Happy Holidays!

[THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED.  I WAS MISLEAD ABOUT THE NATURE OF THIS WATCH.  IT IS NOT AN AUTOMATIC.  IT IS NOT A WIND-UP.  IT IS A QUARTZ WATCH WITH DECORATIVE MECHANISMS.  But, it is still beautiful . . . ]

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!  I'll preview one of the new watches that I got for Christmas.  It's a new Elgin Automatic Watch with a partially skeletonized front and exhibition caseback.  It's sold at Sears and is very affordable compared to many watches on the market today.
 

 The Christmas Card in the background is a very nice one from Hallmark sent by my Aunt and Uncle.  It certainly sets a nice Christmas tone.  Have a wonderful Holiday!

Introducing the Modify Watches Mini!

A Modify watch

An upstart watch company called Modify Watches contacted me and offered to send me a free watch.  Since free is good, a couple of e-mails led to the arrival of this very cool watch and two interchangeable bands last week. 

The watch pictured is the Modify Mini.  The watch face is an inexpensive, self-contained, unit with a Japanese movement that can easily be removed from the band and placed into another band.  The bands are made of a very comfortable velvety rubber and come any many hip colors.  If you stretch the band, you can pop the watch face out and put it into another watch.  Changing the look of a Modify Watch is much, much, easier than conventional watch bands. 

The collection comes in two sizes - Mini and Classic.  If you check out the Modify Watches website, you might wonder how big the watches are.  The Mini is about the size of a regular wrist watch and the Classic is a big watch that would make any hip-hop artist proud.  The classic would probably look great with a Flavor Flav style alarm clock around your neck!  Indeed, the company describes all of these watches as "Dope!"  Here is my Mini pictured with a considerably more uptight Timex Weekender for comparison purposes.  The second Modify watch band is underneath the two watches.

A Timex Weekender and a Modify Watch side-by-side for comparison

Modify Watches offers a fresh approach to the wrist watch.  It would be very easy to develop a collection of expressive interchangeable faces and colorful bands.  At this writing, there are 12 Mini Watch faces and 13 band colors.  The watch faces start at only $25 and the watch bands start at only $15.  These fun watches won't break a tight budget and won't be mugger bait if you are out at night.

[As of 2024, it looks like the Modify Watches brand has been bought out by Custom Ink and it has certainly been deemphasized on their website.]

A New Relic Watch

If you are looking for nice quartz watches that are good values for the price, check out Fossil's Relic brand watches.  They sell at department stores like JC Penney and Kohls. I like this Relic brand watch because it has a simple and readable face and the flat stainless steel finish.  This model is called the Relic Detroit.

A Relic Detroit Watch

Overall, Relic offers a very good value for the money.  There are a wide variety of Relic-brand watches available here on Amazon.

A Nice Instrument Panel Watch for the Masses

I know I said I'd make a million dollars and buy a Bell & Ross watch, but in the meantime I found this Structure watch from Sears.  Pretty cool and priced for the rest of us.

A Structure Instrument Panel Watch from Sears

Of course, if you've got style and class, you could spring for a real Bell & Ross watch:

A Cool Structure Brand Watch from Sears

You might be surprised, but Sears has a great selection of affordable watches.  Structure watches are only $29.99 and look very, very good.  This ana-digital watch makes an affordable Christmas gift and looks great.

 This watch is also available in black and red.  Structure watches tend to be "on trend" and sometimes draw inspiration from well known watches.  I love this $30 alternative to Bell & Ross.

This Structure watch had a periscope or artificial horizon theme, but had a strange case and a white strap so I returned it.  It was an innovative design.

I simply prefer classic designs most of the time.  For example, this watch captures the timeless elements of a great dive watch.

Finally, I recently added this cool diver-style watch from Structure to my collection.  It's not Russian and it's not a dive watch.  But, it looks cool!

Check out my full review of this watch here:

Wristwatch Review:  Structure Analog Diver-Style Watch

Sometimes it's not the brand ... a watch I won!

Sometimes it's not the brand that makes a watch cool.  Sometimes, it's the circumstances that brought you the watch that make a watch cool.  For example, I recently got this Riviera-brand Women's Quartz Watch.  Sure, it's cheap and it's made in China.

