Mechanical watch up to 100 Euros?

I did the same thing when I started getting into watches... I advise that you increase your budget a bit. What you can get at that price will likely be disappointing.

I still dislike Seiko after wasting money on a SNK809.

Here I am saying I like my SNK which I got for less than $100. It's a good watch, but I don't wear it too often mainly because I like have a timer (stopwatch, bezel, chronograph). I also got an invicta pro diver, which is really fun, but who knows how long it'll last and the bracelet it came with isn't good.

The selection for 200 is amazing

If you are OK with paying many multiples the price of the watch for a service OR just replacing the watch when it needs one, then get an Invicta Pro Diver. Cheap enough to replace if needed, but still a good watch for the price. Or a Casio Duro.

As @KristianG said, you will likely be disappointed with anything at that price range and/or likely not to keep it for long. Couple options:

• Find a used watch you like the looks of on eBay. This can be a bit dangerous because, well eBay. You should be able to grab a used Orient and Seiko at that price range.

• I am generally not a fan of homages, but this is where they fit the bill. $100 gets you all the homage watch you want, especially on aliexpress. Likely not going to last more than a couple years, but it’ll give you an idea of look of a watch you like while giving you an automatic. Stick to basic time or time and date only. You do not want any automatic chronograph at that price. An Invicta sub homage is also a good buy for around $60 USD.

Good luck!

Good point you don’t want to get the wrong opinion about a mechanical watch by spending such little money and it being a dud

I own mostly mechanical and just recently got into quartz I now own 3 quartz. I have only ever had problems with my quartz. My automatics cost more but I have never had to service and they all keep good time. I have had to pay for a few battery changes with quartz and I just recently bought a vintage quartz and the whole movment broke so I need to replace it

I love this watch for the price 88usd.

A solid homage from Invicta. 40mm nh35 clean dial.

If you're not looking for a dive watch, Merkur is an AliExpress brand that produces a number of original dress designs for under 100. Similar to the Seagull 1963, the overall look is Chinese-inspired, so there's a unique appeal that feels different from the typical AE homages. Mine is still in the mail, so I can't tell you if it's junk or not.

At that price point you are most likely going to be looking at purchasing from Invicta or AliExpress. Try to avoid the watches that say "Chinese Movement"and opt for those with NH34 / 35 / 36, Seagull or Miyota movements. You will generally find these movement types in watches that cost up to €750 if they are from more accepted manufacturers.

I would suggest look at Invicta, a know brand which sells mechanical watches which is around your budget.

invicta pro diver range of watches

every X times they get 20-30 %of so you get excellent value for money

I ve started with a cheap skeleton one so i can see the drive doing it s work back in these days. My first 'real' one was about 500€ and was with me many years. I gave it to service and got it back real busted up. I think atound that time i ve started collecting (GShock) watches

Seiko 5 (the old series), Orient Three Star, Vagary (Citizen sub-brand)

You can find good deals on Orient.

I got this one for 80 USD at Amazon. Strap in the photo is not OEM.

The Answer is not easy.

You can go for some low End Seikos or Orients. But you will not care much about the mechanical movement, because evrything else could disturb you.

If 100 Euro is much money for you, I woul recommend you to save this money. The possibility to be regret is quite high and it would be a pitty for that money.

But the good thing is: The longer you save up, the more your save up, the better the watches will be. After passing a limit of 150 Euro or 200 Euro the quality gets significantly better. For example: The Zeppelin 8656-4_g you can find sometime in discount plus using coupons for around or less than 150 Euro and for that price it is exquisit and you even get an adittional strap.

Or for 340 Euro you can get a Laco.

So depending on the watches "wasting" 100 Euros would mean that you already had 50% or 30% saved for a much better watch.

Or the new Seiko 5 Line

Or Orient Kamasu.

I wrote also some articles about affordable german watches where you can get a good overview:

Part1

Part2

I personally would avoid Ali Express watches.

Vintage - a cool Swiss jobber with a Felsa Bidynator would be a nice acquisition.

You can get on Amazon an Invicta Pro diver from about 70$ for the standard version up to 110 for the better looking 1953 version.

They are are not bad for what you pay and if they go tits up, well that's less than the price of filling the car at the service station, so it's not such a disaster.

For mechanical watches below 100 euro AliExpress is the place to look. The cheapest brand worth tdying is Ochstin; they have mechanicals below 25 euro, but it is a bit hit and miss. For a little bit more, Berny and Carnival have some decent watches around 70 Euros. If you like homages, Pagani, Parnis and Corgeut have a ton of stuff under 100 Euros of general decent quality. Other ok brands: Addiesdive, Cadisen, Steeldive, Lobinni, Sugess, SanMartin. Those last three are normally well above 100 euros, but not with all models.

@Catskinner I got the notification for your comment but I can't see it in the comments.

As far as I know your comment should be between the comment of Porthole and uhrensohn. I would really appreciate it if you could post it again, have a great day!

This

https://www.amazon.com/Invicta-Diver-Automatic-Black-31290/dp/B085HKXGZ5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HRO1XKI7L2DJ&keywords=invicta+1953&qid=1681588315&sprefix=invicta+1953%2Caps%2C680&sr=8-1

or this

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800202847361.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.59e6wn1rwn1roW&algo_pvid=12492946-c444-4f35-ae91-59530d86bd4d&algo_exp_id=12492946-c444-4f35-ae91-59530d86bd4d-1&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21USD%21398.0%2183.58%21%21%21%21%21%40211bec8616815884231988256d077c%2112000024682355746%21sea%21US%210&curPageLogUid=m7vCPwAJv9Tr

You're having the right thoughts but as others have said, you may end up disappointed if you spend too little because either the time-keeping or execution of the product might be poor. You don't want to be left like @KristianG disliking mechanical watches like he dislikes Seiko.

I also don't recommend an affordable vintage watch, they are not representative of how a new watch runs. In a way these watches (and their movements) are often of high quality but not if you measure it by accuracy. So in a very quantifiable way they aren't very good at all and a lot of it is down to dumb luck... if you get a lemon you'll pay more for a service than for the watch. One minute per day in rate deviation would be more than acceptable for a 70yo mechanical in that price range. If you're used to quartz, that might be a hard one to swallow, at least initially.

In my opinion the ideal solution for you would be to borrow a decent quality watch from someone for a period of time. Something like a Tissot, Hamilton, Christopher Ward or anything with a Miyota 9000 series (these are much nicer than the 8000 series in my opinion). The latter is what I'd recommend looking for if you can't borrow one for a while from a good friend. In my experience, watches that have that movement aren't bad products overall.

Good luck 😀

Maybe you muted me? Anyway:

"You can get on Amazon an Invicta Pro diver from about 70$ for the standard version up to 110 for the better looking 1953 version.

They are are not bad for what you pay and if they go tits up, well that's less than the price of filling the car at the service station, so it's not such a disaster."

Agree on the Pro Diver, got one from Amazon and it had a crown issue. The replacement I have had for five years with no issues. Good luck!

I just picked up a Merkur after some inspiration from Just One More Watch on YouTube.

Pleasantly surprised with how it’s turned out. I got it because it was cheap and different to everything I own.

So far, so good!

I know our Russian friends are a bit persona non grata at the moment but their Vostok amphibian watches have a real history and are virtually indestructible, not to mention they actually retain enough of their value to be a risk free purchase, hundreds to chose from.

Very true but with the war in Ukraine I'm afraid it's harder to get them and the prices are reflecting this scarcity.