Watches under $300

Nothing wrong with quartz. However, for my tastes, Bambino is the better choice.

Seiko5 DressKX

For now, seeing as you are a student and just starting out in life with some large expenditures on the near horizon, the PRX quartz is probably the smart move. Maintenance on that is pretty limited to just making sure the battery is changed and not sitting idle and potentially leaking.

The Bambino will need a service to clean & re-lubricate the movement at some point and the cost of that will possibly exceed the price you spent on the watch itself. But that will likely be in 5-10 years, so you have time to prepare.

Watch enthusiasm and owning many watches as a hobby doesn't make much logical sense, so if your heart is really set on the Bambino, get it.

If you don’t want quartz there’s the Seiko 5 SRE006.

Automatic with 100m of wr and a very small case. Either that or go for a field watch like the Hamilton Field Mechanical. The MSRP is more than your budget but you can find it for within your budget. Also Timex have some cheap field watches that might work.

If I had new HMT models available to me, I'd start there unless there is something I don't know about them.

I agree with the Dress-KX noted above!

Thanks man

Oh man the Seiko is pretty sweet too. This makes the decision even more confusing 😅.

Get a Seiko 5 dressKX. It would be a better day to day watch and versatile. You can get some more straps and mix it up for different looks.

Seiko SPRE57

SRPE51

SRPE53

SRPE55

The Bambino is a nice choice too but you got to take into consideration that is only rated to 50m water resistance and if you are going to wear it everytime then the Seiko 5 would be a better choice.

I suppose if accuracy, ease of use and maintenance, the satisfaction of the second hand hitting me marker just right, and general cheaper price are drawbacks then don’t go for the PRX 🤷‍♂️

Can’t go wrong with an Orient Bambino, though I personally don’t feel much for them. Which watch would you actually wear the most? Go for that one.

US $150

https://www.sakurawatches.com/seiko-mechanical-limited-model-sarv001

Seiko Mechanical Limited Model SARV001 - men's watch produced by Seiko. It has Japanese automatic movement and 4R36 calibre. Stainless steel case of round shape. Case dimensions are 42 mm. in diameter and 11.5 mm. in thickness. The dial of this Seiko watch is silver. Display type: analog. This timepiece has hardlex glass. Stainless steel band, band color: silver. 100 m. water resistance. The watch is from Mechanical collection.

I disagree. The Bambino, just like most affordable Orient watches, uses an F6 movement that can be bought from Epson for $40 and swapped by any watchmaker in a few minutes, or by any enthusiast with a few tools and the curiosity to learn. Same with any NH movement in budget Seikos.

Paying a couple hundred bucks for a full service on a $40 movement is not a smart expense at all.

Agreed. Falls within the price range, and is a versatile watch that can be dressy, rugged, or anywhere in-between. Would be a great everyday watch for someone on a student budget (or any budget, really).

Look at the Hoglund and Sons Mark 1 Chronograph an

American micro brand and less than $100 for a nice chronograph. I’m not affiliated with them but I do know value for money. Your other option is to look at the amazing value watches on AliExpress, we’d all feel better if you stayed away from Chinese made watches but you can no longer ignore what you can buy for under $300, automatic, sapphire, 316L steel, WR 100 meters, lume etc. I don’t have a horse in that race either but I’m a realist. Good luck!

The dressKX is excellent. My first mechanical watch was a Bambino II. It was a fabulous watch and I wore it every day. I can’t recommend it enough for the money. It looks more expensive than it is. The main drawback is WR 30m but unless you expect to get wet beyond hand washing on a regular basis, you’ll probably be fine.

I would suggest that you’re spending to your budget then, that you have chosen those two watches as being the best you can afford. The truth though is that neither are actually that good. The bamino is your average grandpas watch & the PRX is what your grandpa wore in the 70s & constantly pulls arm hairs out. The tide is actually turning on the PRX, the YouTube shills are mostly lampooning it. I’m sure you’re going to say you’re not bothered by that, but the truth is, you wouldn’t have known about those watches had you not been influenced. Honestly, save a bit longer, don’t let the money burn a whole in your pocket.

