What’s going on guys teddy baldustar here so today we’re going to be looking at swiss watches and entry-level swiss watches and in general when looking at watches made in switzerland we can look at some very expensive pieces as well as some i would say more attainable pieces
And for the sake of calling this entry level i’m going to say under a thousand dollars here today now a few different ground rules in terms of as we get into this video one is we’re going to be looking at new watches as well as looking at retail prices that allows us
To future proof this a bit as maybe people will be watching this in the future and then in addition also gives us kind of a baseline for people that are watching all around the globe as different markets have different prices and what’s available so just wanted some
Way of keeping this more universal in addition we’re also going to be looking at different styles so looking at dive watches dress watches everyday watches things of that sort to kind of break this down and as always we can’t look at all the different watches in this tier
So i will have a blog down below looking at the different swiss watch brands if you are just looking for a rundown of different brands at least be on your radar as you’re kind of going about your research and before we begin here i do want to mention our store teddybaldusar.com
We are a full authorized dealer of over 30 brands with brands all the way down to timex all the way up to zenith and nomos of the world so i do want to mention it here today full factory warranty for all the brands that we carry so if anything goes wrong you
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The description but to start us off here let’s look at dive watches now first up we have tiso and they’re certainly going to be mentioned throughout this video as a great brand to look at in this price range and when you look at tso i don’t think
Looking at their dive watches it’s maybe the first place many people suspect but we’re starting off with a good one here with the tiso seastar now the seastar comes in both a silicium version with a silicon hairspring as well as a standard version but i think both of them offer
Some really solid value in this price range in terms of what we’re looking at here looking at an 80 hour power reserve on these movements fully automatic uh the case size on these are a little bit larger at 43 millimeters but when you factor in the lug to lug distance and
The overall wear on the wrist this is going to work closer to a 41 42 millimeter so for those on the fence just kind of use that as some guidance there i do think the different dial colors will fluctuate in terms of their youthfulness versus maybe more adult-like appearance i think the blue
Is a bit more youthful and i think playful in terms of its overall style which if that’s what you’re going for definitely go that route but if you’re wanting something that’s a little bit more i would say refined i’d maybe go towards the black dial variants or something of that sort in addition
You’re also getting a ceramic bezel sapphire crystal healthy water resistance on this thing and overall i think this is a really solid contender if you’re looking at a sub thousand dollar swiss main dive watch that i don’t think is maybe one of the first that people consider now this next watch
Is not necessarily a dive watch to the fullest sense but you certainly can do a lot of just marine and water activities with it and could probably do the job if you’re not doing professional diving so i just wanted to put it in this batch of watches and that is the victorinox inox
Mechanical now this is not necessarily a brand that you think of all the time in terms of watches many of their knives and the swiss made knives are probably what you’re going to be mostly associating with this brand but there’s no doubt that this is a very solid built
Piece just like the knives that this brand is constructing this watch on the surface total tool a little bit larger on the case you’re getting a 43 millimeter case and a lug to lug distance at 52 millimeters which is going to be more sizeable healthy water resistance of 200 meters but you’re
Getting a very tough construction here and it really can take on a lot of the underwater conditions you’re getting an automatic at a 28 24 2 so a reliable workhorse here for a movement and available right around eight hundred dollars depending on the bracelet strap option that you go for in addition
There’s a lot of i think pre-owned options of these as well i just throwing that in there as a side note so if you are trying to get into a swiss made watch well built and it has a bit of a more unique style i think this is one to
Certainly add to the list now next up we have a canadian brand that makes all their watches in switzerland so i think it qualifies here for the list and that is looking at marathon with their jisar the search and rescue and just as a side note as we’re looking into these watches
There is a 41 millimeter option a 36 millimeter option as well as a jumbo option so basically any size wrist that you have you will be covered here but for the sake of checking off a box of being a little bit different than the previously mentioned watches going to
Look at the 36 millimeter so the medium option here now when looking at dive watches for small wrists it’s a short list out there and under a thousand dollars probably even shorter 36 millimeter case lug to lug of 43.5 millimeters this is going to wear pretty
True to that size if not a little bit smaller just because of the bezel along the outside you’re getting a slate of movement in here automatic solid sw 200 300 meters of water resistance sapphire crystal and you’re also going to get tritium tubes on this one which is going
