Poor man's watch thread

[boogaboogabooga]



How about this one?

I appreciate the suggestion, but I was looking for something more rectangular in regards to the case shape. I guess I should have clarified that I wasn't just looking for non-round cased watches. Once again, thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[venessian]



Took your advice as it was good. Got this suggestion. http://www.lip.fr/fr/historiques/fred_lip/t18.html#type_18_chromee Only 200 smackers. Pretty slick, huh? Well, minus the shipping. Good thing watches are relatively light. Shipping from France can't be cheap. Also, to anyone interested on what may turn out to be a plethora of doctors watches just check out this link from time to time: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f71/$300-equiavlent-rolex-prince-585153.html So far there have been 2 suggestions for 3 watches. I think.

I don't like the Tissot much (in fact, it's bad); the Lip is nice though. Hopefully you'll get more replies on WUS. I searched a bit but couldn't really find anything decent outside of the suggestions so far. Here's a "Google Shopping ($200-$600) rectangular men's watch" search; you might scroll through that. There are some Armanis as the WUS poster wrote. I don't know anything about those watches though. Also "Google Images rectangular men's watch", since "doctor's watch" only shows the vintage classics.

I take it you have seen this one then? http://www.seiyajapan.com/product/S-AAAA101/ALBA-Automatic-Watch-RIKI-WATANABE-AAAA101.html

I've always liked that watch.

I like the aesthetics, but if you look at the wrist shot on the orient website, the case looks absolutely massive.

Wow, the differences between the ad shot and the wrist shot of that watch are startling. It really looks terrible on the wrist.

 

[khoveraki]

I love that this thread went from >$1k watches to nice looking casual cheap watches.


My favorite cheaper watch brand by far is Skagen. They're low-profile so they don't get too beat up, and they look sharp enough. They also are pretty cool in the summer.




The band on the blue-faced one is certainly weird, I've never seen it in stores. The similar faced watch like that usually has a braided titanium brand.

 

[Mr.K]

Picked up an Alpha Day/Date to give me something new to have, since I am still adding funds to my Daytona fund. I should have never sold the first one. The Alpha watches are not bad, mostly homage watches of other Swiss watches. I put it on an oyster, since I am not happy with the fit of the band it came on.

 

[t2russo]

A college student's daily driver:

 

[DaveZ]



Any suggestions for something with a plain white dial under $200 (maybe 250 at most).

Can't seem to find anything that isn't super cheap like a Parnis. Orients are too busy. Can't find a Seiko 5 that I like with a white dial.

Thanks!

I take it you have seen this one then?

http://www.seiyajapan.com/product/S-AAAA101/ALBA-Automatic-Watch-RIKI-WATANABE-AAAA101.html

I have seen that watch but I don't really like it very much.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Achilles_]



I have seen that watch but I don't really like it very much.

Any other suggestions?

Metal band or leather band?

 

[cioni2k]



Thank you! It looks really good. I'm gonna get mine soon. Was the box well padded when delivered? And could you please take a picture of the watch on your wrist so I can have a good judgement of how big the watch is. I've got pretty skinny wrist.

Hi gentlemen,

I couldn't resist the temptation to get one of those Daniel Wellington watches posted here some days ago. So I ordered one and I received it this morning. I have had it only for few hours now, so I can't comment with deep knowledge. But so far I'm happy with it as it has very nice pros. It's very lightweight. You barely notice when wearing it. The nato strap seems hard so I guess it will last. The crown is big, not huge but big (40mm, so in the limit for my taste and small wrists). That means it's very easy to read. I'm in general not very fan of golden plated watches nor anything golden for that matter, but the color of the watch is in the pinkish side of gold, so it' s actually very nice. So far the watch seems a very good option for the buck.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Here's my review of the DW watch. Got mine, and finally go ta chance to try it out. I'm a fan, but I'm not blown away. I'm no watch snob by any means but I like to think I know a thing or two about quality and have an appreciation for watches. Anyways, the watch ships fast (3-4 business days from Sweden) and they have very good contact through email. Comes packaged in very very minimal packaging (small white box with foam padding and a tiny instructions printout). Not to be considered a con in any way, what would you expect for that price.

The watch is definitely a quartz, although there is no moving second hand, so that tends to be not as noticeable. I can't comment on how accurate it keeps time, and frankly I'm not interested at this price range. The quality is pretty good, no cheap sounding rattles. The watch is super light and very thin, but wears surprisingly well on a small wrist since there's not much border on the dial. My one pet peeve is that the NATO bands have silver hardware/metal loops, while the watch itself is rose gold, which.. again, can't really be considered much of a flaw of the watch as that's pretty run-of-the-mill NATO and to be expected. Are there any NATO bands w/ gold or rose gold loops/hardware?

All in all I'd say its a welcome addition to my quickly growing sub-$1000 watch collection. For the money, it looks nice and seems to perform well.

Lastly, I'm looking to throw this on a thin dark brown leather band somewhere in the range of $50-$100. Anyone have any ideas? I was thinking Ostrich, but I need a SHORT length and that really narrows down my options. I would do alligator, but I don't want to spend more than the watch is worth. If someone could point me in the right direction (much like that Skagen previously posted ) that would be great.

If anyone has any questions about the watch, please ask

 

[otc]



;

I know its an older post...but I just wanted to say that you can put a nato style band on this. (or any other watch with screw terminals) First, buy a band of the right wi and cut it in to two pieces so that each "arm" is about the right length (if the watch is about 2" across, you would cut the band and then cut 2" of material off). To prevent unraveling, clamp the end into something metal (in a vice or just between two pieces of metal) so that it is either flush with the end or has just the tiniest bit sticking out (like 1mm). Use a lighter or other heat source to melt the end of the band down without actually burning it. The clamped metal will keep it straight and prevent curling/bulging. Then just unscrew the leather strap and screw your new nato-like band into place.

 

[justinsmnz]



You picture "inspired" me. Mine arrived yesterday. The mesh band though is completely useless as the length adjustment on the clasp is basically welded closed. I haven't been able to open it no matter how much force i apply. Did you have this problem?

What kind of strap is that in your picture?

Yeah, the mesh band is just absurdly hard to adjust. I've bent a few of the thin metal rods trying to open the size-adjustment clamp.

The strap is the picture was a random Ebay purchase. I've been trying to find one in a 20mm for my Skagens, but haven't had any success.

 

[cbfn]

It's suggested to use a Dremel when shortening a mesh band.

 

[caseyfud]



I appreciate the suggestion, but I was looking for something more rectangular in regards to the case shape. I guess I should have clarified that I wasn't just looking for non-round cased watches. Once again, thanks for the suggestion though.

Here's another try on the rectangular watch:

 

[boogaboogabooga]



Here's another try on the rectangular watch:

I like it. But still, in terms of proportion and decoration I still prefer the Lip. Ideally, a well built replica of that vintage Rolex Prince would be amazing but that ****... is never going to happen.

 

[Tailored Watch]

Nice. When I saw that you were after a budget prince the Lips were the first thing that came to mind.

 

[caseyfud]



I like it. But still, in terms of proportion and decoration I still prefer the Lip. Ideally, a well built replica of that vintage Rolex Prince would be amazing but that ****... is never going to happen.

alright, one more try on the rectangle watch thing. I found a few vintage ones browsing the net today