But, this watch is very cool because I won it at Dave & Busters.  It was in a "Claw Machine" and I grabbed it on my very first try.

It's the first time I've ever managed to win something with a claw machine.  With three gripper claws, I'm pretty sure that the odds were stacked against me.

I wonder if my wife will wear it with pride once I replace the band with one that actually fits?  This cheap little watch is definitely one of the coolest in our house now.  Why?  Because it represents -  Victory!

Watch Gift Ideas for Black Friday

Happy Thanksgiving!  Now that everyone is stuffed from Thanksgiving Dinner, it's time to make plans for the biggest shopping day of the year.  Black Friday is when Americans beat down the doors of their local big box retailers and start buying Christmas gifts with gusto.  Naturally, wrist watches make fine gifts!

If you are thinking about shopping online, I invite you to check out some of the advertisements on this blog:  Bulova Box, Casio Corner, Timex Timeout, and the Watch Slides.  I've built these areas with links to good affordable watches from Amazon a respected retailer.  Except for the Bulovas and some of the watches in the slides, I own many of these watches and you may find my reviews in links from this blog.

If you are looking to save money this Christmas, check out this article on watches that fit low budgets:

Seven Great Men's Watches for Less Than $30 

Watches at Walmart - circa 2011

Good luck and Happy Watch Hunting!

[Even returning to this post in 2024, I'm glad to say that Walmart still has plenty of interesting looking cheap watches.  Most of them are still priced below $20.00.  If you pop over to Amazon, this link has a search for men's watches under $30.  You'll find plenty of names like Casio, Armitron, and Timex with watches in that range.  Many Chinese brands offer additional watches for less as well.  The hunt continues.]

Affordable Style and Class in a Dress Watch from Armitron!

Every guy has to dress up from time to time.  You need a good watch for date night, job interviews, weddings, church, and special events.  I've got many wristwatches to choose from in my watchbox, but one of my most elegant is an inexpensive watch from Armitron.

In this era of televised watches on the shopping channels, this understated Armitron is tasteful and affordable.

[Believe it or not, you can still find Armitron watches with a similar design to this one in 2024.  Check out the Armitron Men's Diamond Dial Bracelet Watch on Amazon.  It offers a somewhat updated look in a very familiar pattern.]

My Dream Watch: Bell and Ross (BR01-94)

My dream watch is from Bell & Ross.  It has a unique squared off look and a design inspired by aircraft instrument panels.  They retail from $3500 or so and up.

This Bell & Ross watch (model BR01-94) picture came from Wikimedia Commons and was contributed by Rama under the Creative Commons License.

I've been plotting and planning on how to get one.  If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford a real Bell & Ross, go for the gusto. For now, I make due with an instrument panel imitator from Mossimo.  It sells for about $20 at Target.

Are you Iron Man? Here's your watch: Timex Ironman (T5K4139J)

If you are planning to start working out, jogging, and getting fit, you might check out the Timex Ironman Digital watch.  It's a watch that looks good in any setting and has plenty of good stopwatch functionality.  This one is a Timex Men's Ironman Triathlon 30-lap Oversize Digital Watch (T5K4139J).

 

This might make a good Christmas gift for that jogger on your list!  If you'd like to read a full review, check my review of the Timex Ironman Triathlon 30-lap Oversize Digital Watch here.

A Nice Watch from Hong Kong: Lafayette Watch Company

Hong Kong has long been known as the place to get inexpensive watches.  The watchmakers there can make watches worthy of any price point.  One well-known Hong Kong watchmaker is the Lafayette Watch Company.  I have one of their watches.  It has a plain white face with simple black numerals and simple cursive script proclaiming the company name in classic style.  The quartz timepiece is powered by a Japanese movement.  It has a stainless steel back and at least some degree of water resistance.  In many ways, this watch reminds me of my Pulsar.  The only aspect of this watch that I'm not enamored with is the red bezel.

A Lafayette Watch Company Watch

The Casio Edifice from Walmart

The Casio Edifice line is comprised of the most advanced Casio analog watches.  It's the elite and the vanguard of Casio efforts to break into the high end wristwatch market.  I was quite surprised to find an Edifice model in my local Walmart.  It was the EF305-1AV model.  It's not an advanced, high tech, model.  But, it does have very cool looking subdials, the Edifice name, a stainless steel case, and best of all a Walmart price!

