Best Brand for Retro Digital Watches on a Budget? Armitron!
The two watches above are vintage watches from the late '70s-early '80s. I was lucky enough to find these in excellent working condition, but it is always a bit of a crap shoot in the vintage market. However, it is possible to get a vintage vibe without the perils of the vintage market. Many watch brands are reissuing watches from their past catalogs; Timex with their Q Digital and T80 watches, Bulova with their Archive and Military series, which includes the Computron, the Hamilton Pulsar, the Seiko Arnie, the Casio A100, A700, and A1000, etc. But these can be expensive, and even the Timex T80 watches start at $60 MSRP, with any of the licensed image T80s priced at $90. It is the same with the Casio A100, A700, or A1000; it is hard to find one for less than $50-$60, and most are more than that. For someone on a tight budget who loves watches, even $50 can seem like quite a bit to spend on a watch. There is an option for budget collectors to get a fairly nice retro digital watch from a brand with some heritage; Armitron.
Following are a number of Armitron retro digital models that were all less than $50, except the Tetra, with some of them for below $30. I got the Tetra when it came out and paid full MSRP for it. I imagine it will eventually be available for much less. In no particular order,
Rubik
Tetra
Alarm Chronograph
Ridgemont
Griffy.
All of these are full stainless steel cases, and almost all of them are available for below $50. For anyone like me who appreciates digital watches and vintage digital watches, I heartily recommend checking out what Armitron has to offer, even if you have a larger budget for your watches. 😜
LúmëgaudAnar is the correct spelling, and means time machine of the sun in Quenya. I've been collecting for a few years and have a decent collection of mostly budget and entry-level watches with a few...
It’s taken a long time, but I’m coming around to those “cheap” digital watches that were big when I was a kid. I’ve put the Griffey into the shopping cart several times, and one of these days I’ll pull the trigger on it. And the only thing keeping me from buying several of the watches you’re talking about is a desire not to get too crazy with my collection. I’m trying to have a number of watches I can reasonably rotate through, whatever that means. But yeah, I’m starting to view these watches as a way to scratch the watch itch without going bankrupt.
It’s taken a long time, but I’m coming around to those “cheap” digital watches that were big when I was a kid. I’ve put the Griffey into the shopping cart several times, and one of these days I’ll pull the trigger on it. And the only thing keeping me from buying several of the watches you’re talking about is a desire not to get too crazy with my collection. I’m trying to have a number of watches I can reasonably rotate through, whatever that means. But yeah, I’m starting to view these watches as a way to scratch the watch itch without going bankrupt.
The Rubik is also a great option and has a few fans here. Right now it is on sale on Amazon, at least in the US.
I had that Armitron in the header photo when I was a kid and thought it was the shit. Hadn't thought about that watch in 40 years. Thanks for sharing!
I had that Armitron in the header photo when I was a kid and thought it was the shit. Hadn't thought about that watch in 40 years. Thanks for sharing!
I really think Armitron is an excellent brand that deserves more attention.
What a big deal if you had one of these back in the day almost like a Apple Watch.