The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 50 Dollars

The 5 best men's watches for under 50 dollars. Bulova, HMT, Casio and more. There are a lot of great options for budget minded individuals.

The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 100 Dollars

The 5 best men's watches for under 100 dollars gives you even more possibilities, companies like Seiko, and so many more watches for men.

The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 200 Dollars

The 5 best men's watches for under 200 dollars really is exciting, it offers you so many new options, and starts to show what higher priced men's watches can offer.

The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 500 Dollars

The 5 best men's watches for under 500 dollars will give you the chance to see some men's watches that could be considered family heirlooms. Something that should last multiple lifetimes.

The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 1000 Dollars

The 5 best men's watches for under 1000 dollars will include Hamilton, and Victorinox, Magrette, and Dievas, and Weiss as well, great watch companies and great watches.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

The Best Men's Watches for that Perfect Christmas Present

Christmas is still more than three months away, but I think it is as good a time as any to talk about Christmas presents for your favorite man in your life.  Personally, I think watches are a wonderful choice for Christmas presents, and I do not know how anyone can think different...

Really though, if you have a man in your life that likes watches, and you would like to add to his collection, I would like to give you a couple options for possible Christmas presents.



The Best Men's Christmas Present for under 50 dollars




Seiko
Series 5 Sports
Model: SNK809
Case: 37mm, stainless steel
Band: 18mm, black leather
Movement: Seiko Calibre 7S26 Automatic
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Day, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 30M/100ft



I have been unashamedly pushing this watch since I originally found it a few years ago when I started my watch love.  I think it is a fantastic watch, especially for the price.  I do cheat and call this an under 50 dollar watch, but it is actually more like 55-60 dollars.  It is well worth breaking the budget.  It is by far one of the best watches you can find for the price.  

It is a Seiko 5, and it is in the field watch style.  This particular one is black, but they do make multiple colors.  I believe green, blue and cream.  There may be others, I am just going by memory at this moment.

You can find the specs for this watch all over this blog.  I am pretty sure I have written about it at least 4 times.  It is a great watch, it is a automatic movement, and it is a Seiko.

All that make for a nice daily wearer.  It also makes for a great Christmas present for anyone who likes field watches or Seikos.  It is a great entry point for either.



The Best Men's Christmas Present for under 100 dollars





Citizen
Drive
Model: BM6980-08E
Case: 42 mm, Stainless steel
Band: Black leather
Movement: Japanese Quartz (Eco-Drive J165)
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Day
Battery:
Water resistance: 100 M/333 ft.

Citizen, like Seiko, is another one of the great Japanese watchmakers.  They have been making timepieces for over 100 years, and have carved out a nice spot for themselves. They are really big on the solar power movements, and they do a great job with them.  Eco-drives are in nearly all of their watches, and they are great.  No winding, no battery replacement, no ugly solar panel on the front of your watch.  They really do make a nice looking watch.

The Drive watch here was covered previously in my Best Men's watches under 100 dollar post.  The one for 2017.  I really like the looks of this watch.  It is clean and easy to read. 

I think this makes a great Christmas present for under 100 dollars.  It gets someone a Citizen watch, which is usually not a possibility for under 100 dollars.  It gives them a watch that should last a lifetime and more.




The Best Men's Christmas Present for under 200 dollars




Orient
Starfish Classic
Model: FEM7J00AW9
Case: 42 mm, Stainless Steel
Band Width: 22mm, Leather
Movement: Orient Automatic Calibre 46943
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Day
Battery:
Water resistance: 50 M/165 FT

We are on a Japanese watches roll right now!!  Seriously, I think this will be the last one.  But I have to tell you, like Seiko, I think Orient makes a really nice watch, and I like that they are not a company that has started purchasing movements from ETA or some other company.  They continue to produce their own in-house movements, and they continue to make a really nice watch.

They are owned by Seiko now, but they still seem to be their own entity.  I like Seiko a little more, as a whole, but for the right price I would definitely own a Orient watch.

While the Orient Star watches are some of my favorite watches, the Starfish is a nice entry point into the Orient watches.  I believe that whoever gets this watch will be pleasantly surprised. 

It is another automatic watch, it has the hour, minute, second, day and date, it has a leather band, and a nice, clean look to it.  I love this watch for under 200 dollars, and think it would make a great Christmas present.



The Best Men's Christmas Present for under 500 dollars




Jack Mason

Nautical Automatic 42mm
Model: JM-N103-001
Case: 42 mm, Stainless steel
Band width: Leather
Movement: Mechanical Self winding
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery:N/A
Water resistance: 100 M/330 ft

I am quickly becoming a fan of Jack Mason watches.  They are an American watch company that I have recently stumbled across.  This watch in particular was talked about here on the best men's watches for under 500 dollars.  I think they have a cool look to them.  A little Mid Mod, a little retro.

