Watch purchasing advice?

[remnar]

I know that some of you here on the forum still wear and appreciate a good watch and I'm ready for a new one, so please share your favorite places to buy a watch. My current watch is a Casio that I got at Costco several years ago for about $60. It has been a very good watch but it is all scratched up and recently it has started to fog up on occasion. I am open to paying a little more for quality but I would like to keep the price under $100 if possible. I am also open to different styles as long as it is not too large...size does matter. :D Please feel free to make suggestions for retailers and watch models. Pictures would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! :) :spyder:

[awa54]

There are legit Citizen watches on Amazon, with some nice basic analog models around the $100 mark. An especially nice feature of EcoDrive (solar) is that you don't risk damaging seals every year (or so), because there's no battery change needed.

You can also pick up Victorinox/Wenger Swiss Army watches and some other name brands at TJ Maxx or off Ebay for under $100, so long as you don't mind them being last years models or B-stock.

[Evil D]

Really depends on your preferences but there are lots of G-Shocks under and around $100 if that's what you're into. I've always been a fan of the 5600 series and it can be had with solar power for $75. They're less chunky than a lot of other G-Shocks, which I highly prefer.

https://www.amazon.com/Casio-G5600E-1-G ... B002OS0FLA

[remnar]

Thanks guys, great info so far.

awa, I like some of the Victorinox/Wengers but they tend to be the pricier models. I'll keep looking for some of those discoed models.

Evil D, The G-Shocks have always interested me but the chunky factor has kept me away. After following your link and looking around a little more I've seen several smaller models that might work. I'll have to look for some of those models in local stores so I can see them in person.

Here's my current watch. I don't necesarrily want something similar but this should give you some idea about my taste in time pieces.



Keep the suggestions coming... :)

[murphjd25]

I’ve had a Vincero Chrono S for a couple years now and absolutely love it. It is over $100 though, around $159. But it is a very nice piece and looks to be a much more expensive watch. This is the one I wear everyday, https://vincerowatches.com/products/the-chrono-s-blue

The three guys that started the company were all graduates from Gonzaga, and wanted a really nice fancy watch that wasn’t in the four digit price range. Anyways, may or may not be your cup of tea but I love mine.

I’ve also been very lucky to grab a couple Citizen Eco drives for under $100 when the local Sears was closing here. They are also very nice and never need a battery.

Nixon also makes very nice watches, they use to be under $100 but I haven’t looked at any in quite a while. Zumiez in the mall carries a large quantity of them.

[remnar]

I’ve had a Vincero Chrono S for a couple years now and absolutely love it. It is over $100 though, around $159. But it is a very nice piece and looks to be a much more expensive watch. This is the one I wear everyday, https://vincerowatches.com/products/the-chrono-s-blue

The three guys that started the company were all graduates from Gonzaga, and wanted a really nice fancy watch that wasn’t in the four digit price range. Anyways, may or may not be your cup of tea but I love mine.

I’ve also been very lucky to grab a couple Citizen Eco drives for under $100 when the local Sears was closing here. They are also very nice and never need a battery.

Nixon also makes very nice watches, they use to be under $100 but I haven’t looked at any in quite a while. Zumiez in the mall carries a large quantity of them.

Those Vinceros are very nice looking but I'm afraid that I would have it beat to **** in no time. I have one watch that I wear all day and only take off at night when I go to bed. If I get one that is too pretty, then I'd feel bad about abusing it. :rolleyes: Some of the Citizens look good and I'll add them to my list of candidates. :) :spyder:

[The Mastiff]

I like automatics. Seiko in particular since I can't afford the expensive Swiss watches I like. I had a Breitling (sp?) that didn't last longer than one night and was broken in a use of force incident. The Seikos have been like tanks and just last. I had a Seiko with the generator thing but that stopped holding a charge and needs a hundred dollar refurbishment so it's sitting in a box and the old Seiko is back on my wrist. A Casio and several other quartz movement watches have come and gone since then including a couple nice all titanium watches. I get sick of them after the battery wears out a few times and always go back to my Seiko autos. That is all I intend to buy in the future but I never seem to need a new watch anymore. :)

Joe

[Doc Dan]

All in all I prefer Citizen. Walmart and Jomashop are two good places to buy. I have owned more expensive watches but my wife's Citizen is still going after all these years and other watches we have had, more expensive I might add, are not working. Stay away from Seiko. As noted by Joe, they are expensive to repair, even the normal solar powered ones.

[Evil D]

If you're looking for a more traditional analog watch like you have now (keeping under $100) then maybe look at Seiko, I've had a few of their field watches and they were all great for the price.

This one is automatic which is pretty nice and it's cheap
https://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SNK809-Aut ... B002SSUQFG

This one is quartz and solar
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Seiko-Men-s- ... 3=&veh=sem


I'm a big fan of the "field watch" style so this would likely be my pick. Pair either of those with a decent NATO strap and you're good to go. I really like the Maratac Mil-Series straps, I don't really care for the steel band rings and this one has a nylon ring instead and it's very low profile.
http://www.broadarrow.net/ms16l.jpg





Oh, and if you're looking for super duper cheap, I wore one of these for years, until one of the post holes ripped out (the case is plastic). The glass will scratch and it'll take a beating but it's cheap and effective and easily replaced. It's a little on the small side though.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Timex-Men-s- ... thena=true

[SpyderNut]

I've heard good things about Jomashop (online), although I haven't had a chance to purchase through them yet. I have purchased a few watches through Ashford in the past and had reasonably good experiences with them.

