What should I get?

Casio duro. Excellent watch. $50. It's a large dial but still classy

G shock

Will look into it, thanks!

Bertucci have some field watches in that range. They might be worth a look

Not sure of the dimensions of your ProTrek but mine is pretty massive. I love it but it’s at the outer limited for me and my wrist is a fair bit larger than yours.

Given you are in the US you have easy access to Jomashop, whether to browse or to buy. It’s a good place to browse a breadth of watches in your price range.

A good example of a great everyday watch is this Citizen. It has a field watch look but can be put on a variety of straps to give a very different look, it’s solar quartz, 100m WR and only a 37mm case.

Don’t be fooled by the flashy mark down. This watch is generally discounted from RRP so the $150 is a fairly regular price and the $110 is a good price for all that this offers.

Even if you don’t buy from there (I have and without problems) it’s a good place to browse and then sharpen your focus.

Finally if you are ever looking at used watches don’t be put off looking at ladies watches. Particularly the sports watches can be very “unisex” just smaller in size.

I had a really nice Victorinox for a while, which was marketed as a ladies watch. It was battery quartz rather than solar quartz so I sold it on as I don’t like having too many battery watches in a fairly large collection.

Ladies watches tend to be a little cheaper than men’s watches when buying new but they are dramatically cheaper when buying used. Obviously if you’re fairly new and you don’t want to risk wasting money then I would caution you to be wary buying used watches as it can be hit and miss.

Take your time, have fun and enjoy the journey.

They did bring out a new Duro in 2023, which was a smaller size but unfortunately they reduced the WR to 50m (for a dive watch!). You will find several YouTube reviews on this.

Citizen came out with a decent smaller diver (EO2028-06L).

I’m not sure what colour ways were available of whether it is sufficiently discounted yet to get below $150 but it’s worth a look (again Youtube reviews available).

It was marketed as a ladies watch but I think it would look fantastic on a black rubber strap.

Here’s a couple …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmYboYx77xo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riaCEvy0xNY&t=380s

Have a look on Aliexpress at Steeldive, SD1972

Yeah, i m on the G Shock side. 5610 or 6900. Reliable beaters all the way, about 100 bucks

Depends on what you are going for in the branding space.

If you are OK with Aliexpress Chinese watches, there are plenty of durable everyday watches in a variety of sizes that will function just fine and be available for less than $150.

However, if you do not wish to purchase from Aliexpress, then options are more limited.

You have Casio, of course, Seiko, Timex, and for the more adventurous Vostok.

The Casio Duro is a classic but much too large for a small wrist. They have made a smaller version, but it's not quite the same. If you wish to stay with analog dials, then much of the Casio digital watches are out. Also, most G-Shocks are out including the Ani-Digi G-Shocks because of size limitations.

Seiko 5s are classics and will fit the size of your wrist perfectly. Same with most Timex references.

Another alternative is the Russian Vostok brand, but those are more in the tool watch vein and can be a bit funky with the floppy crown.

Here are a few ideas that you can riff on...I just used Amazon links since the prices on Amazon are about right for these. There are other great places to check such as Ashford.com and Jomashop.com

Timex Marlin - 34mm - $110

https://www.amazon.com/Timex-Marlin-Mechanical-Yellow-Silver/dp/B07X3V1XBJ/ref=sr_1_6?crid=24LNT31TV1AGL&keywords=timex%2Bmarlin&qid=1708247202&sprefix=timex%2Bmarlin%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-6&th=1

Seiko 5 - 34mm - $140

https://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SNXS77-Automatic-Stainless-Steel-Bracelet/dp/B0033CQNEE/ref=sr_1_49?crid=UMWZ7JVW8OQU&keywords=seiko%2B5&qid=1708247604&sprefix=seiko%2B5%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-49-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9idGY&th=1

Vostok Amphibia - 40mm (but wears a bit smaller) - $120

https://www.amazon.com/Vostok-Europe-Automatic-Mechanical-2415090916/dp/B0981R8ZDP/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2RS0D6JPUAWQP&keywords=vostok&qid=1708247407&sprefix=vostok%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-4

I’d say orient Bambino if you’re looking something dressier. Can be use daily in my experience.

Nothing.

Don’t buy just for the sake of buying, buy something because you love it.

Yes I have heard that the Seiko 5 is “good”

No worries.

Definitely not a priority but a point in your favour to hold on to is that from the 1970s backwards wrist watches tended to be much smaller as so their suitability to larger wrists and modern tastes is a bit limited.

If you stick with this hobby for a while then you have the advantage that many more vintage watches will both suit and appeal to you. And some of those quality watches can be had for relatively small money compared to modern equivalents.

Now don’t rush to vintage watches as there are pitfalls there and you can waste money but just know that if and when the time ever does come the chips are stacked in your favour.

Below are some examples from the 50s, 60s and 70s that would suit you size-wise v well.

The problem with vintage watches is that you ideally want them recently serviced from a trustworthy seller (service cost is often ballpark similar to the price of the watch) and they need to have their integrity (i.e. case, movement, dial, etc. all match and not overly restored). It’s a bit of a minefield so don’t jump the gun but know that I have passed up a few inexpensive stunning watches wishing I had a smaller wrist!

Check out the nivada Gretchen Super Antartic models, great prices, and styles.