They do not make their own movements, but I do think they are using quality Miyota movements.  I think that any Dad would love to own a watch like this.  That they would like the looks and the idea that they are made in the USA.  They have several different watches to choose from, but the prices do vary.  I would recommend you check out the Jack Mason website for yourself thought.  You might be pleasantly surprised.



Wrap up

All these watches have made my lists before.  I love them all and I will probably talk about them again.  If you do not like the watches you see here, I would recommend you look at the specific price points you are looking for.  I have plenty of watches listed at under 50 dollars, and 100 dollars, and 200 dollars, as well as 500 dollars.  And higher, if you have a bigger budget.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watches for 2017

One of the most popular posts on this blog was the original best men's mechanical hand wind watches post. So, I figure I might as well go ahead and write another one, I mean it is a couple of years old now, and there are some new products out there that I would like to talk about.

Also, in the original post, it was broken up into 3 parts.  I am not going to do that this time, I am going to put it all into one big ass post.  I am not in a hurry to get my posts published anymore, so I can take a week or two to get this one done.



The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wound Watches for 2017




The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for under 50 dollars

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


Best men's mechanical hand wind
If you have read The Best Men's Watches under blog in the past, you will be aware of the fact that I am a big fan of HMT watches.  In particular, I am a big fan of the Pilot.  I can't even remember how many times I have pushed this watch now.  At least 5 times.  I love this watch, and I own two of these watches.  They are refurbished and I got them off Ebay, and I love them.  They are the perfect knock around watches in my book.  I think everyone should own at least one.

If you look on my original best men's watches under 50 dollars, or on the first part of the best men's hand wound watches, you can find all the specs and more details about the HMT pilot.  I suggest you take a look.  I have to figure that at some point, these things will start to become worth more than the 10 dollars you can buy them for right now!





The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for under 100 dollars

Parnis
47mm Black Dial
Model: H2113
Case: 47 mm, Stainless steel
Band: 24mm Leather
Movement: Sea-Gull 6497 
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 30M

I will start by saying I love Vostok Komandirskie.  In the original best men's mechanical watches, this spot was filled by a Komandirskie, and generally speaking you can find a few different Russian watches that will fall into this same slot, if you look around.  But I am going out of the box a little bit. I own a watch with a Sea-Gull movement watch, it has always worked well for me.  I cannot complain at all, and the Parnis watches have generally been found to be really well built watches, even though they are Chinese.  In general, I would not steer you toward a Chinese watch, but the Parnis watches are pretty cool and there are a lot of people out there who have had great luck with them.  Just don't expect any customer service if anything goes wrong with it.

This watch is BIG, it has a 47mm stainless steel case, it has a smooth bezel, and a rather pronounced crown.  It has a domed lens with a black dial face, and Arabic numerals at all the hour markers, except the 9 o'clock, which is where the sub dial is for the seconds hand.  The band is wide, at 24mm and made of leather, and it has a buckle style clasp.  For 100 dollars I think this is a winner, as long as you don't get yourself a dud.




The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for under 500 dollars

Hamilton
Khaki Field Officer Handwinding
Model: H69419363
Case: 38mm Stainless Steel
Band: 20mm Canvas
Movement: Sea-Gull 6497 
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/165ft


Hamilton is not new to this blog.  I am a fan of Hamilton watches.  They were originally an American company and have a very long American history.  But, in 1974 they were sold to Swatch.  So, now they are a Swiss company, but they still do have an American look to their products.

The field watches have made my lists several times now.  I love the field watches.  I love the hand wound version most of all.  This watch is really what I would expect from a field watch.  It is not overly huge.  It has a 38mm stainless steel case.  I is unassuming, the bezel is smooth and the crown is located at the 3 o'clock position.  The dial of the watch is black and the Arabic numerals are white and coated with a luminous material.  Along with the hands, and tick marks.

The band of the watch is a canvas strap, with a buckle style clasp.  The clasp is also stainless steel.

All-in-all this is a nice little watch.  It is well built, and even sports a sapphire lens.  It should be durable, and nice looking for many many years.




The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for under 1000 dollars

Laco
Memmingen
Model: 861746
Case: 42 mm, Stainless steel
Band: 20mm Leather
Movement: Laco 04 Hand Winding 
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M

I have talked about Laco watches before on this blog.  I might have even covered this particular watch, but I am having a hard time tracking it down if I ever did.  Doesn't matter much though, because we are gonna talk about this one today.  

The Laco Memmingen is a nice looking watch, if you are into Laco that is, because it is not going to dazzle you with bling or wow.  But mostly if your into that kinda jazz, you are probably on the wrong blog right now.  I do not like it, I like this Laco though.

