Tuesday, November 29, 2011

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

Friday, November 25, 2011

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!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

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:



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.]

Thursday, November 17, 2011

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.]

Sunday, November 6, 2011

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.

Friday, November 4, 2011

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.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

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