Affordable Watches

[Superhero 9010]

I have a Seiko SBDC051. Absolutely love the watch and it's been my daily wearer for at least the past 3 years very little external wear.

The insides are a mess though. It was losing time, and would stop after <30 hours. I took it to a Seiko shop and they guy said the movement was gummed up. He cleaned it and set it to run a tick fast saying it would eventually slow down and keep good time.

And for the past 6 months it's been awesome. Kept time really well, maybe gaining 10 seconds per week. But the past 2 weeks it's been gaining about 10-20 seconds per day. I know the 6R15 movement isn't the best, but what could be causing the sudden gain?

[Prepuce of Doom 21285]

You're a time traveler. 

[msucolt45 4226]

I’ve got a Gavril watch that I really liked the clean looks and leather straps. Had it almost 3 years and rarely wore it except for “nicer” occasions. About a month ago, I broke it out to wear and adjust the time change. Starting spinning the little dial, I guess more than warranted, as it came out in my hand. WTF! Took it to like two places in SA in the last two weeks and they all said to send it to the manufacturer.

I would think the “spinner” mechanism would be a simple fix, but I don’t know. Damn $700 purchase and wore it probably less than 20 times.

Hook’em!!!

[HoustonHorn 1064]

Probably on the edge of affordable at any 1k, but I REALLY like these Lōci Pacific Coast Highway. They also have a quartz version for cheaper. I think I like the blue Monterey Bay and the black Big Sur the best.

[Celery Man 21085]

I haven’t bought a watch or worn anything other than my speedy for more than a couple of days at a time for years but I kinda want to buy this. Which would kick off a chain of events leading up to the purchase of a vintage omega that I definitely don’t need

 

 

[Dignan 381]

I bought an Orient watch (posted on here some time ago) because I have always wanted one. It has become a watch that I wear quite a bit. I think it keeps time better than my Seiko Samurai that I've had for several years. The Seiko will lose several seconds, maybe a minute a day. The Orient seems to stay on time a lot better. I am impressed. 

I also bought a new Citizen Brycen (?) chrono not too long ago. That thing is accurate. Again, better than the Seiko. Wonder if I need to have the Samurai looked at?!

[satyanash 15464]

2 hours ago, Dignan said:

I bought an Orient watch (posted on here some time ago) because I have always wanted one. It has become a watch that I wear quite a bit. I think it keeps time better than my Seiko Samurai that I've had for several years. The Seiko will lose several seconds, maybe a minute a day. The Orient seems to stay on time a lot better. I am impressed. 

I also bought a new Citizen Brycen (?) chrono not too long ago. That thing is accurate. Again, better than the Seiko. Wonder if I need to have the Samurai looked at?!

Seiko has a habit of not regulating their movements before shipping them out of the factory. You can regulate it yourself with a small screwdriver and a caseback-unscrewing tool.

[Celery Man 21085]

2 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Seiko has a habit of not regulating their movements before shipping them out of the factory. You can regulate it yourself with a small screwdriver and a caseback-unscrewing tool.

lol my marine master 300 is a monocoque case and is good for a very consistent +20. I assume they at least regulate the grand seikos.

 

i need to bust out my old king seiko chronometer. That one is nails and is the closest thing I have to that little squarish gold old school dad watch.

[satyanash 15464]

22 hours ago, Celery Man said:

I haven’t bought a watch or worn anything other than my speedy for more than a couple of days at a time for years but I kinda want to buy this. Which would kick off a chain of events leading up to the purchase of a vintage omega that I definitely don’t need

 

Bulova has a similar offering with a HAQ movement and a better bracelet (unless you're a fan of the expansion style bracelets; they tug at my arm hair like crazy):

[Brodarious Hamm Sandwich 126]

lol my marine master 300 is a monocoque case and is good for a very consistent +20. I assume they at least regulate the grand seikos.
 
i need to bust out my old king seiko chronometer. That one is nails and is the closest thing I have to that little squarish gold old school dad watch.