German made and looking like it, the Laco Memmingen is 42mm in diameter, and it is 13mm thick.  It is a fairly big chunk of stainless steel.  It has a over sized crown located at the 3 o'clock position and a flat, thin bezel, which gives you a lot of watch face.

The watch face itself is black with white Arabic numerals.  There is a triangle at the 12 o'clock position with two small dots on each side.  It is all coated in a illumination.  The band is 20mm and made of leather.  It has over sized rivets, and a stainless steel buckle style clasp.  It all gives the watch a rugged, and solid look to it.

The Laco 04 movement is actually a modified ETA 2804.  I do not have the specifics on how it is modified though.

All-in-all, I think this is a really nice looking watch.  And a really well built watch.  Definitely something worth looking at, at the 1000 dollar price point.



The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for under 2000 dollars

Weiss
Limited Edition American Issue Blue Dial
with Cal 1003 
Model: 
Case: 42 mm, Stainless steel
Band: 20mm Leather
Movement: Weiss Cal 1003 
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 110M/330ft


Bam!
I love Weiss watches.  They are one of my favorite watchmakers.  And they are all American.  They even make their own movements.  The 1003 movement is a mechanical movement.  It runs at 21,600 bph, it has a 46 hour power reserve, and it has a hacking sub second dial.  It is really nice.  And this one is only being made as a limited edition.  200 watches will be released.

I have covered Weiss before.  They are a California based watchmaker that has been making watches for about 4 years now.  Cameron Weiss is the owner/watchmaker, and he has found a wonderful little place.  The Weiss field watches are some of my favorite watches, and I would love one for Christmas this year.... Hint, hint.

The American issue limited edition blue dial is a 42mm stainless steel field watch.  It has a crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has a thin bezel with large lugs, giving it a substantial look to it.  It has a blue face with large Arabic numerals indicating the hours, and smaller Arabic numerals indicating the minutes, in five minute intervals.  It has a sub dial for the seconds located at the 9 o'clock position, and the hands and numbers are coated with a luminant.  The band is a 20mm leather band with a buckle style clasp.

I love this watch.  I love this watch for the 1995 price tag as well.  I think this is one hell of a watch.




The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for under 5000 dollars

RGM Watch Co.
Model 222 (921 movement)
Model: 222
Case: 41 mm, Stainless steel
Band: Leather
Movement: Hamilton 921 Movement
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/165ft


RGM watches is another American watch maker that I really really like.  And I am so happy I was able to include one of their watches on this list.  The Model 222 is not the only product they have.  In fact, they have quite a few watches, and they are all something unique.  The Model 222 had a bit of a Mid Mod look to it, and that may be why I am drawn to it, but I think it is an impressive looking watch.

The Model 222 has a 41mm stainless steel case, with a smooth bezel and the crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  The dial face is silver, with large tick marks marking the hours and small marks indicating all the minutes.  There is a sub dial for the seconds located at the 9 o'clock position, and the hands of the watch are blued steel.  The band is leather with a buckle style clasp.

I really like this watch, and I really like this company.  I think RGM is a wonderful American watch maker.  I would love the opportunity to own one of these one of these days.






Wrap Up

I know that sometimes I go to higher in my price points, but I do not think I need to go much higher than 5000 dollars.  These are all really good watches, and I think you would be happy with pretty much any of them.  I am a fan of the HMT for a cheap knock around watch, and I love the RGM and Weiss because of what they are doing as a company.  Hamilton is a proven and wonderful brand name.  The Parnis might be a bit of crap shoot but a lot of people have had really good luck with them.  

I hope you like this list of the best men's mechanical watches, I am a pretty big fan of it!

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

The 5 Best Men's Watches for under 2000 Dollars in 2017

Wow, this blog has come a long way from where I started!  I am now up to over 50 posts.  And we have done this before.  We have already talked about the best men's watches for under 2000 dollars.  I am going to include a couple of watches from the original list, mostly because I love them and they totally deserve to be here.

Everyone has different tastes in watches, and something I worried about a lot when I first started this blog, was how was I supposed to make everyone happy.  Especially if we are talking about thousands of dollars.  That is a lot of money!  At least it was for me.

I decided the only thing I could do was to fine the best men's watches I could find.  Taking all aspects into account.  That includes looks, and hope that some people out there agree with me.  But more than anything, I want to let people experience some brands and models that they otherwise would have never heard of before.

I hope that I have done that.  I hope that I will be able to continue to do that for all of you out there.

