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.

Showing posts with label Watch under 200. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Watch under 200. Show all posts

Sunday, June 18, 2017

The Best Men's Watches for Under 200 Dollars in 2017

I once thought that the idea of spending 200 dollars on a watch was utterly ridiculous.  And I, of course, assumed that 99.9% of the worlds' population would agree with me.  And then I started learning about watches, and I started learning about the history and all the intricacies and time involved with making some of these timepieces, and I realized that 200 really is not a lot for a good watch from a good, reputable company.  In fact, its chump change.

In my first list, the 5 best men's watches for under 200 dollars, I hit the usual suspects.  Seiko, Citizen, Orient, Timex, and Bulova.  And all these are good brands, and they all offer great choices at this price point.  But I think this time around I want to change it up just a little and see what we can find that may be unusual, or from companies that you may not heard of before, but deserve to be mentioned, but are just often overlooked because the staple brands do have so much to offer.



The Best Men's Watches for Under 200 Dollars



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 are cool looking watches, especially if you dig the military look.  This is a company that is putting together a nice library of watches.

The Springfield is what I would call their entry level watch, and I would personally love to get my hands on one.  It is a nice looking, very durable watch.

The Springfield I am particular to is the black PVD coated one, but it is also available in bare stainless.  both are nice looking, but the black on black on black is a tried and true color scheme.  The case is 44mm, it has a crown that is located at the 3 o'clock position, it has a smooth bezel and is also equipped with a sapphire lens.  The dial face of the watch is black and the hours are marked with Arabic numerals, in white with C3 superluminova for night time veiwing.  The hands are also black with a imbued line of C3 superluminova as well.  And on top of all that, it also has a date window located at the 3 o'clock position.  There are a few options for the bands, you can get the nylon band in either Black, Green or Tan, and there is also a Black Nato band available.

I like this watch a lot, I think it is a great watch to kick off with on this new Best Men's Watches for Under 200 dollar list.  And it just barely makes it, at $199.




AVI-8
Lancaster Bomber
Model: AV-4050-03
Case: 44 mm, Stainless Steel
Band Width: 22mm, Leather
Movement: Japanese Quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50 M/165 FT

AVI-8 is another up and comer, they are a British company, and I am really liking the looks of their product as well.  They have really made a good showing so far.  I can't seem to track down when the business started, but they are doing wonderful work.  And just so we are on the same page, when I say a new company, I mean some time within the last 10 years, would be my guess.  But at this point they have at least two online stores.  One for the UK and one for the US.  They have several other online distributors.  You can find them on Amazon.  They are in Nordtroms as well.

The Lancaster Bomber is an Pilot styled multi-sub dialed watch.  It has a 44mm stainless steel case, with the crown located at the 1:30 position.  The bezel is smooth and fairly thin, really accentuating the size of the dial.  The face of the watch is black and multi-layered.  It has Arabic numerals at the 3, 9 and 12 o'clock positions and tick marks denoting the remaining hours.  The band of the watch is 22mm leather, and it has a buckle style clasp.

I like the looks of the AVI-8 watches, this Lancaster Bomber is a good place to start with them if you are looking for a watch for under 200 dollars.  The Bomber is for sale on their website for 195 dollars.  It looks like a good buy to me.  Very similar in quality and materials as the Smith and Bradley.



Seiko
Prospex Solar
Model: SNE423
Case: 46 mm, Stainless Steel
Band Width: 22mm, Silocon
Movement: Japanese Quartz Solar Powered
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery:
Water resistance: 100 M/333 FT

I am not ashamed of myself!  I freely admit that every single time I make a watch list, I check out my friends over at Seiko. I cant help myself.  And almost every single time I find a nice little tidbit that I can't help but add to one of my lists.  I think this Solar Prospex is no exception to this.  I think this watch is pretty cool.

The watch is pretty big, especially for a Seiko.  The case is a 46mm stainless steel number, with a large crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  The bezel is black and rotates bidirectionally, and is in a compass styll.  The face of the watch is black and has large white index markers for the hours and smaller, grayish ones marking the minutes between the hours.  The hands of the watch are large and tipped with a luminous coating, and there is a date window located at the 3 o'clock position.  The band for the watch is 22mm and is made of silicon, it has a buckle style clasp.  It's not actually a dive watch, but has a lot of the looks you would expect from a dive watch, as well as being water resistant down to 100m.

I am really happy with the price of this watch.  You can find it for around 165 dollars at several online stores, it seems to me to be a really good buy at that price.





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

I am a bit of an Orient watch fan as well as a Seiko fan.  I guess I like the Japanese products.  The Orient Watch company is really what I like about their product the most.  They make their own in-house manual/automatic movements.  It isn't something done as often by companies that sell watches for under 200 dollars.  Seiko is one of the exceptions to this rule, but generally, a lot of companies outsource the movements of their watches, to ETA, or Miyota (owned by Citizen) or Ronda.

The Starfish is what I would call a common Orient style watch, it is classic looking watch.  42mm stinless steel case with a crown located at the 3 o'clock position, with a guard built into the case.  It also has a small button at the 2 o'clock position.  The bezel is smooth, with a brushed finish that matches the rest of the case.  The dial face is white with Arabic numerals at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions.  Tick marks are utilized to indicated the remaining hours.  There is also a day window located at the 9 o'clock position, and a date window located at the 3 o'clock position.

