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:

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!

Read More

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!

Read More

The Best Men's Watches for Under 50 Dollars in 2017

I have done a best under 50 list before, but it does feel like it is about time to refresh my lists, and since my very first list ever was The Best Men's Watches for under 50 Dollars, I figure that is a great place to start.

Previously, the best men's watches for under 50 dollars included a Momentum Torpedo, a Canadian based watch maker, who specializes in diving watches, it included a Vostok Komandirskie, a Russian watch maker who has been making the Komandirskie for a very long time.  It also had the Timex Weekender, Timex is not the company it used to be, but they still make decent budget watches that are readily available, and stylish looking.  It included a Casio G-shock, which, just about everyone has heard of the G-Shock watches, they are some of the most durable and multi functional watches around, and for the price they are hard to beat.  And it included a HMT pilot.  HMT was a Indian company, they made the Pilot watches for around 60 years, before recently going out of business.  I have to warn you, I am biased to the the HMT's, I own two and I love them as everyday knock around watches.  You can still find them on Ebay, although they are refurbished and usually have repainted faces, they are still decent watches.

So, I am here again to give you the best men's watches for 2017.  I hope you get some use out of these posts.  They take a bit of research, but are a lot of fun!

The 5 Best Men's Watches for under 50 Dollars

Invicta

Pro Diver

Model: 10917

Case: 44mm, Stainless Steel

Band: 22mm, Polyurethane

Movement: Japanese Quartz (Hattori PC23)

Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date

Water resistance: 100M/330ft

Invicta is, technically, a fairly old company.  They began as a Swiss company in 1837 by Raphael Picard, and stayed in the family until the 1970's.  The company was later purchased by an American investment group in 1991 and have been an American company since.  I generally don't spend a whole lot of time looking at Invicta watches, but I like this watch at this price point.  I think it is a decent value for what you are getting, and it looks pretty good too!

The Invicta Pro Diver shown here is a 44mm stainless steel dive watch with a stainless steel bezel.  The crown is located at the 3 o'clock position, the case has a built in crown guard.  It has a flame infusion crystal with a fish eye lens over the date window, located at the 3 o'clock position.  The hours are marked with white tick marks.  The bezel is a dive bezel, and has Arabic numerals in intervals of 10, and it has a polyurethane band.

I could not get a Momentum on this list this year, the price has increased substantially.  But I do believe this Pro Diver, by Invicta is a good alternative.  In a lot of ways they are very similar to the Momentum watches.

I currently do not own a Invicta.  I have so many other watches I feel the need to purchase before I get around to this brand, I will most likely never own one, but I like this one, and at about 45 dollars, I think it is a pretty good buy.

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 am cheating a little bit on this watch.  Amazon sells it for 55 dollars, and that is really the cheapest I can find it, but it is a really nice watch for around 50 dollars.  I expect this to be the next watch that I purchase, and maybe it would be a really nice Fathers Day gift (wink, wink)  I didn't include it on the first list of best under 50, mostly because I did not think it was a great idea to break my limit on my very first blog post.  But now, I am gonna get a little reckless maybe.

Seiko is a big dog in the watch world. They are one of Japan's premier watch makers and have been making watches for well over 100 years, and continue to make some of the best looking Japanese watches I have ever seen.  I lean toward Seiko more than Citizen or Orient watches, I think they are far the best bang for you buck.

The Seiko 5 is a automatic watch  It is housed in a 37mm stainless steel case, and this particular model comes with a black face and band, but other colors are available.  The movement is a Seiko automatic calibre 7S26.  It has 21 jewels and runs at 21,600 bph, and has a 40 hour power reserve.  

The watch has a black dial face with white Arabic numerals marking the 5 minute markers.  It has a triangle located at the 12 o'clock position, and a inner ring of Arabic numerals to mark the hours.  The watch has a day/date window located at the 3 o'clock position and a crown located at the 4 o'clock position.

The band for the watch is black nylon, giving it a very utilitarian look.

