Brands such as Burgmeister, Ingersoll (where have I heard of them before?), Zeppelin, Skagen, Golana, Tissot, Hamilton, Seiko, Wenger, Swiss Legend, Junghans & Citizen all looked OK. I'm looking for something that looks 'nice', not cheap-looking - something that looks more expensive than it is I guess. Something like this Seiko probably isn't too far from the mark. I wish I could afford to buy them all Bs but that's way out of the question.

I'm really at a loss as to what I would get them, and a watch seems like a nice idea. I just hope you guys don't think I'm a cheapskate - the wedding is costing us enough as it is! Any opinions/info on what I'm looking for is much appreciated.

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Hercules

What about a Tissot T-touch? Its not dressy, but its a very cool watch that a watch guy or a regular joe can really enjoy.

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-RJ

I get married next saturday and just picked up my black navitimer world on brown croc! For my Groomsmen, I'm just getting matching Citizens for them. We're all going on a few trips together this summer and I considered getting us all matching dive watches, but I think the citizen, aviation styled pieces may be better.

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Breitling Emergency Mission-- Breitling B01--
Chronomatic 24H-- Skyland Blacksteel-- Navitimer World--
Emergency Ti-- Chronomat Evo-- Airwolf-- Skyracer Raven
Bentley GMT-- Motors Speed

hold on a second guys, are you supposed to get the groomsmen and the best man presents? Im getting married in June and had no idea about this..... am I really supposed to get them something? Are they expecting a present?

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Navitimer, Steelfish, Colt GMT, Aerospace, Chronospace, Chrono Superocean

Depends but typically you get all of your groomsmen gifts, most often similar or themed gifts. Doesn't have to be extravagant, just something to thank them for being in your company. Just Google "wedding etiquette"

I think Citizen is a good fit for that price range.

Check this out:

http://www.abt.com/product/31083/Citizen-BT000007E.html?utm_source=scfroogle&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=froogle

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“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” - Albert Einstein

When I was best man at my mate's wedding, he got me a solid silver keyfob with my initials engraved. Didn't cost the earth but was a nice reminder of the day. Gifts are not necessarily expected but most definitely welcomed. It's not how much it's worth, it's the thought that counts. A cliché but true.

As for a suggested watch for Sav, the possibilities are endless! I have to assume the guys are not WIS so I'd suggest we're looking at a recognisable brand but a cut above the Argos catalogue.

IMHO, the best watch under £200 is the Seiko Orange (or Black) Monster. These are not sold by Seiko UK so you'll have to order off t'internet. Eg
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-diver-s-60/seiko-divers-automatic-200m-orange-monster-skx781k-skx781-711.html?currency=GBP



Other Seiko divers like the SKX009K are also highly regarded.



Or the Seiko Flightmaster looks a lot of watch for the money.




Lots of Citizen Eco-Drives fit into the price range. A sporty looking one...




Looking at Swiss brands, there's probably only Tissot which lies within your range. This quartz Tissot PR100 can be found for under £150.




Or the PR50 2000 Chrono for only a few pounds more




I'd reiterate that it's the thought that counts. A low cost personalised item will be just as good as an expensive watch to your true friends.

Enjoy the wedding!

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For more information on identifying Breitling replicas, please visit my web site
http://f4buz.com/watches/breitling/fakes/fakes.html

I don't think you're being cheap at all. Truly, they are your friends and they know that weddings ain't cheap. They'll be happy with whatever you get them.

That said, I think that if you want to get them an excellent watch that they will likely value and remember, you can get some Hamilton Jazzmaster automatics in the $500 price range. Most are classic dress designs that will always stay in fashion. The autos all have exhibition casebacks, so for someone who doesn't own any mechanical watches they would be pretty neat, IMHO.

But in your stated price range, there are also numerous options. I have a Swiss Legend Tungsten that I love and I picked up for less than $200. Truly, this is the best made watch for under $500 I have ever owned or seen. I posted it on another thread: http://breitlingsource.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17608. I also owned a Swiss Legend Eograph once and I very much regret selling it (at the time, I thought the 45mm size was too big.....little did I know ). That one was about $100 and very very sharp looking. BTW, Swiss Legend list prices are absolutely meaningless...if anyone ever paid anywhere close to the list price, they would be a ripoff. Fortunately, they actually sell for much much less.

I also have gold-plated ESQ quartz that cost me $120 (ESQ is a Movado brand), but from a distance it looks like a luxury watch. The bracelet is outstanding and the watch is very well constructed. Even taking a very close look at it, you would think it should cost around $500, maybe closer to $800 or $1000. This is different from many other brands in that price range that tend to look OK from a distance but when you handle them up close, it's obvious they aren't a quality watch. It's still one of my favorite dress watches even though I now own watches 100 times as expensive. Looking on the web now, it appears that they seem to go for more like $200-$300 now, though.

Good luck!!!

///M

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." --Dave Barry

[quote="Sharkmouth"]IMHO, the best watch under £200 is the Seiko Orange (or Black) Monster. These are not sold by Seiko UK so you'll have to order off t'internet. Eg
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-diver-s-60/seiko-divers-automatic-200m-orange-monster-skx781k-skx781-711.html?currency=GBP


quote]
Sorry to go slightly off thread here Sav but what do owners of the Seiko think of the Monster; how's the quality? For such a low price, I guess it doesn't really matter.

Great idea Sav, your groomsmen will love the gifts!

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Happines is Good Health and a Bad Memory.
"Ingrid Bergman"

As I said, IMHO it's the best watch for under £200. I picked one up for about £80 a couple of years ago. Fantastic watch. Weighty but comfy to wear. I wear Breitling, Rolex, Omega but the one that draws most comment is the OM! Lume is fantastic. The only flaw I can highlight is that after swimming in the sea with it, the black numbers on the bezel disappeared but I've restored it using waterproof black nail varnish.

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For more information on identifying Breitling replicas, please visit my web site
http://f4buz.com/watches/breitling/fakes/fakes.html

My two cents: after serving as a groomsman, I received an engraved Zippo lighter. I don't smoke but the groom and I are both outdoorsmen so it's a useful and thoughtful gift. (Every groomsman either smoked or spent a lot of time outdoors or both.)

You have a great idea for your fellows. Great ideas in this thread . . . I would go with Tissot if you want to go classy/dressy, Seiko diver if you want to go sporty/outdoorsy.

Best wishes for a long and happy marriage!

Peace

Mike

I took you advice Sharky and now have one en-route, courtesy of another forum member here. I'm looking forward to seeing how it wears.

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Happines is Good Health and a Bad Memory.
"Ingrid Bergman"

I'm sure you won't be disappointed Tim but there's always a queue of buyers for the Monster so you can easily flip it if needs be.

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For more information on identifying Breitling replicas, please visit my web site
http://f4buz.com/watches/breitling/fakes/fakes.html

Love the seiko monster. How about a citizen eco drive 2100. Very good value for the money. I picked one up last year for about $200, and i couldn't be happier with it as a beater.