The band of the starfish is black leather and measures 22mm wide.  It has a buckle style, stainless steel band and has matching black stitching on the band.

I really like the Orient brand.  They are not Seiko for me though.  I believe they offer a lot of value for the watch you get, and I do believe you will not be dissapointed with a Orient watch.  And at 165 dollars, I think this watch looks like a steal to me.  (shh, Orient is actually owned by Seiko)



Triwa
Snow Lansen
Model: LAST122-CL010213
Case: 38mm, Stainless steel
Band Width: 20mm, Leather
Movement: Miyota 2035 Quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery:
Water resistance: 50 M/165 FT

Triwa is another new company.  They were established in 2007, by 4 friends.  They are located in Stockholm, Sweden.  They are not a huge company, but are already in about 1200 retailers.  And the watches they are producing fall nicely in the style I tend to prefer.

The Triwa Snow Lansen is a classic looking watch. It has a sort of mid century modern look to it, to me.  With the glossy stainless steel case, and a flat, tapered bezel, and a gold heavy knurled crown, the the watch definitely has the looks.  The dial face is white and there are Arabic numerals marking the 3, 6 & 9 o'clock hours. The remaining hours are marked with small dots.  There are also small black tick marks marking the minutes.  There are some gold accents with the watch hands and crown, and the band of the watch is brown leather, with a buckle style clasp.

This is a cool looking watch, and it is from a company that seems to take pride in its product. It can be purchased from the Triwa website for 199 USD.  You may also be able to find it other places as well.  I think if you are looking for something a little off the beaten path, I would take a look a the Triwa line up.



Wrap up

The best 5 men's watches for under 200 dollars in 2017 is a bit different than it was when I wrote the original Best Men's watches for under 200 dollars.  But that doesn't make either list better than the other.  Originally, I wanted to find quality watches from established companies for under 200 dollars.  This time, I wanted to show you some of the watches you may have never heard of under normal circumstanes.  I really enjoyed this list.  I love the look of the Smith and Bradley.  I hope to own one at some point.  And the Triwa is also something I find very good looking.  The Orient gives you a automatic.  I believe the AVI-8's offer a very unique look, and Seiko is Seiko, nuf said!

Thank you for reading The Best Men's Watches blog

Monday, May 2, 2016

The Best Men's Swiss Watches for Under...Part 1

Who can even say how many Swiss watchmakers there are? I truly have no clue, without doing some heavy research.  Which worries me.  This could be a rather taxing series indeed, to make a list of the best men's Swiss watches...

Whatever the case may be, I am taking it on, in this first part, we will be covering Swiss watches up to 500 dollars, and there will probably be a part 2 & 3 for this series.

So, I hope you enjoy these watches, I am excited to see what I will come up with.



The Best Men's Swiss Watches for Under...Part 1

The best men's Swiss watch for under 50 dollars

Invicta
Specialty Black
Model: 11199
Case: 48mm, Stainless steel
Band: Leather
Movement: Quartz #517
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Day
Battery: 
Water resistance: 100M/330ft

Best men's Swiss watch under 50Invicta is a company I tend to not give much love to on the best men's watches under blog.  Mostly because I consider Invicta viable options only under around 300 dollars.  This is not me talking poorly about the product, it is just the way things work out. On most of my lists, I found watches I preferred over the Invicta watches.  The only reason this watch didn't make the best men's watches under 50 dollars, was due to the HMT Pilot.

The Invicta Specialty Black sports a 48mm stainless steel case, that has been toned gold.  It has a gold toned crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has a flame fusion crystal lens, covering a black dial face.  It has white Arabic numerals indicating the minutes at every 5 minutes.  There is an inner ring of small Arabic numerals, marking the hours.  The hands are gold toned as well, with an illuminated material imbued into the hands.  There is a day/date window located at the 3 o'clock position as well.  The band is leather with a buckle style clasp.  The movement of the watch is a Swiss made quartz movement.  The model number is 517.

I can usually find the Specialty Black for right at the 50 dollar mark.  It is a nice looking, Swiss made watch that should offer a good shelf life.  I think it is a stylish option for a daily wear watch.



The best men's Swiss watch for under 100 dollars

Swatch
Silver Glam Analog
Model: SOUZ147
Case: 42.7mm, Plastic
Band: Silicone
Movement: ETA Quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS
Battery:
Water resistance: 30M/100ft

Best men's Swiss watch under 100I think this is a first for me, here at the best men's watches under.  I do not believe I have ever had a Swatch watch make one of my lists.  There are reasons.  I tend to shy away from plastic watches, especially for men.  We tend to be rough on our stuff, and plastic does break.  I am still not 100% on the choice, but options were limited for this price point.  It was either this or probably another Invicta.  I just could not do that.  As much as I am reviewing and giving general specification on the watches on this list, I am also trying to make people aware of companies, and options.

So, with that, Swatch has made the lists.  Swatch was founded in Switzerland in 1983.  They were started by ETA SA, in an attempt to recapture the entry level watch market.  They had some very good success with that, choosing plastics over the more expensive steels found in most watches.  They played a huge role in re-establishing Switzerland as the quintessential watch making country, and went on to create a huge group of companies within the Swatch name.  Companies like Omega are now owned by Swatch, along with countless others.

