Affordable Watches

[Steel Shank 9421]

Overstock.com is waaaay overpriced. Discovered this by accident:

 

 

Overstock.com has this watch for $318 

https://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/Citizen-Mens-BN0211-09X-Eco-Drive-Promaster-Tough-Watch/22286435/product.html?refccid=NW7CF7UK24PY23CATFT22ABNQM&searchidx=6&kwds=&rfmt=

 

Amazon has it for $228 

https://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Eco-Drive-Promaster-Military-BN0211-09X/dp/B07GCRZK4Q/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Citizen+Men's+BN0211-09X+Eco-Drive+Promaster+Tough+Watch&qid=1572713413&s=apparel&sr=1-2

[krevo 142]

Just heard that Seiko is officially discontinuing the SKX line of watches as of early this year.  The plan on replacing them with a rebranded Seiko 5 line with 27 different model/colorways.  That's a bummer.   I've only got one but I'll probably pickup another midsize 013 before they start going up in price online.

[TwiceHorn 31429]

On 11/2/2019 at 11:54 AM, Steel Shank said:

Overstock.com is waaaay overpriced. Discovered this by accident:

 

 

Overstock.com has this watch for $318 

https://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/Citizen-Mens-BN0211-09X-Eco-Drive-Promaster-Tough-Watch/22286435/product.html?refccid=NW7CF7UK24PY23CATFT22ABNQM&searchidx=6&kwds=&rfmt=

 

Amazon has it for $228 

https://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Eco-Drive-Promaster-Military-BN0211-09X/dp/B07GCRZK4Q/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Citizen+Men's+BN0211-09X+Eco-Drive+Promaster+Tough+Watch&qid=1572713413&s=apparel&sr=1-2

Just for the record, it varies some.  Occasionally you find a steal/deal at overstock, it's worth checking.  Most of the time, though, Amazon has the best price on most everything.

[Superhero 8824]

I'm thirsting for another dive watch. I have a modified SKX007 with flieger dial/hands and SS bezel; and a SSC017. Those are my weekend watches, especially the solar one which has become my kids' pool toy.

I wear either a Speedy or Archimede Klassic as my weekday watch. But the Archimede really isn't doing it for me. A nice(r) dive watch would fit the bill just fine. What are your thoughts on these 2 Seikos?

Left is the SBDC06x - aka MM200 or Baby Marine Master. It comes with round hour markers and flat sapphire crystal. The case is also more rounded. I like the skinny bezel ring A LOT. $820 for black, $690 for blue.
https://www.gnomonwatches.com/products/prospex-200m-automatic-black-baby-mm-ref-sbdc061?_pos=2&_sid=e903f4936&_ss=r
https://www.gnomonwatches.com/products/prospex-200m-automatic-blue-baby-mm-ref-sbdc063?_pos=1&_sid=679fd75da&_ss=r

Right is the SBDC05x - modern reinterpretation of the 62MAS dive watch. Trapezoidal hour makers and domed sapphire crystal. The case is more angular and pointy. But DOMED CRYSTAL. $770 for black, $670 for blue
https://www.gnomonwatches.com/products/prospex-200m-automatic-black-ref-sbdc051?_pos=1&_sid=163b6db55&_ss=r
https://www.gnomonwatches.com/products/prospex-200m-automatic-blue-ref-sbdc053?_pos=1&_sid=a1d9f4a6a&_ss=r

And yes, I hate the hands on these watches. Anything in the $750 - $1,000 range that you would get instead?

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Take a look at Spinnaker and Panzerra brands. I've purchased 3 in the last few months.  2 dive watches, and  pilot watch form Panzerra.  Both of the Spinnakers are dive watches, one a titanium model, and the other another hefty stainless steel model.  Fit, and finish are both nice, and they Have Miyota (I believe the supply Seiko automatic movements) and at less than $400 I think they're a real bargain.

I made the decision in '08 to step back on the big brand watches, and focus on smaller co's.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Onboard 2.0

[Poolflood 845]

https://www.obrismorgan.com/seastar70s.asp

If I needed another dive watch I'd probably get one of these.   Miyota movement at 28,800 bph and sapphire crystal. Pretty good for under 400

Edited July 1, 2020 by Poolflood

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Christopher Ward C60 Sapphire.

 

https://www.christopherward.com/int/dive/C60-Sapphire/C60-40ADA3-S00B0-B0.html

 

 

 

 

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Picture

[Superhero 8824]

Some really nice looking pieces on the Spinnaker site. A lot of homage pieces, especially the Panerai ones. Doesn't really say what kind of movement they are using.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Just now, Superhero said:

Some really nice looking pieces on the Spinnaker site. A lot of homage pieces, especially the Panerai ones. Doesn't really say what kind of movement they are using.

Miyota movements I believe.

