Watches

[Slidetechnik]

So recently I've started traveling internationally for work, and when I do, I don't bring my cell phone. As such, I no longer have the time at my disposal. Accordingly, I've recently become interested in getting a decent watch for myself, and realistically, I have no idea where to start.

To give you some background about my experience in this field, the last watch I bought myself was a calculator watch when I was in the 6th grade.

That said, I'm more into function over form, but form does have some impotance nowadays(I'd prefer not to get another calculator watch).

My questions regarding the matter are as follows:

1)What does more money buy you? Does more money mean more features? Higher quality materials? Better timekeeping?

2)What features do watches come with nowadays? Obviously they keep time. Do they commonly do other tasks now? What is considered a must have?

3)What do I have to spend to get something of decent quality? I don't need precious stones embedded in the wristband or anything, just something that works well.

4)What are some affordable well known brands worth looking into? In terms of styling, I lean slightly towards the "tactical/practical" side versus the "jeweled timepiece" side. I know this makes me sound like a poser of sorts, but by this I simply mean I'm not so interested in something like a Rolex. I want the Lotus Elise of watches, not the Rolls Royce.


Thanks in advance for the education.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Just about any electronic watch, digital or analogue, will keep time to within a second or so a month. Timex and Casio watches can often be bought for significant discounts at WalMart or other discount stores. If being precise to a nanosecond is important to you, you can get watches with automatic synchronization to atomic clocks world-wide.

 

[Gollnick]

There is practically no field more diverse than watches.

For less than $50, you can buy a very nice watch that was unceremoniously built by a robot in China in about ten minutes which will

• Keep time +/-1 second per year
• Give day, date, month, and year including leap years
• Have a stopwatch accurate to 1/100 of a second
• Have an alarm
• Chime the hour if you want it to
• Never need winding
• Require a new battery about every three years which can be changed at a kiosk at the mall for about $10 (and yes, you can get the tool and do it yourself if you want to)
• Be water-proof to deeper than you can dive with conventional scuba gear

Or, for $150,000 you can get a watch that was hand-assembled by one expert in a Swiss shop who spent four months of his life on just this one watch that will

• Keep time to about +/-6 seconds per day
• Give day, date, month, and year including leap years
• Have a stop watch accurate to 1/10th second
• Have an alarm
• Chime the hour if you want it to
• Need winding every other day unless you wear it constantly or keep it on a special winder machine
• Be water-resistant enough to wear in your hot tub
• Require a month-long trip to Switzerland every year to be completely disassembled, cleaned, lubricated, and lovingly re-assembled by one of two persons in the world qualified to do so

You see, a watch is not just a simple time-keeping appliance. So, you have to decide what you want your watch to do... beyond keeping time.

You mentioned international travel. In the US, watches have sort of gone down in style. A lot of people don't wear one anymore. We get the time from our cellphone or Ipod or whatever. But, in the US, men wear a lot of other jewelery. In the US, many men wear flashy necklaces and even earings. Outside of the US, in many countries and cultures, this just isn't done and a watch is the jewlery that a man gets and so more attention is given to them. In the US, a man who wears a watch can get away with a black plastic digital watch in a business suit. In other parts of the world, that would be a faux pas and would brand you as a crude American.

In Europe, digital watches are much less accepted for dress wear.

So, maybe you can give a bit more consideration to these details

 

[holygoat]

Up to a certain point, money buys features and robustness. After a certain point, you're paying for a name, decoration, or mechanical intricacy. There are plenty of counter-examples to this rule

You'll probably have to choose between analog and digital, and (in the analog world) automatic (wound by your movement), manual (wound by hand), and quartz (powered by a battery).

Quartz keeps good time, but doesn't have the charm of an automatic. There are hybrid systems, called "automatic quartz" (e.g., Seiko Kinetic, Omega Omegamatic) that use an automatic system to power a quartz movement: best of both worlds.

Rolex is actually closer to Mercedes than to Rolls Royce; there are many more expensive/luxury brands out there.

I'd advise you to look at:

• Casio G-Shocks. There are lots which look nothing like calculators, and they've got neat features like atomic timekeeping, solar power, etc. Also tough as nails.

• Suunto, e.g., the Core. These are wrist computers: you get weather prediction, altimeter, compass, etc. Look pretty cool, too.

• Seiko. Anything from dress through to dive watches, without the Swiss brand price.

