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!

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The Best Men's RGM Watches for Under...

RGM Watch Co was founded in 1992, in Pennsylvania, by Roland G Murphy.  He began his horological life in high school, where he worked half days for a clock company, in the cabinet shop, working with wood.

By the 1980's he had enrolled in Bowman Technical School in Lancaster, PA.  And in 1986, he furthered his training when he moved to Switzerland due to his acceptance in WOSTEP.  After finishing the program with WOSTEP, he was hired by SMH to work in product development for Hamilton Watch Co.  He advanced and remained with Hamilton until 1992.

Since then, he has been blazing a path in reigniting the American watchmaking industry.  He employs a lot of history in his watches, using design and function ques from both American history and Swiss history.

The Best Men's RGM Watches for Under...

The best men's RGM watch under 5000 dollars

Professional Pilot with Date/Titanium

Model: 151-PR-Titanium

Case: 38.5mm, Titanium

Band: Leather

Movement: RGM-ETA 2892-A2

Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date

Battery: N/A

Water resistance: 50M/165ft

I am loving the Professional Pilot.  And to get it in titanium for well under 5000 dollars seems to me to be an excellent buy. It is a classic looking pilot, with good color contrasts and large numbering for easy reading, and it just looks extremely cool.  The movement is good, and the watch seems to be well built, all around.

The titanium case measures 38.5mm, and it has a large, titanium crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  The bezel is smooth and beveled, and the dial is covered with a sapphire lens.  The back of the watch sports a sapphire lens as well, allowing you to see the inner workings of the watch.  The dial of the watch is black, with large white Arabic numerals marking out the hours.  In a smaller sized font, along the outer edges, is Arabic numerals, also in white, marking the minutes, in five minute intervals.  The hands of the watch are white Rhodium, and coated in a Super-LumiNova for low light visibility.  The band of the watch is leather and it has a buckle style clasp.

The Professional Pilot uses a modified ETA 2892-A2 automatic movement.  It is a 21 jewel movement that runs at 28,800 bph, and is finished with Rhodium.  It also has a 42 hour power reserve.  It is a popular movement in many Hamilton watches as well as Bell & Ross.

This watch starts on the RGM website for 3950 in titanium.  You can also get the case either polished, brushed, or a combination of the two finishes.  The watch is sharp and bold, and one I, like I have already said, enjoy immensely.

The best men's RGM watch for under 10,000 dollars

COE "Corps of Engineers"

Model: 801-COE
Case: 42mm, Stainless Steel
Band: Leather
Movement: RGM 801 Mechanical
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/165ft

The Corps of Engineers watch has a bit of a unique look to it.  The numbers are large, and yellow, and the dial itself is a glass enamel.  You can order this watch with a stainless steel link style band, but it does raise the price to over 10,000 dollars.  But, personally, I think it looks better with the distressed leather band.

The watch is fairly large, measuring 42mm in diameter.  The case is made of stainless steel and the watch has a prominent crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  The crown is also made of stainless steel.  The front and back of the watch is covered with a sapphire crystal lens, and the dial face is the fired glass enamel.

The dial is white, with Arabic numerals in yellow.  The Arabic numerals are outlined in black and there is a small seconds located at the 6 o'clock position.  The hands of the watch are blued steel, and the band is leather, with a buckle style clasp.

The movement is the coolest part, to me.  It uses the RGM mechanical, hand wound 801 movement.  I love this, maybe because it is an American made watch and movement, and I love seeing watchmaking coming back to America.  The 801 has 19 jewels, and runs at 18,000 bph.

This watch starts at 9,700 dollars on the RGM website.  I have to say, I like this watch a lot too.  And I also have to say, I am pretty much a fan of all the RGM watches.

