alfadriver wrote: Oh, and I liked this article in particular http://www.ablogtowatch.com/top-10-affordable-watches-get-nod-snobs/
Great article, there are watches I want on there that I had forgotten about.
Watches are as bad as cars when it comes to which one should I get. Why can't I have them all.
There's always Invicta 
Not good for impressing the watch nerds, but good if you want something that's not tooooo precious. You can kick them around a bit and not feel bad. They are always on sale about 80% off and are popular on cruise ships.
I have a big chunky (deep breath) Invicta 12114 Grand Diver Limited Edition Swiss Quartz Chronograph. It's got the tritium tubes so it's easy to read all night long. Waterproof so no worries about water. Plus it weighs about a pound so you can use it as a hammer. Better quality movement than most of the Invictas. It's actually a pretty good stopwatch, which is a function I legitimately use in my job. 
Seiko 5s are good, but they tend to be a bit small for what's being specified. I actually lost mine to my wife because she liked it.
the breitling knockoff with fake dials for everything except the actual time that i got out of the dave and busters claw machine is working fine 3 weeks later. dollar for dollar(which is about what it cost) i'd give it 5 stars.
I personally prefer chronographs. They're cool, and if done correctly, they present an air of sophistication as well as a relationship to vintage motorsports (e.g., a Heuer Carrera model from the sixties). I've purchased several Bulova chrono's over the past twenty years or so. I like the look. Black face, white or silver sub dials at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, or 2, 6, and 10 o'clock positions. Pretty sophisticated. But the price range would be under $500, not $300, as you had originally stated. I even had one of my beloved Bulova's stolen from our B&B room in Palm Springs back in '07. But that's not because of what it was, it would've been taken even if it was a base line Timex. Low-life bastards will steal anything. Anyway, going a bit upscale, if you're looking for real exclusivity for under $1,000, this is what I recently ordered:
Christopher Ward C70 Brooklands
It's now in limited production, and I'll get mine in late February. It's been my ultimate watch for the past five years since I first saw it, and soon I'll have my own! I can't wait.
BTW, I purchased a Chinese knock-off Chopard Mille Miglia a few years ago for under $200 (bought online after imbibing a bit too much Bordeaux). About a month later, I actually received a watch. It didn't look quite like the real Chopard that was depicted in the internet ad. But you know what? It's exclusive enough that I like it and wear it. People ask what the little red arrow with "1000" inside means. Great bar conversation. The average person doesn't know that it's not an authentic Chopard Mille Miglia. Hell, most people don't even know what a Chopard is. It's fun correctly pronouncing "Mille Miglia" and describing the historical and re-enacted events to them. And they love the watch. (It even has the Mille Miglia Brescia-Rome-Brescia route etched into the back case. Very cool).
People also love my very inexpensive Swatch black face chrono. But that's another story.
The point is, there are a lot of great relatively inexpensive and relatively exclusive watches out there. Just know what you like and investigate a bit.
So no Casio F-91W then?
Looks like it's available direct for $190. Surprised to see this one still available. It's a classic, though.
One problem with the Seiko 5 watches (although its likely just me) is they are extremely difficult to set the time. I bought one and almost sent it back because I thought it was broken, then I had someone else try it and it was apparently fine. I don't use it anymore though because it's a pain to have to have someone adjust the date/time when needed and I was never able to get it.
Not a canoe...
I bought a Bombfrog Minesweeper dive watch a couple of years ago. It is a 1/200 numbered edition. I think it was $300 and I then bought a stainless oyster band for $55 from Amazon. It is a pretty nice watch and I've been wearing it daily since I got it. Also, it is not a high production model and has a unique logo on the face so if watch people notice it they typically ask about it. It's a nice watch that feels special, but didn't cost a fortune.
I wear a Seiko 5 every day.
Pull the crown out to the first stop. Rotate upwards to set date, rotate downwards to set day name.
