Best watch for low budget??

Monofletch

Monofletch

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Jan 14, 2010
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I have been out of the watch game for a LONG time. I am now needing a watch since I don't carry a cell phone.

I am outdoors all day. My job requires me to be in the elements no matter what. I don't need a lot of bells an whistles, but I do want something that looks decent. My budget is less than $100. I was looking at some watches at the big Wal store, but I don't even know what brands are good anymore.

Were should I start?
 
You're always safe with Casio I got a Casio Ediface (analog divers type chrono watch-battry operated, "water proof to 100m" with date) last year during my watch search and I was much in the same boat as you. I wanted something a bit dressier than my typical digital Casio. I didn't trust the name brands to represent what they used to signify in terms quality. I am still pretty dumb about these things which is why I ended up with another Casio. Anyway, I think it looks real nice and has kept very good time. I have no complaints and it ran right at about $100 at JC Penny during one of their sales that included watches. I suspect you might find it cheaper elsewhere but I am one of these people that when I take people's time to look at multiple watches in some detail, I'm not going quibble about $10.

Have a Wenger battery operated with date analog that I have no complaints with either. Leather band. It is a very thin watch with typical round face.

Others will give you their favorites and probably have more experience than I do.
 
Basic Casio or Timex Expedition.

I've been wearing the same Expedition for over 10 years now with one battery range a couple years ago. I think I've gotten my 17.95 out of it. :D
 
22-rimfire said:
You're always safe with Casio I got a Casio Ediface (analog divers type chrono watch-battry operated, "water proof to 100m" with date) last year during my watch search and I was much in the same boat as you. I wanted something a bit dressier than my typical digital Casio. I didn't trust the name brands to represent what they used to signify in terms quality. I am still pretty dumb about these things which is why I ended up with another Casio. Anyway, I think it looks real nice and has kept very good time. I have no complaints and it ran right at about $100 at JC Penny during one of their sales that included watches. I suspect you might find it cheaper elsewhere but I am one of these people that when I take people's time to look at multiple watches in some detail, I'm not going quibble about $10.

Have a Wenger battery operated with date analog that I have no complaints with either. Leather band. It is a very thin watch with typical round face.

Others will give you their favorites and probably have more experience than I do.
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The one watch I liked was a Casio Tough Solar. They also had some good looking G Shock.
 
Big Thumbs-Up for the Timex Expedition watches. They keep good time, look good, and last years.
Ones like this are about $40, as I recall, from the large discount department stores.

99946833_v_1355941073.jpg
 
for battery powered, timex expedition. For mechanical, seiko 5. I use a analog/digital combo for an alarm clock when out on camps, and a seiko 5 for general wear out there. I like the idea of a mechanical watch when away from civilization. No idea how it will hold up under abuse, but its survived so far.
 
For many years I have built and serviced swimming pools, always wearing a Timex Expedition. This included running jackhammers and sledgehammers breaking concrete, diving to 10 feet and sitting on the pool bottom doing repairs under water, swimming pools looking for leaks two hours at a time. The watch has never failed me and I have replaced it about every ten years simply because I have beaten the case and lens to ugly. Batteries last four to five years if I am judicious in using the "Indiglow" night light feature (which is handy). I also shower without taking it off. So if tough and inexpensive is your target, the Timex might be for you. By the way I use the nylon "sport band" and eventually they will develop a stink from sweat etc. and need shampooing. Then they will stretch and wear out looking shabby and needing replaced. But that is not expensive or hard to do.
 
I would consider the seiko 5 as others have said. I love mechanical watches and seiko makes a pretty good cheap movement.
 
Monofletch said:
The one watch I liked was a Casio Tough Solar. They also had some good looking G Shock.
Click to expand...