To create this dynamic where the actual dial sits very far within the case because they have to stack the hands on top of one another in a uniform format so that it will actually clear the tritium tubes because that does create a little bit of a vertical challenge in
Terms of setting up everything on the dial so that it does not run into those tritium tubes on it and marathon does have a back story creating military issue timepieces for the allied forces back in the 1940s and are still producing watches for us armed forces as
Well as canadian armed forces to this day now when it comes to underrated brands from switzerland i think one in this range is mido and about a year or two ago i looked at the mido ocean star tribute so that one is just north of a thousand dollars in terms of its price
Really love the wearability on that one at 40 millimeters with its case size so for a smaller wrist that’s a great one to go for if you have a little bit more budget to spend but today we’re just going to be looking at the traditional ocean star the more
Classic design not the tribute version with this one coming in at 42.5 millimeters a thickness pretty thin on this one which is a great upside of this piece 11.75 millimeters nice automatic movement in here with a lengthy power reserve water resistance of 200 meters and a sapphire crystal now the ocean
Star for me when i think of meto is probably the first thing that comes to mind i think it does really epitomize the brand in a lot of ways and it’s certainly on the list probably the more overlooked watches in this price range now next up we have the doctor sub 200
Which i think in terms of color profiles and variety is one of the best lines that you can find in swiss watch making at this price tier and also getting a brand with great history in regard to dive watches 950 dollars if you’re going it for it on the strap there’s also a
Beads of rice style bracelet version that you can get for slightly more 42 millimeter case but a lug to lug that is going to wear very similar to a lot of the seikos out there at 45 millimeters so imagine like an skx in terms of the wearability here thickness 14
Millimeters so right in that range of being appropriate while keeping in mind that this thing is trying to achieve nice water resistance 200 meters here automatic at a 2824 so a total workhorse here very serviceable easy to regulate on your own and then sapphire crystal with a variety of different colors if
You’re trying to stay classic go for the orange dial but have some fun this is a brand that i think you let your freak flag fly have some fun with it and enjoy what they have available all right so now to move over to dress watches and
Here i want to look at actually the first swiss watch i ever owned uh first swiss automatic i ever owned with a tiso visit date now the visit date is a watch that i think is more dress oriented but certainly can be worn in a variety of different situations it could be an
Everyday piece for somebody that isn’t really pushing their watches and trying to swim at this because overall i think depending on the strap this thing can work in a variety of different situations you have a silver dial option you have a black dial option you have some more two-toned options you also
Have quartz versions available as well if you do want something a little bit cheaper but the automatics retailing around 650 depending on the strap that you go for case size 40 millimeters so very wearable maybe a little bit on the larger side especially when factoring in
The lug to lug of 47 millimeters getting an eta 2836 ii movement so not going to be as lengthy as the 80 hour power reserve variants that are commonly available for t-cell but you are getting a universal movement that could be regulated or worked on by pretty much any watchmaker so there’s
Upside there and tiso also has some very affordable servicing costs for their movements that i don’t think a lot of people have looked into and we’re talking 100 bucks for like a full service here give or take so that’s really nice sapphire crystal very versatile looks and i just love the old
School tiso logo on this i think it just looks way more refined than the more playful modern tiso logo this is certainly a no-brainer for me to include on this list now when i consider a swiss brand maybe a more entry-level swiss brand that has the most variety
I think i honestly would say it’s hamilton and i think that might be surprising for a lot of people because when you think of hamilton i think we commonly think of the khaki series over and over again but this brand is so much more than that i wanted to include the hamilton valiant
In this list but hamilton seems to be actually moving it out of the catalog and it’s a shame because i think that’s a really clean watch but it certainly probably didn’t sell that well for them that’s probably why uh so instead we’re gonna be looking at the viewmatic now
The jazz master review matic is a bit of a different piece in terms of maybe the traditional dress watch i think it’s got some i’d say classical elements with some modern flair you get these kind of interesting numerals here on the watch also getting a case profile that is a
Bit more modern and sleek than i would say more normal traditional dress watches also with the handset and the data aperture being a bit more modern in its approach getting kind of more of that checkered pattern textured central dial surface with more of a lined hour track along the outside it’s a nice
Hybridized approach to a dress watch i think from a modern perspective getting a nice reliable movement inside reasonable thickness and 50 meters of water resistance to give you a little bit of extra security here and with the looks of this one i think you certainly could take advantage now the same thing