I said at the beginning of this description, this will be the next watch I own.  I have wanted one for years and will get around to finally owning one, I believe.

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.

The Timex Weekender Chrono made the list last time as well, only with a slight model change, otherwise this post is a copy from the previous best men's watches for under 50 dollars...

Timex Group USA is the current rendition of the long lived company, which began as the Waterbury Clock company, in 1854.  The Waterbury Clock Co. was located in Connecticut, USA.  The company was one of the largest producers for both U.S sales and Europe. 

Down on their luck, the Waterbury Clock Co had a very tough time, after the great depression, until a license agreement was reached with Walt Disney, resulting in the production of the Famous Mickey Mouse watch.

In 1943 the company was renamed, the United States Time Corp., and by 1950, with some very exciting innovations, the company released the first Timex brand watches, marketed as inexpensive, yet durable watches.  The Timex history is long and always in a state of flux, but they continue to make quality time pieces, and the Weekender series is a perfect example of what they are capable of.  Giving us a stylish, yet well priced men's watch for under 50 dollars.

This Timex Weekender is a Chronograph with a gun metal black 40mm round case. The crown is located at the 3 o’clock position and the two chronograph buttons are located at the 2 & 4 o’clock positions.  The dial face is black with white numerals and chronograph sub dials.  The hands are black.  It has a screw on stainless back and a 20mm black nylon band, with buckle clasp.

The watch features Indiglo Arabic numerals and Indiglo piping on the arms, along with chronograph, and a crystal mineral dial window.  It is water resistant up to 30M.  The case is stainless steel finished with a gun metal style.

The Movement for the Timex Weekender is quartz.  It’s all I can seem to find out about it.  That, and that it is probably manufactured in the Philippines.

The Timex Weekender is a good looking watch, with a list of nice features for a watch for under 50 dollars.  It looks great, and is produced by a well know company.

Casio

G-Shock Multi-Function

Model: DW9052-1BCG

Case: Hardside/ABS Plastic

Band: 

Movement: 

Functions: HH, MM, SS, Day, Date, Stopwatch, Alarm

Battery: Lithium metal battery

Water resistance: 200M/600 ft.

I am going to go ahead and keep this watch on this list as well.  The G-Shock is going to last you a long time, no matter how hard you are on your watches, I think it is an excellent buy at about 43 dollars.  I may have to own one at some time...

Casio has been around since 1946 in Japan.  But they did not get their start as a watch company.  Originally, they produced something called a yubiwa pipe, a ring that would hold a cigarette.  But this was just their beginnings.  Shortly after the success of the yubiwa pipe, they set to develop their own electric calculators, and by 1954 and was Japan’s first electro-mechanical calculator.

It was during the 1980’s when they became one of the first manufacturers of quartz watches, both digital and analog.  And by 1983 they released their first G-shock.

The G-Shock looks like most G-Shocks.  It is not to my personal liking, but I will not judge a book by its cover.  The watch has multiple digital displays and 4 buttons, set at the 2, 4 8 and 10 o’clock positions, it is made of black ABS, and the band is a black resin with a buckle clasp.  It looks like it could be run over and still keep working.  Toughness is an important feature for a watch that will cost less than 50 dollars.

The G-Shock has a ton of features on it.  It is shock resistant of course, it is water resistant up to 200M. It has a backlight with afterglow.  It has a daily alarm and a countdown timer that can be set for up to 24 hours.  It has an auto repeat function and a 1/100 second stopwatch.  It has an hourly time signal and a calendar that is pre-programed until the year 2039.  Like I said, a lot of available features.

The watch has a quartz movement, as to be expected from Casio, and despite my qualms with the looks of the G-shocks, and digital watches, in general.  I have to say, I am rather impressed that you get all this for less than 50 dollars.

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:

This is another that I am just copying from my previous post.  I love the HMT watches, and I will probably buy more when I get bored... 