[TwiceHorn 31429]

3 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Take a look at Spinnaker and Panzerra brands. I've purchased 3 in the last few months.  2 dive watches, and  pilot watch form Panzerra.  Both of the Spinnakers are dive watches, one a titanium model, and the other another hefty stainless steel model.  Fit, and finish are both nice, and they Have Miyota (I believe the supply Seiko automatic movements) and at less than $400 I think they're a real bargain.

I made the decision in '08 to step back on the big brand watches, and focus on smaller co's.

Miyota is Citizen.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Just now, TwiceHorn said:

Miyota is Citizen.

Ahh thanks must be mistaken about the Miyota brand.  The site calls out a Japanese  NH 35 A (made by Seiko) for my Dumas model.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

13 minutes ago, Superhero said:

Some really nice looking pieces on the Spinnaker site. A lot of homage pieces, especially the Panerai ones. Doesn't really say what kind of movement they are using.

Go to the specification box on each model, that calls out the specific movements in each watch.

[TwiceHorn 31429]

7 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Ahh thanks must be mistaken about the Miyota brand.  The site calls out a Japanese  NH 35 A (made by Seiko) for my Dumas model.

I think Citizen and Seiko are roughly equivalent at the lower to mid-range.

Seiko Instruments (SII), a Seiko company but separate from the watchmaker, also makes movements that are used in Seiko watches, and sells to third parties, which Seiko does not.  Some of the SII movements are similar or identical to Seiko calibers, but branded differently.  I believe the NH 35 is an SII movement.

Edited July 1, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[Llano Estacado 1257]

Take a look at Spinnaker

What’s the band on that second one?

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

10 hours ago, Llano Estacado said:

 

What’s the band on that second one?

 

A stainless steel mesh band. I usually prefer rubber, but bought this one as something different. I like the bands quality and its looks, but the keeper doesn't hold the end of the strap very well. I'm going to modify the keeper by dipping it in a liquid rubber to make it a better friction fit.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Onboard 2.0

[Prepuce of Doom 21052]

Is that Bibendum smoking a cigar? 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

Is that Bibendum smoking a cigar? 

I believe so. It's the cover of a poster auction catalogue from a few months ago.

[Prepuce of Doom 21052]

Good for him. 

[DallasHorn26 586]

Anyone tried one of the subscription services like watchgang? I have nothing right now, but used to enjoy wearing one when I was younger. Thinking about doing a quarterly sub just to build a small collection.

[DallasHorn26 586]

Decided to give this a try as a starting point with a quarterly sub. I got a bonus wheel spin for an extra $20 to get started. The wheel spin basically allows you to load it with select watches and you get the one you land on. The Elevon was the bonus watch from what I see it retails for $120, the JA Mcabe was my random sub watch that came today. Can't find an exact retail but I found a site that says 650gbp. I highly doubt that much. Either way I'm happy with what I got for $120. may keep this for a couple of quarters just to jump start my collection.

[Superhero 8824]

Ordered this puppy from Gnomon over the weekend. Seiko SBDC051 "re-imagined" 62MAS diver. Dimensionally slightly bigger than my Speedmaster (42.6mm vs 42mm case; 50mm vs 49mm lug; and a hair thinner).

I"m stoked about the domed crystal. Domed > flat crystal any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Still waiting for Gnomon to send the tracking number. Hopefully it'll get here before the weekend.

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

Can some one help me with my SKX007?
It keeps losing movement or just stops through out the day and night. 
I thought it was because I wasn't wearing enough, so I stared wearing it as my daily during the Rona work from home, but no change.

[Superhero 8824]

Probably need to replace your mainspring. The 7S26 movement is pretty cheap, and I'm not sure it's really worth fixing. But if it has a special place in your heart, then spend the money.

I bought my SKX modded by Yobokies and love the hell out of it - SPORK like dial, black chapter ring, domed sapphire crystal, and stainless bezel. It's unique to me, and I sure as hell would spend the money to fix it up and give it to my son when he's old enough to appreciate it.

 

[TwiceHorn 31429]

On 7/28/2020 at 9:46 PM, Superhero said:

Probably need to replace your mainspring. The 7S26 movement is pretty cheap, and I'm not sure it's really worth fixing. But if it has a special place in your heart, then spend the money.

I bought my SKX modded by Yobokies and love the hell out of it - SPORK like dial, black chapter ring, domed sapphire crystal, and stainless bezel. It's unique to me, and I sure as hell would spend the money to fix it up and give it to my son when he's old enough to appreciate it.

 

I think the typical repair solution is to drop a new movement in it.

One thing I notice about mine is that I absolutely must "hand wind" it by excessive shaking.  And sleeping in it (or worse, taking it off at night) is probably going to require some "hand winding" as well unless you get pretty active during the day.

