So I have been entertaining the idea of entering the world of hand finished gold dress watches and came to the shortlist you can see above.

So pricewise the bunch starts with the Breguet classique 5157 at around 10k and with a bit of hunting I think 8-9k could be realistic. For me this one has probably the best dial and case work of the four. The movement is beautiful but I think it’s slightly below the level of the other 3. Overall underrated and a great package, but I feel this one is the least versatile and may look weird with tshirt and jeans.

The next one in terms of price is the LUC Chopard XPS twist with Fleurier seal. This one goes for about 12k preowned but with low stock. Dial is quite interesting and the movement has the Fleurier seal which is probably comparable to a Geneva seal. Really cool watch but the brand does not convince me compared to the other 3.

Then we have a ALS Saxonia thin. This one is now going for around 12-18k with some hunting but also low stock. This one needs no introduction, probably one of the best sellers of ALS.

Lastly the VC Patrimony Traditionnelle 43075, which goes for 15-20k, maybe 12k with a bit of hunting, but also has low stock. This model is discontinued and bears the famous 1120 movement beautifully decorated with both case and movement having the Geneva seal.

Out of the 4 my favorite is the VC but I think being 41mm it wont look as good as for example the Breguet which is 38mm. But I have very flat wrists so size is no issue. In terms of value relative to retail price the VC is trading at about 40% of its original retail price while the rest is at about 50-60%.

Do you have other dress watches in mind beyond this shortlist ? After doing the research on this it got me thinking that it’s incredible the level of watchmaking you can get with a budget similar to a Rolex submariner. I really like the Submariner in a vacuum but after seeing what you can get with 10k outside of the crown I don’t think it makes sense unless you have the means to have a big collection of 10k watches instead of a few.

  • Wildcat_DunksBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Someone here once said that the finishing on the dial of this Chopard makes it look like an anus, and I can’t unsee that.

  • clm1859BEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Surprised nobody mentioned JLC yet. The master ultra thin moon is pretty damn awesome and similar. I think if you get it in gold youre looking at about 12k preowned. Steel more 9k preowned or 12k new. That one left me pretty stunned. Altho i have to admit its also the only dress watch in that price range that i went to look at in real life.

    Btw also so many reverso variants that there must be one at this price point. As well as some master control options (i like the master calendar).

  • lmmo1977BEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Difficult choice, all good options. I would have to try them on my wrist and decide emotionally based on the “feeling” I got wearing each of them.

    It’s a luxury item, so any technicality of Geneva vs. Fleurier seal it’s just you making a rationale articulation for yourself of a decision that was made on an emotional level.

  • brichardson7BEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    For me it’s the Lange for the classic look and Chopard if you want something a little less “textbook”