Wrist Watches

[bdmicarta]

I did some searches on Amazon prior to Father's Day with watches and have been bombarded with advertising for watches that I know absolutely nothing about in terms of brands and quality.

Be careful about buying watches at retail. There is tremendous markup and everybody wants to sell you a $20 watch for $150. That would be like going into a store to buy a low priced Kershaw and spending $300 on it. The exception would be to go to Walmart and look at their Casio and Timex watches. You can find watches good for outdoors and watches good for dress, and not spend a lot of money.

If you really want to get into watches there is a lot to learn. Check out forums such as watchuseek, timezone and pmwf and you can learn there. Your best bet on buying watches is to learn what you want, what it should cost, and buy it from an enthusiast on a forum, like buying knives here.

Personally I love my Citizen
Their solar polar technology is top notch, from what I recall it has a 6 month reserve if it's taken out of light on a full charge and if you take care of it the battery is suppose to have 80% max charge in 20years.

Not even close. They are good watches but the eco-drive technology is very primitive. I've owned 3 of them, and had trouble with 3 of them. If you keep them in the light a lot they work pretty well and are reasonably reliable. If you believe that "6 month reserve" stuff and leave it in a drawer, you will kill its battery very quickly. There are a lot of businesses that make a lot of money by replacing batteries on eco-drives that have died. I found some of these businesses and they will admit that the average eco-drive battery will only last 5-10 years, and then costs $100+ to replace it. I have a Luminox with a battery that lasts 7 years, and I can buy the battery in the store and replace it myself. I sent my remaining eco-drive into Citizen and they replaced the entire movement, now it lives near a window where it gets fairly constant light.

 

[KrabbyKakes]

That Orange and Black Monster look great ElConquistador!

Anyway, WatchUSeek has a classified section that rivals that of Bladeforums. A lot of the watch aficionados are going to recommend Seiko or Orient, for the Seiko 5 line or their SKX007 or the Orient Mako. Neither of them are very dressy, the Orient Mako has a Submariner look to it. The SKX007 is a classic divers watch, but it is quite large and thick. The Seiko 5 line has a little bit of everything. They are quite cheap, so you can buy one for the field and a different dress watch .They are most known for the SNK series of field watches and there bigger brothers, the SNZG series. These either have a black, blue, tan, or green face with a nylon band of the same color.

Remember that you can replace the bands on 80% of watches out there, and the after market is huge. You can have a metal bracelet for every day, a leather strap for dressier occasions, and a rubber strap for the dirty days.

The Mako and SKX007 have rotating bezels, which might gunk up if you're dressing a deer, so think about that while you're searching.

The Mako runs about $120.

The Seiko SKX007 is about $200-$150 depending on If you buy new or used.

The Seiko 5 line ranges from $50-$175 depending on the models.

P.S.-- These are all mechanical watches. You won't get the accuracy of quartz watches (Like a G-Shock), but 10 seconds a day shouldn't be a problem. They're also not as durable as quartz. I'm not saying that the smallest bump will destroy the mechanism, but don't expect a mechanical do endure being thrown off a 50 foot cliff and surviving. All of the three I mentioned are known for being extremely tough. If you accidently smashed it into a wall swinging a hammer or something, they should be fine.

 

[Shotgun]

I consider them mostly jewelry...

Isn't that what you're saying when you say you need a "dress" watch?

 

[22-rimfire]

Probably so Shotgun. I have to admit that I like this Casio Edifice. It has a quartz movement obviously, is thin on the wrist considering it looks like a diver's watch, and is water resistant to 100m (so they say). For some reason, I am really attracted to the Bernhardt. Save my pennies, but I might change my mind anyway. I like watches, but for the most part, watches are like flash lights to me.... I use workhorses and avoided the really expensive stuff while still having some "style".

 

[texas gun person]

You know you want the Bernhardt.
As I said, the movement is a workhorse, and it's a watch you don't see everyday. I feel like it's a great buy for the price, and from a small American watch maker.

 

[12345678910]

Not even close. They are good watches but the eco-drive technology is very primitive. I've owned 3 of them, and had trouble with 3 of them. If you keep them in the light a lot they work pretty well and are reasonably reliable. If you believe that "6 month reserve" stuff and leave it in a drawer, you will kill its battery very quickly. There are a lot of businesses that make a lot of money by replacing batteries on eco-drives that have died. I found some of these businesses and they will admit that the average eco-drive battery will only last 5-10 years, and then costs $100+ to replace it. I have a Luminox with a battery that lasts 7 years, and I can buy the battery in the store and replace it myself. I sent my remaining eco-drive into Citizen and they replaced the entire movement, now it lives near a window where it gets fairly constant light.

