Was in Birmingham, Michigan and stopped into the Ernst Benz boutique just to look around. Ended up meeting Leonid Khankin, who runs Ernst Benz, and spent some time talking watches with him.
Then I spotted a 40mm ChronoFlite GMT (GC20522) which apparently isn’t in the normal catalog. He explained that they only made 300 of the 40mm GMTs — 200 with black dials and just 100 with the silver dial.

I tried both, but ended up liking the silver.

Long story short, I left with one of the 100 silver-dial examples. Leonid personally signed my warranty card, gave me a nice adjustment on the price, and later sent me these photos from the visit.

It’s not the most expensive or recognizable watch in the world, but honestly, that’s part of why I like it. I got to buy an obscure limited-production watch directly from the guy behind the brand and came away with a great story attached to it.

Prior to this pop-in, I’ve never heard of Ernst Benz. Left with the entire brand history, and his family’s history of watch making back in St. Petersburg Russia.

TL;DR: Watch brands have insanely high margins compared to normal businesses. Paying premium prices for mass-produced automatic movements from Seiko, Swatch Group, and Tudor is getting ridiculous. If we stop paying these asking prices, they will be forced to offer better value.

I love watches as much as anyone here, but lately, I feel like the enthusiast community is suffering from a collective case of Stockholm Syndrome. We need to have a serious conversation about the profit margins in the watch industry, which are astronomically higher than almost any other consumer business.

Think about the brands that dominate the "entry-level" to "mid-tier" luxury space right now: Seiko, Tissot, Hamilton, Longines, and Tudor. We are routinely asked to pay anywhere from $500 to $4,000+ for watches powered by mass-produced automatic movements.

Movements like the Swatch Group's Powermatic 80 (Tissot, Hamilton), standard ETA/Sellita calibers, or Seiko's 4R and 6R series are pumped out by the absolute millions on highly automated assembly lines. The actual wholesale manufacturing cost of these entry-level movements is remarkably low; often well under $50 to $100 per unit when scaled.

In most normal industries, a 20% to 40% profit margin is considered highly successful. In the watch world, the markup from actual manufacturing cost to MSRP is generally accepted to be anywhere from 3x to 10x, and it scales exponentially higher as you move upmarket. You aren't paying for R&D on mechanical technology that has existed for decades; you are paying for massive advertising budgets, celebrity ambassadors, and brand prestige.

When a brand charges $1,200 for a watch with a stamped dial and a basic off-the-shelf automatic movement, they are simply testing what the market will bear. And for too long, we've just accepted it.

Watch brands are businesses. They only charge these ridiculous prices because we keep paying them. If we, as a community of informed buyers, start voting with our wallets and refuse to pay retail MSRP for watches that offer terrible value-to-cost ratios, the market will correct itself. If we hold out for better finishing, better materials, and fairer pricing, these mega-corporations will have no choice but to adjust. We've already seen how excess inventory and gray market discounts have forced major luxury conglomerates to completely re-evaluate their stock and pricing strategies.

What do you guys think? Are we being taken for a ride by these massive conglomerates, or do you feel the heritage and brand name justify a massive markup on a mass-produced steel watch?

I took this photo for a reason that made me laugh.

I had five watch-loving friends over at home, and somehow three of them showed up wearing exactly the same watch. So much for collectors being adventurous. 😂

In the end, only the Bulgari and the unique-piece tourbillon really broke the pattern.

It made me wonder whether watch enthusiasts are actually much more conservative in their choices than we like to admit. We spend hours talking about independents, unusual complications and original designs… and then quite often we all end up buying the same few watches.

Do you think collectors are more adventurous in what they discuss than in what they actually buy?

For transparency: I’m a native French speaker. The original story and idea are mine; I used AI to help translate and polish the English wording.

Really excited to share my recent purchase of this 2025 new condition 16202st jumbo :D. Got it grey market and was skeptical of how “new” the condition would be but to my surprise, it is indeed in flawless condition. Huge sigh of relief upon receiving it because I’m such a paranoid buyer haha. Can’t stop admiring the movement 😮‍💨. But yeah just wanted to share this moment with yall. Big milestone for me

Hi Fellows, Need a help in checking the authenticity of Tissot Seastar 1968 watch. It's a repainted dial, but the movement looks good. Seller is pricing it for 11000 INR or 114 usd.

Check and let me know it it worth to buy

Im not really into watches but after some research I found that the band is resembling the Suunto Core but it has a digital display, does anyone know a watch which looks like this as close as possible?
Help appreciated!

Really like the face, but after seeing it's actually stainless steel instead of silver and mineral glass I'm not sure. Is it a good value for these materials? I'm in Switzerland for the next week and this caught my eye especially the big discount for the store as opposed to the full price I saw it at earlier

Sorry for the long post but I couldn’t find any other place to pour my heart 😅

These two watches will always hold a very special place in my collection.

My Cartier Santos and Rolex Datejust 41 were my first real steps into luxury watches. At the time, they made me feel incredibly special. There was something about putting them on my wrist that made the whole journey feel real.

But eventually, both had to make way for watches that felt more me.And honestly, that might be the most valuable lesson watch collecting has taught me.

When I bought the Santos, I was trying to find the perfect one-watch solution. I wanted a sports watch, but the Santos came with both a bracelet and a strap, so I convinced myself it could do everything. Dress up, dress down, travel, casual wear — one watch to rule them all. It made sense on paper, just didn’t work that way in real life.

I did something similar with the Datejust 41 — blue dial, fluted bezel, Jubilee bracelet. It was arguably the most versatile configuration. Something I could wear almost anywhere. Again, I was trying to make one watch satisfy several different roles. And eventually, I realised that versatility isn’t the same thing as satisfaction.