The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 2000 Dollars 




Meister Singer

Perigraph Single Arm
Model: AM1008
Case: 43mm, Stainless steel
Band: 19mm, Leather
Movement: Automatic, ETA-2824-2
Functions: HH, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/165ft

Best men's watches under 2000There is something about Meistersinger, that just makes me happy.  I am putting this watch on this list, for a second time, because it just makes me happy.  Blue face and all, I love this watch.  Seriously, it has one hand!  How can it be any cooler.

Anyway, this watch made the best men's watches for under 2000 dollars last time.  And it might make it again next time if they don't stop making this model.

I am not going to write a whole lot about it because you can go back to the previous article if you want more details about this watch.  All I am going to say now, is I think it is cool and it makes me happy to look at.

You can find this watch all over the place for like 1500 dollars, and I think it is a wonderful buy at that price.  This thing is one of my favorites.  I know I say that a lot, but I just can't help myself when I start looking at some of these watches.



Ball

Engineer Master II Aviator
Model: NM1080C-N5J-GY
Case: 46mm, Stainless steel
Band: Canvas strap
Movement: Automatic Ball RR1102
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Day
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 100M/330ft

Best men's watch under 2000Ball watch company is an American company that has been making watches for over 100 years now, and the company was started for very good reasons.

Webb C Ball started Ball watches because he was seeing way too many fatal rail road accidents that were related to time keeping.  If multiple engineers were sharing the same track, they had to know the exact time.  If they could all be on the same time, they would be able to know when each train would reach certain points, and at what time they had to stop and make room for other trains.

Webb C Ball came up with the RR standard, and he made watches to go along with that standard.  And this forced other American watchmakers to keep up with him.

Ball is still an American company, but they are now located in Switzerland.

Wow, I totally just rambled, but the Engineer Master II Aviator was on the original best men's watches under 2000 dollars, and I believe it is one of the best watches around.  I love the Ball name and what they mean to American history.



Smith & Bradley

Atlantis Pro
Model:
Case: 44mm, Stainless steel
Band: Stainless steel
Movement: ETA 2824-2
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 200M/660ft

Smith and Bradley has been on the best men's watches a few times now,  I love what these guys are doing. They are making some quality watches with a military look and feel.  They are doing it in a way that makes them recognizable to me as a Smith and Bradley.

The Atlantis Pro is no exception.  I am not the biggest fan of dive watches, but I love this one.  I think it has a great look.  It has a 44mm stainless steel case and a stainless steel bezel.  I like the look of the bezel, it has a different look from what I am used to in a dive watch.  The dial face is black with tick marks to signal the hours and a upside down triangle to mark the 12 o'clock position.  The watch has a liberal amount of C3 superluminova on the hour markers and the hands.  The band is stainless steel, and a tri-fold style of band.  The lens is sapphire, and it is extra thick for strength.

I love the Smith and Bradley lines of watches, and this one definitely deserves to be acknowledged, the watch can be had off the Smith and Bradley website for 1750 dollars, and I think it is a great buy at that price, you are getting an American made watch from a company that is working really hard to make really nice products.




Tag Heuer

Carrera Calibre 5
Model: WAR211C.FC6336
Case: 39mm, Stainless steel
Band: Alligator
Movement: Calibre 5
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 100M/330ft

Tag Heuer has not been on The Best Men's Watches Blog. I have no idea why, but they have never made an appearance here.  They are a old company that makes great watches, and they are exactly what I like to look at on this blog.  I originally had a hard time with Tag Heuer because they were not just Heuer anymore.

Originally Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer AG, the company was founded by Edouard Heuer in 1860.  Edouard Heuer was a very impressive watchmaker.  He had his first chronograph patented in 1882, and in 1887 had the oscillating pinion patented.  Something that is still used today in some mechanical chronographs.

Heuer was bought by Tag group in 1985.  And later, in 1999 had a majority purchase by LVMH.

Currently Tag Heuer makes watches and is still very involved in automotive racing.  They have several nice time pieces, and several nice movements that they utilize in their line up of watches.  Again, I am not sure why I have not given them more love.

The Carrera is a classic looking 39mm stainless steel cased watch, with the crown located at the 3 o'clock postion.  The bezel is thin and the lens is a sapphire.  There is a date window located at the 3 o'clock position and it uses tick marks for the hour symbols.  The dial face is black and it has an alligator leather band, with a buckle style clasp.

Generally speaking, this is exactly what I am looking for in a Sub-2000 dollar watch.  In fact, if you look you might even be able to find this watch for under 1500 dollars.  But I would expect to pay 1600 through most retailers.

I think it is a nice buy at that price, and would not hesitate to suggest it.



Baume & Mercier

Classima
Model: 10334
Case: 42mm, Stainless steel
Band: Stainless steel
Movement: Sellita SW200 Automatic
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/165ft

Baume and Mercier have been on the best men's watches blog quite a few times.  It really is no big surprise to me that they are making it onto one of my lists again.  They make nice watches at reasonable prices.