You can read my complete review below:

Casio Edifice (Model EF305-1AV) Analog Watch with Subdials

Wristwatch Review: Men's Casio Edifice (Model EF305-1AV)Analog Watch with Subdials

A Premium Casio Men's Multi-Function Watch Plucked from the Shelves of Walmart 

The Casio Edifice line of watches represents some of the top watches from Casio. This review covers an attractive watch that snuck into Walmart with the Casio Edifice label. Subdials and sophistication are high on the list of any watch enthusiast. Even those of us on tight budgets love a sophisticated watch. When I spotted a Casio Edifice watch at Walmart for less than $40, I had to snatch it up. The watch offered a black face, a sleek stainless steel case with water resistance to 100 meters; analog subdials for the date, 24-hour clock, and day of the week; a mineral crystal, and a generously-sized black resin band. This Casio watch simply offered a combination of sleek styling, solid construction, technology, and straightforward functionality. It was undoubtedly a man's watch. When I got home, I had a chance to ponder my purchase for a little longer. Like many watches, the Casio Edifice (Model EF305-1AV) has a Japanese quartz movement that was cased in a Chinese factory. The watch design seemed well balanced. While it has subdials, the watch design is not fussy. This Casio Edifice has luminous hash marks on each hour and luminous hands for the hours, minutes, and subdials. These features make the watch plainly readable for telling time in casual use or low-light conditions. Some of the features remind me of other favorites in my watch collection. For example, the plain stainless steel bezel reminds me of the Pulsar dress watch that I love for job interviews and the resin band reminds me of the band on my Caravelle by Bulova Divers-style Watch. This Casio Edifice watch is also well proportioned.

While the trend in mechanical watches tends towards large and clunky, the case of this quartz movement Casio is approximately 40 millimeters in diameter and about 8 to 10 millimeters thick. The Casio Edifice should comfortably fit beneath the cuff of a dress shirt. The buckle seems substantial enough to avoid damage and the band offers plenty of potential sizes. Compared to my Casio HD-series watch, the band and buckle are of higher quality. On this Casio Edifice, the buckle is all metal. It's rare to find a stainless steel watch with components and design of this quality within a $40 budget.

However, no bargain watch is perfect. The most serious criticism of this Casio Edifice is that the subdial numbers are very difficult to read. This makes this affordable watch a little tough to set accurately. A second serious criticism is that this watch is estimated to have a two-year battery life. Since it was ticking on the Walmart shelf, I have no idea how much quality time I'll actually get with this nice looking watch. Finally, despite the Edifice name, this watch doesn't have any of the high tech features of the rest of the Casio Edifice watch line up. Depending on which high end watch you buy, the more expensive Casio Edifice watches have more advanced technical features like solar power, 1/1000th of second analog stopwatches, "Multi Band self-adjusting atomic timekeeping," and multi-mission drives which can power five separate watch motors. Despite the Edifice name on the face, this watch is not listed in the Edifice line up on the Casio web site. Like a secret half-brother, this watch is only admitted into the family when you do a deliberate search for Model EF305-1A.

Of course, on Amazon, some of the high end Casio Edifice watches cost over six times the price of this bargain model. At less than $40, this Casio Edifice is simply one of the nicest watches that you can buy on a Walmart watch budget. If you are looking to squeeze a nice watch into a tight Christmas gift budget, this bargain watch looks nice and is only half the price of some of the higher end Casio watches at Walmart. With a sleek stainless steel case, functional subdials, and a quality band, the Casio Edifice (Model EF305-1AV) Multi-Function Men's Watch is one any man can be proud to wear.

Another Rumours Watch

I have another Rumours watch in my watch collection.  It's a simple, diver-style, casual watch with a rotating bezel.  I think the watch is off late 80s or early 90s vintage.  It doesn't look like a million dollars and it doesn't look like something from Tag Heuer or Rolex.  But, this Rumours watch does look like an honest, affordable, and attractively styled time piece.

A Rumours Quartz Diver-Style Watch

Waiting for a train? Try a pocket watch!

If you find yourself waiting for a train, a gun fight at high noon, or a hypnosis patient, you might want to try a pocket watch.  I got this one from Walmart for $12.88 each.

