TGIF: Non-Homage Watches to Collect

Sometimes, the chase for a grail watch can get exhausting. It seems like the price of a fine Rolex or a Patek Philippe, or an Audemars Piguet timepiece put them forever out of reach. In truth, they might be. These watches are priced very high because they are a status symbol and a way to display wealth. As aspirational symbols and wealth totems, these watches are meant to be out of most people's reach. 

Collectible Watches for the Rest of Us

One alternative is the homage watch that looks almost like its inspiration timepiece. For example, I've found plenty of alternatives to the Rolex President. But, sometimes homage watches are a constant reminder of what they are not. They are not the grail watch and they don't symbolize that accomplishment.

 

This Nibosi is not a Rolex (Amazon photo)

I find that when a grail watch is out of reach--and most of them are lately. It can be good to find a watch that I can actually afford, that isn't an homage, that is worth wearing, and that is interesting in its own right.

Affordable Watch Brands

Companies like Bulova, Diesel, Invicta, Orient, Seiko, and Timex make watches that most collectors can afford. With a some best-selling exceptions, these brands also make watches that are based on their own traditions, their own design sensibilities, and their own product visions. Brands like Bulova, Orient, Seiko, and Timex have rich histories to draw upon and build upon. Newer brands like Diesel and Invicta make many watches that break with watchmaking traditions and give us bold new watch designs that just catch the eye.

Collectible Timex Watches

If you are yearning to plug into a long horological history a rich  watch-making heritage, and affordable watches, Timex is a great place to start. The company was founded as a clock company in 1854 and always innovated in ways that made watches affordable to anyone. Today, they still have plenty of very practical watches like the Easy Reader, Expedition, and Ironman. But, they also have watch lines that are solidly aimed at middle class watch collectors. Check out their Chicago, Marlin (available here on Amazon), and Waterbury watch lines for some great choices.

A pair of Timex Waterbury Watches

Collectible Diesel Watches

Alternatively, you could collect the bold, brash, designs of a great fashion watch company like Diesel. They make watches that are bigger than most watches and that incorporate design elements that aren't found in the designs of staid, traditional, watch companies. Watches like this Diesel Mr. Daddy 2.0 draw attention and evoke reactions. It's no shrinking violet. Hence the logo: "Only the Brave." You can find this Diesel on Amazon here.

Diesel Mr. Daddy 2.0 Watch (Amazon photo)

The list of collectible watches could go on and on. The main thing is that you get to define and create your own watch collection and you don't have to adhere to the watch collecting norms established by the Swiss brands. You get to decide what you consider a prestigious watch. You can choose what to collect and what your criteria are for buying timepieces. Just have fun!

Where to Buy Diesel Watches

I've put together a page with some of best Diesel watches that I've found on Amazon as a convenient buying guide and reference.  You can find my Best Diesel Watches on Amazon page here!

Guest Post: The Watch of My Dreams

[This post is the second in a series from Eiffion, a watch collector in the UK, who goes by the handle collectibulldog on X. In his first post, Eiffion explained about finding an amazing watch company (Maximilian Busser and Friends) and how it changed his perspective on watches.  In this post, he talks about his personal collection and watches that fall within his means. Here's more from Effion . . .]

The Early Watches of Effion

Already stating for the record that I have over 5000 pieces I have also helped to liquidate 12 collections in which I brought from. I have never felt envy frustration or the feeling of o want until the day I saw this watch ! It’s not even one of the best they have others like the frog or the panda. They have concept watches that look like spaceships. They have watches that look like futuristic robots so there must be something rather magical for me to be so hung up on this particular amazing timepiece.

A futuristic watch

During the start of my obsession with watches (not even wanting to use as time teller but for aesthetic look) the likes of Ali express and Temu were a staple app combo and I thought at first I was getting bargains paying £20/£30 a watch until I realised the deceit and a pattern of named brands were popping up with watches resembling those of J Jacobs and  Hoblot so dodging a bulldog to get the real deal from that part of the world I’ve stuck with known safe brands.

The Unique Collection:  Reef Tiger and other Watches

A Reef Tiger Bubble Watch from Eiffion's Collection

Reef Tiger is one of the first of what I call the UC: Unique collection. I’ve got the aurora or tank two and in this series I got a bubble watch these are priced around £150 upwards and working backwards I have the ship style double movement from Hanboro in both titanium and rose gold and, whilst I was having my frustrations over the MBandF watch, I saw another that took my eye. Imagine a Bugatti car engine shrunk down and put into s case to create what is a brilliant beautiful looking futuristic design.

A Reef Tiger Watc hand a Bugatti Engine Watch

The real watches from J Jacob’s come in over a million and these watches need to be doing something special for that kind of money so when you turn one of the free crowns at the bottom of the watch the engine actually starts and 12 pistons start rotating. I am not sure if this is part of the automatic movement or creating power to go back to a battery design, it doesn’t really matter. I’m never going to a afford one and it is not the bulldog, but it is a feat of engineering,

A genuine Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon Watch (source - Jacob & Co website)

[To see this absolutely amazing timepiece, visit the Bugatti Tourbillon on the Jacob & Co website. It is truly a work of art and an engineering marvel.]

The Bulldog Watch Story

Now's the time for my good bulldog story, let’s drop down now to a reality where we can afford to buy certain objects so imagine thinking you’ve got nearly every or one of every object you’ve thought of regarding your collection and then the wife surprises the bejesus out of you one day with a wrist watch but not just a wrist watch but one with a golden style face and an embossed bulldog head as the watches face.

A Hand Restored Bulldog Watch

During the commotion of moving this watch somehow ended up on my shed under a gazebo in a plastic crate. It took me 18 months to find this and a booklet went missing and drove me crazy when I finally found it. I was ecstatic but gutted that it had corroded. That didn’t matter I have a secret weapon. His name is Mark. He is a watchmaker and watch repairer entrusted my watch with him with instructions on how I wanted the outcome and using the notion of gold silver and bronze he went about re-creating the watch from the ground up making up to 80% components and needed and I got back my watch, but it wasn’t my watch. It was completely different, with its bronze case gold face and silver strap this would’ve cost me a few hundred pounds if he had charged me and we both knew he was working on a watch that then wasn’t worth too much  

 

A Collection of Bulldog Watches

In the UK, we have a saying that certain things are like buses you don’t see one for ages and then three come along at once and with my story this was literally the case we spent 18 months trying to look for another bulldog watch and two days after I had got my original back we had found what was my original in gold tone making two, the third piece we nearly didn’t buy it wasn’t really needed to have three watches and to be in the same except for the straps there was something different about this other watch and afterwards the measurements came back that the watch was slightly different. It was thinner and maybe designed to be use for a certain purpose like a dress watch .

Just like many of the pieces that Collectibulldogs I have been offered money for my pieces time after time only second to my gold medals are the watches and as they tick rock away there’s been offers of numbers exceeding 4 figures ! That’s what makes collectibulldogs the best it’s my eye for antiques combined with my love of bulldogs. As an underdawg in life myself I totally stand behind the English Bulldog, if you think bulldogs got a fair deal after a blood sports ban that’s not the case, XL bullies are in the public interest, even though they are not in the top 10 for the most bites in the UK? There’s also new laws designed to keep breeders in check and make sure some breeds are registered under a new mandate. One such breed the Olde English Bulldog.

[We'll continue Eiffion's journey as a watch collector in future posts. You can find Collectibulldogs on all formats. This includes X with 177,000 followers and this kind of following can be found all over our social media, this is 12 years of blogging, bookmarking and trying his hardest to self promote Collectibulldogs without the hassle of being classed as spam.]