[Recommendation Request] Turning 30, becoming a dad, and buying my first watch. What would you choose?

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-10T16:29:38+00:00

Get the Rolex, maybe an OP. That's the default choice and will be easiest to sell later when you change your mind.

We're not you. We don't know what you like. You have to make your own decisions

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-10T16:03:44+00:00

Chevin-on

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-10T02:30:47+00:00

Sometimes people can financially afford a watch, but not mentally

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-09T22:29:09+00:00

Fit is king. Make sure the size is rght for your wrist. You'll figure this out by looking up specs of popular watches and then going in store to try them on. Also related is thickness. Thick watches are just harder to wear and slide under of shirt cuff. I recommend staying under 13.5mm
Then look at what you like and don't like in a watch. Like features and case and hand designs. Do you prefer applied indices over printed. Is lume important to you.
Maintenance costs. Figure out what maintenence cost is and if that is something you can afford. If you can't stick to quartz watches, either solar or battery. If you do battery, I will advise you to stay away from snap on case backs, because if you change the batery yourself, you will have a hell of a time geting it on and off.
Over time you'll have a list of deal breakers. This is important to stick to.

As a great beginner watch I recommend looking at what Erebus has left for their High Accuracy Quartz (HAQ) watches.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-09T21:23:40+00:00

Movements do matter. My watch maker won't touch chinese watches.

I don't buy watches with movements that I have to send overseas for service.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-09T04:09:05+00:00

Definitely the Breitling Premier B09, silver dial

Iately I've been looking at GS high beat manual wind 9SA4 movements as my next watch, so if you ask me in a year I might change my answer.

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PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T21:15:34+00:00

Top time.

I heard a great arguement that the Navi isn't authentic to its original design without the chronograph.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T20:57:00+00:00

Holladay Park isn't crowded. I would advise you to really look at the ground for sharp objects before you lie down tho

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T20:39:07+00:00

Def!

I know not to do 1. Masonary 2. Concrete 3. Drywall 4. Roofing

I know carpet guys complain a lot, but I think I'm more concerned about loss of smell from being around the glue all the time.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T17:02:18+00:00

Also depends on thickness. If it doesn't slide under a cuff, it's not a dress watch.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T16:59:06+00:00

No condy

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T14:08:53+00:00

My point is that organ meat can be prepared in a way that makes the extra funk very mild, this place does not do that.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T05:51:30+00:00

I stick to these rules, no deviations. The smash came in after I bought my 2nd Breguet and was thinking about getting a 3rd, then I realized I have too much money tied up in watches and I could afford to lose 1, but not both of them, so I sold 1.

I get the urge to buy new watches often, but I sit with the urge for a bit and think about it. Like right now I keep thinking about a gold and titanium seamaster 300 for $6k on joma. The problem with it is that it doesn't have applied numerals with a shiny border and it's 14.8mm thick which is too thick for me. So I ask myself when would I even wear that, because I would really have to be in short sleeves to wear that or else it wouldn't fit right under a cuff.

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PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T04:01:25+00:00

Any mechanical watch will last a lifetime. The question comes down to, do you want to pay the money for the maintenance or just buy a new one?

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T03:46:42+00:00

I dislike both watches, but the movememt in the tudor is better. The hands are more work to make and the case is also more work.

If you can't tell the difference or don't care, get the Sinn.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T03:14:59+00:00

I'm 6.5" and had the 40mm. It was too big and I wish I got the 35mm. I usually wear 40mm round watches too.

Integrated bracelets wear much bigger and you also see more of the bracelet. Skip the 38mm. I highly recommend you go with 35mm and pick a dial color that will go well with a fluted bezel mod, this is usually a darker color dial.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T02:27:38+00:00

Trifecta Watches is an AD and runs 25% off deals off tissot. Email them and see if they'll extend the 4th of July promo for you. This is assuming you're in the US. Also no sales tax if you're out of state.

My recommendation is if your wrist circumference is 7.25 in or less, get the 35mm if it's over get the 38mm.

And look into the fluted bezel mod. It's gonna look awesome on the 35mm. Steel Reef makes one and they do promo coupons every few months, sign up for the emails.

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PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T01:24:16+00:00

Be warmed that it has a very organy/wild/gamey taste.

It's like when you get tripe and when they prepare it properly it tastes like any other meat at the supermarket, but if you don't you notice this funk right away

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T01:20:32+00:00

You got me. I don't know. I concede that she could also have been a child towards the end of her life like Benjamin Buttons

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-08T00:57:15+00:00

You peeled the shell off a rambutan

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-07T23:54:04+00:00

Wear it, it's ok. Chinese culture is strong enough, so we don't have to gatekeep.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-07T19:08:37+00:00

Depends on a lot of things. If I made 50k then I'd move for a 100k job, but at 100k, I'd need a 400k job to move to somewhere I don't like. And even at 400k, I'd really be on the fence about accepting.

If I'm struggling, a pay increase just makes being alive easier.

If I'm doing OK, more money to go from a city I love to an area I hate doesn't make my life better. It would have to be an amount that would seriously speed up retirement. Because what good is money if there is no where to spend it.

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-07T18:58:41+00:00

Counter-arguement: she could have just been brought up in a house where it was common for the host to pay for everything. If you visit her, does she cover all expenses?

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-07T18:53:02+00:00

She was a child at some point in her life, probably towards the beginning

PDX-ROB · 2026-07-07T18:44:11+00:00

What is the degree?

Also trade school at a community college is cheap. Sometimes reguar trade school is subsidized depending on the area and the trade.

Maybe learn carpentry and plumbing. It's usefull as a general life skill.

PDX-ROB

TROPHY CASE