Great watch, especially for the money. I bought a stainless strap for mine on AEx and get compliments all the time. Can find them on eBay as well. Have you looked at the radio controlled watches? I don’t own one but it seems like a neat concept
Are entry level automatic watches worth it?
- Thread starter borwish
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- #22
No, but I've had an alarm clock like that forever. It's what I've always used to set my watches.
You know, I never thought of an RC alarm clock. To the (online) mall I go!
No, but I've had an alarm clock like that forever. It's what I've always used to set my watches.
Sub 200 Dress Auto- Orient Bambinos and other Orients of various ilks.
Sub 100 Quartz- Casio with a sapphire crystal.
Sub 100 Quartz- Casio with a sapphire crystal.
Just out of curiosity, how exactly do you destroy your watches?I really like the looks of this one, but I'm having a hard time dropping ~ $250 with my history of destroying a watch in about 2 years. 45mm might also be too big for me.
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Excellent choice! Those Duro divers punch way above their weight.
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- #27
Well, it was 20 years ago when I was a teen and then early 20s---I might be working in a lab and then running through the woods playing paintball that evening. I usually wound up breaking the crystal, damaging a lug, or ripping out the crown. I also wore it 24/7 and frequently went from a warm and humid environment to a cold dry one, which played havoc with the seals and lead to moisture problems. The last one I think it was body chemistry. The corners on the back of the case started to erode and the rough edges were irritating.
I used to collect mechanical watches and at one time had some 120 of them. But that was a hobby, and not really a quest to keep the time. I sold the lot at auction, but the collecting bug has never left me, so now I collect mostly quartz watches. Of those, most are Citizen EcoDrives.
If you are seeking a watch that is accurate and always ready to go, I cannot recommend Citizens highly enough. Plus, if you shop carefully, you can buy a lot of watch for not a lot of money that is both reliable and aesthetically pleasing. (FWIW, I have several EcoDrives that are each more than 25 years old, yet are still going strong. You cannot beat that.)
If you want to know where to shop for really good Citizen deals, PM me.
If you are seeking a watch that is accurate and always ready to go, I cannot recommend Citizens highly enough. Plus, if you shop carefully, you can buy a lot of watch for not a lot of money that is both reliable and aesthetically pleasing. (FWIW, I have several EcoDrives that are each more than 25 years old, yet are still going strong. You cannot beat that.)
If you want to know where to shop for really good Citizen deals, PM me.
A quick take that may not help much. We are talking a different price range. My wife wanted a nice dressy watch for work and going out. I sort of talked her into getting a self-winding Longines. Self-winding because I kind of like the cool factor. sort of a living mechanical thing instead of a piece of another pieces of electronics. Looks nice. But as far as keeping good time, it is a ***, so near useless. So this Christmas we got here a quartz Cartier tank watch. Looks fabulous. Keeps time perfectly.
I used to wear generally inexpensive auto or hand-wind watches. Think Vostok. They seemed to keep good time and I like the auto part. A few years ago I switched to a Galaxy smart watch. I have not at all been tempted to go back. A certain hassle to keep charged. But keeps perfect time and does a bunch of other stuff I mostly do not use, but I sort of like having.
I used to wear generally inexpensive auto or hand-wind watches. Think Vostok. They seemed to keep good time and I like the auto part. A few years ago I switched to a Galaxy smart watch. I have not at all been tempted to go back. A certain hassle to keep charged. But keeps perfect time and does a bunch of other stuff I mostly do not use, but I sort of like having.
I asked because I used to do that sort of thing. Dive watches with a sapphire crystal solved the "disposable watch" problem for me.
The service on an Omega Chronograph costs about $800 and has to be performed once every seven years. The parts required for the service have limited availability and only Omega can really service those watches. I would say an Orient or a Seiko or even a Tissot with a hacking feature and Sapphire Crystal display are a good compromise. The Seiko 5 is a good watch, but lacks those features. In terms of durability and accuracy, Seiko is fairly amazing. You can find a watch with all of those features for about $200 or $300. In my opinion the value is in the Japanese watches that are one step above entry level.
OP it depends on your lifestyle and what you value. For me, I went to automatic mechanicals about a year ago. I did so because the bug for one bit me, and no other reason. I just wanted an old school classy watch.
My first automatic was a no name swiss watch most likely from the 70s or so, give or take a decade. I've determined it's most likely a depart,ent store brand. I can't remember the name amd I'm not inclined to go inside and upstairs to look. I paid like 50 bucks for it on ebay, and it's in great shape. Knowing what I know now, it was a great buy. It kept decent time for a 40-50 year old cheap watch. I usually lost 5-8 seconds a day. Not terrible really. It would be about a minute behind after a week or so.
Alas I no longer wear it. I bought a Tissot with a powermatic 80 movement last fall and I wear it 24/7. It's usually within +/- 1 ro 2 seconds per day, and I've gone over a week several times where it was off less than 2 seconds for the whole week. I paid less than 300 for this watch (admittedly on the gray market) and it has performed beautifully. Frankly I couldn't be happier.
The point is... 300 may not be quite entry level, but it's not much above that. You can have a nice, and accurate, automatic watch for well under 1k. Even less than half that if you pay attention. Don't give up on automatics if you want to try one. I have one that is a gem.