• Marathon, e.g., the TSAR. Probably the most well-made of the tritium watches. Luminescence lasts 10+ years. Automatic or quartz. Check County Comm.

If you let us know your taste and your price range, you'll get more precise recommendations.

Hope that helps!

 

[Slidetechnik]

Thanks for the info thusfar guys. I'd be looking for an analog watch. My max budget would be 150 bucks.

In terms of my taste, I like ones that look like:

 

[Deoje]

I have a Suunto Vector. I got it at Costco. Normally I don't buy watches at Costco. The watch has a compass, barometer, and altimeter. The altimeter is based on the barometer and I don't know how much I trust the barometer but the compass is nice. It is rather large, but I have rather large wrists. (You know what they say about men with large wrists...... They have small brains...) Sorry, I may have been drinking.

Back to the watch. I have been really happy. The one thing that I don't like it is the fact that there are times when my hand hits the buttons on the side of the watch. It changes the watch to the compass function or barometer function. It can be annoying if I'm in a hurry. Other wise I have been very happy with the watch.

I also really like the Citizen Eco-Drive watches. They shouldn't need at battery anytime soon. They have a solar cell and are charged from the sun. Tons of models so I'll let you look at the options.

The nice thing about watches is the fact that there are so many choices. Good luck in your search.

 

[Harayasu]

For traveling purposes, you could also take a look at several watches of Casio that have a world time function and an atomic time receiver. The world time function shows you the time in many other time zones. The atomic time receiver receives a radio signal with the time and date, it usually synchronizes time and date during the night, but you can also perform a manual synchronisation.

Seiko also has a number of models similar to the Invicta you showed, here is my Seiko SKX023.

 

[somber]

I guess it depends on what you want:

Quartz - move accurate, durable, and cheaper
Mechanical - more expensive, less accurate, less durable, freaking awesome

2)What does more money buy you? Does more money mean more features? Higher quality materials? Better timekeeping?

Quartz - It can buy you more features, but you can still get a $1400 TAG Aquaracer with no features or a $100 Citizen that offers a lot more (chronograph, alarm, lume) but maybe of less quality construction (attention to detail- negligible), but not better time keeping.

Mechanical - You can get the same movement in a watch that costs $400 as a watch that costs $4000, but the construction may be better, decorations may be added here or there, and the tuning may be finer, but essentially they are the same watch inside. That being said I would find a watch that you like and then find out what movement it has, and compare that watch to other watches that have the same movement. This might give you a fair idea of what you maybe should be paying for the watch, excluding decorations, or features of precious metals.

2)What features do watches come with nowadays? Obviously they keep time. Do they commonly do other tasks now? What is considered a must have?

They can do about anything you want, I guess.

3)What do I have to spend to get something of decent quality? I don't need precious stones embedded in the wristband or anything, just something that works well.

Quartz - $50-$200

Mechanical - $100-$1000
Seiko to Sinn

4)What are some affordable well known brands worth looking into? In terms of styling, I lean slightly towards the "tactical/practical" side versus the "jeweled timepiece" side. I know this makes me sound like a poser of sorts, but by this I simply mean I'm not so interested in something like a Rolex. I want the Lotus Elise of watches, not the Rolls Royce.

My Exige:

 

[Haze]

I like my watches to do one thing and do it well, I'm not a fan of watches that have many buttons and extra diles on the face, they look too busy to me and I would never use those fucnctions any way. I also like my autos over quarz wtches. I have pieces that were a few hundred £ and have some that were quite a bit more. They all tell the time but there is just something special about a highend wrist watch that captivates me, and many others it would seem. :thumbup:

 

[yermom]

i saw a deal on an Invicta that i really liked the look of online a while back and bought it immediately based on the price vs. MSRP, (~$60 vs. ~$500) this seems to be their MO. i didn't really look for info on them until after buying it

http://www.bladehq.com/item--Invicta-Mens-Automatic--4871

(not the retailer i used, but that was the first picture i found. strange it was on a knife site. or maybe not.)

i won't say it was a mistake, but i guess i was not too impressed with the automatic/kinetic time keeping. it seems i'm adjusting it every couple of days. i seem to set it against my cell phone a lot, and i don't have the machine to keep it moving when i'm not wearing it

i'm also pretty new to watches, so i wasn't ready for the size adjustment and had to take it to a watch repair place in the mall to get sized for another ~$10

i saw my cousin a few months later and he was wearing one as well, apparently got sucked in the same way i did

i wasn't really expecting it to be as big and heavy as it was, but i've gotten used to it. it seems to be built like a tank, which is pretty cool

 

[Bluntruth]

Since you show a couple Luminox watches as possibilities, I'll have to vouch for my Luminox SeriesII Dive watch (similar to the one in the middle). It's about $200. It has a nylon strap that has held up excellent.

