I have thought of this, but I would forever live in fear that I had been ripped off by a fake.
replyOr buy a nice Swiss automatic in the 1-2000 range.
replyOr a $300 Seagull 1963 (the Chinese bought the rights, the design, and the machines.)
replyThose look really nice (love the moon phase indicator that some of them have too!), but the "red star" motif on the watch face does put me off.
replyDo you have any good recommendations for me?
replyGo for the second hand speedmaster from a reputable seller. This is the one you want and will eventually buy. If you really want to know more than you should about the watch, get the moonwatch only book. This is the bible that will help you to check everything from every version ever of the myth. Even if you don’t buy at the end, if you’re a geek I can assure you you’ll dig the content. The movements in those Tissot watches are crap, you’d be better get a serviced vintage in the 500-700 euros range than those glorified fashion watches in my opinion.
reply> The movements in those Tissot watches are crap
replyInterestingly, if you'd like to see a really cool site that showcases how these crap Tissot movements work, just click the link at the top of this page.
(The Powermatic 80 movement in the entry-level Tissot models is a modified version of ETA 2824 which Ciechanowski is showing on his site.)
Good starting points for first Swiss mechanical are Tissot, Hamilton, Mido, or Certina. They all belong to the same conglomerate (the Swatch Group).
replyThe "gateway drug" these days seems to be Tissot PRX. Their quartz models are about half the price of their mechanical ones.