New Watch Suggestions?
Hello! I am new here. I'm excited to learn more and pull from a wealth of knowledge.
I've always had a watch (since about age 9) but missed that there were people out there who collect them, modify them or even that there was such a HUGE variety in options...
I have been in this rabbit hole for about 2 wks now, mostly watching videos on YouTube by those who collect and modify but what got me here was thinking it's time to upgrade my watch.
I currently have a Casio Edifice and before that I had a Timex Expedition. Both lasted me a long time, 8 yrs.+.
One of my pet-peeves has always been scratches on the glass. I realize now I was dealing with mineral glass and was thrilled to learn of sapphire.
Please make suggestions knowing that I am comfortable with basic modifying. I have never done more than swap batteries but I work in IT and am not intimidated by the idea of replacing the strap, glass, swapping out watch hands and possibly the dial. Diving into more of the "guts" would be a stretch though, especially on a new watch.
I am favoring the Dress/Field Watch look. It will be an everyday wear. Here are some examples of what has me interested.
(Casio Lineage LIW-M700D-1AJF, Seiko 5 SRPH33, Seiko Spirit SBPJ003, Timex Expedition TW2V03800JR, Casio Lineage LCW-M600D-1BJF)
I am open to other brands.
Must Have
Sapphire Glass
100 Meter Water Resistance (minimum)
Quartz Movement
Analog or Analog w/Digital
Date
Medium to Small Case Size (7.5 inch wrist)
$300 or less
Preferences
Metal Bracelet Strap
Lots of Lume (love the idea of tritium 😉 )
Stainless Steel (less scratches than titanium?)
Solar
Radio Wave Reception (time sync)
Thank you to all of you who offer ideas!
Welcome to my WatchCrunch profile.
Timesync and solar with sapphire makes it hard 🤔 Here is one: https://www.g-central.com/mech-inspired-g-shock-gmw-b5000tva-1-titanium-virtual-armor-edition-is-unlike-any-other-full-metal-square/
Missed analog... But this might do? Casio Pro Trek PRW-50FC-1ER
Check out Vaer watches.
https://www.vaerwatches.com/collections/c5-custom-built-usa-quartz
The S series is assembled in Asia, and costs a bit less.
I wouldn’t have suggested this as you said you wanted a quartz movement and this is an automatic, but I saw that you were interested in Seiko 5’s and they’re mechanical. I recently got an Orient Kamasu, which is a diver that has 200m wr day date complication and the non limited version is available in your price range. Also dispite being a diver it’s reasonably sized so looks quite dressy.
Otherwise if you really want quartz I can recommend Citizen’s ecodrive range. Here’s mine.
Mine’s titanium which I really do recommend but they do steel as well.
Good luck.
Welcome to the insanity. You're going to love it!
What kinda limits your options is the sapphire crystal. Budget watches from big brands stick to their own glass.
For 200 bucks with sapphire your best option are:
I suggest save a bit longer to get something that meets all of your desired specs. I wouldn’t have listened, but I wish someone would have told me to wait 6 months to a year before making my first big purchase. Mostly because I’ve learned a lot about what I actually wanted post a few pricy investments.
Turns out, what I like and what I prefer to wear aren’t 100% aligned.
I was going to suggest a Microbrand but can’t think of a quartz field/sports watch with a bracelet off the top of my head. If you were into a Dive watch I would suggest a Scurfa Diver One.
So, first of all, "Welcome to the Jungle!". So I have to say that as far as I can see, your "checklist" could be a bit tricky, for example, Analog w/Digital suggest an adventure watch, and they are usually on the bigger side, like these two here:
But if you have a 7.5 inch wrist, even a 42mm watch will fit you just fine
So I split what can be done with your checklist:
1st Option:
100 Meter Water Resistance (minimum)
Quartz Movement
Analog
Medium to Small Case Size (7.5 inch wrist)
Date
$300 or less
Stainless Steel (less scratches than titanium?)
Solar
Radio Wave Reception (time sync)
You can go with a Citizen Promaster:
2nd Option:
Sapphire Glass
100 Meter Water Resistance (minimum)
Quartz Movement
Analog
Date
Small Case Size (7.5 inch wrist)
$300 or less
Lots of Lume (love the idea of tritium 😉 )
You can go with a Marathon:
These types of watches are not much my cup of tea but I hope that helps.
Cheers,
Oh... One more thing to consider since you're looking at quartz, Marathon makes the GPQ and Navigator. They both come with an ETA quartz, tritium tubes, and have a date option. The downside is they don't have bracelets, and might be just above your preferred price.
Here is a pic of my Navigator on my 7" wrist for reference.
I wouldn’t have suggested this as you said you wanted a quartz movement and this is an automatic, but I saw that you were interested in Seiko 5’s and they’re mechanical. I recently got an Orient Kamasu, which is a diver that has 200m wr day date complication and the non limited version is available in your price range. Also dispite being a diver it’s reasonably sized so looks quite dressy.
Otherwise if you really want quartz I can recommend Citizen’s ecodrive range. Here’s mine.
Mine’s titanium which I really do recommend but they do steel as well.
Good luck.
I have the same and I love it. Titanium makes it so comfortable!
Reading from your preferences, citizen probably checks all the boxes except lume. They make some great looking pieces.
Check out Victorinox, they make tough as nails watches, look at the Maverick,and The INOX line.
Look at the Casio Oceanus line up, they have all the things you listed in regards to specifications, their a cross between a sports and a dress watch, you can get Titanium versions and also Stainless Steel as well. They remind me of a Omega Aqua Terra, but have solar and radio controlled. If you look on site such as Shopping in Japan, SeiyaJapan, JapanonLine or Sakura I think you'll find something that you like. I've used all of these sites to purchase watches and their service has always been spot on.
