Watch Recommendation

[poetman]

I like to hear fellow Loungers recommendations on what watch they like best. I'm on the market for a mesh band watch. I currently have a round face watch whose band is part mesh and part chain, so I'm leaning toward the rectangular face (and I also like that style a lot, finding it more vintage looking). In any case what style so you think has that vintage flair?

Thanks, all!

http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/zoom_popup.jsp?productId=845524892396838

http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/zoom_popup.jsp?productId=845524892559961

http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/zoom_popup.jsp?productId=845524892396836

(I think I'm leaning toward the 1st and 3rd.)

OR...

http://www.skagen.com/item/355XLSS.fx

http://www.skagen.com/item/355LGSC.fx

I have two rectangular face leather band watches (brown and black) for everyday/semi-formal use, a rectangular face dressy metal link style, and two round face metal link watches I use for everyday use, so I'm really unsure as to whether the rectangular or round face would be best. What do you think?

Thanks!

 

[Bourbon Guy]

I've always been partial towards Universal Geneve, or old Bulova if you like vintage American.

 

[poetman]

Thanks for the names. What about the styles pictured above?

 

[Bourbon Guy]

I prefer the first, but you are the one who will look at it each day, all day. Get the one that speaks to you, that makes you feel good about yourself. The one that, if someone picks it up they will say "oh, that's Poet's watch."

 

[Tomasso]

From your selection I like this one best.

 

[CrocsRock]

Or you could go for a Stowa on milanaise strap.

 

[Corky]

My advice on watches might sound like a Devil's Advocate.

My advice on watches might sound like a Devil's Advocate.

I have owned many nice premium and antique watches. Some are museum quality and a few are of the type one sees advertised in glossy fashion magazines. I keep these items in the back of a drawer or in a safe deposit box. I never wanted to be the sort of person that a stranger could figure out my net worth by estimating the value of my watch.

However, a few years ago I was the game designer on a digital game watch which played multiple games. My experience with the game watch project changed my habits as far as watches are concerned. My friends who did the chip selection, programming and engineering design of the watch told me that all of the chips that go into any watch are made on the same assembly line in Hong Kong. So, it makes no difference how much or how little one pays for a watch, the chips inside are all going to be more or less the same.

These days, I wear inexpensive Casio watches almost exclusively. My current everyday favorite is a Casio solar atomic watch that has a radio inside that re-sets the time 5 times per day and is said to be accurate to within one two hundred and fifty millionth of a second. This watch can be found on Amazon with an analog and digital readout for under seventy five dollars.

I have other watches that I wear for different purposes: a divers watch, a formal watch, a digital calculator watch, a chronometer, etc.

But the one which is the most enjoyable is a Timex copy of a WW II issue GI's watch (but with an Indiglow dial, so it can be read in the dark) which somehow looks right with an A-2 and fedora.

So my advice might be to go and get yourself a nice, easy-to-read Casio or Timex (with a mesh band if you prefer) and enjoy it.

Best of luck

 

[Edward]

I like the third one linked to in the OP best. Personally, I would prefer it in goldtone if it is intended for daywear, silvertone for evening. That old idea seems to be waived more often than not, nowadays, though, as the vast majority of men's watches seem to be of a silvertone appearance.

With respect to relative formality, I believe it was clarified in a thread on the FL a couple of years ago that leather straps are the more formal option, a metal bracelet being daily wear? Again, though, I doubt anyone notices (or cares) much about that these days.

 

[theinterchange]

But the one which is the most enjoyable is a Timex copy of a WW II issue GI's watch (but with an Indiglow dial, so it can be read in the dark) which somehow looks right with an A-2 and fedora.

which model is that? I think I know, but am not positive. I've worn a lot of Timex watches in my day.

Currently, I wear a Seiko chronograph that I happened across in a department store "fine" jewelry closeout for under $100. But, I've still got the all metal Timex Expedition I wore as a young teen that I pull out from time to time.

Randy

 

[John in Covina]

A man's watch is a personal item that can speak a lot about his personality. Watches are precise time keeping mechanisms that are art and jewelry too. As such they can be for specific uses, like scuba diving. It can be truly a 'working' watch such as the chronograph types may be used for yatching, motorsports racing and flying. Others may simply tell time, some may be able to show time in a variety of timezones for traveling, or keep track of astrogical events. Watches can be inexpensive or cost as much as a home in Southern California. Watch people, collectors, often have several which are worn for specific aspects as to scuba diving as mentioned above or this looks great with a tuxedo.

You need to decide: first what do you want it for, what do you want it to do and when will you wear it. Then you can see what styles may fit those applications or consider going multiple watch route for a more specific fit.

My last mistake was getting watches via the internet that became just about too small for me to read without reading glasses. There are well know names that are thre type where you are a curator of the watch and pass it down to the next generation at some point. There are classic watches that are timeless indesign such as the Hamilton or other make Tank Watches, those are some that I have "watch envy" lusting in my heart. Rolexes, Seiko, and a number of other brands like Ball or the old Elgins all have a following. You have to think if you get an expensive watch or a vintage one, will you break it or lose it during regular use? It would be a shame to have that happen.

