Talk to me about modestly priced mechanical wristwatches

I want a mechanical wristwatch. I just think they're neat.

What differentiates watches at the low end of the spectrum here? The Timexes, Seikos, Citizens... what brands did I not list, and which of those (or of my list) should I avoid? What sets them apart? What does "modestly priced" even mean? (I think I've penciled myself a $500 budget, new or used; far from etched in stone, but I need Reasons WITH the capital R if to go way over that, and I've been tempted by a couple of Timexes under $400 or even $300.) Along with what to look for is where to look?

Like so much of anything adjacent to fashion, it looks to me like there's a lot of stuff which is mostly crap but has more effort put into marketing it, and making a watch look more upscale than it is.

I kinda don't want to derail too much by talking about what I want in particular, but if it matters, my tastes run pretty simple. I don't want a cut-rate Rolex chronometer; my ideal is probably a simple white dial with black Arabic numerals and hour, minute, and second hands. Day/date would be nifty, but if I had to guess, I'd guess that this end of the price spectrum doesn't leave much for complications without compromising on something more important. Again, guidance on differences is the more central question than "which watch?"

My brother in law does some watch repair and trading, but I don't get a chance to chat with him all that often. A nugget from a recent conversation was to avoid automatics because having a weight swinging around eventually comes back to bite you, if only for the need to re-secure and check everything when a screw backs out. Not catastrophic, just not worth the hit to reliability in his mind.

You can always buy used. Some brands depreciate more than others. Some drop a certain amount and then hold. Get one of the latter and you can resell it later if you decide you don't like it.

Personally, I've got a few vintage Soviet watches. I like them because they're interesting and not just the standard Rolex knockoff. There are some repros out there, but if you stick to more obscure designs you're likely to get the real thing. Just look for "soviet watch" on ebay for browsing fun.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

You've mentioned your Soviet watches in the other big watch thread. I think they're really interesting, but since seeing that I've felt like I'm late to the party, and more likely to get a Chinese copy.

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

New, you'll have to go out of your price range to get what you want in a quality piece, but not by much. I'd be all in on a Hamilton. 

https://teddybaldassarre.com/products/khaki-field-mechanical-white-dial?variant=32870597656669

Used your options open up a lot more. My true vintage 1962 Longines sold for that on Chrono24. Lots of excellent serviced ones in that range from various quality brands.

Threadjack, what is the best way to value a wristwatch and the best place to sell it? I haven't worn this in years and don't see that changing. 
 

FWIW, I have a Soviet watch. A medical watch. It’s way cool and very unique. Then it stopped working, so I took it to a trusted local jeweler–all pot metal inside, he said, so not worth fixing. A gear broke. 

I wear a Tissot PRS 516 as my daily. It’s mechanical, looks cool and has a motorsports tie-in. I like the size and the heft. Plus I can read it. I swapped out the metal bracelet for the NATO strap. 

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

Not really. There were Chinese copies when I started with them, and I have a couple. They were too cheap and too clean to be real. But after a couple of bad buys, I've had quite good luck.

Something like this, for example, might meet Jesse's needs.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/355854895057?

If you look closely, you can see this one is used but not badly. It's on a new strap. And it's fun.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/145753905457?

One like this that comes with a protective film on the glass....hmm. Seems unlikely. But it's still not expensive, and who's to say the Chinese aren't better at making watches than the Soviets were? ;)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/285660849164?

 

Something I’d like to try that it’s in the budget: DIY Watch Club. 

These days there are hardly any name-brand Swiss watches with mechanical movements for under $500 -- except for Swatch, which feature a movement that's pretty meh.  Dirty secret in the industry is that most Swiss watches under $1,000 feature many components sourced from Asia anyway.  Entry-level Swiss brands include Hamilton, Tissot, Certina, and others.

I'm trying to think of any German mechanical watches in that price range.  I'll update this if I find any.

The big Japanese brands (Seiko/Orient, Citizen/Bulova, Casio) have plenty of watches available under $500.  FWIW, I'm partial to Orient dive watches -- www.orientwatchusa.com/collections/sport

Pretty much everything else is made in China -- from box store brands like Timex and Fossil to designer brands like Armani and Versace, down to Alibaba/Ebay-brands like Parnis and Pagani Design.

By volume, China produces more mechanical watches than the the rest of the world combined, and they're not all bad (I own a bunch).  Just know what you are buying and set your budget accordingly.