That could be said about the ocean star i think could be said about the bar and chelly but more from a dress watch perspective not one that i think many people consider but if you’re looking at the overall package i think providing some of the best value in the range here
The version we have here is the big day which could be a bit more of a polarizing format 960 dollars 40 millimeters on the case nice thickness on this one at just above 10 millimeters and a sizeable lug to lug with an 80 hour power reserve on this movement as
Well you can also go for the middlebar and chilly heritage which is going to be a different approach to the design but probably more traditional in a sense of a dress watch but either way you really can’t go wrong here now next up we have bull over here and an interesting line
From the brand that was actually developed as a byproduct of trying to pay a tribute to the founder joseph bulova with the joseph bolova collection there was quite a bit of different styles that they went after more classical mid 20th century designs that really reminded of that kind of art deco era of
Watchmaking which i’m a huge fan of and this one is right in line with that with the bulova banker now bulova is not a brand that is making a lot of their watches in switzerland as a byproduct of being owned by the citizen watch groups
You’re going to be seeing a lot of myota calibers in their movements but they do have a lot of flexibility of course being a part of the citizen watch group which also is going to have other swiss brands in their catalog like alpena or frederick constant this watch comes here
At a price range around 995 dollars at the retail end case size is 33 millimeters with a lug to lug that’s gonna be at 46 millimeters you’re getting an automatic solid sw 200 movement 30 meters of water resistance sapphire crystal and a nice slim case profile and this watch overall again
Reminds me of that art deco era so if you’re someone that likes the cartier tank or a lot of those classic bulova watches of vintage bulova watches this is going to be right in line with that type of taste now everyday watches i’m going to kind of
Stretch the term here in a way where i can kind of have things just fit this classification typically i see it as a watch that can both be dressy as well as sporty or maybe more and more casually that’s not going to be the instance for all of these watches especially with
This first one but it needs to be included on this list and it needs to fit somewhere and that is the swatch system 51. now swatch as a brand was pretty much the savior of the swiss watchmaking industry and really combating the quartz crisis that was happening throughout the late 1960s the
70s in the early 1980s now when swatch came onto the scene it really did reprogram people’s brains in terms of what they perceived as swiss watch could be and also got new collectors to get into swiss watches at a more affordable package now the system 51 in the last
Five to 10 years has kind of been that same idea but almost counteracting i think maybe the apple watch is now being the new quartz watch in a way now the upside of these watches is just the variety that you have at your disposal and being sub 200 dollars at that now
Case sizes are going to be larger they’re a bit more playful certainly than most of the watches on this list 42 millimeters 50 millimeter lug to lug water resistance is on the lower end and you’re getting the automatic swatch system 51 movement which is going to be
A very unique design in terms of what it’s going for but they’re also a bit more like throwaway movement so this isn’t something you’re going to get service down the road these are just fun watches to have and have a lot of different styles to choose from to really define that personal individual
Touch that you have in your collecting journey which i think is why these are so attractive to many people out there now when you have about 500 bucks to spend and you’re looking at an everyday watch swiss made there’s a short list of watches to consider but if i had to just
Put my money on one to look at i think i’d go for the hamilton khaki collection personally my favorite is the hamilton khaki field mechanical the hand wound just field watch look is i think killer and very timeless and for around 500 bucks again really just can’t
Beat it this watch comes in a 38 millimeter case which is going to wear in a variety of different wrists the lug to lug on this one is a bit large for that case size so i would say it wears closer to a 39 40 millimeter so those
With smaller wrists just something to consider here i don’t think you should shy away i have a six and a quarter inch wrist i would certainly pull this one off you’re getting a manual eta 28012 base in here but it’s actually elevated to an 80 hour power reserve on this 50
Meters of water resistance so if you are pushing this you might not be able to do all the water activities that you want it to do so that’s one downside of this watch if you didn’t want more ups resistance i’d go for the automatic versions as there
Are some that are available for 100 meters of water resistance there and you’re also getting a sapphire crystal hamilton khaki feel mechanical time tested can take on pretty much any scenario and is a great starter watch if you’re just trying to get into swiss watches for the first time from a brand
Like hamilton now in this enthusiast circle of watches there’s a short list of brands or watches that we commonly just recommend as great choices for x amount of dollars and under a thousand dollars now i think the tiso gentleman powermatic 80 is certainly in that conversation as a no-brainer watch if