My first automatic was a no name swiss watch most likely from the 70s or so, give or take a decade. I've determined it's most likely a depart,ent store brand. I can't remember the name amd I'm not inclined to go inside and upstairs to look. I paid like 50 bucks for it on ebay, and it's in great shape. Knowing what I know now, it was a great buy. It kept decent time for a 40-50 year old cheap watch. I usually lost 5-8 seconds a day. Not terrible really. It would be about a minute behind after a week or so.
Alas I no longer wear it. I bought a Tissot with a powermatic 80 movement last fall and I wear it 24/7. It's usually within +/- 1 ro 2 seconds per day, and I've gone over a week several times where it was off less than 2 seconds for the whole week. I paid less than 300 for this watch (admittedly on the gray market) and it has performed beautifully. Frankly I couldn't be happier.
The point is... 300 may not be quite entry level, but it's not much above that. You can have a nice, and accurate, automatic watch for well under 1k. Even less than half that if you pay attention. Don't give up on automatics if you want to try one. I have one that is a gem.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
I'll start out by saying I like automatic watches. If I could own anything I wanted it would be a Rolex Datejust in white gold, or a Patek Philippe, or Grand Seiko. I think the Seiko spring drive is the better movement of those mentioned.
That said, from day one the goal of watch making was to build watches that were accurate. So in 2023 having moving parts doing the job rather than something like quartz or something quartz based that syncs daily with an atomic clock is sort of a joke as far as accuracy is concerned.
Chronometer certified are a big step up in accuracy and expense over something like the entry level Seikos. Generally, unless you can drop several thousand on an auto I think you are in it more for the fact that you own something made and mechanical more than something intended to be highly accurate. That said, realistically if you set your Seiko once a day, + or - 30 seconds isn't going to matter. Heck even every couple of days. Only if you wear it long time and never adjust it would have have issues.
There is even a High End Quartz section at the Watch U Seek forums that was for quartz movements that were of a higher than normal accuracy. On the other hand you could put in the dodgiest quartz and have it phone home each night and adjust the time. In any case it's going to be better than any automatic at any price.
There are some cool autos, but the industry just about went under because of quartz. They realized they would simply be case makers and assemblers and thought people would recognize the emporer in his new clothes. Ironically, in the automatic world today, most are just "casers" as very few actually make their own movments. That is one reason I respect Rolex and Seiko.
That said, from day one the goal of watch making was to build watches that were accurate. So in 2023 having moving parts doing the job rather than something like quartz or something quartz based that syncs daily with an atomic clock is sort of a joke as far as accuracy is concerned.
Chronometer certified are a big step up in accuracy and expense over something like the entry level Seikos. Generally, unless you can drop several thousand on an auto I think you are in it more for the fact that you own something made and mechanical more than something intended to be highly accurate. That said, realistically if you set your Seiko once a day, + or - 30 seconds isn't going to matter. Heck even every couple of days. Only if you wear it long time and never adjust it would have have issues.
There is even a High End Quartz section at the Watch U Seek forums that was for quartz movements that were of a higher than normal accuracy. On the other hand you could put in the dodgiest quartz and have it phone home each night and adjust the time. In any case it's going to be better than any automatic at any price.
There are some cool autos, but the industry just about went under because of quartz. They realized they would simply be case makers and assemblers and thought people would recognize the emporer in his new clothes. Ironically, in the automatic world today, most are just "casers" as very few actually make their own movments. That is one reason I respect Rolex and Seiko.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
I very much like those, especially with Roman numerals. Hearkens visions of The Equalizer and his watch. (no, not Denzel, though I did like his Equalizer movies and do have that Suunto).
This right here
ylekot
On the lookout for a purse
I have one of these. Yes it’s pricey for a Timex quartz but I think it’s gorgeous. Falcon Eye reissue
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- #37
I finally relented and took the near overwhelming advise from you guys. Special thanks to @StillShaving @Multum in parvo @ByMyBeard and @Whilliam . I went with an Eco Drive Citizen with a stainless band and sapphire. I now need to take it somewhere to get three links removed.
Great looking watch and bracelet! Any jeweler should be able to size it for you for just a few dollars.I finally relented and took the near overwhelming advise from you guys. Special thanks to @StillShaving @Multum in parvo @ByMyBeard and @Whilliam . I went with an Eco Drive Citizen with a stainless band and sapphire. I now need to take it somewhere to get three links removed.
Looks good! Removing links is really more time consuming than it is difficult. I used a thumbtack to push the pins out before. But the right tools certainly make it quicker, and as @Whilliam mentioned, it shouldn't be overly $$ for a jeweler to do it. I just didn't have the patience to find time to step into one.I finally relented and took the near overwhelming advise from you guys. Special thanks to @StillShaving @Multum in parvo @ByMyBeard and @Whilliam . I went with an Eco Drive Citizen with a stainless band and sapphire. I now need to take it somewhere to get three links removed.
- Thread starter
- #40
I stopped at the local jewelry store who is also a Citizen seller. I got two links removed from one side and one from the other. I don't know how much they charged. When I told the wife I was going by there she decided she had to go with me and get her ears pierced. $40 out the door, so maybe $5 for the adjustment.
She tried to get her ears pierced 20 years or so ago. The gun broke while piercing the first ear and was stuck . They still tried to charge her! It was a complete breeze today.
She tried to get her ears pierced 20 years or so ago. The gun broke while piercing the first ear and was stuck . They still tried to charge her! It was a complete breeze today.