HMT has been making watches in India since 1961 in a collaborative effort with the Citizen watch company.  Producing watches for the Indian military.  They had a scare in 2014, when they intended on closing their doors, but they received a flood of orders when the word got out, and instead, minimized production.  This is not to say it will be easy to get one of these.  It will take some searching, and it is possible to get a fake or frankenwatch, meaning one built from pieces.  You will need to do your research before purchasing.

The HMT Pilot is fairly small, the stainless steel case measures 35mm.  It has a screw on back that has the model and other information etched on it.  It has a black dial face with the numeral 12 only.  It has the tick marks for the other hour markings.  Its crown is located in the standar 3 o’clock position.  And it comes with a black leather band, with a buckle clasp.

Features-wise, well, you don’t really get any features.  This is a old fashioned timepiece.  You have your hour, minute and second hand.  I am not even convinced it has any luminous feature.  I have had a hard time verifying that.

The movement is a HMT 0231 hand wind mechanical.  17 jewels and a 38 hour power reserve.  It supposedly keeps adequate time, but it’s not a precision time piece.

The main purpose of owning this watch is that you are getting a watch that has been almost the same for over 50 years.  It is a piece of history and a conversation starter.  It is a nice looking watch in my mind as well.  And it’s usually found for under 40 dollars.  Sometimes, lately I have seen them for as much as 70.  I believe that is a supply and demand issue though.  This is a watch I intend on owning in the very near future.  I love it.  From the 5 best men's watches for under 50 dollars list, this is by far my favorite.

Wrap up

I hope you have enjoyed my first post on The Best Men's Watches for Under... blog.  I intend on writing a lot more posts over the next few  months to get this blog populated well with all kinds of men's watches.  I hope you find the blog helpful in your personal search for the perfect watch for you or a loved one.

Thank you for reading The Best Men's Watches for Under...  

Read More

The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watches for Under... Part 1

Mechanical, hand wind watches are as classic as you can get with any sort of time piece.  I am fascinated by not only just mechanical watches, but even more so with mechanical hand wound watches, so it was almost a forgone conclusion that I would be making the best men's mechanical hand wind watches for under list at some point in time.  They are like a step into the past, and I take some enjoyment out of winding up my watch every morning.  I don't know why, but it is an irresistible enjoyment, and one that I will do even if I am not wearing that particular watch on that particular day.

The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watches for Under...

The Best Men's Mechanical Hand 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:

I think this is a awesome watch.  The problem is finding it.  Chances are you will not be finding a new one, but being mechanical, as long as you can get an authentic one, you can pretty much be assured that if it has any issues, a good watch repairman should be able to fix it.

The HMT Pilot made my 5 Best Men's Watches for Under 50 dollars list, because it is seriously cool to me.  Made in India, super cheap (not as cheap as they were), and basically the same watch that they have been making for over 50 years.  That is really cool.

The Pilot sports a 35mm stainless steel case with the crown at the 3 o'clock position.  The dial face is usually black, I have seen many listed on Ebay with all different color faces, but I do believe these to be, at the bare minimum, newly faced watches.  They have the Hour, Minute and second hands, the hour and minute are polished stainless, with Indiglo inlaid and the second hand is red.  There is also indiglo in the hour markers,  The watch also comes with a leather band with a buckle clasp.

The HMT 0231 Mechanical movement is a 17 jewel movement with a 38 hour power reserve.  I have heard that it doesn't keep perfect time, but you will seldom get perfect time out of a mechanical timepiece.  It is just the nature of the beast.

You can often find these watches for well under the 50 dollar price range.  Sometimes you will see them creep up to around 70 dollars, but there was a time when you could pick these up for around 15 dollars all day long.  Awesome buy.

The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for Under 100 Dollars

Vostok

Komandirskie
Model: 861641
Case: 40mm Stainless steel
Band: Leather
Movement: Vostok mechanical, 2414A
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: yes

I think this is fun, I will give you some obscure company that most people will have never heard of and tell you that they make nice watches then send you on a wild goose chase to try and find them.  Vostok is a Russian watchmaker that has been making watches since the 1940's.  They make basic, but durable watches.  Most people who own Vostoks would be willing to drive over them with a car and would expect them to  still be running.

