Friday, February 5, 2016

The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 2000 Dollars

The idea of spending 2000 dollars for a men's watch will be daunting for some.  But we are talking about a timepiece, that if treated properly should last lifetimes.  It is something that can be handed down and become a family heirloom of sorts.  It's lifetime should span much further than a television or computer, and these are things we will readily spend 2000 dollars for.  And for what reason?

Everyone has a different reason to own a watch.  Gone is the day that we require one to tell us the time.  Most folks have smart phones and the like that will almost surely give a more true time.  The reasons are deeper.  Because our fathers had them, because its a sign of stature to wear an expensive timepiece on our wrist, because we are amazed at the intricate pieces and many moving pieces in the little machine on our wrist.

The reasons are really limitless, and I can appreciate every single one of them.

The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 2000 Dollars 




Baume & Mercier
Best Men's watches under 2000

Classima Auto Silver
Model: 10214
Case: 40mm Steel
Band: Alligator
Movement: Swiss Automatic
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M

Baume and Mercier was founded in 1830 as Freres Baume, by the Baume brothers, in Switzerland.  In 1918, director, William Baume partnered with Paul Mercier to found Baume & Mercier, in Geneva, and by 1921, they expanded their production internationally, by opening a branch in London, called Baume Brothers.

Over the years Baume and Mercier has won renown for its accuracy, and also for unique designs.  They have also won awards for excellence.

The Classima has a classic, and elegant design, the 40mm polished steel case has its crown located at the 3 o'clock position and it has a screw on back is a sapphire crystal window that allows you to see the inner workings of the watch.  The dial face is opaline silver, roman numerals at the quarters, and blued hour, minute and second hands and the black alligator band has a buckle style clasp.

Features are minimal for a watch from a company that makes high cost watches, with this being the entry level watch.  Hour, minute and second hands, along with a date window, also located at the 3 o'clock position.

The movement is a Swiss made, automatic, 26 jewel movement.  It is based on the SW200, which is closely related to the ETA 2824.  Baume and Mercier has modified it and added its own details.  It has a 38 hour power reserve and runs at 28,800 bph, which will give the second hand a very smooth sweep.

The company is known for producing very high quality timepieces, and this watch should be no exception.  It is stylish and functional and speaks of taste and the value of understatement.  Along with being able to draw the eye of anyone who has any interest in high quality watches.  I have seen the watch for around 1,600 dollars, give or take, making fall well below the 2000 dollar mark.  It should be an excellent buy in the men's watches for under 2000 dollars list.



Oris
Best men's watch under 2000

Aquis Regulateur "Der Meistertaucher"
Model: 01 749 7677 7154-Set
Case: 43mm, Titanium
Band: Titanium link
Movement: Oris Automatic winding regulator
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 300M/

Oris is another long standing Swiss watch maker.  Opening their doors in 1904, they are known for making strictly mechanical movements (although there have been some quartz movements through the years)  By the 1960's, Oris became one of the top ten watch makers in Switzerland.  The Aquis series watches are no exception to the rule here.  These watches are built well, and built to last.  With In house movements, and unique styles.

The watch is a diving style watch, with a large 43mm titanium case the watch will be easy to see and notice, along with being sapphire domed on both front and back. The crown is located at the 3 c'clock position.  The dial face is black and broken into 3 dials, all marked with white dashes for the time markings. The center hand is for the minutes, and is white, rimmed in red, for easy reading.  The hour hand is located at the 3 o'clock side of the face and is white as well, and the second hand, located on the 9 o'clock side is white also. The titanium band has a standard look to it, with a folding style clasp.  The watch also has a diving bezel numbered at the 10's and has a 15 minute countdown.

The features of the Aquis Regulateur are the 300M water resistance, along with the unique 3 separate centralized time markers.  It also had a date window at the 6 o'clock position and titanium construction.

The Oris Aquis Regulateur is such a unique timepiece, I could not help but include it.  It comes in right at the 2000 dollar mark at most locations, but you get a lot of watch for the money.  And while it may take some time to get accustomed to the dial, I do believe it would be a nice watch for anyone.