The best men's RGM watch for Under 20,000 dollars

Pennsylvania Series

Model: PS-801-EE

Case: 43.3mm, Stainless steel

Band: Leather

Movement: RGM mechanical, 801

Functions: HH, MM, SS

Battery: N/A

Water resistance: 50M/165ft

This is the first Pennsylvania series I will be including on this list.  This watch has made the best men's watches blog, It was on the best men's American watches for under...Part 2.  It is a seriously nice looking watch.  Again, I think the RGM styling is great.

This Pennsylvania has a stainless steel case that measures 43.3mm in diameter.  This is a fairly large watch, which is nice, it just gives you more landscape to admire.

The crown is located at the 3 o'clock position, and the bezel is smooth.  The watch sports a sapphire lens on both the front and back, allowing you to see the inner workings of the watch, along with a partial skeleton dial, allowing you to see the movement from both the front and the back.  The dial ring is white with black Roman numerals.  The watch has a small seconds and the blued steel hands.  The leather band has a buckle style clasp.

The movement is the RGM mechanical 801.  I am not going to give the specs again, I will just say that I love the movement in this watch as much as I did in the COE watch.

The price of the watch on the RGM website starts at 11,900 dollars.  You can add some things to increase the price, as well as order it in gold.  But that really puts the price out of the 20,000 dollar price limit. :)

The best men's RGM watch for under 25,000 dollars

Pennsylvania Series

Model: PS-801-E Rose Gold

Case: 43.3mm, Gold

Band: Leather

Movement: American 801 hand wind

Functions: HH, MM, SS

Battery: N/A

Water resistance: 50M/167ft


This is the second Pennsylvania that has made this list, and this is also the second time this particular watch has made the lists here at the best men's watches blog.  It was also on the best men's mechanical watches under..Part3, and while I know I have kind of been gushing about RGM on this post, I have to do it again.  This actually is my very favorite RGM available.  Whether it is this one, in of the stainless steel version, I love the looks.  They are beautiful watches.

The watch, again, is a larger watch, measureing 43.3mm.  The case is made of 18K Rose gold, there is a crown, which is also rose god, located at the 3 o'clock position.  The bezel is smooth and rounded and the watch has sapphire lenses on bot the front and the back of the watch.

The face of the watch is white and uses black Roman numerals to mark out the hours.  There is a small seconds located at the 6 o'clock position and, again, the hands are blue steel.  The band of the watch is leather, and has a buckle style clasp.

The movement, again, is the RGM 801.  And again, I love it just the same.  This watch is a beauty, it has a bit of a retro look to it, and a highly classic look as well.  I can't say enough, now nice this one is.

The watch starts, in the rose gold, on the RGM website for 22,500 dollars.  It is a seriously high end timepiece, and one that I feel pulls it off with style.  Something I would definitely recommend if you are in the market for a 25k watch.

Wrap Up

I know I really gushed a lot on this post.  I really could not help it.  I love RGM nearly as much as I love Omega, and that is seriously saying something.  These watches that this company is producing appear to be the real deal, and I can not wait to see where this company goes in the future.  I have extremely high hope for them.

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The Best Men's American Watches for Under...Part 2

Part 1 of the best men's American watches for under was a smashing success.  I want to say thank you to all who came and read the post before I start with part 2.

So, Thank you very much!

American watchmaking was extremely popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  But the Swiss quickly adopted a lot of the American manufacturing techniques, and before long, were producing watches as good as American made watches.  And, on top of that, in the 1960's Japan created the first quartz movement, and all but kill what little remained of the American watchmaking industry.  After that, one by one, the American watchmakers either closed their doors, or were purchased by foreign investors, and moved over seas, or simply swallowed for the technology the company had.

It has not been until recently, I would say, something like the last 20 years, that we have seen a resurgence of American watchmakers.  And, although there are not a lot of companies yet, they are strong companies with great products and unique ideas as to what watches should be today.

In part one, I covered Smith and Bradley, Shinola, Vortic, and Weiss watches.  All great companies in my mind.  And all with a slightly different approach to watchmaking.  And today, for part 2, I will try to give you 4 new American watchmakers that I would suggest you all take a look at, if you are in the market for a high end watch, but would prefer to find something American made.

