Watches

Gollnick said:
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
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I believe you're offering an unfairly slanted point of view. Not only are mechanical watches robust, but rarely do they require tha kind of extensive cleaning. I note that you did mention a $150k for a watch, and perhaps if you spent that much you wouldn't mind. For around $800 you can get some extremely decent mechanical watches that will last long time.
 
Yes, the Seiko mechanical watches for example are very robust. My SKX023 is water resistant to 100m, but the real diver models are water resistant up to 200m. I regularly take my SKX023 with me on hiking trips and it performs well. And they are really affordable. I paid 110 euros (about 132 USD) for it. Even more affordable are the mechanical watches from the Seiko 5 series, they are less water resistant and my Seiko 5 Military is also less accurate.

Also affordable and nice looking are the watches from the Casio Edifice series.
 
Flipincanadian said:
Exactly what i was gonna say. Something like - amazon.com/Seiko-SNK809-Automatic-Black-Strap/dp/B002SSUQFG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=watches&qid=1275961553&sr=1-2
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The snk809 is on my wishlist, the dial isn't for everybody though. I wouldn't make this my buisness watch.

Seiko 5 is a good range to look at, especially for a watch you won't wear often. Auto watches just need a shake to start running again and the battery won't get low as you're not using the watch.

Of course the universe's entropy will raise a little, but that's not our problem. (wow, that was nerdy)
 
While Rolexes are expensive, comparatively, they do range in price quite substantially and are probably one of the toughest watches in existence. At one end of the spectrum, you have the super functional Submariner and Explorer II which you could hammer nails in with and at the other end are $100K+ diamond encrusted platinum watches that appeal to Carrera GT driving Saudi Princes.

I've come to realize that you do in fact get what you pay for in this world [for the most part ... and assuming you did your research]. I've owned a Rolex Submariner [black face/stainless steel] for over 12 years. I put the watch on 12 years ago and it has never let me down. I dive in it, wear it to work, climb mountains, get dirty, bang it hard on things ... it's had a tough life and yet it just keeps ticking away. This is one crazy-tough watch and I bought it for that very reason. I used to go through at least two watches a year. It has never been serviced [though I should get it serviced] and of course will never need a battery. The clasp never opens unless I open it and the crystal/bezel have never scratched. Of course it also keeps great time. I should also mention that the Submariner design is very timeless unlike a "calculator watch". These are an investment and they also yield good resale value ... or it can be passed-down for generations in your family.

It's by no means a flashy watch; never do I hear: "...ooooo you have a Rolex..." probably b/c the Submariner is without question the most ripped-off watch design in the world. This is a good thing as most people probably think it's a fake or a $500 Seiko. That said, I'm not sure I'd wear it in a dangerous country/city.

I have no idea what your budget is, but if your budget is healthy and you're looking for a watch that you can beat the snot out of and then wear it with a suit moments later, you can't really do any better. Rolex has a sister brand called Tudor and they make similar quality watches for about 1/3-1/4 the price of Rolex. Another venerable Swiss brand is Omega.
 
Harayasu said:
Also affordable and nice looking are the watches from the Casio Edifice series.
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Yeah, I have this one:
http://www.casio.com/products/Timepiece/Dress/EFA120D-1AV/

It's a decent enough watch for just over $50. I've actually gotten compliments on this one. There was a similar model with a round face with red embellishments that looks better.

I also have a Timex Expedition that is about 8 years old and going strong.

I don't like watches with miniature analog subdials. I feel like I need to get out a microscope in order to read them accurately. I like a watch with a digital date and day of the week indicator for when I can't remember. One that can light up is good if you think you may ever wish to know the time in the dark.

I'm surprised not to see more recommendations for G-Shocks, as they seem to often win this sort of thread.
 
kozak6 said:
Yeah, I have this one:
http://www.casio.com/products/Timepiece/Dress/EFA120D-1AV/

It's a decent enough watch for just over $50. I've actually gotten compliments on this one. There was a similar model with a round face with red embellishments that looks better.

I also have a Timex Expedition that is about 8 years old and going strong.

I don't like watches with miniature analog subdials. I feel like I need to get out a microscope in order to read them accurately. I like a watch with a digital date and day of the week indicator for when I can't remember. One that can light up is good if you think you may ever wish to know the time in the dark.

I'm surprised not to see more recommendations for G-Shocks, as they seem to often win this sort of thread.
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The topic starter wanted a watch for traveling and work. Although I think the G-Shocks are good watches, I have a few myself, they are not always the best choice for work. If you're for example an internationally working businessman and wear a suit, a nice Swiss watch would me more suitable, IMO.
 
It might be out of the price range you are looking for, but if you like the features of the G-Shock line and want something a bit more elegant, you might want to look into Casio's luxury branding the Oceanus line. They are solar, atomic, have sapphire crystal faces, and an automatic light. I've been wearing a OCW500TDA for about three years and the face is still unscratched.
 
the luminox pics the op posted are nice pieces, though a little "busy" for my taste.

hamilton has models in the $200 range. the autos will run higher, but i also have a battery run khaki that is pretty nice.
 
I have a 511 "tactical" watch.. funny how evrything is tactical these days!
and it is a robust excellent time piece but it does attract attention. I have no probs with that here in Aus but were I to go overseas get a simple ordinary looking reliable watch.
All the best!
 
World travelers need a Rolex GMT Master. Rolex: it's the Rolex of watches.
 
To answer a resounding question, I'm an engineer. Most often I wear jeans and a t-shirt to work, and most often, the people I interact with are in or related to the military.

I made it into a jewelry store recently to check some of these out in person. I'm starting to realize my taste outdoes my budget by quite a bit. That said, I'll probably lean towards a stainless steel bracelet as I thnk it looks a bit more professional than something in rubber. In person the chronograph didn't wow me quite as much as I thought it would, so now I don't really know what I want again.
 
A bit out of your price range at ~$700 (plus $170 for stainless band) but worth every penny, best watch I've ever owned! (I paid $740 CAD total for mine).

Marathon GSAR

marathon_3.jpg


In your price range, I'd pick up a Marathon Navigator for $145

NAVDAT11LARGE.jpg
 
Slidetechnik said:
I made it into a jewelry store recently to check some of these out in person. I'm starting to realize my taste outdoes my budget by quite a bit.
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What were those models? For expensive models, such as Rolex Submariner and Omega Speedmaster, you can find some "hommage" models. Not copies as they don't pretend to be the real thing, but hommages.

I recently got a Submariner hommage (the one on the right, the left one is the real thing):

003.jpg
 
cybrok said:
What were those models? For expensive models, such as Rolex Submariner and Omega Speedmaster, you can find some "hommage" models. Not copies as they don't pretend to be the real thing, but hommages.
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The models I looked was looking at were the Citizen Eco-Drive and the Seiko 5 Divers watches. Realistically, 200 is the absolute most I will spend, as I will occasionally be in some less than "nice" areas.

One criteria I realized I must have is hands that illuminate at night. Forgot to mention that before I think.
 
For pure function, a g-shock is hard to beat. Very tough, water resistant to 200m, plus you get a timer for running and what-not, alarm for wake-up. All around, very handy.
 
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