Omega
Best men's watch under 2000

Seamaster Aqua Terra
Model: 231.10.39.60.02.001
Case: 38.0mm, Stainless steel
Band: 18mm, Stainless steel
Movement: Omega 4564 Quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: 
Water resistance: 150M/500ft

Omega is a Swiss luxury watch maker that has been in business since 1903. And, to say the least, Omega is one of the rock stars of the Watch world.  In 1917 the Royal Flying Corps of the British military chose Omega as its official timekeepers, and America followed suit in 1918.  Omega was the watch for NASA, and was actually the first watch on the moon.  They have been the official timekeepers for the Olympics since 1932.  And, of course, James Bond has wore Omega since 1995.

I love this watch.  I cannot even say that enough.  I want it. The polished, 38.5mm case is sleek, with the crown in the conventional location at the 3 o'clock position.  The screw on back is stainless.  The silver dial face has a teak pattern and the pointed number markers.  Silver arms, and a 18mm stainless steel linked band with a folding style clasp.

This watch is much like the Baume & Mercier, in is a entry level watch for a high end watch company.  It is not full of features.  It tells the time in hours, minutes, and seconds, and it includes a date window.  It also has a scratch resistant sapphire lens.

The movement is a in-house, Omega, 4564 rhodium plated movement, with an end of life battery indicator.  The battery has a 2 year life expectancy.

I think this watch is great, I love the Omega story and love that James Bond wears the watches.  Omega is a huge name and a high quality watch company.  The price is going to be up there near your max, running around 1950 dollars.  But it is a nice watch.



Meister Singer
Best men's watches under 2000

Perigraph Single Arm
Model: AM1008
Case: 43mm, Stainless steel
Band: 19mm, Leather
Movement: Automatic, ETA-2824-2
Functions: HH, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/165ft

Meistersinger is not a ancient, storied company.  Not by any means.  The Company began in 2001, and was the brain child of Manfred Brassler, a self taught Jeweler, in Germany.  The twist on these watches is, they only have a hour hand, kind of like an old sundial.

The Perigraph is pretty cool.  The large 43mm stainless steel case has a clean, rounded look, with the crown at the 3 o'clock position.  The Blue faced dial shows all 12 numbers, and denotes every 5 minutes of the hour with dashes, between each number, and an inner date ring.  The 6 screw back is see through, and the 19mm Leather strap comes with a buckle style clasp.

The movement in the parigraph is an automatic, ETA-2824-2, or a Sellita SW200-1 (both are identical), which is a 25 Jewel, 28,800bph, auto-wind mechanical movement with Anti-shock.

The Meistersinger watches, in general are a unique breed.  And something of an oddity in the watch world.  They have a really neat take on watches, with the one hand designs, and something that people will most likely notice.  I like them a lot. I think they could be a nice addition to any watch collection.



Ball
Best men's watch under 2000

Engineer Master II Aviator
Model: NM1080C-N5J-GY
Case: 46mm, Stainless steel
Band: Canvas strap
Movement: Automatic Ball RR1102
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Day
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 100M/330ft

Ball Watch company was founded by Webb C. Ball in 1981, because if fatal timekeeping accidents with the railroad industry.  Mr Ball was named Chief Time Inspector for the railroad.

While still an American company, their headquarters is now located in Switzerland.

The Engineer Master II has the look of standard field watch.  The oversized 46mm stainless steel case is easy to read.  The crown is located at the 3 o'clock position and it has a stainless steel screw down back. The gray dial face has large numbering for an outer minute ring and smaller hourly numbers in an inner ring.  The hands are all black, tipped in white. The canvas band has a buckle clamp.

The Engineer Master II has hour, minute, and second hands, it also has a sapphire lens covering the large case.  It also has gas tubes on the hand, and on the dial for easy night time viewing.

The Watch has an Automatic Ball RR1102 movement.  The movement has 25 or 26 Jewels, it varies depending on the watch, and I am unsure about the Aviator, and it has 28,800 vbh, along with a 38 hour power reserve.

The Ball watches are stylish and well built, along with having a very interesting story behind the inception of the brand.  And even though they are technically a swiss made watch, they are still an american company, and that should carry some weight as well.  The pricing is also nice.  Coming in at under 1400 dollars, it is a really good buy on the 5 best men's watches for under 2000 dollars.


Wrap up

Watches in this price range and above should be some of the highest quality watches you can find.  No longer will we be seeing Casio or Timex, but names that ring of history or innovation or quality or a little of all those things.  The best men's watches under believes these 5 watches to embody those qualities.

I hope you have enjoyed the 5 best men's watches for under 2000 dollars.  I believe there are some very fine watches on this list, and hope it helps you to find your own perfect timepiece.

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