The Best Men's American Watches for Under...Part 2

The best men's American watch for under 5000 dollars

Kobold

Phantom Chronograph Night Stalker

Model: KD1605041
Case: 41mm, Stainless steel
Band: Canvas
Movement: ETA automatic 7750
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Day, Chronograph
Battery; N/A
Water resistance: 300M/990ft

Michael Kobold started making watches in his apartment in Pittsburgh in 1998, basically as a class project.  It is amazing what drive and love for what you do can accomplish.  Kobold is now on the wrists of NASA, and Seals, and CIA.  And even Jack Bauer from Fox's 24.  They are know for their durability, and near indestructible construction, and this little project has become a company, and one that is striving to be even more in the future.

The Phantom Chronograph Night Stalker is all of that, durable, beautiful, precision and utilitarian, all in one.  It it a lot of what I would hope to find from a company like this one.  Quality timepiece that is much more than just flash.

The Night Stalker has a 41mm stainless steel case, with a crown guard built in.  Its crown is located at the 3 o'clock position, and the auxiliary, chronograph buttons are located at the 2 & 4 o'clock positions.  The uni-directional bezel is stainless steel as well and marked in a 5 minute interval countdown.  And the dial is protected by a sapphire lens.  The dial face itself is black, with indexes marking the hours, and coated with a luminous material that has a blue glow to it.  The Day/Date window is located at the 3 o'clock position, and there are 3 sub dials, for the chronograph functions.  The hands of the watch are black and tipped in white and the luminous material.  The band of the watch is durable canvas, and has a buckle style clasp.

The movement is a Valjoux automatic movement, #7750.  It has been in production for over 40 years now, and is also know as the Tag Heuer Calibre 16.  It is a chronograph movement with day & date.  It has 25 jewels and runs at 28,800 bph, and has a 42 hour power reserve.  It is used is so many higher end watches, I cannot even begin to label them all.  It is a highly popular chronograph movement.  Because it is a really reliable and versatile movement.

The Phantom Chronograph Night Stalker can be had through the Kobold website for 4,150 dollars, and to me, may be one of the best buys of this list.  You will get one of the most versatile and durable watches around for that price, and it is great looking on top of all that.  I would highly recommend you take a look at what Kobold has to offer if you are in the market for a military style watch.

The best men's American watch for under 10,000 dollars

Devon

Tread 2 Murder

Model: Tread2Murder

Case: 44mm x 42mm, Stainless steel

Movement: Electro/Mechanical

Functions: HH, MM, SS, Chronograph

Battery:

Water resistance: 100M/330ft

I have not had Devon watches on the best men's watches under blog, before this.  Mostly, because they are so different than normal watch companies, I believe them to be a bit of a niche market.  But they fit the best men's American list quite well.  And at just a pinch under 10,000 dollars, I like the tread 2 in this price point.

Devon Watches are belt watches.  Meaning, instead of hands spinning around a dial, numbers are printed on a belt, and the belt spins around, showing the time.  All I can say about Devon watches, is, check them out.  You more than likely have never seen a watch like this before.  They combine electronic and mechanical parts to produce something completely unique and amazingly artistic.

The Tread 2 is a nice place to start with Devon Works.  I believe it is one of the less expensive models they offer, and it still gives you a true Devon experience.  The case of the watch measures about 44mm x 42mm, and is made of stainless steel that had been toned to black.  There is a crown located on the left hand side of the watch (about 2 o'clock position) that is also black.  The vertical band gives you your minutes and the horizontal band give you your hours.  There is also a way to show seconds and use the watch as a chronograph through the unique crown.  The band of the watch is rubber, and it has a buckle style clasp.

The watch sells for a a hair under 10,000 dollars, and might be one of the most unique watches available for under 10,000 dollars.  It will definitely get looks and plenty of questions.