It makes up for the plastic :)

The Glam Analog is standard fare from the Swatch Watch Co, it is a 42.7mm plastic cased analog watch.  It has a crown located at the 3 o'clock position, and it has a acrylic lens.  The dial face of the watch is a steel outer ring with holes marking the hours.  The center of the dial is skeleton, allowing you to look in and see the inner workings of the watch, it has black hands.  The band is black silicone, and has a buckle style clasp, and the movement of the watch is a Swiss quartz, presumably an ETA.

The watch can be found through many online retailers for around 60 dollars, making it a cheap option if you are trying to find a watch for under 100 dollars.  It looks pretty cool, with a modern flare, and would be an easy watch to knock around in.



The best men's Swiss watch for under 200 dollars

Mido
Dorada
Model: M1130.3.13.1
Case: 34mm, Stainless steel
Band: Stainless steel
Movement: ETA Quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery:
Water resistance: 30M/100ft

Best men's Swiss watch under 200Mido is another new brand of watches to the best men's watches under blog.  It was founded in 1918 by George Schaeren, in Switzerland.  In the 1920's, Mido made a name for itself by releasing fashionable women's watches, and shortly after that, with watches that resembled automobile grills.  In 1945, Mido was the first company to produce a central read chronograph.  And in the 1970's they became well known for their water resistance.

Mido is a Swatch company, and are not extremely well known, but in the circles of watch geeks, we all know that, generally speaking, Mido watches offer great bang for your buck.  You are getting higher end watches at reasonable pricing.

The Mido Dorada is a 34mm, stainless steel watch, in a gold toned stainless.  It has a crown located at the 3 o'clock position, a sapphire lens covers the brown pearled face.  The hours are marked with gold toned indexes and the hands are gold toned as well.  There is a date window located at the 3 o'clock position, and the band is a small linked, gold toned stainless steel version, with a folding style clasp.  The movement is a ETA 956.112, a quartz movement that is considered a higher end quartz movement produced by ETA.

The Mido Dorada 34mm Gents watch can usually be found online for around 190 dollars.  In my opinion, it is a whole lot of watch for your dollar, and should be a company you look at if you are in the under 200 dollar price range, and are hoping to snag a honest to goodness Swiss timepiece.



The best men's Swiss watch for under 500 dollars

Victorinox
Alliance Mechanical
Model: 241668
Case: 40 mm, Stainless steel
Band width: Leather
Movement: Mechanical Self winding
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery:N/A
Water resistance: 100 M/330 ft

Best men's Swiss watch under 500The Victorinox Alliance Mechanical is not new to the lists here at the best men's watches under blog, it was on the best men's watches under 500 dollars list, Victorinox is an old company.  Not an old watchmaker though.  They make Swiss army knives.  In fact they are the company that makes the famous Swiss army knife.  And since the late 80's they have been making quality Swiss watches for reasonably prices.

The Alliance mechanical has a 40mm stainless steel case.  It has a crown located at the 3 o'clock position and a sapphire lens covering the black dial.  The dial sports Arabic numerals at the 3, 6 & 9 o'clock positions and uses index marks for the other hour markers, with a Victorinox shield at the 12 o'clock position.  There is a date window located at the 6 o'clock position.  The hands are polished steel, with a red second hand.  The band of the watch is leather with a buckle style clasp.

The watch can usually be had for around 400 dollars through the online retailers.  It is a great looking, and well built watch for the money.  If you are looking for a great Swiss watch for a reasonable price, you would be hard pressed to find a watch much better than what you can get from Victorinox




Wrap Up

The first part of the best men's Swiss watched for under, ended up being a much more difficult list than I could have expected.  The pickings for Swiss made watches for under 500 dollars are actually much more limited than I knew.  This was a learning list for me.  One that really taught me the hardships the Swiss watchmakers have actually been going through.  I have heard, in passing that the Swiss watchmakers had had a difficult time in the recent past, remaining the preeminent watch making country in the world, and I now see that a big problem is the lack of ability to be competitive.

I hope you have enjoyed part 1 of the best men's Swiss watches for under.  Part 2 will be coming soon.

Monday, April 11, 2016

The Best Men's Japanese Watches Under...Part 1

These national posts are not meant to be discriminatory in any way.  I think it is important, though to see what watches come from what country and what watches are the best from that said country.  Today, for the first edition of the country series I plant to run, we will be covering Japanese watch makers.  We have already covered most of these companies on the best men's watches under blog.  I don't believe it would be any secret if I said I am a fan of Japanese watches.  There are some really good companies making watches in Japan.

Seiko, Citizen, Orient and Casio are all Japanese, and for the most part, I believe we are all well aware of all of those companies.  They will more than likely all make an appearance on the best men's Japanese watches under list, and maybe we can find a surprise company, we will have to wait and see...


The Best Men's Japanese Watches Under...



The best men's Japanese watch under 50 dollars

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.


The G-Shock watch line has been around for quite a long time now, and, although I am not a big fan of digital watches, I had to look past it, when it came to the G-Shock watches.  They are tough and versatile, and offer so many features for the price, you have to consider them contenders.  This watch made an appearance on the 5 best men's watches for under 50 dollars, mostly because of all it has to offer its wearer.

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, and this one should deliver in that department.

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, which I believe to be the case for all Casio watches, and can usually be had for around 45 dollars, through the online retailers.  I cannot say enough, how much bang for the buck you will get with this watch.



