Yes, go spend some time on Timezone.com and see what you like. There is so much to choose from in the public forum. Do you want a chrono, military, dive? Stainless, Ti?

Here is my Carrera. I'm selling it if you are interersted.


My Speedmaster on a red strap


My Madison Flieger-style.


My Panny on baseball leather strap

 

Breitling FTW.

Classic upscale watch without too much blingage to turn off the gapers, but enough to get a knowing nod from those in the know.

James Bond had a Breitling and so do Bentleys.

I love mine and still looks like new.

 

You need to go to a reputable dealer and wear these watches. I have "girly man" wrists and the Breitling and Panerai's just seemed way to big for me. The TAG carrera at 41mm barely fits inside my wrist. You also get to appreciate what the watch would look like in person. I personally found the Breitlings to be too big and gaudy. The TAG's and Omega's are more my taste. Of course YMMV.

 

They make Breitlings in 41mm as well. That's my personal size of choice.

 

I bought myself a TAG ladies diamond Formula 1 watch I absolutely LOVE IT reasonable price $1750 ... was deciding between TAG and Omega the TAG was just plain cooler plus I'm F1 fan (duh)

 

If anyone cares to be different which is synonomous with hello S owners!

One really nice watch that your are virtually never going to see someone else wearing is the IWC Cousteau Divers Watch. IWC is considered one of the top watch makers in the world. The purpose behind the creation of this limited edition watch (only 2000 will be made)is to commemorate the Jacques Cousteau first dive which occurred in the Red Sea in 1953. The color of the dial is specifically matched to equal the aqua blue color of the Red Sea as well. Although the watch initially comes with a blue rubber strap, it really stands out when you buy the IWC stainless steel band for it.

It has one of the smoothest movements around and of course it is water resistant to a depth of 1000 meters.

Best watch I ever owned. Very elegant for a sport watch. I put a cyclops on the sapphire crystal so I can see the date better.

I think you can still pick one up from time to time on Ebay for for approximately $6,500.

REMEMBER, anyone can wear a Rolex. Yes, they are like tanks in the sense that they can take a beating, but they are so common now that I have sold all of mine.

Good luck to all

 

holy crap, people still wear watches? but man, those watches are expensive... i usually just use my cell phone, as do most people my age (im 19)

 

Get creative. Everyone has a Rolex, Tag, Omega, Breitling, etc. There are tons of more appealing, smaller watch makers out there, IMO, that you won't see everyday. Pick up some watch magazines to get a good overview. I think you can even pick up bigger, annual guides that illustrate most of the makers' various models. I'm a bit of a watch nut (though I haven't bought one in a while), and I like:

Chopard,
Dubey & Schaldenbrand,
Martin Braun, and
Maurice Lacroix.

This is the watch I usually wear: http://www.orolus.com/cgi-bin/ShoppingCart...=.&search_logo=, and I love it.

There are tons more makers, including more premium brands which probably start above your $5,000 cap. Just check out as many watches as you can and buy what you like. When you get to this level, I suspect the quality should be great no matter which maker you choose (and a lot of the different makers use the same movements). Good luck.

 

Some pretty crazy watches here:
http://www.tokyoflash.com/watches2.html

 

I would suggest perhaps a Zenith Rainbow Flyback. It has an unique movement in the El Primero(it was used in rolex daytonas between the late eighties up to about eight years ago).


All the other watches I would suggest have been mentioned. The Omega Speedmaster Professional is a great choice as it is a classic and timeless piece. The IWC Cousteau Divers Watch is also something unique. It occurs to me that you could also take a look at the IWC Ingenier chronograph or even the Hublot Big Bang(although it is slightly outside your price range). I am currently a big fan of the Sinn U1/U2 as well as the more simple Panerais, although they are all not chronographs and that appears to be what you are looking for.