Friday, June 23, 2017

The 5 Best Men's Watches for Dad's Birthday

I am surprised I am just now getting around to this blog post.  I mean, I am a dad, and I do like watches.  It seems to me, it would have been a no-brainer...

Alas, I have been so busy with my other thoughts and ideas, I just haven't been able to find the time, and, quite honestly, I am in a continual state of forgetfulness.  I missed Father's Day this year.  And in all actuality, I am too late for my birthday this year, but hopefully I can help some lucky watch lover out there, get something he really likes for his birthday.

I am going to talk about a few watches I have talked about in the past.  And I am going to try and talk about a few different price points.  Because I know that every single person has a different perspective on how much to spend on dad.  But for any who are unsure, it is always my suggestion to spend more on dad.  He might complain about it, but down deep, he really likes his bobbles and thingies as much as anyone.



The 5 Best Men's Watches for Dad's Birthday




HMT
Pilot
Model:N/A
Case: 35 mm, Stainless steel
Band: 18mm Leather
Movement: HMT 0231 Mechanical
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery: N/A
Water resistance:
HMT Pilot in its standard looks


I have written about the HMT Pilot several times now.  It is not some amazing watch, but it is kinda cool, and it is something that your average person will not have.  It will give dad something to talk about, and most dads like to do that.

HMT is an Indian company that is now out of business.  The government decided that the company would be shut down, and as of 2016, the doors have closed.  But these watches are still available on Ebay.  They are general refurbished versions, but you can find them for under 15 dollars all day long on Ebay.  I own two Pilots and would not be sad if I had one or two more of them.  They are great every day knock around watches.

I like them because they are super cheap, look retro, and are mechanical watches (means you have to wind them daily)  I always like a mechanical watch, they are just cool.  Most guys will think this, because they are little tiny machines.

The basic statistics for this watch are pretty common place.  It is made of stainless steel, it has a 35mm diameter body on it.  It has a crown located at the 3 oclock position and has a 18mm band.  Much after that, they do have a few variations.  And with them being refurbished, they have nearly unlimited variations.

The standard HMT Pilot will have greenish markings on a black dial face.  The green is luminance and there is also luminance on the watch hands.  But I have seen different cases, and a ton of different colors.  It will be whatever tickles your fancy really.




Timex
Weekender Collection
Model:  TW2P714009J
Case: 40 mm, Stainless Steel
Band: 20 mm, Nylon
Movement: Quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Day, Chronograph, Light
Battery: Lithium metal battery

Water resistance: 30M/99ft.



I really love this Timex.  I have several old Timex's, but I have not purchased a current Timex.  But I think this could very well be the Timex for me.  It is stylish and functional, and has a bit of a retro look about it.  All features that I like.  And for under 50 bucks, I think this is right in the ballpark for a great gift for your dad.  It is what I would consider a daily wear watch, and one that should be more durable than the HMT above.

The watch comes in two colors.  The white and the blue.  Both are pretty cool, I think I like the white more, but that is a personal preference of course.

They have a nylon band with a buckle style clasp and are in a case that measures 40mm in diameter.  The cases are mad of brass and are plated and polished.  The dials have Arabic numerals for the hour markers, and has 3 sub dials for the cronograph functions.  There is a crown located at the 3 o'clock position and the watches have the chronograph function buttons located at the 2 & 4 o'clock positions.

I am a big fan of these watches.  Like I said, I have old Timex's but have stayed away from the newer ones, mostly because I don't like the looks of them, that doesn't apply with the Weekender chronographs, these are stylish and extremely functional, along with being durable daily wear watches.  I would recommend them to anyone looking for something under 50 bucks and can take a bit of a beating.




Seiko
Series 5
Model:SNK809K2
Case: 37mm, stainless steel
Band: 18mm, black canvas
Movement: Seiko Automatic 7S26A

Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Day
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 30M/100ft


I feel like a bit of a letch, in regards to this watch.  I LOVE this watch!  Seriously, you can get this for your dad for just over 50 bucks and it may be his favorite watch ever.  And if he doesn't like it, send it to me, I will take it.