The best men's Japanese watch for under 100 dollars

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

The Seiko Series 5 line is my guilty pleasure.  I love these watches.  Ever since I first saw one, and after really reading up on them I realized there was a lot to like.  This watch is an inexpensive watch, when speaking in terms of quality watches, at least.  It first made its appearance on my list of the 5 best men's watches for under 100 dollars.  It was also on the best men's Seiko watches under.  And, I will probably find a way to put it on another list.  This watch, in my personal opinion, is dollar for dollar, one of the best values on the market.

The Seiko 5 has a common, field watch look to it.  It has a 37mm, stainless steel case, with the crown located at the 4 o'clock position.  It has a Hardlex crystal on both the front and the back of the watch, allowing you to look in on the movement.  The face is black, with white Arabic numerals at the 5 minute marks for the outer ring, and Arabic numerals marking the hours for an inner ring.  The hands are polished steel, and there is a day/date window located at the 3 o'clock position.  The band is black nylon, with a buckle style clasp.

The movement for the watch is an automatic, Seiko 7S26A movement.  It has 21 jewels and runs at 21,600 BPH.  It has been in use for some time now.

This watch can be had for as little as 60 dollars through online retailers.  It is well below the 100 dollar price point for this part of the list, and is one of the major reasons it beat out both a Citizen and Orient watch for this position.  That, and of course, my fascination of the watch.



The best men's Japanese watch for under 200 dollars


Citizen
Eco-Drive
Model: BM7251-53L
Case: 41 mm, Stainless Steel
Band Width:
Movement: Eco-Drive E111
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 333 ft

Best men's watches under 200The Eco-Drive line of watches are very nice watches, and even though they are quartz movements, I give a whole lot of credit to the quality and versatility of these watches.  This watch, of course, has made an appearance on the best men's watches under blog before.  It made the 5 best men's watches under 200 dollars list, and was perhaps my favorite of that list.

This Eco-drive has a very classic look to it, it sports a 41mm stainless steel case, with the crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has a thin, smooth bezel and a sapphire crystal lens covering the dial face.  The dial face itself is a pearl blue color, with hour markers coming in the form of indexes.  There is also a smaller, outer ring that gives in Arabic numerals, the 10 minute marks.  It has a date window located at the 3 o'clock position and the hands of the watch are polished steel.  The band of the watch is a 5 link stainless steel type, with a folding style clasp.

The Eco-drive movement is a quartz style movement, it has a battery, but the face of the watch acts as a solar panel, charging the watch, meaning, virtually no routine maintenance for this watch.

The Eco-drive can usually be found for around 170 dollar through the online retailers, and, in my book, is a great watch, and one that can be wore as an everyday watch.  I believe you would not be disappointed with the Eco-drive line of watches.



The best men's Japanese watch for under 500 dollars

Orient

Explorer
Model: FDH00001W0
Case: 44.5 mm, Stainless steel
Band width: 22 mm, Leather
Movement: Automatic hacking 48K40
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Dual Time
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/165 ft

Best men's watches under 500The Orient Explorer is a whole lot of great watch.  In many ways, it resembles a small Breitling watch, to me at least.  It has a busy face, giving the wearer a whole lot of information.  It has a very contrasting color pattern, being all stainless steel, black and white.  And it is an automatic, which is made in house.

The watch has a 44.5mm, stainless steel case, with the crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has a second button for the internal bezel, and the outer bezel is smooth and polished steel, with a sapphire lens covering the watch face, and the back as well.  The face itself is black and white, with Arabic numerals marking every 5 minutes, It has a power gauge, and dual time zones, as well as a date dial.  The bezel is a slide rule calculator.  the hands are white, outlined in black and the sub dial hands are all black.  The band is leather with a buckle style clasp, with a push button release.

The movement is an Orient 48K40 automatic movement with hacking.  It has a 40 hour power reserve.  It is a 21 jewel movement and runs at 21,600 bph.

The Explorer can usually be found through the online retailers for around 485, so it will push you to the limits of your budget, but it is a wonderful watch.  Something that will get lots of looks, and a watch that offers some rather useful features.



The best men's Japanese watch for under 1000 dollars

PremierModel: SRX013
Case: 42mm, Stainless steel
Band: Stainless steel
Movement: Quartz Kinetic, Calibre 5D88
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Day/Date, 24 hour, Moon Phase
Battery: N/A 
Water resistance: 100M

Best men's Seiko watch under 1000The Seiko Premier is a high end Seiko watch with some unique features, it uses a Quartz Kinetic movement, making it more like an automatic watch, with the accuracy of a Quartz movement.  It is not an overly large watch, but, in general, that is a Japanese tendency.  Their watches are for the ages, where some of the designer watches will lose a lot of their appeal if the large faced watches go out of style.  This watch also made a previous list.  The best men's Seiko watches Under, and for many good reasons.

The Premier is a 42mm stainless steel watch with the crown located at the 3 o'clock position.  It has a minor crown guard.  It has a smooth bezel and a sapphire lens to protect the face of the watch.  The dial face itself is black with an outer ring of Roman numerals, marking the hours.  At the 12 o'clock position, there is a moon phase dial, there are two sub dials, located at the 3 & 6 o'clock positions, and there is a power gauge located at the 9 o'clock position.  The hands of the watch are polished steel, and the band is a linked stainless steel type, with a folding clasp.

