Watch collecting: from a solar Casio to Elvis's Hamilton

The 57-euro watch that gives Swiss watchmaking a run for its money

A Casio AQS820W bought for 57 euros at El Corte Inglés: solar-powered, 100 meters of water resistance, five alarms, world time, and just over 40 grams on the wrist. Across the same imaginary table sits a Tag Heuer Monaco on a crocodile strap whose owner admits he barely wears it. The scene sums up how watch collecting is splitting in two: one half gazes at the high-end watchmaking window, while the other has discovered that precision no longer lives there.

Tissot, Seiko and Citizen win the value-for-money vote

When asked about their favorite brand, the most common answer is not Rolex. It's Tissot, praised for its value for money and a catalog ranging from the Le Locle to the PRC200. Then come Citizen —the Promaster and the NB6021-68L diver—, Seiko with the Alpinist, Orient with the Bambino, and even a Chinese Sea-Gull with a small seconds hand. Tudor marks the aspirational ceiling with the Pelagos and the 36mm Ranger; the Pelagos, they admit, is out of reach today. At the top end, taste turns more literary: a Movado Museum, a Mido Commander with a blue dial, and the Grand Seiko SLGB023, whose price is forgiven for the sake of its power reserve.

The watch Elvis made famous

Among the objects of desire is a piece with a history of its own: the Hamilton Ventura, the first battery-powered watch and a favorite of Elvis Presley. Its asymmetric case is the best argument that a watch isn't bought just to tell the time.

Longines is also championed as the compromise brand between projected status, real quality and a contained price, with a warning: in Spain it has fallen into a certain neglect, and Japanese alternatives fill that gap, often at a lower cost. Against that, there's a skeptical current about accumulation: two inherited watches, one for daily wear, and that's that. Rolex, they declare, is another league, for special occasions.

The most striking figure comes from someone who has worn the same watch for twelve years and has changed its battery only once.