I am not sure how long Seiko has been producing this watch, but I know they have been making Series 5 watches for some time now.

What you get here is a field watch, with a automatic movement, with a Nato nylon band, with and a stainless steel case, that measures about 37mm.  You get a choice of colors, althouch I am going to suggest the black, because, again, if he doesn't like it, I would like you to send it to me.

The watch has Arabic numerals in the inner circle for the hours, and on the outer ring for the minutes.  There is a triangle at the 12 o'clock position, which is kinda normal for a military style watch.  It has a day/date window at the 3 o'clock position and a crown that is located at the 3:30 position.  This watch, along with every Series 5, uses the 7S26 automatic movement.  It is one of the movements that Seiko has used since the mid 90's. It is tried and true, and a seriously durable mechanical movement.  I think that this watch really has no weakness, and it is one of my favorite watches, not just my favorite for around 50 dollars, but one of my all time favorites.




Smith and Bradley
Springfield
Model:
Case: 44 mm, PVD coated
Band Width: 20mm, Nylon
Movement: Ronda quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 100 M/333 FT

Smith and Bradley is American, and it has a great looking field watch, those two things alone would have put it on this list.  But not only is is a great looking field watch, but it is my second favorite field watch right after the Seiko I just finished talking about.

Smith and Bradley have several really nice watches, I like ALL of them, and I love that they are made in America, but, since we are talking about gifts for dad, I wanted to keep most of the options under 200 dollars, because really, any more than that and there is a good chance that dad is going to kick your ass for spending too much money.

The Springfield is a wonderful place to start with Smith and Bradley.  It is under 200 dollars, and it is one of the nicest looking under 200 dollar watches I have seen.  This is not because I like field watches (I like Field Watches)  But is because this is a well built watch.

This is a PVD coated, stainless steel case watch, with a 44mm diameter.  It has a nato band with a buckle style clasp, and it has a crown located at the 3 o'clock position.

I would recommend this watch to any dad that loves owning American.  I think Smith and Bradley are moving in the right direction, and I think that we should support their business.  I think I would have a hard time deciding between a Springfield and a Series 5.  I love them both, but the price of the Seiko is really hard to beat.




Speedmaster Moon watch limited edition
Model: 311.32.40.30.01.001
Case: 39.7mm, Stainless steel
Band: 22.9mm Leather
Movement: Omega 1861 Manual Wind
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Chronograph
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/167ft

Maybe one of my all time favorite watches ever, by my all time favorite watch maker.  The Omega Moonwatch is seriously one of my very favorite watches.  I love this watch and I would love to own this watch (Wink Wink) and if any of my kids would like to spend 5000 dollars on me for this watch, well I would put up a fight, but it really wouldn't last that long.

The Watch is modeled after the original Sigma 7 watch, it has chronograph function, and a stainless steel case that measures 39.7mm,  The watch has a crown at  the 3 o'clock position and the chronograph function buttons located at the 2 & 4 o'clock positions.

The watch has a 22.9mm leather band with a buckle style clasp.  It has a tachyometer bezel that is ceramic and black and it has the famous calibre 1861, it is a manual winding chronograph movement.  This is a serious classic, this is the movement that was on the moon.  I cannot say enough how this may very well be my favorite watch of all time, and I can only hope that some day I can own one of these.  It is available for around 5000 dollars, so, you will really need to love your dad if this is something you want to get for him.  But if you feel like it is too much to spend on your dad, again, I would be willing to take it as a gift!



Wrap Up

I really liked this blog post, I mean, I am a dad, and I do believe that maybe I should have any of these watches.  I love these watches, and would intend to own all of them at some point.  They are serious beauties.

Thank you for reading the best men's watches under, and please come back soon!





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