Pull the crown out all the way to set the time.
Maybe you need a Casio.
David S. Wallens wrote: It's funny how we all have our preferences, yet there's a watch for every desire. Checking out the Seiko5s, too? That's my daily.
I feel like the 5 is very much the Miata of the watch world. I get lots of comments on mine... even several commending me for not getting a huge watch.
D2W wrote:alfadriver wrote: Oh, and I liked this article in particular http://www.ablogtowatch.com/top-10-affordable-watches-get-nod-snobs/Great article, there are watches I want on there that I had forgotten about. Watches are as bad as cars when it comes to which one should I get. Why can't I have them all.
That article lead me to this watch- 
Which looks just like an Alfa Giuletta Spider gage set. Which it's supposed to do.
I never heard of any of those, and really liked them. But the Autodromo is the one I will probably get. I kinda wish they did one like the gages on a GTV...
Another Seiko fan here, though I am a fan of the Kinetics. I wear the same Seiko Kinetic stainless dive watch every day, and even after almost 8 years it keeps time within a couple of seconds between dst adjustments.
My previous one was a gold Seiko I inherited from my grandfather and wore every day for almost 20 years, after he wore it every day for almost 20 years.
D2W wrote: Do you want an automatic, or are you okay with quartz or kinetic? If automatic, a chronograph is probably out of your price range. I wear a Seiko dive watch daily (SKX007). It is an automatic, 200m waterproof, and will take a beating, and is in your price range. Orient also sells a nice automatic dive watch.
Can you help a noob out with some of these terms? Automatic, kinetic, etc? I know that quartz probably refers to electronic timing using a quartz crystal vibration which is what I'm used to.
Long story short, not sure if I care as long as its accurate and I don't have to wind it. It would also be nice if I didn't have to replace batteries.
And, after researching some watches I have decided to up the price range to under $500. I see some nice watches in the $200-300 range, but $500 opened up a bunch more options.
Automatic watches are pure me hanical devices and the spring is automatically wound through the wearer's normal movement. Kinetic is similar in that there is no battery and dorsn't need winding, but the motion vibrates a quartz crystal and charges a capacitor, but not a purely mechanical device anymore.
Regular old quartz means it has a battery that will need replacing someday.
Anything that costs $300 should keep accurate enough time. i gave up watches as a new years resolution in 2011 and haven't worn one since.
So I would say probably Kinetic.
Or some are solar, right?
Yes, I think that's how the Citizen eco-drives work. I have one of those in my drawer.
T.J. wrote: i gave up watches as a new years resolution in 2011 and haven't worn one since.
I kinda hate the idea of a watch for what it represents. A) its a superfluous material possession, and B) is a somewhat spiritual tie to a vestigial means of measuring life, but I love how they look and having an accurate timepiece is of value to me in my work.
Truth is, I just like dressing up.
Traditional Ecodrives are a solar cell with a capacitor.
There is an alternate version of the Ecodrive marked as kinetic which functions as described above.
I have an E812 (BL5270-64L) which has a chronograph and meets all your requirements. I think I bought it certified used for 280 a few years ago.
You can probably find them pretty inexpensively now. Plus the bracelet is really comfortable.
alfadriver wrote: That article lead me to this watch-
But... it's an automatic. Don't they make a manual watch for real timekeeping enthusiasts?
ducks
This did make me look to see if anyone made an RX-7 gauge looking watch. None that I could find but I did find this.
Of the Seikos I have it narrowed down to either the SNA411, SND253, or the SSC275. Now, only 7 or 8 more brands to narrow down. 
SSC:
411:
253:
I thought you wanted something that was easy to read.
My every day watch is the SNZH57:
The ssc275 is easy enough to read, but you're right... the other two aren't so much.
In reply to Knurled:
LOL. Bear in mind, when the Giulietta was conceived, and for much of it's life, all watches had a mechanical movement.
You'll need to log in to post.