After going for 10 years without a watch, my wife bought me a Casio G-Shock with 'Tough Solar' and a ton of other neat features. I liked it so much that I picked up another one recently, pictured below, a Pathfinder that has a compass, altimeter, and barometer. Both watches have proven to be durable after banging into rocks (or whatever) while canoeing, kayaking, swimming, hiking and climbing. The Tough Solar really works great, I put one in a drawer for a few months and when I took it out it still had "medium" power. You can find the solar powered G-shocks for right around $100, or the more complicated ones for $150-500.

 
+1 on Casio watches, even their cheap ones.

I've had 14 or 15 of them over the years, all highly durable and very reliable.

The next one will be a Casio, as well.
 
Monofletch said:
I am outdoors all day. My job requires me to be in the elements no matter what. I don't need a lot of bells an whistles, but I do want something that looks decent. My budget is less than $100.
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You need at least 50M water resistance: that is the minimum to withstand driving rain, and that eliminates Seiko 5. Yes, there are Seiko 5 Japanese market watches with 50M WR.

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But ordering watches from Japan or Singapore is not a good first-time buying experience. Seiko 5 Sports are out of your price range.

Casio and Timex make hundreds of rugged, inexpensive watches suitable for outdoor use. For example, Casio DW290-1V:

Casio-G-Shock-Watches-Military-09.jpg


I'm guessing that "something that looks decent" to you means a watch you could wear with a sport jacket or a suit. Here are two which appeal to me; I own the first, not the second.

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Citizen BM8180-03E

9698d1358182158-seiko-sne095p1-solar-dscf0015.jpg


Seiko SNE095

You can buy them online for $85, or less if you wait for a sale. They have 100M WR and will survive if you fall in the water. They are solar recharging watches, so don't throw them in a drawer when you're not wearing. Exposed to a good light source, they glow long enough to be useful in the dark. They have conventional lugs in common sizes, and if you don't like Citizen's strap or Seiko's bracelet, you'll have hundreds of replacements to chose from. The Seiko is a better size match if you're a big guy.
 
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I went thru the same search for the right watch several weeks ago. My requirements matched the OP's almost exactly. The difference was the OP doesn't need "a lot of bells and whistles," and I didn't care if my prospective watch had any.

So far in this thread, the only four brands mentioned are Timex, Casio, Citizen and Seiko. That's also the four I considered when researching. I settled on the Citizen BM8180-e3 (pictured above.) I paid $87 at a very popular internet retail site. Just a few days after purchasing the price was raised to just a little bit over your budget. Also, if you want it to look nice (to wear with a suit,) plan on another $20 for a leather band. I'm very happy with the watch. It looks great and gains only about one second per week. I also appreciate that it's solar. My dad just paid $10 to have his watch battery replaced. It would have cheaper to have changed it himself. If changing it yourself, though, you need to be very careful with gaskets or you may very well ruin the watch's water resistance.

As happy as I am with my watch, I am also looking for a sub $30 Timex Expedition for when I know I'll be using the watch at night. Indiglo if very convenient.

If a plastic digital can fit your requirement of "looks decent," then the answer is either a Timex Ironman or Casio G-Shock.

Hope you let us know what you decide. :)
 
Some jewlery stores carry a mallard brand. Very well made, saphire crystal. The "combat" sells for around 100
ast I looked. Tough and understated.
 
MonoFletch and 22-rimfire +1 on the Tough Solar I got model# AQ-S810W in the OD Green nothing fancy just got 5 alarms. I got a few $100-$150 range G-Shocks and I always pick this one up the most. Have seen a black one I want to pick up next time I see it. Picked mine up for like $25 at WallyMart and also seen them at Kohl's. They weren't even inside the glass display case. They were on top of them spinning thingys that they put on top the display cases, so you know they were the el cheapos.

http://www.casio.com/products/Watches/Sports/AQS810W-1AV/
 
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I'm a big fan of Swiss mechanical watches, just because. If you want a tough everyday watch then Seiko, Casio, Citizen and Timex among others offer very tough quartz watches that will last for years with a simple battery change for under $100. And generally keep better time.
 
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