Watch Wearing Wednesday: George Watch with Tachymeter Markings

Today, I'm wearing a George Watch with Tachymeter markings and a vegan leather strap.  I sure am  sorry about all the vegans, but they do make for a nice, comfortable, watch band.  All jokes aside, it's was an outstanding good value for only $10.98.

George Watch from Walmart with Tachymeter Markings.

This watch was supplied by the E. Gluck Corporation - one of the largest private label quartz watch manufacturers in the world.  They also own the Armitron and Torgoen watch brands.  It's a great bang around watch for everyday wear.

Watches A to Z: Elgin

If you are into collecting watches, one brand you may have heard of is Elgin. The Elgin National Watch Company was originally founded in Elgin Illinois back in 1864 and operated up until 1968.  You'll see watches from them under the names Elgin, Lady Elgin, and Lord Elgin.

Vintage Elgin Manual Wind Watch - photo by Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Elgin watch company moved its manufacturing from Illinois to South Carolina in 1963.  However, all US manufacturing was stopped in 1968 and the Elgin brand was sold.  The brand passed through many hands and was ultimately purchased by MZ Berger.  Elgin watches made after 1968 are not related to the original Elgin watch company and have little collector value.  For example, since the first quartz watch was unveiled by Seiko in 1969, this attractive women's Elgin watch that I came across in a thrift store, has no real collector value.

A modern Elgin quartz watch for women

Elgin is pretty well known for pocket watches and you can often find nice examples posted on online auction sites for reasonable prices.  Several websites cover the topic of Elgin watch collecting.

A Key-Wound Coin Silver Vintage Elgin Pocket Watch
(photo by Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

One caveat to the "no collector value" label on modern post-Elgin Elgin watches is that you may still find watches with the Elgin label that are attractive and priced affordably.  For example, I really liked the look of this quasi-mechanical quartz Elgin watch that I bought a few years ago in a department store.

With all the Swiss brands that have been revived under new owners or that have been captured by non-Swiss owners, there's no reason that MZ Berger can't capitalize on their ownership of the Elgin brand and even revive it in modern times. If you like a modern Elgin watch, there is no reason not to buy it.  Companies like MZ Berger make plenty of fashion watches sold under a variety of brand names.  As of 2024, modern Elgin watches are available here on Amazon.  Some are marketed purely under the Elgin label and others under the Elgin by Accutime.  This blinged out Elgin Reserve by Accutime watch is very reasonably priced here on Amazon.

As far as the internet knows, MZ Berger still owns the Elgin brand. While some of the watches are a little "blingy," others are quite attractive. In an era where many dead Swiss brands are being revived, I think it's kind of cool that an American name in watches  continues on. You can find Elgin watches on Amazon here.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Timex Easy Reader

Have you wondered what kind of watch the millionaire next door wears? Odds are it's something like the Timex Easy Reader.  It might not be the flashy watch you think.  The millionaire next door might be the guy with the pickup truck or the small fleet of workman's vans.  That guy might be focused on value and functionality.  The Timex Easy Reader delivers that in spades.

The Timex Easy Reader in front of a Rolls-Royce

This watch is special to me because it once belonged to my late father.  It actually makes a great father's day watch.  I outline the reasons why in this article.

Sharp Watch Shout Out: Frederique Constant Slimline Automatic Blue Dial Men's Watch

All the Alibaba watch specials in the world can't provide one thing: mystique. There is something special about the long tradition of Swiss watch making that is special. It's like the spark of humanity. It's also about wearing something that connects you to all that tradition and craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the mystique of a genuine Swiss mechanical watch usually comes with a price tag that keeps the watches off of most wrists. Fortunately, every once in awhile, I stumble across a watch or a brand that might be priced within the range of our dreams.  One such recent discovery on Amazon is the Frederique Constant brand. I like the Frederique Constant Slimline Automatic Blue Dial Men's Watch,

Frederique Constant Slimline Automatic Blue Dial Men's Watch (Amazon photo)

With an open heart to provide a glimpse of the watches mechanical movement and a exhibition caseback, the Frederique Constant Slimline Automatic is beautiful inside and out. Frederique Constant has pioneered the use of carbon-coated silicone parts in their movements. That's why they get the sharp watch shout out! 

Frederique Constant Slimline Automatic Movement (Amazon Photo)

Frederique Constant is one of three Swiss brands that was recently acquired by Citizen, but design and manufacturing is still done in Geneva, Switzerland.  While the Slimline Blue Dial retails for just over $1000, they offer a variety of automatic and quartz movements.  A slimline quartz model is available on Amazon for less than $400.

Frederique Constant 39mm Slimline Men's Quartz Watch (Amazon photo)

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Bulova Precisionist

Maybe the reason my Bulova Precisionist looks so fast is that it has a high precision quartz movement that vibrates at a frequency of 262 khz-eight times faster than a conventional quartz watch?  Maybe the reason it looks so fast is that I took a photo of it next to a Ferrari?  Who is to say?  But, it's a good looking watch. 

Bulova Precisionist

Here are a few more photos so that you can see different aspects of this affordable beauty.  This series of watch photos show the dial, caseback, leather strap, and buckle details. 

The Bulova Precisionist at a Sandwich Shop

The caseback of the Bulova Precisionist showing details and the strap

 A close up of the Bulova Watch Strap

Genuine Leather and 22mm Marking

Back in 2015, Bulova decided that they were going to remove the tuning fork logo from the face of many of their watches.  I was kind of bummed at the time per my post:  "Where has the Bulova Tuning Fork gone?"  True to their word, the tuning fork logo was gone from the dial of this Precisionist.  But, they managed to work it on the strap buckle, caseback, and crown.  That's enough to make me happy.

