Recomeend a Wrist Watch, please

Autolex wrote: I have THIS, but the titanium version (which I don't think is made anymore)... No batteries to change. Ever. All solar, and get's charged even by the lights in the room I am sitting in now. Excellent watch, great illumination at night.

I was given a Nighthawk when I started flight training. It's very busy, but I can spin math on the flight computer faster than I can get to the calculator on my cellphone, so I enjoy it. I have the black one, and threw a black leather band on it. Looks great.

The irony is I don't fly with it. My issue G-Shock has more useful settings (timer).

I STILL haven't bought a watch....

I did drive to Alaska and back though...

Starting the search up again.

The cheap durable answer is still gshock

This whole thread makes me feel inferior about my $15 Timex. Oh well. When it breaks, I'll think about a fancy watch.

3Door4G wrote: This whole thread makes me feel inferior about my $15 Timex. Oh well. When it breaks, I'll think about a fancy watch.

Don't. I got my first watch when I was 5, I'm 66 now and I have never had a watch that lasted more than 3 years. I find the most unusual ways to destroy them. One is in the pavement of US 15 about 100' north of MD 26 in the northbound slow lane. And some of them were rather expensive ones bought for me as presents. So I too stick with the $15 Timex variety

This is my logic as well. However, I do want something that looks good for when I have to wear nice clothes instead of my super chunky digital... thing.

3Door4G wrote: This is my logic as well. However, I do want something that looks good for when I have to wear nice clothes instead of my super chunky digital... thing.

Ah, an old thread comes back to life. Personally, I like automatics--that gives you a nice sweeping second hand. I know, sounds trivial, but it looks cool. What's your budget and taste?

I too like automatics. Thanks to a much earlier watch thread and David's posting there I'm currently wearing a Seiko5 that I bought on eBay from a seller in Thailand for about $25 to my door. Cheap, durable, looks good, keeps decent time. I have 3 others, a cheap ($60) diver's watch in the style of a Rolex Submariner - the coin edge ones look nicer than the scalloped edge I have but are a lot harder to find; a $150 or so Citizen Ecodrive that's scuffed and worn from daily use but has kept pefect time for 5 years with no battery or service needed; and a Bulova tourneau case cheap from BJs Whoesale Club for dressier occasions. Nice and functional doesn't have to be $1500 worth of Omega, though I still lust after a Monaco in Gulf colors.

David S. Wallens wrote: Ah, an old thread comes back to life. Personally, I like automatics--that gives you a nice sweeping second hand. I know, sounds trivial, but it looks cool. What's your budget and taste?

Uhmm... No budget right now. I'm paying off a little bit of debt. I'd be willing to spend about $200 I guess, much like the OP. I really don't know anything at all about watches except that some of them look fancy and cost a lot.

Watch invictashark.com and buy any of the divers watches that come up. I got an automatic Invicta 8926, with the coined edge, for the princely sum of $69. I've been real happy with it. It keeps good time and has a sweep second hand, just like a Rolex Submariner, for 1/100 the cost!

Like I said in the advertising thread the ads for watches in car magazines are for a different market than me. I'm too cheap to buy a "good" watch....I'd prefer to spend that money elsewhere. I just need something cheap and durable.

Hal wrote:

3Door4G wrote: This whole thread makes me feel inferior about my $15 Timex. Oh well. When it breaks, I'll think about a fancy watch.

Don't. I got my first watch when I was 5, I'm 66 now and I have never had a watch that lasted more than 3 years. I find the most unusual ways to destroy them. One is in the pavement of US 15 about 100' north of MD 26 in the northbound slow lane. And some of them were rather expensive ones bought for me as presents. So I too stick with the $15 Timex variety

Cheap Timexes definitely have their place. OTOH, as mentioned every two years or so you have to buy a new one. It will croak at the most inopportune time. Also, the last Timex I owned turned a small spot on my wrist green and it got infected. No BS, I can show you the scar to this day.

The $300 Swiss Army I bought in 1998 has been back for repair once in twelve years and is still going strong. If you include the $100 repair, it has cost me about $28 a year. I think I may have to replace it the next time it needs repair because by then it will be ~20 years old. I'll buy another for sure. But the way I beat up on watches you can bet I won't buy a Rolex or TAG.

3Door4G wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: Ah, an old thread comes back to life. Personally, I like automatics--that gives you a nice sweeping second hand. I know, sounds trivial, but it looks cool. What's your budget and taste?

Uhmm... No budget right now. I'm paying off a little bit of debt. I'd be willing to spend about $200 I guess, much like the OP. I really don't know anything at all about watches except that some of them look fancy and cost a lot.

I'd check out a Seiko5. Sounds like Pigeon got a deal on his. I think I paid $100 for mine. Either way, that's about the least expensive way to a new automatic.

