Casio

Truly iconic. I have one too. Three million a year are made!

I'm not sure how proper you want to be. For low cost versatility, I'd recommend an older (smaller) Timex Easy Reader or a Timex Camper if you prefer. Plain round white dial and traditional case that is just practical as can be. Dress up or down by playing with bands.

CASIO god tier ❤️💯

Hi, depends on your budget. A good start might be a citizen or seiko.  If you have more funds try Oris or Longines. For a bit different try a Christopher ward. All the best.

Agreed ❤️

Thanks pal!

Thank you!

Great inexpensive Casio, will last a lifetime. You can look into Seiko, Citizen, Orient and Casio oceanus line you'll bound to find a watch that suits your needs.

Kinda hard to beat Casio for the price. I'd get an analog Casio, like a Forester or something. 

Good on you my young friend, most guys your age are either playing Xbox or PlayStation or chasing girls, which is not a bad thing 🤣 

These would be my recommendations for your first proper automatic watch and there all either under $500 or  there about’s.

Hamilton Khaki Field 38mm automatic with the red tipped seconds hand.

Seiko DressKX line up, there’s bound to be one that you would like and well under 500 and very reliable and well made watches.

For a dive style watch there’s a lot of Seiko Prospex watches, again some can be had for under 500, if you have a smaller wrist possibly a Seiko mini turtle. 

Orient Mako with sapphire crystal, the one with the burgundy dial is my personal favourite.

Citizen Promaster eco drive, the 42mm version, it will last forever and they keep excellent time, plus you don’t have to worry about setting the time whenever you pick it up, just the date occasionally.

Bulova Hack 38mm which comes in 4 varieties now and cost around the 300 mark, great little watches with a lot of brand history.

I could list dozens more but I would need to know what you like and what your budget is.

Just one small piece of advice from an old guy that has been collecting for, well too many years. Buy the watch that you like and want to wear, never buy a watch to impress others, watch collecting is a personal thing. 
Just make sure that you share your new watch with us on WatchCrunch, nobody here judges anyone for what their choices are, everyone is welcome and treated equally. 🙏🏻 

Good luck and welcome to the club 👍

I was wearing similar casios at fourteen and I'm fifty eight now and just started wearing them again!

All of the recommendations here are good. Consider vostok if you are looking for a first automatic? Cheap unbreakable and tons of history!

I accidentally put my Casio F91w in the washing machine (It was in the back pocket of my jeans) and it survived a two-hour wash in the washing machine still in perfect condition.

For a £10.99 watch, the Casio F91w is incredible..

For a first so-called "Proper" watch, I would recommend a Seiko SNK 809 K2 Automatic

I have one and they are pretty robust ..Just don't expect the same level of accuracy that you get with a quartz watch .. Mine gains around 5 Seconds a day.