[Bevo&Pevo 5120]

Got these two this week.  Spent 125 on the Spinnaker and 150 on the Seiko.  Will be changing the band on the Spinnaker pretty darn quick.  That band won't look worth a shit after about a week of Texas weather and my sweat.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

I've become a fan of the Spinnaker brand. I have 2 now, and think they're a good value for the dollar.

[BabaYaga 15286]

Not sure this is the best thread, but thoughts on sports watches?  Not G-Shock mudder types, but more the GPS/trekking variety? 

Specifically comparing the Garmin Instinct and Suunto Traverse for mountain hunting on public land?  Will use the GPS function, but more along side manual land-nav skills and map reading, so only need to anchor location if lost.  I know how to read a compass, topo map, and grid system, but like a backup in case I brain fart my way down the wrong side of a mountain.

More use will be sports related, but ruggedness is critical as well as ease of operation and intuitive layout.

Edited September 18, 2020 by BabaYaga

[52-80 19140]

Suunto sucks.  They're supposed to be accurate but I found it less accurate than Casios.  It's made of soft plastic and case is fragile (to scratches), screen is exposed and fragile, display quality and visibility sucks.  Just didn't like them one I had.

 

Also had Casio Pathfinder.  The ABC functionally seemed more reliable.  Controls and everything else seems more thought out and better engineered than Suunto.

 

It mightve had better function in terms of altitude tracking and so on, but just for a watch that has those ABC measurements, I prefer a GShock.

[Parliament 14224]

I have a Garmin Instinct. It replaced my Fitbit. I went with it because it goes like a week on a charge. That tradeoff comes from the lack of a touchscreen, but I'm cool with that. Watch is a bit plasticy and cheap looking, but I'm not willing to pay big $$$ for a fitness watch just yet.

[Bevo&Pevo 5120]

Probably not a good idea for the wallet, but since its raining outside I'm gonna spend some the day looking at some wrist candy.

[Lenny Hornridge 47]

Nobody's mentioned Long Island Watches yet.  It sells a lot of low to mid priced watches, up to the level of brands like Laco or Squale.  I bought one of his in-house watches early in the year, and have been pretty impressed with it.  It's based off the basic architecture of the discontinued Seiko SKX watches, but with all the upgrades that Seiko never made: upgraded Seiko movement that hand winds and hacks (I'm running about 5 seconds slow/day), sapphire crystal, lumed ceramic bezel, quality solid link bracelet (I have a NATO on it at the moment) with screwed links. He has a pretty huge variety in 43 or 38mm.  Price (299) is cheap enough, that it makes a good beater for those with luxury watches, but the quality is good enough to be an only watch for someone who wants a solid dive style watch at a low price.

[NWBuck 8551]

11 hours ago, Lenny Hornridge said:

Nobody's mentioned Long Island Watches yet.  It sells a lot of low to mid priced watches, up to the level of brands like Laco or Squale.  I bought one of his in-house watches early in the year, and have been pretty impressed with it.  It's based off the basic architecture of the discontinued Seiko SKX watches, but with all the upgrades that Seiko never made: upgraded Seiko movement that hand winds and hacks (I'm running about 5 seconds slow/day), sapphire crystal, lumed ceramic bezel, quality solid link bracelet (I have a NATO on it at the moment) with screwed links. He has a pretty huge variety in 43 or 38mm.  Price (299) is cheap enough, that it makes a good beater for those with luxury watches, but the quality is good enough to be an only watch for someone who wants a solid dive style watch at a low price.

Love their stuff... The pilot watch is my daily:

 

[TwiceHorn 31429]

I used Amazon Reward points to pick up an Orient Kanno (or Kano) diver, which is one of their latest iterations. 

They apparently are fairly proud of some things like both brushed (lugs) and polished (sides) and it does add some "luxe" or je nais se quois or some shit. And somehow they managed not to Jap it up too bad (seems to me Japanese designers almost never fail to add some little cue that fucks up what could be an otherwise classic piece).  Coin-edge bezel ala Back Bay, good markers and lume, straight up sword hands, well-executed blue face with some sunburst, decent oyster bracelet.

It is 44mm, which bothered me as I am not a huge fan of huge watches, but it's under 13mm thick and has sculpted lugs so it doesn't wear like a can of Copenhagen.

This is a really nice piece for under 200 clams.   Really nice.

 

[GhostOfTomJoad 9323]

My wife got this for me for my birthday last month. She knew the first watch I got as a kid was a Snoopy watch for my 9th birthday. It was stolen in gym class a few months later.

Anyway, Timex has recently launched a whole series of Peanuts licensed watches in honor of the strips' 70th anniversary. Just a fun little knock around quartz for $100. They've got a few automatics (a Marlin movement) & some other cool designs that you can't help but smile at. I'm thinking about getting some for our great nephews as xmas gifts just to get them started down the path

[TwiceHorn 31429]

h/t to GOTJ, a wrist shot.  I'm somewhere between a beanpole and a sasquatch.