The quartz movement is a Seiko Caliber 5D88.  It is powered by movement, much like an automatic watch.  Meaning you will not need to replace batteries, which is, of course, good for both the user of the watch and the environment.

The Seiko Premier can usually be had for around 750 dollars through the online retailers.  It is a unique and well built watch that has a lot to offer its wearer.  Something that can be treasured for a lifetime and beyond.



Wrap Up

When considering Japanese watchmakers, I look at what I would call the big three, most often.  That would be Seiko, Citizen, and Orient watches.  They make some of the best men's watches, pound for pound, in the world.  They, in a lot of ways can compete with their Swiss counter parts, and would be companies I would consider, in almost all circumstances, when searching for a new watch.  That is not to discount Casio.  Although, they are not one of my more favored watch makers, their G-Shock line of watches has proven for generations, that they are durable, and functional watches for almost any situation.  

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

Saturday, March 26, 2016

The Best Men's Dive Watches for Under...Part 1

We have covered a lot of different types of watches, here at the best men's watches under, but I realized I had not yet done a best men's dive watch list.  I was actually surprised of that.  So, here we are.  Today I am going to be covering the lower cost dive watches,  we can call this part 1.  Then, soon I will also write part 2, to cover the high end watches.


The Best Men's Dive Watches for Under... Part 1


The best men's dive watch for under 50 dollars

Vostok
Amphibia 1967
Model: 0900380
Case: 41mm Stainless Steel
Band: 22mm, Stainless steel
Movement: 2416B, Automatic
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 200M/660ft

This spot was supposed to be taken by the watch that appears on the 5 best men's watches under 50 dollars list, the Momentum, but that watch has been price creeping and is now selling for 100 dollars.  So, instead I will give the nod to Vostok.  You can never go wrong by strapping a tank to your wrist.

The Vostok Amphibia is a tough watch.  I have talked to people about their Vostoks, who have said they would be willing to throw it off a roof, or run it over, they are so confident that the watch would continue to work.  It is the first thing that grabbed my attention with Vostok.  

This Amphibia sports a 41mm Stainless steel case, with the crown at the 3 o'clock position.  The case has a pillow shape.  There is a functional dive bezel.  The watch face is black and uses indexes for the hour markers.  There is a date window at the 3 o'clock position, and the hands are polished steel.  The band of the watch is 3 link, stainless steel style with a folding clasp.  

The movement for the Amphibia is a 2416B, automatic.  It is a 31 jewel movement with a 33 hour power reserve.  It is a decent little movement, especially at the price point we are covering with this dive watch.

The watch can be found in a few places.  You can get it on amazon, but I personally would suggest you try a different location.  Maybe Chistopolcity.com would be my first suggestion.  There are several different versions of this watch that vary in iprice from about 50-65 dollars.




The best men's dive watch for under 100 dollars

Momentum
Torpedo
Model: 1M-DV74B7B
Case: 44.15 mm, Solid 316L Stainless Steel
Band: 22mm, Nato Nylon
Movement: Japanese Quartz analog
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: 371 silver oxide cell (3-5 year)
Water resistance: 200M/660ft

This is the watch that originally showed up on the 5 best men's watches for under 50 dollars, but there was a bit of a price creep, so, since I still consider Momentum watches a quality purchase, I decided that it was a good choice for the best men's dive watch for under 100 dollars.

The Torpedo has a 44.15mm stainless steel case, with a crown at the 4 o'clock position.  Putting the crown at the 4 o'clock position minimizes the dig that you can sometimes feel when the crown is located at the 3 o'clock position, especially with some of the bigger watches.  The bezel is a functional, bi-directional bezel.  The face is black with indexes marking the hours and minutes of the watch.  The watch has a date window located at the 3 o'clock position.  The hands are black with lumination on the ends.  It utilizes a Japanese quartz movement (Miyota). There is also lumination on the indexes.  The band is a Nato Nylon strap with a buckle style clasp.

This watch can usually be found for right around 100 dollars through online retailers.  It is a quality and tough little watch for under 100 dollars.



The best men's dive watch for under 200 dollars

Seiko
Series 5 Marine
Model: SRP489K1
Case: 44mm, Stainless steel
Band: Stainless steel
Movement: 4R36, Automatic
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Day
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 100M/330ft

The Seiko Series 5 line of watches are some of my favorite, lower priced watches.  They are well built and they have been in production for a very long time.  They have automatic movements, they have day and date windows, and overall, they are just great little watches.

The Series 5 Marine is no exception.  It has a 44mm stainless steel case, with a crown at the 3 o'clock position, that has a guard around it.  The stainless steel has been blacked out on this watch.  The bezel is a functional dive bezel.  The face of the watch is black with large, indexed hour markers.  all imbued with lumination.  The watch has a day/date window located at the 3 o'clock position.  The watch hands are over sized, and also imbued with lumination.  The band is stainless steel, with a folding style clasp.

The movement for the is a Seiko 4R36 automatic.  It is a 24 jewel movement with 41 hours of power reserve.  It runs at 21,600 bph.  These are nice movements for the price.  And Seiko has a great history with their movements.

The Seiko Marines I have been able to find, have been for around 165 dollars through online retailers. They are a great purchase, in my mind.  But I do have an affinity to the Series 5 watches.



