Wow. Well, my watch search is over, I guess. Thinking about that seiko 5 snk809. I dig the nylon (canvas?) strap as an everyday kind of watch, and I like the numbers. And at <$70, it seems like a steal.
FYI, got the watch in last night, and so far I'm a fan... though, this is my first mechanical watch and I'm not sure how to properly set it. The day/date were easy enough, but getting it to start at a precise time eluded me somewhat. I've only ever owned battery operated analog watches. With those, pulling the crown usually stopped the second hand. I would stop it at 00, set the time, and start it when the minute changed over. With this, there doesn't seem to be a way to stop the second hand (I'm assuming this is the case with mechanical watches.) I'm never that particular about time, but because reviews put it at anywhere from +5 to +15 sec/day gain, I wanted to sync it with something to get a sense for how often I would have to adjust it to compensate.
Thanks to the OP and all the information that everyone else posted. The information was very useful, even if it wasn't originally my search.
... and the winner is?
Well I think it is the Seiko SNZG15 from either here or here. I think I would actually prefer with the khaki band but that seems a little problematic - and I can change later anyway. It seems to tick all the appropriate boxes and I have a soft spot for Seikos for some reason.
The clincher? My son is after his first watch (see here) and he liked these. The allure of father and son with the same watch was too great!
Thanks all for your advice and suggestions