The Moonswatch is not a bad choice for your age and it’s a cool looking watch in general. But for the same price you can also get a Tissot PRX Quarz, a nice Seiko or a Citizen Tsuyosa, all watches that have much better build quality compared to the Moonswatch.

Junghans Max Bill in Gold costs around 1000$. It’s only gold plated though.

Zenith Defy El Primero 21 can do that. The problem is, with a hand this fast, the power reserve gets emptied within a very short time.

They are not bad, I own one and I am happy with it. I just wouldn’t recommend one as a first and/or only watch.

Moonswatches are not good for daily wear and can be appreciated more if they are a “fun addition” to an otherwise variable collection. For a first watch, there is tons of better, more versatile and more durable options. You might need a watch you can wear during work, which is waterproof if it rains and can be worn on a wedding as well as on a sandy beach.

If you appreciate the art more than the brand and quality, you will find many great watches from microbrands. Check out some guides online, like the ones from Teddy Baldassarre or Wrist Enthusiast.

Seiko, Citizen, Orient, Tissot and Casio are my favorite well known brands for the “under 500$” range (and you can easily find good ones for under 200$).

First of all, the Defy Skyline is in you budget on Chrono24. Also, if you like the Defy Skyline, you might also like the Defy Classic which you can get easily for under 6000$. I have the skeleton-version and love it.

Such a sweet idea! Nomos has already been mentioned, but I can second this. I bought my mom a Junghans Max Bill which is a great alternative if you want to stay at 1000$.

Also can’t go wrong with a Cartier Tank although that one is a bit over 2000$ (definitly worth it).

All those are available in gold and silver.