The best men's dive watch for under 500 dollars

Orient
M-Force Delta
Model: SEL07002B0
Case: 49.1mm, Stainless steel
Band: Stainless steel
Movement: Orient Automatic 40N5A
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 200M/660ft

Orient watches, in my mind, are some of the finest Japanese watches around.  Of course, there is Seiko and Citizen, and I would put Orient in the same category as those two companies, as far as quality of product.  They are an old time company that has been making watches for a very long time.

The M-Force Delta watch is one of Orients' contribution to the Dive watch world.  It has a 49mm stainless steel case, with a crown at the 3 o'clock position.  It has a 120 click, fully functional, unidirectional dive bezel, in black stainless steel.  The lens is sapphire crystal, The dial face itself is also black with luminscent hour markers, in the indexed style.  The hands are easy to read and also imbued with luminance.  There is a date window at the 3 o'clock position and a power reserve meter located at the 12 o'clock position.  The band is stainless steel and has a folding style clasp.

The movement is a Orient 40NSA hacking, automatic movement.  It has a 40 hour power reserve.  It is a 21 jewel movement that runs at 21,600 bph, it has hacking second and hand wind option.  It is an in-house movement.  It is a great complement to the form and function of the watch.  It may be the most well rounded dive watch on this list.

The M-Force can usually be had for around 350 dollars on most online retail sites.  It is well below the 500 dollar price point, and gives you a great little (or, not so little) dive watch that should give you years of great operation.



The best men's dive watch for under 1000 dollars

Citizen
Eco-Drive ProMaster Aqualand Depthmeter
Model: BN2029-01E
Case: 53mm, Stainless steel
Band: Polyurethane
Movement: Eco-Drive J250
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Depth Meter
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 200M/660ft

Citizen watches, quite honestly, do not get enough love on the best men's watches under blog.  They make great watches with great technology, for great prices.  This ProMaster Aqualand Depth Meter, is a perfect example of some of the wonderful options you can get from Citizen watches.

The Watch, first off, is huge.  It is a 53mm stainless steel, cased watch with the crown at the 4 o'clock position.  It has two other buttons at the 8 o'clock position and the 10 o'clock position.  They are related to depth meter.  There is also a water pressure sensor at the 9 o'clock position.  Giving this watch one of the most busiest outer edges I have seen on a non chronograph watch.  The bezel is a fully functional dive bezel, and the lens is a anti-reflective mineral crystal.  The face of the watch is black, and the hours are marked with index marks.  There is a depth meter inner ring with arabic numerals.  There is a date window at the 3 o'clock position.  The hour hand is white, with luminous material imbued.  The minute hand is red with a luminous tip.  The second hand is red, and the dept meter hand is blue with luminous material imbued into it as well.  The band of the watch is polyurethane, with a buckle style clasp.

The movement it the Promaster is a Eco-Drive J250.  It is pretty impressive.  It utilizes the Eco-drive technology, meaning it is a solar powered watch.  It is a quartz movement, and it includes a depth meter.  It has date as well.

This watch can usually be had for around 750 dollars.  It is a whole lot of watch for the price.  It is not every day you find a sub-1000 dollar watch with a depth meter in it.  And although that most professional divers will have a dive computer to provide that information, it never hurts to have a second source of information.

Wrap Up

The best men's dive watches for under, part 1, took a seriously Japanese turn.  I can honestly say, I had no idea that I would have 3 Japanese watches the first part of my dive watches review.  That being said, they offer a nice watch, and ones that surprised me in their features and functions.

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

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

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

Citizen watches have been around for a long time.  They are what I would consider one of the premier Japanese watchmakers.  Between Citizen and Seiko and Orient, I think you are looking at the top three watch makers in Japan.

Citizen has been making watches since 1924.  They do not only produce watches.  They make industrial machinery, electronics, and jewelery.  After the purchase of the Bulova watch company, they became one of the largest watchmakers in the world.


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



The best Men's Citizen watch under 100 dollars


Eco-drive
Model: AU1040-08E
Case: 40 mm, Stainless steel
Band: 20mm, Black leather
Movement: Japanese Quartz (Eco-Drive J165)
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Day
Battery:
Water resistance: 10 M/33 ft.

The best men's watches under 100This watch has already been on the best men's watches under blog.  Making its first appearance on the 5 best men's watches under 100 dollars list.

The Citizen Eco-Drive is a classic looking watch.  It has a large, 40mm Stainless steel case with a screw down stainless steel back, and the crown at the 3 o'clock position.  The dial face is black and uses indexes as the hour markers.  It has a date window at the 3 o'clock position.  The hands are polished steel with imbued lumination for nighttime viewing.  It has a leather band with a buckle style clasp.

The Eco-drive is a solar powered quartz movement that utilizes a solar panel under the watch face in order to power the units.  They do have a battery to hold residual charge, but the Eco-Drive system is nearly battery replacement free, being it relies on solar energy to power the unit.

The AU1040-03A falls just under 100 dollars.  I have been able to find it for around 98 dollars to be exact.  It gives you an entry level Citizen watch at a reasonable price.  It is nice looking, and could be wore in many different situations.



The best men's Citizen watch under 200 dollars


Eco-Drive
Model: BM7251-53L
Case: 41 mm, Stainless Steel
Band Width:
Movement: Eco-Drive E111
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 333 ft

Best men's watches under 200This Eco-drive has already been covered on the best men's watches under blog.  It was on the 5 best men's watches for under 200 dollars.

