If wisdom comes from knowing what you don't know, connoisseurship comes from knowing what you can't have.
Most entry-level watch collectors can't afford a Patek Philippe Grand Complications Celestial ($536,300). Even a Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin ($10,400) may be a stretch.
Luckily, a love of horology is not strictly a game for the rich. It's possible to be a watch snob on a budget.
Here are six timepieces that will invite nods of approval from aficionados.
Seiko SKX007
Price: approx $240
Design cues
Brawny machismo with a proud lineage. Automatic movement, water-resistant to 200 metres; crown rakishly offset at 4 pm; luminous markers (or "lume") bright enough to scuba dive in the murkiest water.
Snob appeal
The ultimate "tool" watch , this affordable classic has a rich pedigree going back to Seiko's pioneering dive watches of the 1960s. Its forebears were a favourite of soldiers in Vietnam (Martin Sheen's Captain Willard wore one in Apocalypse Now). It is nothing less than the poor man's Rolex Submariner — and that's a tribute, not a slight.
Orient Star Classic
Price: approx $880
Design cues
Mid-century elegance for mid-three figures. Features a 22-jewel self-winding movement, 40-hour power reserve and '50s-style arrowhead markers.
Snob appeal
Orient may lack the Euro cachet of a fine Swiss dress watch (or the name recognition of its corporate cousin, Seiko), but this high-value brand (Orient Star is Orient's premium line) gets high marks from watch-lover sites like Worn & Wound, aBlogtoWatch and Gear Patrol. Few except watch geeks will recognise the brand you're wearing, but isn't that the point?
Swatch Sistem51
Price: approx $206
Design cues
Plastic pop-art sensibility and MTV colour bursts call to mind a college dorm circa 1987. Features a groundbreaking mechanical movement made of 51 parts, assembled by machine around a central screw.
Snob appeal
As one of the simplest, cheapest mechanical Swiss watches, the Sistem51 was the talk of the Baselworld watch fair two years ago. Tastemakers like Kevin Rose, the chief executive of Hodinkee, have one in their collections, alongside their Rolexes and Patek Philippes.
Stowa Flieger No Logo Automatic
Price: approx $1142
Design cues
Minimalist chic for the historically minded. The adornment-free dial and brushed-steel case recall a 1930s aircraft gauge, which is no surprise: The Flieger ("pilot" in German) was designed for military aviators.
Snob appeal
German pilot watches from the World War II era are the province of moneyed collectors such as singer John Mayer. An International Watch Company (IWC) B-Uhr pilot watch, for example, can go for $50,000 at auction. But legacy brands such as Laco and Stowa still offer faithful renditions.
Autodromo Stradale
Price: approx $1204
Design Cues
Inspired by the dashboards of 1950s Italian berlinettas. Features hour indexes on a transparent glass ring that appears to hover over the dial, creating a three-dimensional effect.
Snob Appeal
Founded in New York by Bradley Price, an industrial designer, Autodromo caters to the automotive set ("stradale" means "road" in Italian), as well as watch gearheads: the Stradale has a 24-jewel automatic movement and a 42-hour power reserve. Think of it as a vintage Alfa for the wrist, with none of the tinkering.
Tissot Visodate Milanais
Price: approx $956
Design cues
Vintage '50s styling with a self-winding movement. A stainless-steel mesh bracelet (or Milanese) conjures la dolce vita, while the larger 40-millimeter case suits contemporary tastes.
Snob appeal
This handsome Tissot manages to quote the past without being stuck in it, and is a great entry point to mechanical Swiss watches. Thanks to the Apple Watch, the breezy Milanese bracelet is no longer a secret among watch connoisseurs, but it still sends the message that you know your horological history.
NEW YORK TIMES