A Walmart Pocket Watch

[Over the years, I have often seen very inexpensive pocket watches with various themes: Star Wars, Railroads, etc. But, sometimes on Amazon, you do stumble upon a pocket watch that reminds you of finer things and times gone by.  For example, in 2024, I saw this Bulova Ashton Pocket Watch on Amazon and it comes with a very nice wooden display case.  It's definitely a timepiece to be proud of.]

A Fine Bulova Ashton Pocket Watch

How do you store your watches?

My world is overflowing with watches.  Since I collect inexpensive, dare I say, cheap wristwatches, they tend to accumulate.  However, even a cheap wristwatch has to live somewhere.  Otherwise, you just end up with a huge and almost out-of-control pile of watches.  Right now, I keep most of my watches in two dedicated watch cases.  I use the Joan Rivers watch box.  It stores quite a few normal to small-sized watches.

Joan Rivers Watch Box

Calling all Mall Ninjas!

You know you like the manly, man, style of tactical gear.  But, since you aren't actually on a SWAT team, you can save a lot of money by paying the practical price instead of the tactical price.  I got this tactical style watch from Walmart for only $10!  It's an awesome bargain and a great watch to boot!

Thinking about a high end watch? Think American! Think Towson Watch Company

One day all your credit cards will be vanquished.  One day your Powerball numbers might get called.  On that day, you might be able to consider a really high end wristwatch.  If you ever find yourself in that market, you might try looking to an unusual source:  America!

Companies like the Towson Watch Company proudly make premium watches in the U.S.A.!  When the "behind the music" years end, I am so there .  .  .

An Elgin Watch Blog

Just because we enjoy and wear cheap . . . er . . . affordable watches, doesn't mean we can't appreciate fine craftsmanship and the vintage watches of yesteryear.  Today, Elgin is a brand of Chinese-made watches sold in stores like Walmart. 

But, once upon a time, Elgin watches were fine American timepieces.  I've been dropping in on a blog about restoring and repairing antique Elgin watches.  It's definitely worth a visit:  Jeff's Elgin Time Watch Blog.  While vintage Elgin watches can be a little expensive, ebay has many at prices less than $100.

Lorus Watches: A Seiko by another name?

If you are looking for a nice, low cost, wristwatch, you might try Lorus.  Lorus is a Seiko brand that makes cool watches and sells them at affordable prices.  Here's a picture:

This watch is attractively styled and an excellent value!  However, I don't see many retailers in the U.S. carrying Lorus watches lately.  According to the Lorus website, they are sold in Canada, Europe, and other non-U.S. markets.

A Mysterious Watch From Pembrooke

I've had this watch for many years.  It is labeled as being a "Pembrooke" watch.  I probably bought it the Value City close out store.  It's a very comfortable watch to wear because it has a small clasp that feels just like the rest of the watch band.

After a recent battery change, the watch is running well and makes a great no-nonsense watch for work!

Casio Analog Watch with 10 Year Battery

Fortunately for those of us who are battery-change challenged, Casio has a lot of watches with ten year batteries!  That's awesome!  Ten years is a long time to go without the hassle of changing a battery.  One of my first 10-year battery watches is just this basic analog wristwatch.  

Casio Men's Analog Watch with 10 year battery

If you are interested in this watch, it is available in 2024 on Amazon as the Casio MTP-3050D-2AV Classic Men's Stainless Steel Dress watch with 10-year battery.  A decade without changing a battery has a style of its own.

My latest Casio in HD

Casio has an affordable series of watches with a full decade of battery life.  The Casio HD series looks great and is a comfortable bang-around watch.  The coolest thing is the price - it was less than $20 at Walmart!

The Casio HD

You can read my complete review of the Casio HD here!

Is this sign short for Sproing!

I saw this sign posted at the watch counter at Walmart.  I really love my CASIO watches.  But, definitely, let this sign be a warning to all ye who might open a CASIO!

A sign about the complexity of Casio Battery Changes

"Due to the technical nature of some of our watches, it is very important that the battery is replaced by a certified CASIO technician.  The CASIO technician will insure that your watch retains its original water-resistance specifications."  The sign adds, "For battery changes on G-Shock models, Databank models, and models with 100M and above water resistance, please ask for a CASIO service mailer."  Due to the complexity of battery changes, I'm glad to see CASIO going to more and more 10 year batteries!