The Eco-drive has a classic look with 41mm stainless steel case, the size is not too big.  It has a crown at the 3 o'clock position and has a sapphire lens covering the face.  The dial face of the watch is blue.  It utilizes indexes to mark the hours, with a set of double indexes marking the 12 o'clock position.  There is a date window at the 3 o'clock position.  The hands are polished steel, and have lumination imbued in them.  The band is stainless steel and constructed of a 5 link design, with a folding clasp.

It sports the Ecoo-drive movement.  The solar powered, quartz movement that has really been a success for Citizen.

The Eco-Drive is a lot of quality watch for under $200.  Under 170 dollars, actually.  Amazon sells it for around 170 dollars, which is about the cheapest I was able to find it, but there are a lot of sites it is available on though.

I don't think you will be disappointed with a Citizen watch.  They are continuously improving their line, and have been making quality time pieces for a very long time.



The best men's Citizen watch for under 500 dollars


Ecosphere
Model: CA4184-81E
Case: 48mm, Stainless steel
Band: Stainless steel
Movement: Japanese Quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Chronograph
Battery:
Water resistance: 100M/330ft

Best men's chronograph watches
This is another watch that has made a list here on the best men's watches under blog. It was originally on the best men's chronograph watches under... Part 1.

The Citizen Ecosphere chronograph is a big dark monster.  It is a 48mm black stainless steel cased watch with a big black crown at the 3 o'clock position.  it also has the chronograph function buttons at the 2 & 4 o'clock positions.  The dial face is black and the hours are marked by indexes, with a triangle marking the 12 o'clock position.  There are 3 sub dials located a the 3, 6 & 9 o'clock positions, and the date window located at the 4:30 position.  The hands are gray, and the band is polyurethane with a folding clasp.

The Chronograph functions are 1/5 second, a 30 minute and a 24 hour.  The watch is impressive.  I don't very often find a watch like this very visually appealing, but I do like the way they did this one.  I like it a lot, and being it can usually be found for under 350 dollars.  It appears to be a really solid buy for someone looking for a chronograph watch at a reasonable price.



The best men's Citizen watch for under 1000 dollars

Grand Touring Sport
Best men's Citizen watch
Model: NB1036-50E
Case: 44mm, Stainless steel
Band: Stainless steel/Rose gold
Movement: Citizen 9012 Automatic
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 300M/1000ft

The Grand Touring Sport is really nearing the penultimate for the Citizen watch line.  These watches are big and bold and offer a lot of the high end features expected for a watch that is nearing the 1000 dollar price point.

It has a large, pillow shaped 44mm stainless steel.  with the crown at the 3 o'clock position.  The crown has a large guard over it as well.  The watch also has a functional, bi directional dive bezel and sapphire lenses on both the front and the back of the watch.  The dial face is black and the hour markers are gold plated indexes.  There is a date window at the 3 o'clock position, and the hands are large and imbued with luminated material.  The band is a 5 link stainless steel type with a folding clasp.  The gold embellishing is gold plating.

The movement is a Citizen 9012 automatic type.  It is actually a Miyota 9000 series movement.  Miyota is owned by Citizen, so, it makes complete sense.  And it is a really nice movement.  It has 24 jewels, and runs at 28,800 bph.

This watch is going to cost pretty close to 1000 dollars.  Generally, I find it on the internet for around 925 dollars.  give or take.  It is a 300 meter, automatic diver made by Citizen.  That is a whole lot for under 1000 dollars.  I would consider this an excellent buy.



Wrap Up

The best men's watches under hopes you have enjoyed the best men's Citizen watches under.  Citizen watches are quality watches that have a long history and a strong following.  It would not surprise me if some of these watches might be considered collectible someday.  

There are more expensive Citizen watches.  I considered doing one more.  A Citizen watch for under 2000 dollars.  But quite honestly, they are all eco-spheres and they are almost all chronographs.  Not much different than the 500 dollar watch I have on the list.  So I left it be.  Thank you for reading.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

The Best Men's Fashion Watches for Under... Part 1

The time has come for me to look at fashion watches.  I guess any watch can technically be a fashion watch, but what I refer to is the companies that are concerned more with look than function.  That is not to say these watches will be garbage in a pretty jacket, but that, as a company, they will be geared towards looks.

Companies like Fossil, and Tag Hauer, Diesel, and Guess may make an appearance on this list.  But they are not the only possibilities, only the companies that come to mind when I first think about men's fashion watches.

I intend these to still be quality timepieces, and will plan to choose companies that have strong track records with quality control.  I would not expect to see start ups, that are slapping their logo on mass produced watches, but are in the business for long term success, not a quick buck


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


The Best Men's Fashion Watch for under 50 Dollars

Swatch
Computerion
Best men's fashion watches under
Swatch is one of the largest
watchmakers.
Model: SUON114
Case: 41mm Silicone
Band: Silicone
Movement: Quartz
Function: HH, MM, SS
Battery: 
Water resistance: 30M/160ft

The Swatch Group is a company I have not included on my lists yet.  Which strikes me as a huge surprise.  Considering we have seen quite a few watches owned by Swatch, and filled with Swatch parts.

The Swatch group was formed in 1983, when the two Swiss companies, ASUAG and SSIH merged.  Swatch also owns Omega and Longines watch companies, along with ETA and Blancpain.  This company is a giant in the Swiss watch industry.