The Classima is no exception.  In fact, it is very possible that I have already written about this watch, but at this very moment, I am being lazy and would prefer not to go searching for the review.  We ill just go ahead and make a new review!

So, the classima is a automatic movement dress watch, made of stainless steel, and sporting a nicely sized, 42mm case.  The crown is located at the 3 o'clock position.  The crown is fairly low profile.  The bezel of the watch is smooth and thin, giving you a very large dial face.

The dial face is white, with Arabic numerals on a very outer ring, indicating the minutes, at 5 minute intervals.  There is a inner ring or Roman numerals to mark the hours.  The dial has a date window located at the 3 o'clock position and it has blue watch hands to give the watch a little pop.

The band is a 3 link, stainless steel band with a tri-fold clasp.  It is a nicely styled band, and I think it slows well with the rest of the watch.

On the Baume and Mercier site, this watch has a retail price of 2400 dollars.  But you can find this on other sites for a much better price.  More in the range of 1700 dollars.  And, at 1700 I think this watch is a really nice buy.



Wrap Up

For one reason or another, I had a really hard time with this list.  Finding 5 men's watches for under 2000 dollars was way harder than I had expected.  Even though I had done it before.... Repeatedly.  

But I did it, and I love the watches on this list.  My favorite being the Meister Singer, just for the uniqueness, I love the blue face and the single hand style.  The Ball watch is great, and I would hope to own one some day.

The Smith and Bradley, I think, is one tough looking watch.  It looks tank-like.  And both the Tag and the B&M watches are classy luxury watches at really good prices.  

I think you would be happy with any of these watches. 

Thank you

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

The 5 Best Men's Watches under 1000 in 2017

The best men's watches under 1000 in 2017 is another do again.  I originally wrote the 5 best men's watches under 1000 dollars about 2 years ago, and I figure it is about tome to revisit it, along with a lot of the 5 best posts.  Things change, even in the world of watches, and my knowledge of watches and opinion on watches has definitely changed over the last couple of years.

So far, I hope you have enjoyed this blog.  If you have any comments or suggestions, I welcome them in the comment section.  For one reason or another, this blog does not get a whole lot of commenting on it.  I am assuming there really isn't a whole lot of room for discussion.

So, let go ahead and get on with the best men's watches under $1000...



The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 1000 Dollars


Weiss

Standard Issue Field Watch
Model:
Case: 42 mm/Stainless steel
Band Width: 20 mm, Canvase
Movement: Weiss Caliber 1001 Mechanical
Features: HH, MM, SS
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 100M/330 ft

The Weiss Standard Issue Field Watch made the original 5 best men's watches for under 1000 dollars.  It is a wonderful American made watch.  It is one of the most American made watches around.  Weiss makes their own everything! movements and all.

I think that the fact that you can buy this phone for under 1000 dollars is really awesome.  If I didn't have a new favorite in this price point, this one would have continued to be my favorite watch for under 1000 dollars.

 As far as I am concerned, there is no way I would take a watch like that off a list like this.  I will not redo a review I have already written about the watch, so just go over to The 5 best Men's Watches for under 1000 dollars and ready what I wrote there if you want to know more.  But seriously this is a fantastic watch that I think would be extremely satisfying to own.




Autodromo

Stradale
Model:
Case: 40 mm, Stainless Steel
Band width: 18 mm, Leather
Movement: Miyota 9015 Automatic
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/165 ft

I have no idea why I have not found Autodromo before.  I love these watches.  They make some of the coolest looking watches I have seen in some time.

From what I know, Autodromo was started some time around 2009 in Brooklyn, New York.  They took their design ques from old Italian sports cars.  And they have been done extremely well.  I am super excited by this company.  They are even using automatic movements now.

The Stadale is a 40mm Stainless steel watch, it has a crown at the 3 o'clock position and a thin, smooth and rounded bezel.  It has a large face covered by a sapphire lens.  The face is black with white Arabic numerals, and a date window located at the 3 o'clock position.

The minute hand is read and the hour hand is gray, and as a whole, the dial looks a lot like a gauge on a sports car.  And with the red leather band, it really accentuates the overall look of the watch.

The movement is a Miyota automatic 9015.  It has a 42 hour power reserve, and has hacking seconds.  It is a nice movement that has been produced for quite a few years now.  I really can't say enough about this entire watch.  It can be had for about 875 on the Autodromo website, and I could not help myself but put it on this list.  It might be my favorite watch on this list.