My dad had one, too.

[Bevo&Pevo 5514]

I should have a surprise headed my way in the mail.  Stay tuned...

[SurlyGator 959]

Did a little Christmas shopping for myself.  I will be most gruntled when I unwrap this next month.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes 82]

Visitor Duneshore Shallows that I picked up at Intersect a few weeks back.

[HoustonHorn 1064]

Visitor Duneshore Shallows that I picked up at Intersect a few weeks back.

Awesome pickup, these are great!

[ChickenSandwich 9932]

On 6/19/2024 at 6:17 PM, GottaB said:

It is amazing how much a strap swap affects how I feel about a watch.

The original bracelet on this Citizen diver broke. I liked the bracelet but have not repaired it yet. I tried a lot of options and nothing felt right. I started with a couple different brands of NATO straps, I tried a thick orange orange silicone from overseas, I even tried a couple of aftermarket bracelets (including strapcode) without any luck.

I finally tried a Barton silicone bracelet, and it was perfect. I’ve work this watch all week and enjoy wearing it again.

I have a 39.5 mm eco drive, what size is yours, and what was the width of your bracelet ?

[GottaB 605]

I have a 39.5 mm eco drive, what size is yours, and what was the width of your bracelet ?

This one is 45mm case and 22mm bracelet

[Bevo&Pevo 5514]

So, I can check black off my list.  I'm diggin' the style and the size.  Not diggin', the fact I need to change the band to a larger size.  So, I'm thinking about what to get.  Anyone got any ideas?  I barely looked a little yesterday and I'm kinda leaning towards a two-tone stainless with some black in it.

 

[SurlyGator 959]

I have always wanted one of those in silver rather than gold.  Nice watch!

[billymyers 1]

Geckota straps are great value.  I've got a couple on my divers, too.  Big improvement over the stock ones, especially in the comfort department.  Nine bucks?  Steal!

[ChickenSandwich 9932]

need a $100 ish sports watch for my old man; he won't wear anything nice for fear of messing it up.  Doesn't like digital, needs to be durable, waterproof etc. 

 

Timex, Garmin??  

[Sam Lin 3597]

Find something with the Seiko 5 movement. Comes in all sorts of styles.

[davidg 4057]

1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said:

need a $100 ish sports watch for my old man; he won't wear anything nice for fear of messing it up.  Doesn't like digital, needs to be durable, waterproof etc. 
 
Timex, Garmin??  

Double your budget and get a Citizen Garrison Eco-Drive for ~ $200. Badic field watch and can go stainless case/ bracelet, leather strap or nato strap versions.

 

this one is $175 on Amazon right now

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 13 by davidg

[davidg 4057]

This one’s $220 off the Citizen website

 

[randomhorn 2143]

2 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

need a $100 ish sports watch for my old man; he won't wear anything nice for fear of messing it up.  Doesn't like digital, needs to be durable, waterproof etc. 

 

Timex, Garmin??  

There are some nice Seiko, Citizen, and Timex watches on Amazon at about that price point 

there are also some nice looking “homage” watches using Seiko movements at <$100 as well. 

[Bevo&Pevo 5514]

Check into Spinnaker.  Reasonably priced and reliable.  I give 125 for one years ago and still wear it.  

[HoustonHorn 1064]

For super cheap, check out Sheffield. Really nice looking watches for around $200 with mechanical movements.

https://sheffieldwatches.com/products/allsport-1-auto

[satyanash 15464]

On 12/13/2024 at 2:20 PM, ChickenSandwich said:

need a $100 ish sports watch for my old man; he won't wear anything nice for fear of messing it up.  Doesn't like digital, needs to be durable, waterproof etc. 

 

Timex, Garmin??  

Timex Expedition Solar line has some nice durable options in the $100 area. They're all in stock on Amazon and other third-party vendors.

https://timex.com/collections/expedition-solar-watches