The best men's American watch for under 20,000 dollars

RGM

Pennsylvania Series

Model: PS-801-EE

Case: 43.3mm, Stainless steel

Band: Leather

Movement: RGM mechanical, 801

Functions: HH, MM, SS

Battery: N/A

Water resistance: 50M/165ft

RGM has made the lists here before.  Actually, a Pennsylvania series watch made part 2 of the best men's mechanical hand wound watches for under list.  It was a little more high end than this one, sporting gold instead of stainless steel, but the same basic bones are present in both renditions of the watch.  I really love the look of the RGM watches, I had hoped to find a place for the Vintage series of watches, and will probably do a special piece on RGM just so I can cover it.  It's one of my favorite looking watches out there.

The Pennsylvania series we will be talking about today has a 43.3mm stainless steel case.  The stainless steel crown is located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has a smooth bezel, and sapphire lenses on both the front and back of the watch.  The face of the watch has a white outer ring, and is skeleton in the middle of the watch.  The hours are marked by Roman numerals, in black, and there is a small seconds dial at the 6 o'clock position.  The hands are blued steel with a keystone shape along the length of the hands, and the watch comes with a leather band, with a buckle style clasp.

The movement for the Pennsylvania series of watches is the RGM mechanical 801.  It has 19 jewels and runs at 18,000 bph.  It is similar to a previous American movement.  The old Keystone Watch Company's "Edward Howard" Line of watches.

The watch starts, price wise at 11,900 dollars and goes up from there.  It is a beautiful watch, and one I would highly recommend, if you are in the market for a watch at this price.  It has a very classic, and elegant look to it.  Much like most of the RGM line of watches.

The best men's American watch for under 25,000 dollars

Keaton Myrick

Custom

Case:

Band:

Movement: Keaton Myrick calibre 29.30

Functions:

Battery:

Water resistance:

Seriously, I can give you no definitive specs on his watches.  Each watch is made to order, more or less, and you actually have to get in on a waiting list to have one made.  The price generally starts around 21,000 dollars.  But you are getting basically a one of a kind watch.  I say more or less and basically, mostly because his watches do have a general look.  At the time of this post, I believe his case is a 42mm stainless steel case, but that might not be the case by the time you have a watch made.  I cannot be sure.

Keaton Myrick started his watch career with another American watch company MKII, he then he graduated from Litilz Technicum school, and went to work for Rolex for a time before coming back to the states to start his own business.  His watches are beautiful, hand made, and about as nice as they come.  

All I can say for sure is the Keaton Myrick movement is a hand wound, hand made movement, running at 18,000 bph, you can customize it to some extent, you would have to contact him to see your options.  

I apologize for the lack of information about the watch itself, but it is the nature of this beast.

Wrap Up

These watches are, for the most part, unique from many of the watches I have had on the best men's watches under blog.  We are talking custom watches, and belt driven watches and, well, you get the point.  These are some of the coolest watches I have ever talked about on this blog.  And they are all American made watches.  That really says something about what is happening in the American watchmaking industry.  I see a bright future, not only for these watchmakers, but all the American watchmakers.  They are doing it right.  They are saying, maybe we can't compete with Asian pricing, but we don't have to.

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

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The Best Men's Mechanical Hand Wind Watches for Under...Part 3

Hand wound watches are my favorite.  I love them and what they are and the function and form they exude.  I have such an affinity for them, I have already written part 1 and part 2 of the best men's mechanical hand wound watches, here on the best men's watches under.  And I am extremely excited about writing part 3.

We have covered a lot of brands in the first two parts.  We started with the HMT Pilot, and Vostok Komandirske, and finished with Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaut, and Panerai Radiomir 8 day.  All of these watches are great.  I own an HMT Pilot myself, and wear it regularly.  It is small, and unique in, its simplicity.

But this list is ultra high end today.  We are starting at 15,000 dollars and going up from there.  There may be some branding overlap, I am not sure yet, but I expect these models to be wonderful works or timekeeping.

