I hear you about the size. Way too many gigantor watches these days, and most of them are kind of hideous. It's a trend that hopefully will reverse sooner rather than later.
The best watch under $500 in my opinion is a Seiko (they are often the best watch over $500 too!). It's easily the best bang for your buck watch brand.
Unfortunately the best Seikos tend not to make it to this part of the world, but there are some good places to get them online. My favorite is SeiyaJapan, as they have nice listing of some of the watches we can't get here (but they will ship to Canada). They are mechanical, and hover around your budget.
I just went and looked at Seiko's site for China out of curiosity and was totally surprised by how expensive many of their watches are. I'd never imagined they would have so many watches in the $10,000-$30,000 range.
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Is there a general preference towards the mechanical watches over a nicely constructed watch with digital innards? I kind of prefer the latter, but is there a strong argument for the mechanical watches with springs, cogs, etc?
Is there a general preference towards the mechanical watches over a nicely constructed watch with digital innards? I kind of prefer the latter, but is there a strong argument for the mechanical watches with springs, cogs, etc?
A digital watch will almost always keep more accurate time, but nothing beats the craftsmanship of a mechanical movement. Plus, if it has a see through back, it's just awesome to look at!
I figured this little bit of insanity would be appreciated by the followers of this thread.
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The Bird Repeater is a bona fide automaton; it performs specific functions according to a predetermined set of coded instructions, much like the incredible machine in the movie Hugo. Unlike that particular automaton though, this one has received the enviable benefit of the combined resources of the decorative crafts of the Jaquet Droz Atliers d’Art in La Chaux de Fonds. What does that mean exactly? It means that this is one seriously beautiful timepiece. I mean automaton.
anyone here own a Skagen? they fit my desire to have a thin, light watch and look pretty good too. just wondering how good the build quality is
I've got one, bought it right in Copenhagen. The biggest issue is the quality of the paint on the strap. I take pretty good care of my watches and its already rubbing off on the clasp and the outside "side" so that the black metal strap is now showing silver/stainless steel.
Skagen watches are more or less just a fashion brand (not unlike Michael Kors etc). They are cheap, made to look stylish, and have the corresponding quality. The bad news is they probably won't last more than a couple of years....but the good news is that they will probably look outdated by then anyway. If you really like how they look, they are cheap enough to take a flyer on.
anyone here own a Skagen? they fit my desire to have a thin, light watch and look pretty good too. just wondering how good the build quality is
Strange, my coworker was wearing that exact watch on Friday (at least the same band and a very similar face). I cannot speak to the quality, but it looks really sharp! I found myself browsing the Skagen website on Friday night. It was really low profile low, like the flat screen TV of watches.
That stopped my impulsiveness in its tracks thanks. Too bad, they've got some decently nice designs.
I've been looking to replace my fossil watch which is also a piece of crap.
I'm a broken record, but I always recommend Seiko in this case. They are a real watch company, and they are pretty much the ultimate bang for your buck brand. The made in Japan ones look much better too.
Diving watches tend to be really hardy, and can withstand a lot of pain, and you can usually still wear them in most daily situations (although usually not suit-worthy).
If being able to withstand anything is the most important thing to you, you might want to look at something quartz like a Suunto, or Casio G-Shock will basically get you to hell and back. But then you have to put up with a chunky watch that can look a little toy-ish.
Strange, my coworker was wearing that exact watch on Friday (at least the same band and a very similar face). I cannot speak to the quality, but it looks really sharp! I found myself browsing the Skagen website on Friday night. It was really low profile low, like the flat screen TV of watches.
Yeah, the thin profile of them is really nice. It's a great counter to all the thick gigantor watches out there these days.
If you're looking for a thin-profile watch, but want something better build than a Skagen, the Citizen Stiletto might be a nice option. It's better quality, made in Japan by a real watch company, not a fashion brand.
I actually have one of these myself. It's a really nice dress watch, although unfortunately I don't have a lot of situations to wear it, so I'll probably be looking to sell it soon.
This is mine (white version of the above).
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Anybody have or can comment on Stuhrling watches? Quality and durability?
There's some very good prices on a website and they look really nice but I'm very hard on watches... I must flail my limbs more than I realize.
I have a Stuhrling Madman that gets lots of comments. If you just treat it as a quartz watch then there is nothing wrong with it. It's not a high end luxury watch but for something in the $100 range I don't think you'd expect that it would be. Sturhling's look good and many are a decent homage to a number of luxury brands out there.
I don't have any issue with buying cheap watches though and find it quite fun actually. I have some $6 Chinese watches which get as many comments as the Seiko or Breitling. The $6 watches have even stood the test of time and are running after 3 years.
EDIT: I do agree with Table 5 there is a difference between buying a watch made by a long term manufacturer than someone who just uses what parts are available. I'd love to be able to afford the real versions of some of the watches I have but I do get enjoyment out of the cheap ones. (that Citizen above is very nice)
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Last edited by FurnaceFace; 11-05-2012 at 10:17 AM.
Strange, my coworker was wearing that exact watch on Friday (at least the same band and a very similar face). I cannot speak to the quality, but it looks really sharp! I found myself browsing the Skagen website on Friday night. It was really low profile low, like the flat screen TV of watches.
exactly, the trend with nice watches these days seems to be making them bigger and bulkier. i prefer the minimalist look myself, plus being able to forget i'm even wearing a watch. the price is right, so i'm gonna hint at some family about a Christmas present or just buy it myself if that doesn't work
I see Skagen's all the time on a lot of those online fashion sites (Gilt, Ruelala etc), so often you can get even better deals than you would in a store. Something to keep an eye on....although they are fairly affordable even at full price.
I took this yesterday as I changed time on my watches and since I hadn't taken a picture of the whole mess of them before. Some I don't wear but many get in on the rotation.
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