All of the ones pictured are $500 AUD which would equate to $355 USD at todays exchange rate.
Then if you want to start to mod a watch, I would buy a used Seiko or the like, these solar watches really aren't meant to be tinkered with.
Welcome to the madness that is watch collecting.
SARB017
You listed 12 requirements. Just buy the Casio that you are looking at.
Missed analog... But this might do? Casio Pro Trek PRW-50FC-1ER
Thanks for the suggestion. I love the features on this watch!
Check out Vaer watches.
https://www.vaerwatches.com/collections/c5-custom-built-usa-quartz
The S series is assembled in Asia, and costs a bit less.
I was looking at these earlier... They have some nice options.
I wouldn’t have suggested this as you said you wanted a quartz movement and this is an automatic, but I saw that you were interested in Seiko 5’s and they’re mechanical. I recently got an Orient Kamasu, which is a diver that has 200m wr day date complication and the non limited version is available in your price range. Also dispite being a diver it’s reasonably sized so looks quite dressy.
Otherwise if you really want quartz I can recommend Citizen’s ecodrive range. Here’s mine.
Mine’s titanium which I really do recommend but they do steel as well.
Good luck.
The Seiko 5 being mechanical was an over site on my part. I really like the look of them but your Citizen Ecodrive is a classy looking watch! Thanks for sharing.
The Seiko 5 being mechanical was an over site on my part. I really like the look of them but your Citizen Ecodrive is a classy looking watch! Thanks for sharing.
No problem it’s a great watch and definitely below your budget.
What kinda limits your options is the sapphire crystal. Budget watches from big brands stick to their own glass.
For 200 bucks with sapphire your best option are:
Thank you for the suggestions. I have seen Long Island Watches before but Hemel was new.
I suggest save a bit longer to get something that meets all of your desired specs. I wouldn’t have listened, but I wish someone would have told me to wait 6 months to a year before making my first big purchase. Mostly because I’ve learned a lot about what I actually wanted post a few pricy investments.
Turns out, what I like and what I prefer to wear aren’t 100% aligned.
Thanks for the tip. I can see what you are saying. I wish there was a list "out there" for all of life that said what products/tools are worth the expense and what you save you money on by getting the off brand.
I am seeing a LOT of options on watches that I love but no watch has them all, or so it seems. I don't think my budget will ever be more. All of my previous watch purchases were under $50 and this is already a stretch.
I just popped the crystal out of my Casio Edifice last night so I can replace it with a sapphire. I might be sticking with this "upgrade" till the right watch comes along.
I was going to suggest a Microbrand but can’t think of a quartz field/sports watch with a bracelet off the top of my head. If you were into a Dive watch I would suggest a Scurfa Diver One.
Thank you for the suggestion! I love the features but I am not sure I like the watches with the bezels. They seem a bit large to me but so far I am only looking at pictures... It's hard to actually "see" what it would be like without wearing one.
So, first of all, "Welcome to the Jungle!". So I have to say that as far as I can see, your "checklist" could be a bit tricky, for example, Analog w/Digital suggest an adventure watch, and they are usually on the bigger side, like these two here:
But if you have a 7.5 inch wrist, even a 42mm watch will fit you just fine
So I split what can be done with your checklist:
1st Option:
100 Meter Water Resistance (minimum)
Quartz Movement
Analog
Medium to Small Case Size (7.5 inch wrist)
Date
$300 or less
Stainless Steel (less scratches than titanium?)
Solar
Radio Wave Reception (time sync)
You can go with a Citizen Promaster:
2nd Option:
Sapphire Glass
100 Meter Water Resistance (minimum)
Quartz Movement
Analog
Date
Small Case Size (7.5 inch wrist)
$300 or less
Lots of Lume (love the idea of tritium 😉 )
You can go with a Marathon:
These types of watches are not much my cup of tea but I hope that helps.
Cheers,
Thank you for the careful considerations of my list and suggestions. Most of the watches you mentioned are way out of my budget but I have been looking pretty hard at some of the Citizen Eco Drives. I love the idea of not ever needing to get a battery replaced.
Oh... One more thing to consider since you're looking at quartz, Marathon makes the GPQ and Navigator. They both come with an ETA quartz, tritium tubes, and have a date option. The downside is they don't have bracelets, and might be just above your preferred price.
Here is a pic of my Navigator on my 7" wrist for reference.
Yeah, Marathon is a bit out of my price range but I like the options!
Reading from your preferences, citizen probably checks all the boxes except lume. They make some great looking pieces.
Agreed! I am seeing several that I like from them.
Check out Victorinox, they make tough as nails watches, look at the Maverick,and The INOX line.
I find most bezels too big (at least in pictures) but the tapered edges on the INOX is a nice touch. Makes it look smaller.
Look at the Casio Oceanus line up, they have all the things you listed in regards to specifications, their a cross between a sports and a dress watch, you can get Titanium versions and also Stainless Steel as well. They remind me of a Omega Aqua Terra, but have solar and radio controlled. If you look on site such as Shopping in Japan, SeiyaJapan, JapanonLine or Sakura I think you'll find something that you like. I've used all of these sites to purchase watches and their service has always been spot on.
All of the ones pictured are $500 AUD which would equate to $355 USD at todays exchange rate.
Then if you want to start to mod a watch, I would buy a used Seiko or the like, these solar watches really aren't meant to be tinkered with.
Welcome to the madness that is watch collecting.
I have certainly liked what I have seen of the Oceanus watches! I am familiar with Discovery Japan and Sakura but I will check out the other Japanese sites. Thanks!
SARB017
I like the look but I want to stick with Quartz movement so I am not committing to a regular service schedule.
You listed 12 requirements. Just buy the Casio that you are looking at.
😊