Lépine
1317
There's a better way to identify a collector. Aurel Bacs and Livia Russo come out to shake your hand.
No appointment needed. Not me but my friend, I am just taking the picture. The other person in the white pokadot shirt is the worlds most famous Longines pilot watch collector, you can see the Lindberg on his wrist. 
Philippe also was window shopping. 
What watch would you wear
To signal that you are seriously into collecting without flashing serious money. Something no one else would truly appreciate but another collector? For me, it’s vintage 50’s thru 70’s and perhaps a polerouter, an enicar, or maybe a bubble back. Nothing e...
Loads of nerd watches exist...
Pretty much anything that isn't a stainless steel sports model from Rolex, Patek, VC or AP.
Yes and no
With Instagram many non collectors buy. The game requires that another collector can identify you as a collector with certainty. Sure you might get the 1/1000 wearing hand me down, but leave them aside, they will be rarer than the watches they wear.
JLC generally is a watch fan's watch.
Even Lange is very mainstream now. Montblanc Villeret wearers are true watch lovers and not status seekers.
Might not be possible to get for under 10k anymore, but a Seiko 6185-8020 VFA
The case, short hands, and megalithic hour makers are easy to spot. ...
This was where my mind always has been.
Although with a slightly different watch, not the VFAs but the Specials.
Breguet... (any reference...this one as an example)...
This is one of my favorites... ...
Yes...very classy...
...most people have no idea what the brand is, and the simple pieces will not break the bank...
C24 shows 150 Breguet Classiques with asking prices under $10k
And I bet some over $10k could be had for less So yes you can get them for less than $10k unless you only buy brand new
Really nice strap choice!!!
Where is that strap from? Here's another Breguet with a nice looking summer strap! Linen suit, summer strap, on the French Riviera... Bon. Tres bon. ...
It's a nice strap, but I have no idea where I grabbed that photo from months ago...
...I have a 'Watches' folder on my desktop with hundreds of pics (as I'm sure many here also have) : )
I messed up on the dollar amount...
...I was thinking 'under $10k' in 'Collectors dollars' : ) In the grand scheme of things, these are not very expensive as far as this hobby goes...
Probably my omega railmaster 60th..
But from what I don’t own, probably something from unimatic or a airain sous-marine diver.
They would have to follow the GPHG...
and know that it won its category, minimum effort maximum satisfaction ...
Yes, always a cool watch.
One I’ve wanted for such a long time but just never gotten around to it.
A few spring to mind
Vintage Tudor, vintage Seiko, vintage military watches. Those you mentioned were pretty perfect as well.
Any used GP. Fantastic watches with history only a few people know.
Or reeditions like Navitimer or Nivada. A Gerald Genta, big name only some people know. ...
I would add a collector
is also someone who has a thesis and logic for buying and they are passionate about watches.
A polerouter is a good example
If it’s in great shape you know the person is focused on condition (a give away).!that it’s a brand that no longer exists eliminated all but collectors, and it’s not sufficiently different from a lack of complications that would have anyone but a polerout...
Zenith El Primero Original
The logic being most people know what a Speedmaster is, this is the lesser spotted iconic chronograph, for me...
+1. An EP is on my list of four essentials . . .
. . . for every self-professed watch guy.
Hmmm..... two thoughts....
Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto... sure you are 'flashing' yet it is not, well, ummmm, **relatively speaking** of course, it is not much in modern cheap currency. ...or, sure, follow the rules and wear something old-timey cool vintage like an Omega Tank. ...
Interesting question and something I’ve always considered.
For me the answer has always been vintage Grand Seiko. Some others have highlight the VFA’s above, but these days those watches may no longer meet your criteria for a price ceiling of $10k. I’ve never chased the VFA, instead the next level down was someth...
The difficult part - can't be something a non collector would know....
If it is a brand, quite unlikely there is one mainstream brand that's under radar with so much social media going on... Modern - maybe a Grand Seiko as many still think a GS is just a seiko; Nomos, Doxa, Habring? I am excluding the "Micros". For me, a cle...
Exactly
And under $10k So you really have to be thinking vintage or if it is new then a derivative with a story like Grone.
For me, the Glashutte Original Panoinverse.
Great topic! I often choose the Glashutte Original Panoinverse. An IYKYK watch that can come in under that $10K threshold. ...
Great choice!
I love the Panograph is SS, especially on a bracelet--long on my "buy" list.
Hard to believe the original series of Omega chronometers . . .
. . . are still available < $5K. Only twenty thousand 30T2rg / 30T2SCrg movements were made altogether. It's unknown how many made it to production but presumably most if not all them were fitted to five references over a period of roughly ten years. A...
Works out to about two thousand per year . . .
. . . max. Here's an ad from ~ 1946 . . . . . . indicating a price well beyond the means of working class Americans. Steel models weren't much less. ...
Subtile
Would pick the Hentschel H1 37 Stainless/Anthracite... Try impressing anyone not into watches with that one
How about this one.
Gallet Multichron 3 register chronograph from the mid-60s. It was nicknamed the Jim Clark for the F1 driver used in advertising. ...