DasAuto said:

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

New, you'll have to go out of your price range to get what you want in a quality piece, but not by much. I'd be all in on a Hamilton. 

https://teddybaldassarre.com/products/khaki-field-mechanical-white-dial?variant=32870597656669

Used your options open up a lot more. My true vintage 1962 Longines sold for that on Chrono24. Lots of excellent serviced ones in that range from various quality brands.

Hamilton also has a pure mechanical watch, too. The Khaki series are automatic. 

A jeweler in my town makes (or made) watches from movements he bought from Switzerland.  I bought one when I started my last job in 1993.  I still have it, but took it off when I retired and haven't worn a watch since.  It cost around $120 back when I bought it.  

BTW his business website is thewatchworks.net

Hard to beat a Seiko 5. They're tanks.

Every one of my daily wear watches has a Seiko movement. 

In reply to mtn :

I sold my watch on Chrono24. Took about 45 days. It's like BaT, but you set a price and people makes offers.

alfadriver said:

DasAuto said:

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

New, you'll have to go out of your price range to get what you want in a quality piece, but not by much. I'd be all in on a Hamilton. 

https://teddybaldassarre.com/products/khaki-field-mechanical-white-dial?variant=32870597656669

Used your options open up a lot more. My true vintage 1962 Longines sold for that on Chrono24. Lots of excellent serviced ones in that range from various quality brands.

Hamilton also has a pure mechanical watch, too. The Khaki series are automatic. 

Field Khaki comes in Automatic and Mechanical. I specifically linked the Mechanical. They've been on my wish list for years.

In reply to DasAuto :

Oh, yea. I have a old khaki auto and this one https://www.hamiltonwatch.com/en-us/h69439931-khaki-field-mechanical.html

I guess it depends on your style choice, but I did a thread about 5 years ago and I ended up with a Bulova.  Top notch style (for me) and bulletproof build for under $250

The particular one I got is battery, but they have mechanical as well.

I've basically only worn automatics for the last several decades, and I've never had anything loosen up as a result. Not scientific, but a data point.

There are countless options out there for style, but many of them use the same movement (I'm looking at you, ETA 2824...). I bought this new a few years ago and it meets most of your criteria, and was just over your price cap.

Another vote for Hamilton. I have a couple of them. They are nicely made and crazy accurate for what you're paying. I have other watches, but I wear a Hamilton almost every day. 
 

Definitely go to a store and try them on before you buy. It's really hard to imagine what it will look and feel like on your wrist when you're looking at one online. 

Thanks, everybody!

It was not my intention to start collecting watches, but I'm starting to think twenty minutes from now I'm going to have a Soviet watch on the way to wear while I wait to stumble onto the "right" version of one of the other suggestions. Keith, all three of those linked watches are pretty rad...

And as usual, GRM delivers. Looking forward to anything else we get, but I'm already so far ahead of where I was! Very much finding all the input educational and entertaining.

I need to figure out where in PDX I can see anything in person. What sounds like it was the primary watch-focused place appears to have gone repair-only-and-by-appointment-at-that...

I'm not going to rule out automatics. Even if they are meaningfully less reliable, this is very much about my fascination with the mechanisms, and the idea of powering the watch accidentally via my fidgeting is just cool.

I have a Momentum Atlas field watch. Gets a few comments from people who like it (not that I'm seeking compliments) so others must think it looks nice too. Prices are in the ballpark you are considering. Link below.

Momentum field watches

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

Heck just come look at my collection 

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

One more anecdote re: Soviet watches. I was talking to the guy who did an overhaul on one of my older watches earlier this year, discussing the other old stuff I have that needs attention. At one point, after I described a particular piece, he looked at me skeptically and said "that's not a Soviet watch, is it?" I confirmed that it was not, and he indicated that they are essentially unrepairable, at least in the States. His shop used to be in Brooklyn, with access to the large Russian emigre community there, which allowed occasional access to parts sources, but recent events have closed that connection down.

In short, Soviet watches look cool (I've been tempted more than once), but don't get too attached to any of them.

I have a 30 year old Seiko, a Bolova my wife gave me last year and a couple of Stauer watches. 

The Stauer watches are pretty entry level but they make some interesting watches. The ones I have run very well. 

Could maybe find a Grand Seiko on the used market that fit that bill.

I have a Seiko "Pogue"  or "pepsi" as they are called that was my dad's. 

Aside from my wedding, I havent worn it or run it because I dont think its had maintenance/lubrication done in at least 35 years. I really should have it done, just a lot of money. 

Stock photo, because I dont feel like getting it out of my safe.