Citizen

Promaster Navihawk
Model: CC9030-00E
Case: 47 mm, Stainless steel
Movement: Mechanical self winding movement
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Chronograph
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 200M/660 ft

Citizen has some watches that, well they are just insane with what they are capable of doing.  I have criticized them for being too busy sometimes.  But I am not feeling the same way I used to.  Citizens are busy, but I have learned to respect them and really appreciate what exactly you are buying when you get yourself a Citizen.

The Promaster Navihawk is no exception.  This watch is crazy.  It has a 47mm diameter stainless steel case, with a crown located at the 3 o'clock position. It also has function buttons at the 2, 4, 8 & 10 o'clock positions.  There are 3 sub dials for the chronograph.  It has a date window located at the 4:30 position.  It also has a leather band with a buckle style clasp.

The watch has more, it has Eco-Drive.  It has GPS time keeping.  It has time adjustment for 40 different time zones.  It has a power reserve indicator and it has an alarm.

It is a really cool looking watch, and it has a whole lot of functionality going on with it as well.  It is a watch that would serve you well if you were a traveler, and one you should never have to worry about.  The Eco-Drive will keep the watch running as long as it gets light.  Don't throw a Citizen in a drawer...  Ever.



Junghans

Max Bill Automatic
Model: 027/3500.00
Case: 40 mm, Stainless steel
Band: 20mm, Leather
Movement: ETA 2824-2 Automatic
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: Splash resistant

Junghans is actually a old time German watch maker.  They have been in business since the 1920's, and they have had some serious success over the years.  A lot of that credit has to be given to Max Bill. He created watches and clocks for Junghans for years and years, and he had a wonderful eye for the Dutch modern (Mid Century Modern) look.

The Max Bill Automatic is Junghans Homage to Their very best designer that they have ever had.  It has a 40mm stainless steel case,  with the crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has an extremely thin bezel and a large plexiglass lens.  It has an outer ring or Arabic numerals to mark the 5 minutes, and it has a set of inner Arabic numerals to mark the hours.  There is a date window located at the 3 o'clock position and the hands of the watch are thin, with a very elegant look to them.

The watch comes with a modified ETA automatic movement and if finished off with a black leather band, with a stainless steel buckle style clasp.

This watch is near the top of the budget.  It is available on the Junghans website for 965 dollars.  But, if you shop around a little, I believe you will be able to find it for around 700-800 dollars, which is a much more reasonable price.



Magrette

Leoncino
Model:
Case: 42 mm, Stainless steel
Band:
Movement: Myota 9015 self winding w/hacking second
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 200M/600 ft

I put a Magrette in this position last time.  In fact, I put a Leoncino in this spot before.  These are really cool, retro looking dive watches, and they have been doing these for quite a while now.

This Leoncino has a 42mm stainless steel case, with a crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has a retro shape to the case.  It has a tapered bezel.  The hours are marked with Arabic numerals at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions.  It uses tick marks on the remaining hours.

This watch took some design ques from the watches of the mid 60's.  And they did a good job with it.  The watch is really nice and it is one of the cheaper watches on the best men's watches for under 1000.  They sell this watch on their website for about 625 dollars, plus shipping.  I personally think it is a nice buy at that price.



Wrap Up

I loved putting the best men's watches under 1000 dollars together this time.  I think every single watch on this list may be my favorite now.  The Autodromo is really cool looking, the Weiss is a wonderful example of where the American watchmakers have gone in a fairly short time, The Junghans is a lovely retro watch made in Germany.  The Citizen is a big box full of bells and whistles, and the Magrette is another nice retro watch from a company that is making some nice time pieces.

Thank you for reading the best men's watches under...

Saturday, July 1, 2017

The 5 Best Men's Watches for under 500 Dollars in 2017

At one time, the idea of spending 500 dollars on a watch seemed a little bit ridiculous to me.  Now, while that is still a lot of money to spend on myself, I am less put off by the idea.  A watch is more than just a personal time piece.  It is a piece of jewelry, it is small machine on the wrist.  It is something that can be given to our children, or our children's children as heirlooms.  But it is so much more than just a watch.

In today's market, 500 dollars will not buy you what it could have bought you, say 25 or 30 years ago.  But it can still get you something to be proud of, and something people will notice, if they have any idea what they are looking at.

This is the second time I have written the 5 best men's watches for under 500 dollars, and I hope to bring you some interesting and new options with this post.

So, let us see what I was able to come up with for this installment of the best men's watches for under...