The Computerion is a spin on the classic swatch watches. It is a silicone band and a 41mm plastic cased watch with the crown at the 3 o'clock position.  The watch is all teal, and the dial has silver and teal rings in a alternating pattern.  The hands are polished steel and the band has a buckle style clasp.

The swatch watch uses a ETA quarts movement, and should be a quality watch for under 50 dollars.  I have generally found the watch for around 48 dollars.  It is a funky watch for someone looking for a little funk on their wrist.



The Best Men's Fashion Watch for Under 100 Dollars

Fossil
Coachman Chronograph Leather
Model: CH2891P
Case: 44mm Stainless steel
Band: 22mm, Leather
Movement: Quartz chronograph
Function: HH, MM, SS, Date, Chronograph
Battery: 
Water resistance: 100M/330ft

Best men's fashion watches under
Fossil has been making
popular fashion watches
for many years.
Again, I am presenting you with another company I have not added to any of my lists yet.  And again, it was no slight to the Fossil Group.  I think they are a solid company that has made solid products for quite a few years now.

Fossil Group was founded, in America, in 1984, and began as a company that sold Chinese watches branded as Fossil.  By 2001 they had begun buying up watch companies, one being Zodiac, a swiss watchmaker, and several others.  

Fossil now has manufacturing facilities in China and Switzerland, and are one of the bigger watch makers in the world, specializing is fashion watches.

The Coachman chronograph leather is a chunky looking watch, with a wide backer band, large riveted brown leather band.  The case is 44mm stainless steel with the crown at the 3 o'clock position, and the chronograph function buttons at the 2 & 4 o'clock positions.  The bezel has Arabic numerals marking the minutes at ten minute increments, and the face is black, with gold markers.  The hands are also gold along with the rings around the chronograph sub dials, which are at the 3, 6 & 9 o'clock positions.  The watch also has a date window at the 4:30 position..

The Fossil Coachman Chronograph Leather is a pretty good looking watch and Fossil is a decent watch producer.  And for under 100 dollars, I think this watch is a good buy.  I have found the watch on Amazon for around 93 dollars, and with some looking you might be able to find it even cheaper.



The Best Men's Fashion Watch for Under 200 Dollars

Invicta
Russian Diver
Model: 1243
Case: 51.5mm Stainless steel
Band: 26mm Polyurethane
Movement: Mechanical hand wind
Functions: HH, MM
Battery: N/A
Water resistance: 50M/165ft

Best men's fashion watches under
Invicta is a very popular
fashion watchmaker.
Invicta is a company that I have always viewed as being fashion watches, and I am pretty sure they do not claim to be anything else.  Their watches are stylish, and they have been producing watches for quite some time now.

The Russian Diver watch is no exception.  It is a full skeleton faced watch, it is huge, at 51.5m.  The case is gold plated, stainless steel.  It has a over sized crown at the 3 o'clock position.  The hands are black with a luminescence material imbued in a stripe down the center of each hands.  The band is polyurethane, with gold plated stainless steel features on it.  It has a buckle style clasp.

The Movement is a mechanical, 17 jewel, and wind movement. The watch is pretty cool looking, and it is huge.  It is a watch that nobody will be able to miss.

I have found the watch for around 195 dollars, putting it right at the top of the 200 dollar price limit.  But if you want something that everyone will notice, this watch will not disappoint you.



The Best Men's Fashion Watch for Under 500 Dollars

Diesel
Best men's fashion watches under
Diesel makes unique watches
that offer tons of wow factor.
Daddy Series
Model: DZ7258
Case: 51mm, Stainless steel
Band: Leather
Movement: Quartz
Functions: HH, MM, SS, Date, Chronograph
Water resistance: 20M/66ft

Diesel is an Italian retail clothing and fashion company that has been in business since 1978.  They started selling watches in the early 2000's, in a partnership with Fossil.  Their watches tend to be large, and very bold.  And the Daddy's series watches are definitely watches that fall into that category.

The Daddy is a chronograph with a huge 51mm stainless steel case.  It has a crown at the 3 o'clock position and a second crown at the 9 o'clock position.  It also has the chronograph function buttons at the 2 & 4 o'clock positions.  The face is gunmetal and had a primary dial, 3 chronograph sub dials, and a secondary time dial at the 9 o'clock position.  The band is brown leather, and has a buckle clasp.

The Diesel is unique, that is to say the least.  People will notice this watch and wonder how you can tell the time on something like this.  It will draw an eye and it is very stylish.  It is my impression that the watch is probably built completely by Fossil and branded as a Diesel, which is a common practice with fashion companies, and it should be a quality product.

I can usually find the Daddy for around 300 dollars.  It seems to be an awful lot of watch for around 300 dollars.  It is even a chronograph.  If you are looking for a seriously unique and bold looking watch, this is a good choice.



Wrap Up


Fashion watches are not something I have given much thought about.  It is a hard thing for me to write about.  I prefer to look at the guts of a watch and find products that should be well made, not watches that look good first and consider quality as secondary, mostly because I don't really think my tastes are anything special.  I have tried, and I will continue this in The Best Men's Fashion Watches for Under... Part 2, where we will cover watches that are 1000 dollars and up.

The best men's watches under blog attempts to provide the best men's watches for any given prices, and that even applies to watches that gear towards almost strictly to appearance.  These are good companies though, and the product should reflect that.