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

The best men's mechanical hand wind watch for under 15,000

Omega

Speedmaster Moomwatch numbered edition

Model: 311.63.40.30.02.001

Case: 39.7mm, Sedna Gold

Band: Leather

Movement: Manual Wound, Omega 1961

Functions: HH, MM, SS, Chronograph

Battery: N/A

Water resistance: 50M/167ft

We all know by now that Omega is one of my favorite watchmakers in the world today.  I love their product, and their presence in pop culture.  They, in my mind, are all the things you want in a watch maker.  This Omega Speedmaster is no different.  The Speedmaster Moon watch made the best men's mechanical hand wind watches for under...Part 2, in the under 5000 dollar price point.  That watch is very similar to this one, this one is made of slightly more expensive materials though.

The Speedmaster has a 39.7mm case made of Sedna Gold.  It sports a crown at the 3 o'clock position and the chronograph, auxiliary buttons are located at the 2 & 4 o'clock positions. The back of the case has the original Omega Seahorse emblem, and the bezel it a ceramic, tachymeter style, in black.  The lens is sapphire, and covers the silver dial face.  The hours are marked with indexes and the minutes are also marked with smaller indexes on a black ring.  There are 3 sub dials, two are the chronograph timers, and the sub dial at the 6 o'clock position is a small seconds dial, the watch utilizes the central sweeping second for the chronograph functions.  The hands of the watch are gold and are imbued with Super-Luminova, along with the hour markers, for night time visibility.  The band of the watch is leather, with a buckle style clasp.

The movement is the hand wound, original 1861.  It has 48 hour power reserve.  It is an 18 jewel movement, and runs at 21,600 bph.  It is a famous movement, and has been in production since around 1968.  It is a fabulous movement.

The watch sells for around 12,000 dollars through most online retailers.  The price will vary, so you might want to shop around.  Personally, I would love to get my hands on this watch, but I do believe that to be in my distant future.

The best men's mechanical hand wind watch for under 20,000

Maurice Lacroix

Masterpiece Double Retrograde

Model: MP7218-PG101-130

Case: 46mm, Gold

Band: Leather

Movement: Hand Wound, ML 151

Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date

Battery: N/a

Water resistance: 50M/167ft

Maurice Lacroix was founded in 1975.  It was a created subsidiary of Desco von Schulthess or Zurich.  Desco has been a representative for luxury watches since 1946, and in 1961, they acquired a facility named Tiara, in Switzerland, and began producing private label watches for third parties.  But by 1975, they started marketing their watches under the brand Maurice Lacroix.  The brand became quickly popular, and by 1980 they ceased producing the third party watches in order to focus on their own brand.  In the 1990's, they released their Masterpiece line, which skyrocketed their popularity, and gave them a product that could compete with the heavy hitters, such as Rolex and Omega.

The Double Retrograde Manual wind is not still being manufactured as far as I can tell, but it is still being sold.  Maurice Lacroix seems to be moving to automatic movements now.  So, you can get a very similar watch in an automatic now as well.

The Double Retrograde is fairly big.  The case measures in at 46mm, and is made of 18 karat gold.  The crown, also gold, is located at the 3 o'clock position and it sports a fixed, smooth bezel, with sapphire crystal lenses on both the front and the back of the watch.  The face is an off white and sports 4 sub dials.  The hours are marked with gold indexes, and minutes are marked with black indexes, and the large hands, as well as two of the four smaller hands of the watch are gold.  The remaining two are black steel.  The date sub dial is located at the 6 o'clock position and a GMT dial is at the 12 o'clock position.  The other two dials represent a small seconds, and a power reserve gauge.  The band is leather and has a folding style deployment clasp.

The movement is a Maurice Lacroix manual wind, ML151.  It sports 52 jewels, and has a 44 hour power reserve.  It runs at 18,000 bph.  It is a true in house movement, and I have heard really positive things about it.

Generally you can find the Gold Double Retrograde Manual wind for around 17,500 dollars.  The reviews on the watch are fantastic, and I feel you are getting a true classic if you choose this watch.  It is definitely a very pretty watch, and the specs of the watch look great.

