The Perfect 3-Watch Collection Under $5000 | Building a Watch Collection

• What would you do if you were given $5,000 and the only strings attached to it were that you had to build the perfect three watch collection. How would you decide which watches to choose? But more importantly, which watches would you choose? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Well, I’ve got a few ideas myself, and you’re gonna find out what they are right after this. (upbeat music) I’m Brian Sacawa, and you’re watching He Spoke Style where we’ve got all the tips, knowledge and inspiration you need to dress well, have more confidence, and unlock your potential. This video is sponsored by chrono24 and very exited to partner with them as it’s a website and app that I have used for a very long time. In fact, you may remember that I mentioned their market tracking capability in the video where I told the story of how and why I sold my Patek Philippe 5711.

00:48 - What you need to know is that chrono24 is a luxury watches only marketplace, with both new, pre-owned, and rare vintage finds. Over 500,000 watches listed by trusted dealers and private sellers from all over the world with 120,000 of those listed from within the United States alone. They have what they call a trusted checkout service, which gives you peace of mind and a secure way to shop brands like Rolex, Omega, Tudor, Cartier, you name it. You’re gonna find it on chrono24. One of the best things that they have though is an extremely comprehensive filtering feature. A lot of times, you know, you may be looking for something very specific, and it’s super nice to be able to really zero in like that because it makes it so much easier and less time-consuming.

01:31 - I’ve got links down below for you to check out chrono24 as well as links to all of the watches I’m gonna be mentioning in this video. So as I was thinking about which watches to pick, I came up with some criteria that really guided the choices that I made. With three watches, you have an opportunity to build an incredibly versatile collection and basically to have a watch for any type of situation you would find yourself in. So I decided to break the watches down into three categories. There had to be a dress watch, there had to be a sport watch, and then there had to be what I would call an everyday kind of watch, so dress, sport, and everyday.

02:07 - Also, instead of including any new watches, all the choices that I made were pre-owned. A lot of the brands I chose would be considered luxury brands, and as you know, with a carefully selected pre-owned watch, you’re getting a much bigger bang for your buck. Because of that, prices are variable and as I chose these watches, I did my best to kind of survey the price range and make my choices based on the average price that you could expect to pay for the watch in the pre-owned market. Now, there are lots of ways that you could allocate $5000 to build that perfect three watch collection. You could have one watch that you spend most of your budget on, you could try to spread it evenly across the three, there are endless possibilities and I would encourage you to leave your perfect under 5K three watch collection down in the comments.

02:52 - As for me, I didn’t want to give you just one option, so I actually put together two collections, both of which check all my boxes, so without further ado, let’s get into them. Starting off the first collection with the Seiko Sarb033. This is my everyday watch here for this collection, only available as pre-owned now because it is a discontinued model with an average price of around $800. Seiko of course, great brand history, the design is very simple, great value for the price, and I specifically chose this one as my everyday watch because it is so incredibly versatile. At 38 millimeters, it’s a great size for just about any wrist.

03:30 - It’s an automatic movement, it’s got a see-through case back, and an absolutely gorgeous style. Date window, very practical, stainless steel bracelet, I love the mix of the polished and brushed steel throughout. It’s a beautiful watch that I think looks much richer than its price tag. For our sport watch, I’m going with the Tudor Heritage Black Bay 79230N, coming in at around $3500. This is a much loved and very highly regarded watch.

03:59 - 41 millimeters, stainless steel case, screwed down crown, 200 meters of water resistance, beautiful matte black dial with rose gold-plated indices and hands. It’s got an unidirectional diving bezel with the 60 minute track printed on the aluminum insert. The automatic movement is the in-house caliber MT5602. Variety of bracelet options, including a steel riveted bracelet, a leather strap with a folding clasp or a nato strap. And that really is one of the best parts about a dive watch like this, in that you can really increase its versatility and give it an entirely new look just by changing the bracelet.

04:36 - For our dress watch in this collection, I decided to go vintage and I chose a Vintage Omega Seamaster, which comes in at around $700, though they can definitely be found for less than that. I like this one as a dress watch because of its elegance, because of its simplicity, and because of its size. In the realm of Vintage Seamasters, you’re looking at about at 35 or 36 millimeter case. I love a smaller case size for a dressier watch. I think it gives it a real sense of old-school understatement and elegance, and I think a vintage piece, when we’re talking about dressed up looks or even a formal look is a perfect match.

05:14 - So rounding up and recapping our first collection here, at $800, we have the Seiko Sarb033, at $3500, a Tudor Heritage Black Bay, and at $700, a Vintage Omega Seamaster. Now let’s take a look at our second collection. Starting off with the everyday watch and for this one, I’m choosing the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical, this is the H69439931, coming in at $500. A little more rugged of an everyday pick, compared to the Seiko Sarb, but this collection I’ve kind of geared more towards an overall causal feel. Though we do have a very classical dress watch pick that you’ll want to stick around for.

05:55 - This watch though is 38 millimeters, again, very versatile size. It’s got that great military look. You’ll see it mostly on a fabric strap, though you can definitely add a leather strap if you like. One thing to know about this one is that it’s not an automatic movement, which means you’re gonna have to wind it, but for me, I love the connection that actually winding the watch creates between you and the watch itself. For our sport watch here, I’m going with the Omega Speedmaster Reduced 351050, coming in at $2500, though you can find them for less. Great classic chronograph, unmistakable looks, and extremely versatile as it just looks amazing on so many different types of straps. It’s called reduced because of the size.

06:37 - Typical Speedmaster Professional is going to be 42 mm, mine the First Omega in Space is just under 40 mm, and the Speedmaster Reduced is 38.5 mm. Just something to be aware of, but if your wrist is on the smaller side, and you do love the Speedmaster, this is a great choice at an excellent price point. And to round out the second collection for our dress watch, I’m choosing the Cartier Tank Solo. Now, little bit of a caveat here in that, if you’ve been keeping score, we’re already at $3000, so we’ve got to find this watch for around $2000, which I will admit can be a little difficult. Now one thing to keep in mind though, when you are dealing with pre-owned watches, is that you do have a little wiggle room, especially if you’re able to speak directly with a seller.

07:24 - So basically what I’m saying is, it never hurts to ask. This watch though, what can you say about a Cartier Tank, it’s the epitome of elegance. At this price point, you’re gonna be dealing with smaller case sizes, which again, contribute to what I would call the elegance factor. It’s one of the small handful of watches that I would consider to be a perfect tuxedo watch, and I know that whether or not to wear a watch with a tuxedo is really one of those questions that really divides people. I would even say that it ranks among the top three most decisive men’s wear issues.

07:58 - I have a few opinions on it, and I lay them all out in that video right over there. Definitely check that out, and add your voice to the very lively discussion in the comments on that one. .