Most if not all watch enthusiasts and collectors would probably have a grail watch sitting at this price range, and at this price range you be pretty specific with the watches you want to purchase. You can get a lot of excellent watches with rich history and can even purchase watches with more complications. These are again my own personal recommendations and the prices are in USD.
Grand Seiko Snowflake Spring Drive SBGA211 ($5,800)
Easily one of the most iconic watches ever to be produced from Grand Seiko, and for good reason. Grand Seiko is always known for their excellent dial craftsmanship and the simplicity of the snowflake dial with the blue second hand powered by that spring drive movement, made it an instant hit with a lot of watch collectors and enthusiasts. There is always a lot of prejudice when it comes to the spring drive movement, with a lot of people saying its not a true automatic movement, despite this you have to admire what they have accomplished and their craftsmanship with their watches. The Calibre 9R65 spring drive movement is accurate to +15 seconds per month and has a power reserve of 72 hours.
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch ($6,300)
Again, another iconic watch this time from Omega and due its popularity on the subreddit r/watches it has also become a running title “Speedy Tuesday” for Speedmaster owners to post their watches on Tuesdays. This watch is for good reason a lot of people’s grail watch and an excellent daily driver, from the chronograph functionality to the new and updated Calibre 3861 manual movement that powers the watch, and the sapphire crystal on both the dial and the case back it becomes extremely hard not to justify this watch. Just looking at that movement alone you can see the amount of work and parts needed to power such an incredible watch, and since the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch has been a part of all six moon landings it will always remain as a staple among other watches due to its history.
Rolex Submariner Date 16610 ($9,500)
The Rolex Submariner has always been a grail watch for a lot of people and for that distinguished look you cannot really go wrong with the 16610. You get that signature cyclops date window as well as that authentic Rolex bezel and logo, it has become so popular that a lot of brands have mimicked the Submariner and made several homages but nothing will compare to the original. The ruggedness and versatility of this watch is what draws people, and while the waitlist is long with some saying they have waited for 2 years, a lot of people will even go to the lengths of purchasing this watch from the grey market. It works both well as a daily watch and a dress watch just by simply changing the strap and that also forms a part of its appeal.
Zenith Defy Midnight ($9,000)
Zenith is an excellent watch manufacturer with a rich history and this defy midnight is an excellent woman’s watch. It comes in a 36mm stainless steel case featuring a vertical gradient blue dial and all the hour markers are diamonds. The dial also has painted stars to evoke the starry night sky, the watch comes paired with a stainless-steel bracelet which can be easily swapped for any other strap. It features Zeniths Elite movement which is made out of 144 parts and has a power reserve of 50 hours.
Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium ($5,700)
Hublot has a love hate relationship amongst watch collectors, as some see the designs as being a bit too extreme while others like the looks from their novelty collection. The classic fusion however, is an excellent choice and keeps it simple and elegant. It comes in a variety of case sizes and for this price you can purchase the 33mm case size making it an ideal lady’s watch. The case is made out of titanium, and features the signature H-shaped screws on the bezel that Hublot is known for, and displays a matte black dial. The watch is powered by the HUB2912 quartz movement that is said to have a power reserve between 3 to 5 years and it comes with sapphire crystal on the dial.
The Watchlist 