The best men's mechanical hand wind watch for under 25,000

RGM

Pennsylvania Series

Model: PS-801-E Rose Gold

Case: 43.3mm, Gold

Band: Leather

Movement: American 801 hand wind

Functions: HH, MM, SS

Battery: N/A

Water resistance: 50M/167ft

RGM was founded in the United states in 1992 by Roland G. Murphy.  He finally set up his company in Lancaster, PA. and has been producing absolutely beautiful time pieces ever since.  He is a Swiss trained, American watch maker, and he is doing things right.  Exactly what I would hope for from an American company.  Something we do not see very often anymore.  These watches are American made.

This Pennsylvania Series watch has a 43.3mm, rose gold case.  The crown is located at the 3 o'clock position.  The watch sports sapphire crystal lenses on both the front and back of the watch, allowing you to see the movement.  The dial face is a solid silver, engine turned face with Arabic numerals in black.  There is a small seconds dial located at the 6 o'clock position, and the hands are blued steel, with a keystone shape to them.  The keystone style is a throwback from the old Keystone watch company that was located in Pennsylvania.  The band is leather, with a buckle style clasp.

The movement is a RGM-801.  It is a hand wound movement with 19 jewels.  It runs at 18,000 bph.  It has a unique click to the winding mechanism, also a throw back from another previous American watchmaker, the Illinois Watch Company.

The Gold Pennsylvania Series price starts at 22,500 dollars on the RGM website, and goes up from there, depending on the options you might want to add to the watch.  They also have some watches that are much lower in cost.  I recommend you check out what they have to offer, if the Gold Pennsylvania is not quite to your liking.  And, also, I am having a premonition, that RGM will be making an appearance in my next part to the best men's American watches under series.

The best men's mechanical hand wind watch for under 35,000

Panerai

Radiomir

Model: PAM00395

Case: 45mm, Red Gold

Band: Leather

Movement: P.2000/10 Hand wound

Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, GMT

Battery: N/A

Water resistance: 50M/167ft

Panerai has been no stranger to the best men's watches under blog.  I have included their models several times in the past now.  The best men's hand wind watches under, part 1, had one, along with the best men's watches under 10,000 dollars.  They are a very reputable watchmaker, with a unique style, making them a very eye catching option for many people.

The Red Gold Radiomir is no exception to the rule for Panerai.  It is a unique, square bodied watch, it is large, being 45mm, and the case is made of red gold.  The crown is also red gold, and located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has sapphire lenses on bot the front and back of the watch, allowing you to see the movement.  The dial is brown, and utilizes a layered style of finishing, the hour markers are a combination of Arabic numerals and indexes, and are imbued with a luminous feature for night time vision.  There is a date window located at the 3 o'clock position, and a GMT sub dial at the 9 o'clock position, there is also a power reserve gauge located at the 6 o'clock position.  The hands of the watch are also the red gold, and the watch comes standard with a brown leather band, with a buckle style clasp.

The movement is a Panerai P.2000/10 hand wind version.  It is a 21 jewel movement, and runs at 28,800 bph, giving the seconds hand a super smooth motion.  The movement also has an 8 day power reserve.

Wrap Up

I must say, before I started the best men's watches under blog, I had no idea that I could find such enjoyment in watches.  I loved my watches and appreciated every single one of them, but I looked at it as some sort of nerdy habit, that others would not understand.  Maybe the readers of this blog can't understand it, but I feel like I might be helping out, just a little, for those of you out there looking to invest your hard earned money in a watch.  Sometimes the amount of money may be small, and other times it might be substantial.  This list, to me, represents a substantial amount of money.  But I can now see the value in the high end watches, something I could not really see when I started.  These watches here on the best men's mechanical hand wind watches are incredible.  They are not only watches, but works of art, and jewelry.  They have value that can span generations, if taken care of properly, and they show  people a little piece of who we are.

I thank you all for reading this blog, and I hope you come back soon.

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