A Big Watch from MZ Berger and Walmart

I like big watches and I cannot lie! Big watch faces are in!  Big watches grab your attention and hold it.  They are also easy to read and visible from afar.  They aren't right for everyone.  However, I'm a big guy and they look perfectly scaled to my wrists.  This big ana-digital watch was made by MZ Berger for Walmart and it looks great.  Since it was only $12, it definitely fit my budget!  It was meant to be!

If you have metal allergies, you might note that the wristband for this watch fits completely between the watch and your wrist!

A Big Digital Watch from Mossimo

It's hard to pass by the watch department at Target or Walmart.  They always have interesting, but inexpensive, watches.  On a recent trip, this big Mossimo digital watch caught my eye and my wife insisted that I get it.  Since it was only $20, I obliged and it has turned out to be a great watch. 

Psssst.... check out Watches at Walmart!

Watch enthusiasts tend to look far and wide for their latest timepieces.  However, they could save a lot of money if they just went to Walmart.  A whole wide world of watches awaits with prices as low as $7.  Most sell for about $12.88. 

The Watch Shelf at Walmart

Name brand watches from Casio, Timex, Carriage, Armitron, and Elgin are also available.  Most are very reasonably priced.  For example, one alternative to Casio's expensive G-shock models might be this simple, but colorful, digital model for only $14.24.

A Bright Blue Casio Digital Watch

Of course, if you like the Walmart price on this inexpensive Casio watch, you'll really love this low price for the same watch on Amazon!

A Cheap Watch from Gruen that Intrigued Me

Recently, a cheap line of watches caught my eye at my local Kohl's Department store.  They are called "Precision by Gruen" and they retail for about $30.  Long ago, Gruen used to be a respected American watchmaker.  However, they are now a brand name for watches imported from China.  However, they have one diver's style watch that has a working, rotatable, bezel.  Since I'm a sucker for rotating bezels, I had to buy it.  Rotating bezels are useful for measuring elapsed time on analog diver-style watches.  Since Kohl's regularly runs good sales, I was able to pick up a "Precision by Gruen" watch for about $21.  These watches look like good competitors for entry-level Casio, Timex, and store-brand watches.

A Precision by Gruen Watch from Kohl's

In the Army now . . . the Swiss Army!

If you are in a martial mood, you might check out a Swiss Army watch.  I received this Wenger Swiss Army watch many years ago as a gift and it's really neat to have a watch that's actually made in Switzerland.  This watch has a quartz movement.  If you like wristwatches from a particular company, but can't afford an expensive automatic watch, you might consider a quartz watch from the same company.   If you'd like a Wenger Watch of your own wing on over to the Wenger Watch listings on Amazon.

A Wenger Swiss Army Watch

The Expendible Timex Expedition

If it takes a licking, just get another one. . .

Every once in a while, a dude has to go on an adventure. It means stepping away from the keyboard, putting down the game controller, and actually going outside into the elements. Out there, you're going to need an adventurous watch. There are two schools of thinking about adventurous watches. Some people want an expensive multi-function watch that can do everything. Others might want a cheap almost disposable watch that can easily be replaced. 

One such cheap adventurer's watch might be the basic analog Timex Expedition Camper watch. It looks tactical, but it's got a black fabric band and a plastic case in its least expensive version. It keeps time well though and can be had for just over $20. It has macho looks and a Timex indiglo backlighting system, but is dirt cheap in its most basic form.

[For a slightly more modern rendition of this classic watch, check out this Timex Camper watch on Amazon.

Another Great Watch for the Woods from Casio: The Casio Forester

The Casio Forester is a great watch for outdoor activities.  It has a rugged, nylon and velcro band, and a tough plastic case.  If damaged, the Casio Forester is cheap enough to replace.  It has military colors.  Overall, it's a great bang-around watch for weekend wear.

You can read my complete review here:

Wristwatch Review:  Casio Forester Men's Analog Watch

Hitting the trail with a Casio Forester

If you'd like to snag a Casio Forester from Amazon, simple click this link:  Casio Forester on Amazon.

Welcome to the Jungle! Casio has your watch!