The 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 500 Dollars




Jack Mason

Nautical Automatic 42mm
Model: JM-N103-001
Case: 42 mm, Stainless steel
Band width: Leather
Movement: Mechanical Self winding
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery:N/A
Water resistance: 100 M/330 ft

Here is a new one to the best men's watches under blog!  Jack Mason watches, they are made here, in America.  In Texas actually.  Jack Mason is a small group of individuals that started designing and building watches only a few years ago.  They have come a long way in a short time, at least in my mind.  They have some well designed, and built watches.  They feel solid and have some weight to them.  I could be wrong, but I believe they use Miyota movements.

I found them some time in the past year, when I started looking at watches that are made here in
America.  It is not a requirement for me to buy American, but I think we, as Americans have gotten too far away from what we can do here ourselves, and have become too reliant on cheap, unreliable items.

The Jack Mason watches are fairly big though.  The Nautica Automatic measures 42mm, and the case is made of stainless steel.  The crown is located at the 3 o'clock position, and it has a thin bezel.  The dial face of the watch is white, and it has Arabic numerals located at the 3, 6, 9 & 12 o'clock positions. It utilizes tick marks to indicate the remaining hours, and a smaller block pattern to mark the minutes.  There is a small outer ring with Arabic numerals at the 5 minute marks to indicate minutes.

The band of the watch is leather, with a buckle style clasp to round out this package.

The watch is really nice looking, and it was able to achieve a nice, maritime feel to it.  I love that it is automatic instead of quartz, and it even squeezes under the 500 dollar mark.  Coming in at about 495 dollars.  You can by Jack Mason on their website, or it is also available at Nordstrom, and Saks Fith Avenue.

I like what this company is doing and hope to see more from them in the future.



Citizen

Blue Angels World Chronograph AT
Model: AT8020-03L
Case: 43 mm, Stainless steel
Band width: Leather
Movement: Eco-Drive H800 Atomic
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Chronograph
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 200m/666ft

Citizen is not new to the best men's watches blog.  In fact, I couldn't even tell you how many times I have written about a Citizen watch now.  But I can tell you that I have not talked about this one on this blog before.  It is the Blue Angels World Chronograph AT.  It is a seriously decked out watch.  And it is one that can be had for well under 500 dollars.  In fact I have seen it for as low as 300 dollars.  And Quite honestly, it may be a best buy on this list, as far as I am concerned.  And that is coming from a person who is generally not blown away with Citizen.  I think this watch is the real deal, and should be considered if you are looking for a watch for under 500 dollars.

This watch is loaded, it has a 43mm diam stainless steel case, with the crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has the chronograph function buttons located at the 2 & 4 o'clock positions.  It has a blue dial face and tick marks indicating the hours.  It has a date window located at the 3 o'clock position and it has 3 sub-dials for the chronograph function.  It also has a power indicator located below the date window.

The watch band is blue leather and has a buckle style clasp to finish this watch off. The movement is an Eco-drive Atomic.  Meaning it is a solar powered watch and it is a solar powered atomic watch.  It has 26 different time zones, and it would be a world traveler watch, no problem.

The blue is nice, and I am not really one to veer from the classics.  But this looks really good.  And all of this for under 500 dollars seems to me to be a bit of a steal.  I would own one, no doubt about that.



Hamilton

Khaki Officer Field Watch
Model: H69419363
Case: 38 mm, Stainless steel
Band width: 20 mm, Canvas
Movement: ETA 2804-2
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery:N/A
Water resistance:

I am pretty sure I have covered the Hamilton Field watches before here.  They are great looking watches.  Not really heavy on the bells and whistles, but they do the job and they look good doing it.

Hamilton started as an American company back in the late 1800's, in the 1970's it was purchased by the Omega/Tissot holdings company, and then in 1984, the merger between SSIH and ASUAG put Hamilton as a subsidiary of Swatch.

Today, they are still a subsidiary of Swatch, and can be told by the ETA movements.  They are still well made watches, and are still watches that have a history and have a value.

The Field watch is a 38mm stainless steel, hand wind, mechanical movement field watch.  That is pretty cool in my book.  It has a sapphire lens and a black dial face.  It has Arabic numerals marking the hours, and an inner ring of Arabic numerals marking the hours in a 24 hour style.  There is a date window located at the 3 o'clock position, as well as the crown for the watch.  The band is canvas and has a stainless steel buckle style clasp on it.

The watch is nicely made.  Even though it is no longer an American made watch, it still has a strong American look to it, and it is a watch I would not mind owning.  If you look, you can find this watch for under 300 dollars, and I think at that price point is is a wonderful buy.



Shinola

Runwell 41mm
Model: S0100019
Case: 41 mm, Stainless steel
Band width: Leather
Movement: Swiss Argonite 1069 Quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery:
Water resistance:

I have been waiting patiently to get Shinola on another one of my men's best lists.  I own a Runwell,
and I love my Runwell.  I would have no problem recommending a Shinola to anyone.  I am kinda stretching the line a little bit on this watch, but oh well.