As for quality watches for around the $100 mark, I agree with a lot of the recommendations: You can't really go wrong with a Seiko, Citizen, or Victorinox. I also have a couple of Nixon watches (both are quartz) and they have been good to me. I also have a Luminox (quartz) that I purchased on sale for around $150 and it too has been a solid performer. The G-Shocks have a cult following and are well made. I've been tempted to buy one over the years, but I really prefer analog over digital. (It's all a matter of personal taste, though). You can get a really nice G-Shock for around $40 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/G-shock-DW9052-1 ... B000GAYQLI

Whether you go with an automatic, solar, or quartz movement is a personal decision. Like Joe mentioned, automatics do not ever require a battery replacement and are generally pretty low on maintenance needs. The downside is that they usually run +/- a few seconds off each day based on how you wear your watch. The solar and quartz will usually provide more accurate time keeping compared to most automatics (but again, we're probably only talking about a 3 to 5 second variance compared to an automatic). Having said that, automatics are just plain fun, IMO. I have a Rado DiaStar auto that is a lot of fun. I just love how the second hand "sweeps." It only has a 28 hour power reserve, so I have to wear it/wind it often or it will die.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Just doing a quick search on Ashford, I found this Victorinox Original Chronograph for $86, which is a decent deal: https://www.ashford.com/us/watches/vict ... 00067&so=3

If you're looking at an automatic, the Seiko SKX007 Diver is a very reputable model for around $200-ish. (I've seen it a lot lower, around $160, but this will give you an idea): https://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SKX007K-Di ... iko+skx007

Hope this helps,

Michael

[Sjucaveman]

Im looking at buying a g- shock on clearance at walmart. $55 down from $95 it's self charging (solar) and self adjusting.

[Daveho]

I’m a bit late to the party to chime in here but I’d say it really depends on what you do if you are going to have just the one watch.
Personally I love my Seiko skx009 (all 8s26 powered Seikos fall in the same camp)- are they accurate? No.
refined ? No.
Cheap? Not really.
But they are iconic wathes that have a cult following and generally it’s cheaper to just install a new movement than to service them-parts are just that cheap.
Here’s some shots of my SKX variants, the first is my favourite as I wore it when my son was born and used the divers bezel for timing contractions.
Skx009

SKX013

Skx779 Black Monster


The issue with work horse or unrefined autos like the above is there is always the feeling of impending doom when doing things that may damage them so when at the gym for example I advocate for a G-Shock but not just any G shock.
I like the DW5600- this watch is well within your budget (under $50usd infact), has survived a slap shot from a hockey player during testing, was worn by Keanu Reeves in the movie “Speed” and heck its even NASA certified and has been worn by astronauts in space.
Dw-5600e- wears better size wise than most G-Shock aswell

Personally I’d splurge and get the adapters to run it on a nato strap but that’s just me.

The thing about watches is that traditionally it’s one of the only items of adornment men wear, so if you are in a profession which requires jacket and tie daily then the above arnt really good recommendations, a G-shock or Seiko SKX with a suit looks silly and does the wearer no favours.

[Daveho]

I’ll also add that when it comes to budget Seikos don’t buy into the idea that autos are cheaper because they don’t have a battery as if you want it to be keeping time within spec it needs servicing every 5-10 years depending, HOWEVER Seikos spec for these low end movements is quite poor +\- 20 seconds per day roughly (often they are way off this) and that’s pretty poor. I regulate my own within +\- 10 seconds per day but if I was paying someone to do that a new battery (or capacitor in the case of a solar watch) becomes cheap, further more the quartz watch is more accurate anyway.

[remnar]

Daveho, You're not late at all. I appreciate your input and the comments from everyone else that has contributed so far. I haven't really given much thought about purchasing my watches in the past so any info is helpful. Thanks all! :) :spyder:

[Daveho]

Most welcome-
I don’t want to come across as bashing low end Seiko autos as I do love them but it’s more a case of them being a marvel of engineering at that price point- as far as being an accurate watch well, you can do better, much better for the price.
If you go second hand you can get some amazing deals on eBay but it’s just about knowing what you are looking for really.
Does it need a stop watch/timer/alarm etc
Are you comfortable changing batteries or are you going to pay for servicing? And so on

Let me know what you want from your watch and I’ll have a think- it’s easy to tell you what I want but I’d hate to steer you in the wrong direction.

-Dave

[Bodog]

Glycine, seiko, seagull. Watch massdrop, they post some really decent budget models. I wouldn't buy a watch from them but they do show things that are interesting. Jomashop has a lot of grey market watches, meaning they're resellers of authentic watches without manufacturer's warranties, but their prices are pretty legit for most things and offer a decent company warranty with their own in house technicians. I bought a $500 citizen radio controlled chrono from there. It's been good to go. I shoot a lot and put a lot of shock onto the watch and it hasn't failed me yet. Trying to move around 200 lb granite rocks scratched the titanium band and the bezel a little but everything is still good to go.

[Doc Dan]

I recently bought a S&W watch from Walmart that has real tritium gas vials like a Luminox watch. So far, so good, and it was only about 80 bucks.

[Bodog]

I had a Breitling (sp?) that didn't last longer than one night and was broken in a use of force incident....

Joe

Go on...

[Bodog]

And just for peace of mind i always recommend analog watches because they act as a compass if you need one. I'm out and about often and having a generalized compass makes it easy, especially without phone service or needing to carry an actual compass

[ChrisinHove]

I was told by a repairer that the costly designer watches all use similar and inexpensive movements. As if I ever needed an excuse NOT to spend many 00’s!