Are you an outdoorsman?  Do you explore the woods, the fields, and the jungles?  The Casio Pathfinder Hunting Timer can tell you the best times to fish and phase of the moon.  Plus, it has a camouflaged band to help you blend in!  My complete review is published here:

Wristwatch Review:  Casio Pathfinder Hunting Timer Digital Watch

Here is my Casio Pathfinder and Mothra--a typical Florida-sized bug!!!

An Automatic Watch from a Surprising Place: Walmart

A diver-style automatic watch has long been my primary objective as a watch lover.  No wristwatch has quite has the style and panache of a mechanical Rolex.  The automatic movement has long been set forth as an engineering achievement.  Unfortunately, names like Rolex and Tag Heuer have long been out of my household budget.  Yet, I have a beautiful automatic watch with a visible movement and the traditional masculine style of a diver's watch.  Even better, I spent less than $50.  What can I say?  Thanks Walmart!

An Automatic Skeleton Watch from Walmart

[Update:  Since I first posted about this amazing Walmart automatic watch, skeleton automatic watches from Asia have become commonplace.  At times, off-brand automatic skeleton watches have been available for less than $30.  As for this $50 Walmart watch, I always wondered if the retail giant brought it to market just to place pressure on Armitron to sell at even lower price points.  Perhaps we'll never know, but check out this Armitron watch on Amazon.  It surely makes you wonder.]

Are you ready for football season?

It's finally football season again!  This year the Florida Gators are taking the field with a new coach.  Their first opponent will be Florida Atlantic University.  I'll be showing my support with this Gametime Agent Series Team Watch.  It's got the Gator logo front and center.  Of course, if you support another team, you'll have to get one for your team.  Of course, Georgia fans might be out of the luck.  These are analog watches and I don't think they make a digital version.

You can read a complete review here on this blog:

Wristwatch Review: The GameTime Agent Series Team Watch

By the way, it's great to be a Florida Gator!  I hope the team is off to a great season.

[Update:  As of 1/6/2024, I no longer see Gametime watches on Amazon.  However, the site has many affordable Gator and other NCAA team watches here under the Suntime Watch brand.] 

Great Online Communities for Watch Collectors

As I've been exploring the world of watches in cyberspace, I've been lucky to come across some interesting on-line communities for watch collectors.  Here's one that I really enjoy:  WatchFreeks.  This forum offers discussions of a wide variety of wristwatches and lots of pictures.  It's always fun to see what people are wearing.

Part of My Watch Collection (in 2011)

Store Brand Watches: Ma-Ma-Ma My Merona from Target!

In this era of Far Eastern commodity manufacturing, you can sometimes get amazingly attractive products for incredibly low prices.  My Merona watch from Target is an excellent example of a good product for a very low price.  It's a simple, but incredibly sharp looking, watch that costs $15 or less.

A Merona Wristwatch from Target

How do you manage all that time?

You know what time it is!  You've got the wristwatches!  But, how do you make the most of your time?  How do your reclaim the wasted moments in your day?

One thing I do is write down my goals for the day and check them off.

[I barely have time to manage this blog.  I should probably read this book I found on Amazon:  15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management.]

The Face of a Grandfather Clock

Off Brands on Point: Rumours Quartz Watch

Some of my favorite watches are from off-brands that sell at Department Stores.  For example, my Rumours watch (below) has a very cool monochromatic look.  I bought the watch over a decade ago in a department store.  But, I recently popped in a new battery and it runs great.  When it comes to quartz movement watches, sometimes all you need is a fresh battery.  This watch wasn't expensive, but everytime I wear it, I remember why I bought it.

Vintage Rumours Quartz Watch

If you are looking for a watch battery, there are about 7000 watch battery listings on Amazon.

All-White Mossimo Watch from Target.

I can't get into the all-white watch look at all.  To me, an all-white watch would make a guy look like Liberace.  Of course, if the guy had a piano and lots of diamonds, I guess an all-white watch could be an alright watch.  At any rate, here is an all-white watch from Mossimo.  In some ways, it looks like a very high end, ceramic, watch.  It's an interesting design alternative for only $20 at Target.

[Update:  Looking back from 2024, I can't believe that all-white watches are still a thing.  Don't believe me?  Check out this watch from MVMT on Amazon.]