I started a beginner four-watch collection for under £350, and I want to share what I found. I’m no watch expert, but I did a fair amount of research and would recommend my purchases to anyone looking to start without breaking the bank.

For the longest time I didn’t wear a watch. I do like my Apple Watch— at a glance I can see my calendar, check the time in New York, or see if my Uber Eats delivery is on the way. Essential.

The notifications did start to get a little distracting. Sometimes they are helpful, but mostly distracting, so I started wearing my Apple Watch a little less, maybe only 75% of the time.

I had a trip lined up to Brazil in May 2023 and I was warned not to flaunt any tech or wear any expensive jewellery. I still wanted to be able to tell the time and knew about the legendary Casio F-91W, so figured I’d pick one up for my trip. I waltz into the shops and pick up my new £10.99 watch. It did exactly what I needed.

What I didn’t expect is when I arrived back from Brazil is that I’d often choose this watch over my Apple Watch. Being able to tell the time is actually kinda useful and I didn’t always want the distraction of notifications, plus I enjoyed the retro aesthetic.

Fast forward to meeting my girlfriend— who is far more stylish than me— asked me one evening, “would you ever wear a proper watch?”

Firstly, I was offended she didn’t see my £10.99 Casio as a “proper” watch, but it got me thinking. I wanted a steel-bracelet watch.

Into the research dungeon I went, which mostly entailed watching Nico Leonard and “budget starter watch collection” YouTube videos.

At this point I’d found my attainable dream watches, so I knew the style I was looking for. Call me basic, but:

  • Rolex Datejust (£5,000)
  • Cartier Tank (£3,300)

I landed on the Seiko 5 line of watches as a good value >£300 starter watch. Wandering through my local H Samuel one day, I spotted this Seiko SNKL23K1 for just £155. it kinda looks like the Rolex Datejust. I consulted with my stylist (girlfriend) and bought it the next day.

I couldn’t have asked for a better first watch to start my collection. It’s simple, automatic, the face isn’t too big (38mm) and I think it looks good. It filled my need for a more traditional looking watch without breaking the bank.

Now I’d found my Rolex-style starter watch, I wanted a dressier, Cartier-style watch. A Cartier “dupe”, if you must. (The world of luxury dupes is fascinating and I’m here for it).

One of my favourite style content creators, Zach Webber, had often featured the Fossil Carraway (30mm, Quartz movement) and I knew I wanted it. I found it for £126.25 on the internet and snapped one up.

There was only one problem with this watch. The strap. Some of you might know I run a handcrafted leather wallet business in my spare time, so a cheap leather strap would not cut it. Fortunately, there’s a brand that makes stunning leather watch straps for around £100, The Strap Tailor. It seemed crazy buying a strap for 90% of the price of the watch, but the quality difference is stark and I love supporting small businesses.

The Fossil watch, although I don’t wear it as often, is a delightful addition to the collection.

I did, however, feel the collection was missing something. Remember that Casio I bought for Brazil? I loved this watch but found myself wearing it less often. As much as I love it, I guess it felt cheap to wear out given my new watches?

I’d seen Patrick Tomasso (a wonderfully creative filmmaker with a retro aesthetic) wear the gold version of my Casio F91-W, the Casio A168WG. The best thing? It was only £55. Granted, over 5x the price of my Brazil watch, but a stonking deal. I put it on my Christmas list and Santa (my girlfriend’s lovely mother) delivered it for me. This watch completed my budget starter collection.

So going from being an Apple Watch guy, to a cute collection of 5 watches that are all unique in their own way makes me very happy indeed.

There isn’t much desire to buy anything in the near future now. The collection serves its purpose and I’m now in saving mode for those dream attainable watches, plus a few extras.

Dream watch list if anyone would like to donate:

  • Rolex Datejust
  • Cartier Tank
  • Omega Speedmaster
  • Tudor Submariner
  • TAG Carrera

I’ll reiterate I am no watch expert, just someone wanting to their wrists to look better and bought a collection based on my own style. Would love to know what you think?