I am really impressed with this watch.  It's a step up from an SKX for less money.  This is really what I expect from a $500-600 watch.  It's heavy, but that quality, Rolex heavy.

[Patrick Bateman 3910]

Anyone have experience with MVMT?  I'm about too.  Ha ha ha.

 

[NWBuck 8551]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

h/t to GOTJ, a wrist shot.  I'm somewhere between a beanpole and a sasquatch.

I am really impressed with this watch.  It's a step up from an SKX for less money.  This is really what I expect from a $500-600 watch.  It's heavy, but that quality, Rolex heavy.

Great watch. Nice pussy, too.

[TwiceHorn 31429]

Dammit all to hell.  Watch met granite countertop, crystal lost.  It's not very visible, but it is cracked, not just scratched.

Luckily, a mod-shop has exactly one mod for this watch, a double-domed sapphire crystal.  Now I just need to find a shop that can do it and pressure test it.

[TwiceHorn 31429]

Technical question for you modders or other Seiko geeks.  I'm pretty sure the crystal is cracked, but it doesn't seem to go through the "glass" with that bit of refraction.

I understand Hardlex may be a "sandwich" of glass (like sapphire over glass) or glass and polymer.  This crack is almost like it's in a top, very thin layer of glass, but doesn't go through, as mentioned.  I don't think I can capture it in a photo.

As an Orient, this is within the Seiko "family," so they may have access to materials like Hardlex, maybe without advertising it.

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

On 2/14/2019 at 9:37 AM, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

I came to post the Seiko Sea Urchin deal on MassDrop and could not figure out the difference with the models that were $20 more.  I now see they all have a J in model number. 

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/seiko-sea-urchin-snzf-watch?utm_placement=12&referer=HGV7RF&mode=guest_open&utm_campaign=Automated Daily Promotional 2019-02-14&utm_source=SparkPost&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily Promotional&utm_content=1550143001179.820350485122757576257187

My Seiko (see post immediately before yours) isn’t holding it’s “charge” much more than overnight, which is irritating when I don’t wear my watch for 12+ hours. I like the look of the models in your link. I may have to give myself a belated Christmas gift. 

[TwiceHorn 31429]

On 12/22/2020 at 1:50 AM, ImissWallyPryor said:

My Seiko (see post immediately before yours) isn’t holding it’s “charge” much more than overnight, which is irritating when I don’t wear my watch for 12+ hours. I like the look of the models in your link. I may have to give myself a belated Christmas gift. 

Seikos with the non-hand-winding movement are like that.  You have to make a serious effort to wind it up.  Just getting it going is not good enough unless you are pretty active while you are wearing it.  It probably does get a little worse over time, but that's just the nature of them.

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

8 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Seikos with the non-hand-winding movement are like that.  You have to make a serious effort to wind it up.  Just getting it going is not good enough unless you are pretty active while you are wearing it.  It probably does get a little worse over time, but that's just the nature of them.

Would 100 burpees a day do the trick, or do I have to wear it playing tennis? I’m not noticeably less active recently, but there are more days I don’t wear it at all because COVID has me staying home more. That could be the culprit. 
 

But, I want a new watch. 

[TwiceHorn 31429]

Well, desk diving, for example, is not enough to keep it wound.  And yeah, I get it, but you may have off expectations of the watch.

Also, check out the Orient divers.  They're nice.

Edited December 26, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[Superhero 8824]

My heavily modified SKX from yobokies. The pip at the 12 o' clock fell out. Will a watch shop be able to replace it?  

 

My SBDC051 that I got in July. It's almost become my daily wearer, replacing the Speedy. The watch wears BIG. The diashield on the new Seiko watches are pretty amazing. 6 months in and just a small scratch by the crown.

 

[TwiceHorn 31429]

For those contemplating a lower-end Seiko or other diver purchase, I can't recommend strongly enough that you look into Orient's line.

I am very favorably impressed with this Kano (Kanno?) diver and it comes cheaper than Seikos and is still a 200m watch.  They have several others, Mako, Ray, Kamasu, that can be acquired ridiculously cheap.

[Bevo&Pevo 5120]

TwiceHorn is right on the Orient line.  Very favorable and reliable for the $$.  That Spinaker(post 176) I got back a few months ago has very good so far.  Recommended.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

TwiceHorn is right on the Orient line.  Very favorable and reliable for the $$.  That Spinaker(post 176) I got back a few months ago has very good so far.  Recommended.

I'm a big fan of Spinnaker. I've purchased a couple, and have been very happy with the fit, and finish for the price point.

[Storm the Field 5289]

Been wanting a more casual option to wear when I dress down, which is frequently these days. Wife obliged for Xmas. 

 

[JohnnyChorizo 20]

That is slick, nice job by the wifey.