I’ve been thinking about starting a watch blog to work through my obsession without buying every watch that catches my eye. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have the time to keep up a decent blog posting schedule, so instead I thought I’d post my first effort here and hopefully help grow our community. Maybe one day I’ll revisit the blog, but for now Welcome, fellow watch nerds, to the first round of:
#Affordable Watches I Can’t Stop Thinking About
- Casio Tiffany (MTP1302D-2A2V): This is the one that got away. It has a quartz movement and a Stainless steel case at 44.2mm and 9mm thick. The MSRP of $60, if you can find it, looks like an awesome price. Unfortunately, opportunists, or let’s generously call them ‘keen business people’, are asking $150 for it now that stock is becoming scarce. BTW, this whole post was written with the sneaky hope that someone out there knows where to find one for MSRP.
- Timex Men’s Waterbury Traditional Day-Date: This watch stands out with its yellow dial. No matter how I display my watch (rolled up sleeves, wild hand gestures, etc), people don’t usually notice men’s watches. I think this dial might be the exception. It’s a respectable $150. Timex isn’t my go-to brand, but I’d certainly give this one a shot.
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Casio Vintage AQ800E-7A: The vintage charm and modern functionality. It speaks to my 80s kid retro nostalgia. The stainless integrated band kind of makes this whole thing work. The best part is that it is only $50.
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Seiko 5 Beige (SNK803): This Seiko 5 is a must-have for automatic watch lovers. Its clearly cheating to put it on a list of “top inexpensive watches”. I’m justifing it with picking the coolest causal beige combo. The size is just right, and it looks like a perfect weekend watch. I’ve seen it on sale for $125 but it is usually closer to $150/170.
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Timex Weekender Slip-Thru Watch - Gray/Orange Stripe (T2N649): This Timex Weekender is a fun, casual watch with a 38 mm brass case and fabric band. The quartz movement keeps things ticking nicely, and it’s water-resistant up to 30 meters. And the price? Just around $30.
- Sugess Moon Phase Tourbillon Collection : These watches are a ridiculous in the best way. Stainless steel, crazy movements, and unique beautiful dials. They are around $500 to $700 (with a tourbillon!), but here’s a caveat; While Sugess is one of the more reputable Chinese manufacturers, I can’t find any information about their labor practices. I’m not in the market for a Chinese watch until I learn more about how and where they are produced, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a little obsessed with those insane dials and tourbillons. If I had to pick, I’m going for the classy grey dial because I’m boring… but my heart would pull hard for the flashy dark cosmic swirls.
Nice. Being poor & loving watches, i like this!
I like that you are interested in veting the labor practices of the manufacturers when taking into account the low price.
Absolutely love the fabric brands. This inspired me to go buy that Timex, thank you for sharing!
Nice list, I also haven’t seen that particular Casio before, really cool. I’ve got the Seiko 5 in another color, and it’s one that gets frequent wear. Might be my first post to the community if I can remember to take a pic tomorrow haha.
A brand that always catches my eye and needs to be added to my collection soon in a similar price range is Orient.
Morning Reminder: Post thay Seiko pic! The Lemmy community is anxiously waiting!
You know, I just realized this list and community needs more Orient too. My most worn watch, by far, is an Orient maestro with an oyster white dial and blue hands. I replaced the matching steel bracelet with a mix of NATO straps and textured cloth straps. It doesn’t look like a strap monster, but it kind of can be. Maybe that will be my next post!
I spent a solid week trying to pick between the Bambino and the Maestro. Which Orient are you going for?
This is an awesome post! I’d absolutely love to see more like this here, thank you so much for sharing some of your favorite budget picks! 😊
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Casio Vintage AQ800E before. That’s a really unique looking watch with digital and analog sections. I sorta want one now…
It’s pretty high on my list too. I have an affinity for items with a '80s retro flare.
I honestly try not to buy anything Chinese, but there are so many great options from Japan at that price that it should be even easier to skip. Check out open heart seikos. No moon phase but beautiful dials.
At this point, I agree. I would pick a Japanese alternative. In general, I don’t really like open heart designs. The only exception to that, really, is a tourbillon movement. The way they move is so cool that it is worth breaking up a beautiful dial to display the revolving cage.
I’m not aware of any other affordable options for a tourbillon movement watch.
I love the simplicity of those dials. The only watch with a complex dial that has me salivating is the Breitling Professionals.