If you go on the Shinola website, you will be paying more than 500 dollars for this watch.  In fact, they sell it for 550 dollars.  But, if you do some diligent searching, you will be able to find this watch for under 500 dollars.  Probably around 480 dollars to be more accurate.

The Runwell is one of the first designs by Shinola, it has a 41mm stainless steel case, with a round bezel and the crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has a sapphire lens, and a large white dial face, with large, black Arabic numerals marking the hours.  It has small ticks for the minutes, and a sub dial for the seconds.  The band of the watch is black leather, with white stitching, and it has a buckle style clasp.

Shinola got in trouble awhile back for putting the label "Made in Detroit" on their watch.  Personally, I had no issue with this.  The watches are assembled in detroit, with parts coming from all over the world.  Namely Switzerland and America.  Companies do things like this all the time, and nothing is said.  Built in Detroit works just fine though.



Tsovet

Black Quartz Chronograp 
Model: JPT-CC38
Case: 38 mm, Stainless steel
Band width: Leather
Movement: Miyota OS11
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Chronograph
Battery: N/A
Water Resistance:

Tsovet is another American company that falls into the same basic category as Jack Mason, and Shinola.  They are creating wonderful looking watches and using Japanese or Swiss movements.  Tsovet is located in California, and have been in business for several years now.  Their designs are really starting to solidify in my opinion.  And more so, this watch design is one of my favorites.  Not just from Tsovet, but all around.  It has a total McM look to it, totally retro, and I love this look.

The watch isn't huge, which I also like a lot.  It measures 38mm and is made of stainless steel.  It has a large diameter crown located at the 3 o'clock position and has the chronograph buttons located at the 2 & 4 o'clock positions.  The dial face is black with stamped white markings.  It uses Arabic numerals at the 2, 4, 8, & 10 o'clock positions, with long, narrow tick marks for the remaining hours.  It has a date window located at the 3 o'clock position, and it has sub dials located at the 12 & 6 o'clock positions.  The band of the watch is leather, and it has a buckle style clasp.

I like this watch a lot, and you should be able to find the watch for someplace between 350 and 400 dollars.  Well within the budget and a wonderful choice for the price.



Wrap up

I really enjoyed putting this list together.  These watches are great, and I would love to own them all at some point.  I hope that you find the best men's watches under blog useful, and would love to hear your comments and suggestions.  Thank you.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

The Best Men's Watches review of Treehut Watches

I am taking a different approach on this post for the best men's watches blog.  I have basically always done lists, but today I am going to do a personal review on a watch I received for father's day.  It is Treehut.co watch, and so far, I have really enjoyed the watch.

Treehut.co is a San Fransico based watch making company.  They are 20 people who work to make some truly unique watches.  The nature of wooden watches nearly guarentee that every single watch they make will be unique.

They start with the movements.  The movements are Japanese quartz.  (most likely it is a Miyota) but I have no actual confirmation on that.

So, it starts with quality movements, that are NOT made in China, and it moves out from there.  Before each watch case is made, the wood to be used is inspected for quality.  The watches are then cut, and hand assembled.  After which, they are polished and boxed for sale.

If I would have thought about it, I would have included this in my best men's watched for dad's birthday list, but, here we are, two weeks later, talking about it anyway.

The watch case is 1.7 inches in diameter, and is made from wood, of course, it has a steel crown located at the 3 o'clock position, and it has a smooth, raised bezel.  It has a smooth acrylic lens, and the dial face is wood as well.  The hours are marked with carved large ticks, and minutes are marked with smaller carved ticks.  The hands of the watch are black, with a green second hand.  The band is a brown distressed leather type, with a buckle style clasp.

My personal opinion of the watch is positive.  It is extremely light, it almost goes unnoticed while wearing it, it is large and easy to read.  the band is very comfortable, and, being quartz, it keeps perfect time.

The first day I wore, I received several complements about it from strangers.  It wears very easy, and feels like a good day to day watch.  The only concern I have is how well it will hold up to humidity and sweat, so I will probably not be wearing it outside to work in.  But as a office watch, I think it is a fine choice.

Overall, I am very happy with the watch.  I have found it for a variety of prices, but it seems to fall anywhere from 60 dollars on Amazon, to 80 dollars on the Treehut.co website.  At 60 or 80 dollars, it believe it to be a good buy.  I really like the watch and expect that I will wear it tomorrow again.

I have to thank my oldest daughter for the Father's day gift, it is really nice.

See, just like I have said, it is fine if anyone wants to purchase me watches, I would really appreciate it.

Treehut is making some nice products, and I have to say that they have a nice, and unique thing going on over there and I wish them the best of luck.

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!