The famed Bulova Tuning Fork Logo on the Buckle

If you'd like to read a full review of this great watch, check it out here. If you like to buy a Bulova Precisionist, you are in luck because Amazon has them here:  Bulova Men's Precisionist (96B158).

Wristwatch Review: Naviforce Men's Quartz Sport Watch

Watchmakers from China are challenging established watch brands from around the world with stylish offerings at low prices.  One such watch brand is Naviforce. The watch listed on Amazon is labeled as "NAVIFORCE Sport Watches for Men Leather Band Waterproof Quartz Analog Wristwatch Easy to Read with Auto Date." Plain and simply:  this watch is a nice looking take on the field watch genre.

NAVIFORCE Quartz Sport Watch

NAVIFORCE Watch Design

This watch design is squarely aimed at the adventurous field watch look. I think it nails the aesthetic perfectly. The black case, the military-style digital font of the 2, 4, 8, and 10 and the other hour batons, and the arrow pointing to the day of the week, combine for a militaristic field watch look. The strap is a perfect shade of brown suggesting that adventures have been had and more are to come.  It's also comfortable, attractively branded with the NAVIFORCE logo, and generously sized.  

NAVIFORCE Quartz Sport Watch with Day and Date Indicators

NAVIFORCE Watch Dimensions

The NAVIFORCE Quartz Sport Watch is well proportioned for daily wear at 46mm in diameter and is a manageable 11.5mm thick.  The lugs are 24mm and the strap tapers subtly to 22mm.

NAVIFORCE Watch Construction

This NAVIFORCE Quartz Sports watch does not feel cheap. It has a stainless steel caseback, a zinc alloy case, a leather strap, and a mineral glass crystal. For daily wear in normal conditions, it's perfect. However, it only offers 30 meters of water resistance and the manual warns not to submerge the crown. That falls a little short of the expectations for a field watch.  In fairness to NAVIFORCE, this is clearly a fashion watch.  A few reviewers on Amazon have called out the poor water resistance and I keep mine out of the water. The case seems rugged enough and substantial enough to take a beating, just not a dunking.  Fortunately, my adventures tend to be urban and suburban.

The NAVIFORCE Quartz Sports Watch is best for suburban adventures

NAVIFORCE Price

The NAVIFORCE Quartz Sport Watch is an absolute steal for less than $25 on Amazon.  If you'd like to get one, you can find is here on Amazon:  "NAVIFORCE Sport Watches for Men Leather Band Waterproof Quartz Analog Wristwatch Easy to Read with Auto Date."

NAVIFORCE Overall Impression

The NAVIFORCE Quartz Sport Watch is a rugged-looking, attractively-priced watch, for casual adventures. Unless you really do go on swamp safaris and fishing expeditions where water is a continuous threat, it's perfect for daily wear. I'd definitely give this very affordable watch a look.

TGIF: A New Watch Brand From Germany - Kar Watches

Sometimes the internet can provide behind the scenes glimpses of a great thing getting started. I recently came across a post on X from the social media team at a new German watch brand called Kar. 

The Kar Logo

They were looking for opinions on one of their new watch models. I shared mine.  Now, it turns out that Americans can actually buy Kar watches online from a US English version of their website (https://kar-watches.company.site/).

Kar Watch Series

Kar Value Proposition and Components

The brand offers minimalist German watch designs at reasonable price points.  By reasonable, I mean between $70 and $100 USD depending on the series. Shipping is currently free. These watches are at a great price point for this blog's audience.  Especially since the company offers quality components like 304 Stainless Steel and Japanese Citizen movements for the quartz models.  

Kar Watch Series

Kar currently offers four watch series: Sport, Premium, Deluxe, and Vintage.  

Kar Artemis (from the Kar Sport series)

The Sport watch has a mesh bracelet and a quartz movement. There are three models available silver (Kar Artemis), gold (Kar Aurora), and black (Kar Kreon) and each comes in three case diameters (33mm, 38mm, and 41mm). 

Kar Vintage Terra (from the Kar Vintage series)

The Vintage watch has a genuine leather strap and a quartz movement. There are three models available with each corresponding to a different color strap: brown (Vintage Terra), white (Vintage Ivory), and black (Vintage Eclipse) and again each comes in three case diameters (33mm, 38mm, and 41mm). 

A look at the Kar Deluxe Movement

The Kar Deluxe watch has a high quality automatic movement and a stainless steel case and bracelet.  The Deluxe watch provides presence on the wrist with a 46mm case diameter. Kar watches with automatic movements feature an exhibition caseback. There are three models available silver (Deluxe Platinum), gold (Deluxe Nova), and black (Deluxe Midnight).

Kar Premium Amber

The Premium watch series has a leather strap, an automatic movement, and an exhibition caseback. There are three models available with each corresponding to a different color strap: brown (Premium Amber), white (Premium Pearl), and black (Premium Obsidian). Each premium watch has an gold-toned stainless steel case that is 46mm in diameter.

Get into Kar

It's always exciting to wear a new watch brand with German design and quality components. I would definitely recommend checking them out and giving their website a visit: (https://kar-watches.company.site/).  For the latest developments follow their social media team on X: @KarSocialMedia.