Welcome. I know what you mean by starting with budget watches, not being able to pass up a watch and save for a more expensive, more desirable watch. I did the Casio, Timex and lower in seikos for a while. Actually have managed to get a couple of Hamiltons, an ORIS etc... Being more expensive, they were supposed to be more fun and more satisfying. Well, they sit and collect a lot of dust. I do like wearing them from time to time but for the most part my Casios and a couple of Timex get the most time and I have a lot more fun with them. Everybody is different. One of these days I'm going to sell off most of the expensive ones except one or two for special occasions.
I believe my first watch in the mid-70s was a Timex mechanical. I was a kid so I didn't realize that it needed to be taken care of or how to take care of it. In the late '70s for Christmas I got an armitron digital. I had that for several years and I don't ever recall having to change the battery. I suppose if I hadn't lost it, I might still have it today and wear it. I think that, more than the timex, is what sparked my interest.
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