I have my dad's Bulova that neds fixing, a Wegner (Swiss Army brand) that is fairly plain I wear a lot a Chrono type Bulova I wear often and a Minute Repeater from Bulova that is my dress watch. I have an old Casio floating around somewheres and a pocket watch I got in the 1970's that I like too. If you have a collecting personality, watches can be come habit forming. On line World Lux has a pretty extensive array of watches to look thru. Vintage watches are available at some of the national level (Fountain) Pen shows too.

 

[Edward]

The other big question - which I don't think has been raised on this thread directly - is: quartz or mechanical? You'll never find a mechanical watch as always-accurate as a quartz. Nevertheless, I like many others prefer a mechanical watch - I just find them somehow classier, same as John's point about them being both jewellery and a piece of engineering artwork. I like a self-winder for day to day wear, while manual winders are just fine for occasional wear (if it's not a watch I wear daily, it'll need wound anyhow before I don it...). I do keep several different watches for several different purposes. My daily wearer is a gold-plated, stainless steel bodied Pulsar with a metal bracelet and simple, round face. No numerals, just luminescent blocks, with day and date indow at the '3' position. For knockabout daily evening wear, I have a nice Rolex copy I bought in Beijing back in 2006 - keeps time as well as the real thing! Increasingly, when I look at watches these days I find myself drawn to the rectangular faces. While I do have several 'chronograph' styles (including the aforementioned fake Rolex), I have a strong preference for simplicity, the ideal being a simple dial with no date window. Lack of a date window seems quite rare these days, thoughh - at least among affordable watches. I should admit that of my dozen or so watches, all but two or three are fakes I picked up in one of my favourite Beijing markets. I am careful what I buy - I couldn't honestly tell you hat half the brand names are supposed to be on them, as I buy watches the style of which I like and not brands, but I do pay attention to whether they are decent watches. While obviously the quality of things like the gold plate won't be up to the same standard as the real thing, I do sometimes wodner just what you really are paying for on a watch of a grand or more, given what great service I've had out of my cheapies for between fifteen and thirty bucks a pop.... Each to their own.

 

[John in Covina]

In one of the other watch threads, some of the guys talked about how the workings, the mechanicals, are sometimes made by a specific producer and are used in a variety of watches. They may be of different makes and you can sometimes find that one watch is significantly less expensive than the others, so you can get a great watch for less. My personal thing is I can't stand diamonds on a man's watch, that rubs me the wrong way. I do tend to like a day and date window on my watches for business.

One watch company that irigues me a bit is the Yes Watch company http://www.yeswatch.com/ a maker of electronic watches. These watches can be programed with the latitude and longitude of where you're at and calculate solar and lunar settings, plus other stuff. It is liked by the film crews because it lets them know sunrise and sunset times for filming outdoor scenes.

 

[mattfink]

I have a Hamilton Ventura that my wife bought for me about 8 years ago. Keeps great time and I've only changed the battery twice.

 

[Feraud]

^^ I love that watch!

 

[Saho]

For new watches, I really like Scandinavian designs in quartz movement. For older watches, Gubelin and Angelus remain the best value out there but can be $$$ for maintenance, esp. with the more complicated pieces with triple date moonphase and chronograph with either early Valjoux or in-house movements. American wristwatches of the 30s and 40s, such as Elgin and Hamilton, have very beautiful movements, interesting dials, unique case designs, and faceted crystals among other interesting features but their relative collectability has made them poor value for an everyday watch.

 

[Bourbon Guy]

These days, I wear inexpensive Casio watches almost exclusively. My current everyday favorite is a Casio solar atomic watch that has a radio inside that re-sets the time 5 times per day and is said to be accurate to within one two hundred and fifty millionth of a second.

David and Lisa

 

[Bourbon Guy]

I like to hear fellow Loungers recommendations on what watch they like best. I'm on the market for a mesh band watch. I currently have a round face watch whose band is part mesh and part chain, so I'm leaning toward the rectangular face (and I also like that style a lot, finding it more vintage looking). In any case what style so you think has that vintage flair?

Thanks, all!

http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/zoom_popup.jsp?productId=845524892396838

http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/zoom_popup.jsp?productId=845524892559961

http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/zoom_popup.jsp?productId=845524892396836

(I think I'm leaning toward the 1st and 3rd.)

OR...

http://www.skagen.com/item/355XLSS.fx

http://www.skagen.com/item/355LGSC.fx

I have two rectangular face leather band watches (brown and black) for everyday/semi-formal use, a rectangular face dressy metal link style, and two round face metal link watches I use for everyday use, so I'm really unsure as to whether the rectangular or round face would be best. What do you think?

Thanks!

So which one did you buy?