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Pre-Owned Picks Ballin' On A Budget

Pre-owned options from big brands, all under $3,000.

A great watch that serves as a lifelong companion can be found at nearly any price point. Most people start with a watch that is easily attainable, a rugged G-Shock, a trusted Timex, or maybe a fun Swatch. At some point we all start to talk about that grail watch, or the watch we need to save up for. The kind of watch that is known the world over to be a mark of quality, a symbol of success, or a worthy memento of one of life's big events. A watch like this does not need to be five figures; in fact, here are a few choices under $3,000 that are up to the task.

Grand Seiko Heritage Quartz SBGP007
grand seiko watch

If you want a level of finishing on every surface of a watch that will blow people away yet doesn't come with the cost of a Geneva Seal watch, look no further than Grand Seiko. The Zaratsu mirror polishing on every facet of the dial markers and hands reflect light so well that there is hardly need for lume on any of their watches. The SBGP007 has a wonderfully deep blue lacquered dial and a red second hand that gives it a little bit of that Superman colorway. The star on the dial means this is a limited-edition quartz, but not any old quartz. This quartz movement is built to be serviced, temperature compensated, and uses only the best quartz crystals Grand Seiko can grow. The result is a watch that is accurate to within 5 seconds a year – to put that in context, most quartz watches are accurate to within 30 seconds a month.

Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41 79540
Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41

Time only, classic case shape, snowflake hands, and not a flaw to be seen. Tudor has emerged from the shadow of Rolex this past decade to produce some of the most popular watches in the world. The Black Bay 41 was launched in 2017 as part of the ever-expanding Black Bay line. It's a simple design meant to be the watch that can go to a more formal event or a day at the beach. With 150m of water resistance and the legendary ETA 2824 movement inside, this is not a watch that needs to be babied.

OMEGA Speedmaster Racing 326.32.40.50.03.001
OMEGA Speedmaster Racing

A co-axial Speedmaster, a 40mm case size, and a blue dial. 'Nuff said.

Okay, maybe a little bit more. This line of Speedmaster Racing was launched in 2012 with a range of different dial colors. They replaced the Speedmaster reduced as the smaller automatic chronograph in OMEGA's lineup and only lasted five years before being replaced by the Speedmaster 38. The short run led many to discover this watch and its many variants after it was already discontinued. This line of Speedmaster Racing is starting to have a following, and with its short production run it has a chance to be a future hard-to-find classic.

Cartier Tank Française Small W51008Q3
cartier tank francaise

The Cartier Tank has been around for over a century, coming in over a dozen different versions, with all being as timeless as the first. It is a design that has withstood the test of time, to become one of the most recognizable watches ever made. The Française has a slightly curved case to help fit the wrist and gently angled lugs that turn into the bracelet. The quartz movement means not having to worry about resetting the time if you don't wear it for the weekend. Without a second hand to tick away, the wearer never even needs to think about the movement inside and can simply enjoy the timeless beauty on their wrist.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer WAY2012
tag heuer aquaracer

The Aquaracer has consistently been one of the best dive watches you can buy; the fact that you can get one in this price range is the cherry on top. Being a dive watch means it has a unidirectional bezel, 300m of water resistance, and enough Super-LumiNova to light up Time Square. The cyclops date window has its fans and detractors – personally, I think it makes the watch even more functional, with an easily read date. I've always been a fan of this feature, something usually only seen on Rolex. The blue textured dial and yellow second hand add just the right amount of visual interest.

For more Pre-Owned watches look no further than the HODINKEE Shop.