Can’t go wrong here!

In this price range for a dressy daily watch I personally would go any time with a radio controlled solar powered quartz. They work precisely, don't let you down and can take some daily impact. It is only me but my first place to look at would be the Eco-Drive range of Citizen.

That said Citizen owns Miyota and they supply quite a lot of watch brands with automatic movements. It's hardly possible to go wrong in the lower price segment with either Miyota or directly Citizen labeled drives. I guess that you look out for something unobtrusive that works neatly in a lot of different situations. I suggest that you have a look on the day-date Citizen caliber 8200 watches or date only caliber 8210 line. You will not be able to go swimming or diving with most members of this lines, but they can deal with too much rain on a bike. Here are some watches you may want to look at:

* NH8390-.... (caliber 8200, 5 bar)

* NH8391-... (caliber 8200, 5 bar)

* NH8393-... (caliber 8200, 5 bar)

* NJ0100-... (caliber 8210, 10 bar)

* NH8400-... (caliber 8200, 10 bar, a bit less dressy IMHO)

* NJ0151-... (caliber 8210, 5 bar, more on the fancy side of dressy)

However if I were to choose only one watch in your price range that fits most situations I would go a bit less dressy and get a Citizen Eco-Drive CB0250-... or CB0253-... (caliber H145, Eco-Drive, radio controlled, 10 bar).

All that said, there are of course quite a lot of good options by a lot of other brands.

For a student with limited resources in want of a dress watch I'd recommend one of the Accurist solar models - they are discontinued by Accurist (they no longer make solars, only plain quartzes), but plenty of NOS is still around.

There are variants with yellow gold, rose gold and silver coloured cases, on either leather straps or bracelets. Prices on ebay are round about £60 for NOS. The above image is a rendered catalogue image, but the thing does look just as good in real life, here's mine:

Dresskx in grey or black is in my opinion for your budget the best option. Reliable and so versatile. 100m to cover 90 % of your needs and if you have a few bucks left buy a gsquare or a little casio a158-168 for anything that requires some more dirty stuff and you are covered for life. Voilà!

I know you can't resist now... 😅

Can't go wrong with G Shock Tough Solar, but Citizen with Eco Drive, it may last forever. Don't overlook Citizen. Their fit and finish is starting to surpass Seiko.

My first dress watch i bought on a budget was the -Guanqin GJ16034 Automatic- The watch looks elegant and feels expensive. Material quality is good for the price. Under 100€ if i remember right.

idk.. looks quite unique with the facetted bezel. I still like it 😅

Timex Marlin is pretty cool

Check out the Seiko Essentials Collection. They have a large variety under $300. Seiko are very well made and should serve you well for many years. Don’t be afraid of quartz. I have one that’s 30 years old and it’s in my rotation.

Fair, but $40 vs. $2-$5 and for someone that might not have the $40, the aptitude, the tools or the time, the quartz is still a smarter choice for those that have not established themselves financially.

Dan Henry has a good selection of watches for under $300. They have automatic and mechaquartz movements and are designed to pay tribute to earlier watches. I have their 1970 Diver https://danhenrywatches.com/products/1970-automatic-diver-watch and I really like it. The lume is fantastic and it looks great. Let us know what you decide to get.

Since you're looking for something dressy:

• Timex - Marlin is a classic

• Casio - Look inside the Edifice Collection

• Citizen - throwing my hat in with the Tsuyosa

• Tissot - The Classic Collection (Gentlemen) might be something for you.

Hope this helps-

$300? Go For Kamasu. The specs is overkill

Seiko Presage Cocktail Time $284 on Shopping in Japan.

SRPA25 $178

Good choice, and they've just re-introduced some solar models in the new range. They're a little large for my slim wrist, but their new stuff is really nice.