Cheers R, Christoper Ward ones look like the right kind of idea.

Interms of price for a pure S/S models

explorer->oyster perpetual->(date)->submariner->(date)->GMT Master II->yaught master->day/date-> daytona-> Gold platinum stuff

check all the prices on watches . co . uk

What sort of price would one expect to pay for a second hand submariner?

im looking at the moment and the cheapest i've found it just under £1800

if your a cash buyer you have alot of clout - i spent a bit of time chatting so a jeweler on burlington arcade and within 10 mins he had offered me 20% off for cash, good old credit crunch

check here for a rough price guide http://www.watches.co.uk/

i've pretty much decided im going to buy at auction

which auction? - Sothebys or Christies or somewhere else?

Having owned a couple of these here's my 2 pence.
I had an IWC Flieger for a year. It was without doubt a great looking watch - but try it on they are BIG and HEAVY (especially on a bracelet). I'm average build but have quite girly wrists though so you might not find it a prob. I also had some quality issues with it: a jumpy chrono second hand, not as accurate as I would have liked and the clasp had a habit of popping open. I sent it back to IWC and it came back no different - well, it was better regulated - but the chrono hand still jumped. Not what I expected of such an expensive watch and that sort of spoiled the experience.
Next came the Rolex. There's only one real Bond watch and that's a Rolex Sub, no date. Simple. Fantastic looking - something about the way the steel is polished and the white gold (I think?) around the numerals - it just seemed to bling even after never taking it off for two years (literally). Size and weight were just right for me. But the bracelet was really quite crappy for a 2 grand watch. And everybody thought it was a fake. Also they are V common (more so with date wheel) - where I work they are almost mandatory. However, I do wish I still had it - they hold their value so it was a good investment and when I sold it I got virtually what I'd paid for it new.
The Jaeger - now I always wanted a Reverso. I tried one on once and the build was superb. The way the case turns around is just so snickety. And they are a bit rarer and more understated than Rolex. Nice in-house movements as well, I believe.
By the way - I have since discovered that the 7750 movement in the IWC chrono is famous for it's jumpy second hand and my current watch (also based on the 7750) does the same. Except it was 1/4 of the price of the IWC, so somehow it doesn't bother me as much.
Hope you find that helpful.

IWC

I agree with the IWC. It's a good mix of modern and classic imo. At least in terms of design. No idea about the mechanism, but surely it must be pretty shit hot?