I've had the watch for 6 years and always have it on. It has survived all my hikes, hunts, and other adventures with only a little scratching. I really like the tritium capsules - you can read the time in any light condition every time you look at the watch, without hitting a button or charging the glow stuff.

 

[cybrok]

Pricewise, I'd say watches are pretty much like knive.

You have cheap stuff that will keep time (or cut for knives), but it's not the best quality. You have the middle range that is very well made, have a good warranty and will last you for years. Then you have the luxury stuff.


Middle range is 150-450$ IMO.


I would suggest you take a look at this type of Seiko (chronograph):

I have the titanium model and really like it. The alarm is not really loud, but you can use that dial as a second time zone.


BTW I recommend that website, here's what they have under 150$
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/search/results.html?pto=150&sort=3d&cPath=163

 

[jill jackson]

My Dad got this for a present and he laughed and didn't believe it would, set itself forwards and backwards for daylight savings time. Nor did he even believe it could adjust automatically for all dates and always be exactly to the second accurate. Plus just light charges the battery, so it was a bit different to say the least from what he's had all his life. (but, he likes it because it doesn't look like a modern watch so much as most with it's features)
After a few months he's satisfied with it and it does everything it is supposed to do, in fact he can't believe it's a whole lot less trouble than all the more expensive watches he has. So, it's become his everyday favorite! (it was only in the 65 dollar range)

 

[Roger999]

Seiko and Citizen has some nice diving watches which look good for casual wear and formal wear.

Do you prefer analog or digital? FWIW I find analog easier to see at night with my glasses off.

Generally, the cheap watches are the most accurate(quartz).

 

[TyMathews]

I'm a fan of the Victorinox watches and I have a Wenger Commando that is my favorite watch. Personally, I like all the doo-dads and dials and buttons even though I never will use them.

-Tye

 

[donmecca]

Watches, my other passion that had me in the doghouse with the misses! That said I am a recovering watch-a-holic and my all time favorite website was:
www.watchuseek dot com : the forums

There are hundreds of categories from high end Breitling, Omega, Rolex to Cheap $50.00 categories and everything in between.
If you spend some time surfing, but not until 2:00 a.m. like myself you will quickley realize there are too many optons and not enough funds just like knives...

Rambled enough, my personal favorites are:
1) Under $100.00 - Casio waveceptor (time is updated from Colorado atomic clock automatically), solar powered, more than enough multiple functions for any reasonable human
2) Non ABC: Tissot T-touch ($400-$550) had mine for 6 years, never changed the battery and shows: weather, altimeter, chrono, compass, alarm, thermo- all on a regualr touch screen watch face, totally cool.

 

[TyMathews]

+1 for watchuseek. I bought a Seiko dive watch from a member there a couple of weeks ago.

-Tye

 

[Ridge-Runner]

I have a Citizens and a Sunnoto. I wear them both about the same. One is a automatic analog ( I dont have that lil machine and it doesnt move sometimes for a week and it will still be on time) and the other one is a digital. That has all the gizmos. Compass, barometer, alitimeter, thermometer, etc... you name it has it on it. It is huge but I like it b/c it is easy to read. I paid about $250 for my citizen (it was on sale) and I think I gave $150 for my Sunnoto, it was used and I got it from a guy on ADVRider. There is always some watchs for sale over there.

 

[65535]

Seiko5 might be something to look at.

 

[m_calingo]

What kind work you do abroad may have some bearing on what you should wear on your wrist. Are you a suit? An IT guy?

If you're an IT guy, you can probably get away with a Casio G-Shock. If you're a suit, you'd probably be better off with a nice analog watch. Seiko, Citizen, Pulsar come to mind, if you aren't in the mood to spend $$$$.

Of course, it's your watch, so you may as well get one you like.

A dual time zone function, and an alarm would be a plus, IMO.