You’re looking for one that can take on pretty much any scenario i reviewed this one earlier this year and it did a lot of things right i do think it’s a bit more playful as well as sporty compared to some other watches that you might be
Looking at but that also could be used to its favor especially now considering the current societal norms with things getting a bit more casual overall 100 meters of water resistance wearable case at 40 millimeters a little bit on the larger end but it does have a thicker bezel
Which is going to make the dial appear a bit smaller when having it strapped onto the wrist for those that are on the smaller end of wrist sizes i think you could pull it off but i still would just be conscious maybe try this one on
Before you go for it i have a six and a quarter inch wrist i could totally pull this off so if you are just maybe sizing your own wrist at home and just kind of figuring out if you can pull it off is personal preference but i think you go
For it absolutely also getting a powermatic 80 movement inside there’s course versions available for this as well which will be even more affordable and you’re also getting a silicon balance spring as well which will help against shock as well as magnetic fields so giving you some protection there one
Downside i will mention 21 millimeters for the lug width on this one which is kind of a bummer just because it is such a versatile piece with a variety of different colors and dial options you can go for but a great everyday watch to consider from a great brand indeed so so
Chances are by now you’ve probably heard some brands that are saying they’re cutting out the middleman and i’m gonna tell you right now they’re all lying to you unless that brand is christopher ward because what christopher ward has done i mean they’ve really they raised a
Ton of capital to make it happen and it really positioned the brand in a successful way to go direct to the consumer this is really the only time where this actually happens they purchased a movement manufacturer they produce all their watches in their workshop in switzerland and they sell only on their retail
E-commerce site that is cutting out the middleman forget what everybody else tells you and i think that should be applauded and what they’ve done in a very short period of time is nothing short of exceptional and also commendable but the watch that we’re looking at here is the christopher ward
C65 trident vintage so this is an everyday watch from christopher ward around a thousand dollars the current uh exchange rate now is making this a bit different so uh forgive me if this changes in the future but case size 38 millimeters getting some nice classical designs with the overall format wearable
Lug to lug thickness is also thin on the wrist and you’re getting some nice speck in terms of the water resistance as well as the movement within and also getting a nice box sapphire crystal on this watch to kind of create that more vintage style that was seen from a lot
Of the acrylic or plastic crystals from vintage timepieces of decades prior now to close out our everyday watches looking at a brand that i’ve owned in the past and i think when you’re dealing with say pre-owned options as well of just getting things at a really affordable price and getting into swiss
Watches in an attainable way glycine and i’ve owned the glycine combat sub which i know somebody’s going to mention in the comments hey where’s this watch this should be on there i think it’s a pretty obvious choice but also a good option for many people out there but i want to
Look at the glycine air man instead now the glycine air man is both historically significant as well as having a design style that i think many brands have played off of being created in the 1950s was actually the first watch to ever be able to tell a separate time zone with
The use of that 24-hour bezel along the outside now for these glycine airmen there’s a variety now to choose from unfortunately glycine is now underneath the invicta umbrella of brands which has created a bit of some more i would say out there designs and maybe more eye-catching designs which i’m not as
Much in favor of but they still do have some core models that look very good and timeless in terms of the approach this one comes in 850 dollars case size 40 millimeters nice thickness of 12 millimeters and a lug to lug of 49 millimeters so it’s going to wear pretty
True to that 40 millimeter case style can track an additional time zone with that bezel on the outside sw 330 movement as well and you’re also getting a sapphire crystal glycine again just a brand that i think checks off the boxes in terms of value in a swiss watch
Making perspective so certainly should be on this list in getting a watch like the glycine air man at an affordable price one of the more i think impactful watches from a historical significant standpoint when dealing with swiss made timepieces in this range well alright guys that is my list of entry-level
Swiss watches please leave a comment down below what other watches would you consider in this price range given the parameters set up at the beginning love to see comments down below for other people and then also blog down below as well if you’re wanting to further your research and looking into watches of
This category as well as just swiss watches in general also be sure to follow us on instagram teddybaldusar stay up to date with the content as well see some cool photos of watches and then teddyballstar.com over 30 brands that weren’t authorized dealer for a full factory warranty for all those brands
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