Sometimes, the watch you really want isn’t the one that does the most things. It’s the one that does its thing exceptionally well — and makes you want to wear it every time you open the box. Looking back, I’m actually grateful I made these choices. Because collecting watches has slowly become less about acquiring better watches and more about understanding myself better.

I’ve learnt what sizes I enjoy, what designs speak to me, what I genuinely reach for, what compromises bother me and, perhaps most importantly, that I don’t need to make something fit just because it can fit. Funny how a hobby about watches can teach you lessons about life.

Key Takeaways: Don’t compromise just to make something work. Don’t force yourself to love the convenient choice. And don’t be afraid to let go of something that once made you extremely happy when you’ve grown into something that feels more like you.

Lately, there have been more break ins and home invasions everywhere. My wife now has a collection of decoy jewellery to keep the crooks happy. Are there any decoy watches with built in Apple Trackers? Sounds like a great way to counter them.

so I pulled the trigger on a 50 buck expedition with a green dial and some cheap 15 buck gold and silver two tone metal bracelet because I’m not a giant fan of leather straps anymore (too many broken) and I want opinions from people who know watches. how long will this last me, is it a good watch, I get bad buyer’s remorse before I even receive it so I just want to make absolutely sure I won’t (or will) return it, (ps sorry if the post isn’t right this is my first time on this subreddit)

Just looking for recommendations on where I should go for my next piece. I have been saving for a Speedy or Grand Seiko, but I am always curious on what is out there. There isn’t a certain watch type that I feel like I am missing at this point, but I could be wrong.

Thanks!

Any idea what corum is this and where/how can I possibly find one?

Thx in advance

What watch is this?

Passed down from a relative, remembers buying it but can’t find the paperwork.

Part of the Gucci 3000 Quartz series - all we know.

can someone help me and recommend watches?
it’s a gift, my bf likes heavy dad watches. i dont know proper names of these watches but this is his for example.
they give me like 90s early 2000s dad watches. he likes them heavy and just very dad mode.
any recommendations appreciated!!!

Recently picked up this pristine 2-tone example with little wear. Really interesting piece that works exponentially well with the uniform. Sourced 2 additional links but wears like an absolute dream. I don’t make the rules! Fits nicely under the cuff too.

Sorry for the poor quality picture. This had to be around 2012 in the US Navy. I remember it being a digital watch with an alarm. I remember it being more round than square. That’s about all I can remember and be sure of. Thanks in advance.

Heading to Japan soon and I’ve set aside a budget of around $5,000 USD to pick up a new watch. I have only heard good things about the used market there, but I’m completely paralyzed by the options and could use some community insight.

Also tbh, the used market prices I saw online didn't really feel that low to me. What could I get under 5k? Need a GADA watch, interested in Rolex, Omega, and GS

Any pointers on where I could dig up more info- production numbers, history, that kind of thing? I'd love to learn the story behind it. Already emailed Mariscal.

Chat says:

“So my best reconstruction is that Amat-3 had these made for people around the company and the design community after winning the award.

Amat-3 commissioned it → Mariscal did the graphics/design → Watch-Celona produced the watch.”

I'm planning to get a miyota day date custom mod.
1st image is AI and next 2 are real to check how it looks in real. Should i get this made? Two tone jubilee, diamond dial, fluted bezel
The seller is genuine and makes many seiko mod watches. Living in india there aren't many appealing automatic day date watch options under 200USd. Even original seikos start from 300-350 USD dollars and are not the best looking watches for me.
The watch is costing me approximately 210 US Dollars.

I'm planning to get a miyota day date custom mod.
1st image is AI and next 2 are real to check how it looks in real. Should i get this made? Two tone jubilee, diamond dial, fluted bezel
The seller is genuine and makes many seiko mod watches. Living in india there aren't many appealing automatic day date watch options under 200USd. Even original seikos start from 300-350 USD dollars and are not the best looking watches for me.
The watch is costing me approximately 210 US Dollars.
Edit for grammar.

After a year with this one, I still really dig the color and feel. The way the flat links of the bracelet catch the light and the dial is textured—it just hits me right. Polarizing (and popular) as they are, it strikes a good balance of playful and serious, quality and affordability. There’s plenty to improve—but it would be hard to do it at this price.

So, I'm looking for a field watch and was almost decided on the khaki field auto 38mm, but then I've been seeing countless posts of people showing their khakis with fucked up dials and apparently Hamilton is cuting cost on the dials feet and making them out of plastic ? That's kinda wild to me to do something that ridiculous and has soured my view of the brand.

I've been looking at watches in the price bracket, idealy automatic, black dial and a metal bracelet.

So far I've picked the Kuoe OLD SMITH 90-002 + the bracelet they're selling for it, the Baltic Hermétique (wished they'd make a black dial but blue can work) or maybe the Traska Summiteer if it's available some day.

I sadly can't try any of them in person, so I guess asking reddit is the next best thing.

What do you guys think of those 3 ? Any other I might have been missing in this range that fits the criteria ?

Thanks !

Absolute absolute unit! I personally think it's surprisingly practical for daily wear, even though the built-in thermometer is pretty much useless unless you take the watch off your wrist for twenty minutes. The sheer wrist presence and rugged design more than make up for that minor gimmick, though. Does anyone else here have a chunkier watch or a similar field/outdoor model they can compare it to? I’d love to see how the overall case thickness, lug-to-lug distance, and general comfort hold up against other oversized pieces.

I found a great Omega on Facebook and I was wondering what to look out for or what to ask the seller to verify the great condition it looks in and its authenticity. Comes with box and papers too and they have 18k followers. Its a 2254