The Komandirskie has a 40mm stainless steel case with the crown located at the 3 o'clock positions, the case has a squarish look to it.  It has a black and blue face with Arabic numerals for both the hour and minute, alternating with even hours shown in Arabic and odd marked with a simple dash.  The hour and minute hands are polished stainless and the second hand is red.  It has a leather band with a standard buckle clasp.

The Watch is powered by the Vostok 2414A mechanical movement.  It has 17 jewels, and has a 36 hour power reserve.  Ir runs at 19,800 vph.

I love the uniqueness of this watch, similar to the HMT, it's not everyday that you will run into someone who owns one.  And on top of that they are good looking too.  The price on this watch varies, from about 55 dollar to about 80 dollars.  Kevin's russian time, Ebay, or chistopolcity.com are probably your best choice at the moment.

The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for Under 200 Dollars

Quite honestly, you can get Invictas, or Stuhrlings, or Ingersoll at this price range all day long.  With all of them your getting a decent looking watch with a decent running Chinese mechanical hand wound movement.  They are all basically the same, they will just all look a little different.  I wanted to find something unique for this price point but I just didn't happen.

So, I am not saying all the watches are junk at this price point.  I am saying, look at a Invicta, or maybe a Stuhrling or Ingersoll.  You should find decent watches, and Amazon is loaded with them.

The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for Under 500 Dollars

Hamilton

Khaki Field Watch Handwinding

Model: H69419363

Case: 30mm, Stainless steel

Band: Canvas

Movement: 2804-2

Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date

Water resistance: 50M/164ft

I like the Hamilton watches.  They have a very American look to them even though they are no longer american watches.

The Khaki Field Watch is a military style watch with a 38mm stainless steel case, and the crown at the 3 o'clock position.  A sapphire lens covers the dial.  The dial is black with Arabic numerals marking the hours in both the primary 12 hour format and the secondary 24 hour format.  The Date window is also at the 3 o'clock position.  The hour, minute and second hands are polished steel with indiglo imbued for easy night time reading.

The Hamilton Field watch uses a ETA 2804-2 movement.  This makes sense because Hamilton is owned by Swatch.  The ETA movements are generally quality movements, and the 2804-2 is no exception.  It runs at 28,800 vph, and has 17 jewels, it also has a 42 hour power reserve.

I am a fan of the Hamilton watches.  They may be my favorite mid range Swiss watches on the market right now.  If I could have found this watch for under 200 it would have easily won the 200 dollar position, but the cheapest I could find it for was about 265 dollars on Amazon.  Which is way under the 500 dollar limit for this price point.

The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watch for Under 1000 Dollars

Dievas

Vintage 3646
Specs:
Case: 47 mm, Stainless steeel
Band width:
Movement: Unitas Mechanical 6497 (Hand winding)
Functions: HH, MM
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 30M/100ft.

The Dievas was an easy pick.  It made my 5 best men's watches for under 1000 dollars list, and was the only hand wound model on that list.

This is a very minimalist watch.  It has a 47mm stainless steel case with the crown at the 3 o'clock position  The case has a sapphire lens on bothe the front and back of the watch.  The black dial has Arabic numerals at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions, and it has dash marks at the other hour positions.  Both the dial and hands have luminous material imbued in them.  And the leather band has a standard buckle clasp.

The Dievas Vintage 3646 is a German built watch, with a Swiss made Unitas 6497 movement.  The movement is also ETA.  It is a 17 jewel movement that runs at 18,000 bph.  It also should have about a 48 hour power reserve.

I dig this watch, it has a certain look to it that really hits the spot for me.  I have found it for right around 890 dollars.  It is a really really cool watch for that price.

Wrap Up

I am not really going to call this a wrap up, but a to be continued.  This is only part 1 of the best men's mechanical hand wind watches for under..., Click here to read part 2 of the best men's mechanical hand wind watches for under...

Thank you for reading the best men's watches under blog.  I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I do.

Read More