I've had the same experieice

When it was new, ok

After a few years I found it lost time in the winter for me, lower sunlight, more indoor light long sleeves = lower daily light intake




I liked the watch, but the three hundred dollar citizen was not as reliable as a thirty dollar Timex.

 

[Harayasu]

Seiko is probably one of the most often recommended watch brand when it comes to affordable mechanical watches. Especially their 5-series is very popular. Another often recommended watch brand is Tissot, which some call the Swiss equivalent of Seiko. Good quality mechanical watches, but affordable. Both offer a range of nice quartz watches too.

I used to wear G-Shocks a lot, but nowadays I find analog dive watches much easier to read and for me they're tough enough.

When it comes to toughness, well build mechanical watches can handle a lot too. Many explorers of the past used their mechanical watches for diving, climbing mountains and they even went into space.

 

[Lenny]

Take a look at the watch I just bought; the Seiko Shogun.
It can be had for right around $1K.
That might seem a bit expensive but after I've worn it for a month now, I consider it a bargain.
It's made of Titanium with a special hardening process applied to it.
Mine has only tiny scratches on the buckle, nothing on the bracelet or case after wearing every day for over a month.
It's light and easily the most comfy watch I've ever owned.
It's an automatic so no batteries, just an overhaul every 5-10 yrs.
It's highly legible.
it glows like a beacon in the dark.
The bracelet and case are works of art in Ti.
The dial is simple and uncluttered.
And finally, it just looks and feels like a quality watch.
Sure, Seiko makes $105 dollar watches.
They also make $7000 Grand Seikos which are gorgeous.
But this range of their watches is really their best bang for the buck line.
And the watch is really built to take abuse.
Like I said, I haven't taken it off since I've had it.
I've done everything in it; gardening, working on the car, biking, etc.
They're only sold in Japan.
However, I bought mine from a great guy at a dealership in Osaka who gave me a great price.
And he shipped it to me in NJ in 3 DAYS!
PM or email me if you're interested in his contact info.
Lenny

 

[Noctis3880]

Here's my 2 cents:
A "dress" watch is typically something with a metal case IMO, and any kind of rough use(even just at work) will scuff the metal dial and case. The strap and clasp are more or less irrelevant, as you can easily change those out whenever you want(might cost a bit if you wear them out quickly).

Unless you don't mind your "dress" watch looking like you went to war with it, I'd recommend something with a plastic/rubber or similar soft synthetic material for work and play.

For reference, this is my Traser Aviator Jungmann with a sharkskin strap and deployment clasp that I wear everywhere(to work and when eating out):


Black markings on the dial are getting worn off, with some scratches and scuffing everywhere. But the thing I've noticed is that people pay more attention to gold-colored watches(my Rolex GMT Master II) than any sort of exotic skin straps, so that might be a consideration for what to wear, as most people probably won't even pay attention to your watch if it's a nice dressy watch, so long as it's not gold.

 

[22-rimfire]

I have a suggestion.... don't paint with a wrist watch on unless it is covered.

 

[leghog]

Here's my 2 cents:
A "dress" watch is typically something with a metal case IMO, and any kind of rough use(even just at work) will scuff the metal dial and case.

Not really. Depends on the case material. The dial should never get scratched as it's protected by the crystal, and many, if not most, dress watch crystals in contemporary watches are sapphire so very impervious to scratching.

Unless you don't mind your "dress" watch looking like you went to war with it, I'd recommend something with a plastic/rubber or similar soft synthetic material for work and play.

Much too broad of a statement.

Black markings on the dial are getting worn off, with some scratches and scuffing everywhere.

The dial looks fine, just as it should. The bezel is what has markings worn off. Regardless that's certainly not a dress watch.

But the thing I've noticed is that people pay more attention to gold-colored watches(my Rolex GMT Master II) than any sort of exotic skin straps, so that might be a consideration for what to wear, as most people probably won't even pay attention to your watch if it's a nice dressy watch, so long as it's not gold.

Most people will not notice your watch regardless of what you wear. Wear a watch because you like it as no one else will notice or care.

I wear steel cased work and dress watches daily. Even during 42 months in Iraq and Afghanistan. I've simply not encountered the problems you lament. Buy well. My steel cased Seikos still look great. Even the ones with enameled time elapse dive bezels. One Seiko (a stainless steel Seiko 5 auto) I gave to my son who spends time in archeaologic digs, (currently doing the same in Israel) with that Seiko. Still looks great.

 

[Noctis3880]

My bad, I usually mix the dial with the bezel.

 

[MajorLonghorn]

It sounds to me like you're in the market for a steel bracelet quartz sports watch. You didn't mention your budget, but I presume that it's sub-$1000. I'd spring for a model with a sapphire crystal if you really want it to last for years, but that's your call. If you're okay with a mineral crystal, I recommend the Casio Edifice Silver collection. Here's a link:

http://edifice.casio.com/watches/EF539D-1A2V