Pluses: A ton of different styles, reasonably priced, keeps good time, day/date feature, water-resistant.

Minues: Probably have to mail order since most models aren't officially imported, can be on the small side, limited functions (you can't self-wind them, for example).

Where to buy? Amazon.com, overstock.com, http://www.pmwf.com

Plus there are all kinds of deals out there as not every watch costs four figures. I have a Soviet medical watch that's pretty cool. It's a manual, and I think I paid like $30 for it. It came with a cheap band, so I replaced with an equally cheap band that broke. One day I'll get it fixed. Some other brands that offer neat yet reasonably priced watches: Swiss Army, Tissot, Swatch (yes, Swatch).

And speaking of watches, lately I have been wearing a Seiko flight watch. It's a quartz chronograph. I like it because it has way too much stuff on the dial, including a slide rule. Everyone needs a slide rule on their wrist, right? Honestly, I'm digging it more than I expected. The band is a little on the lightweight side, but it still works well.

And here, hotlinked since that's how we roll.

+1 more for the Seiko 5. Loads of models to choose from, and they're all rugged and pretty accurate. I got my "military" model for $70 new.

There's also some good bargains to be had in vintage watches on Ebay. Though you do have to be prepared to shell out for a cleaning/service in most cases. Here's my latest purchase, a ~'60s, manual-wind Oris. Looks cool, cost around $60, and keeps excellent time. Bear in mind vintage watches also tend to be quite small, which is fine for my skinny-ass wrist, but can look a tad odd on a larger-wristed person.

David S. Wallens wrote: Some other brands that offer neat yet reasonably priced watches: Swiss Army, Tissot, Swatch (yes, Swatch).

I'm wearing a '90s Swatch chronograph right now. $18's worth .

This thread reminds me that my Seiko needs a new band. It finally gave up. I think the wife wants to get me a new watch, though. She's been dropping hints for a while, ever since I bought her Citizen.

EricM wrote: Greetings brothern, .... in the Sub $200 range...........I am ruggedly handsome and enjoy the outdoors. ............I sail on my father's 31 foot Sailboat in the summers on lake Michigan. I drive a jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4 as a daily driver......... but would like something that says "expidition" or "adventure". Eric Mosher

Nothing says I'm a rugged outdoorsy type that rides my daddys boat and drives my Jeep like a K-Mart no name digital featuring day AND date, w/ night glo light on demand, and with the pleather band. That watch screams I'm such an outdoorsy adventurer guy, I break my watches constantly saving baby critters in the wild. Besides, I really don't need to know exactly what time it is, I only wear it to impress the ladies when we are on our long walks on the beach.

Those Seiko 5s look nice. First time I've seen a watch that I actually really wanted. I knew they were out there somewhere.

PS +1 to the above post

For a more understated quality watch, 23 jewel Bulovas from the late 50's and early 60's run $50 to $200 (I'm currently wearing a 1962 model that I bought cleaned and timed for $50... but did have to add a $20 band).

Rolxe Tudors from the same era are also understated and tend to start about $200.

$200 used to buy a 70's Glycine Airman 24 hour watch, but you'll have to shop carefully now as prices have spiked.

Bill

$15 Timex that I put a new battery in every few years and just put a new band on does the trick for me..

I've had the same Citizen Ecodrive for 9 years now. no batteries and no maintenance.

With that said my understanding is that newer Citizen watches aren't as reliable as the old ones.

David S. Wallens wrote: And speaking of watches, lately I have been wearing a Seiko flight watch. It's a quartz chronograph. I like it because it has way too much stuff on the dial, including a slide rule. Everyone needs a slide rule on their wrist, right? Honestly, I'm digging it more than I expected. The band is a little on the lightweight side, but it still works well. And here, hotlinked since that's how we roll.

I've been meaning to ask you about that. I love that blue. The only bad part is if I got one we'd have to set up an alternating day schedule to wear them.

jg

JG Pasterjak wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: And speaking of watches, lately I have been wearing a Seiko flight watch. It's a quartz chronograph. I like it because it has way too much stuff on the dial, including a slide rule. Everyone needs a slide rule on their wrist, right? Honestly, I'm digging it more than I expected. The band is a little on the lightweight side, but it still works well. And here, hotlinked since that's how we roll.

I've been meaning to ask you about that. I love that blue. The only bad part is if I got one we'd have to set up an alternating day schedule to wear them. jg

Well, the watch has a date function, so we could use that to keep track of our schedule.

Everyday watch. I have beat the ever-loving-E36 M3 of this thing for almost 4 years. The only time it failed was when I was getting pulled back in the boat after taking a swim in a class 5 rapid, the band broke. Thankfully I knew a good jewelry repair guy who fixed it.

Picked this up back in march when I "lost" the above watch. Works well when I need something "classier".

V-Day gift for SWMBO

I like Timex

Today's InvictaShark deal - $69