Sunday, April 29, 2012

Alas poor Lorus!

I knew this watch.  I put a new strap on it and, now, I'm wearing it again.  It's a little retro and a lot of no nonsense in a watch.  Plus, it's a Seiko brand.



Too bad they don't market them here in the United States.  It's another one from the back of my watch drawer.


Saturday, April 28, 2012

It's Cheap Time - Acqua Analog Watch with Indiglo

I haven't posted a really inexpensive watch in some time.  So, here's a cheap $14 watch that I found at Walmart.  It's interesting because Acqua is a brand owned by Timex and this watch offers Timex Indiglo technology in the cheapest package ever.  It's a great little watch.  Here's a complete review:



Thursday, April 26, 2012

Watch Review: Vintage Timex Mercury Manual-Wind Watch

As I was rummaging through my watches last week (original post 2012), I came across my 1970s vintage Timex Mercury in its original packaging.  I bought it last year off of ebay in New Old Stock (NOS) condition.  It's a fantastic, manual-wind, watch. 
 
My New-In-Box Timex Mercury Manual Wind Watch

[Update: This article original posted a link to a review I wrote.  My original review was posted on Associated Content which was bought out by Yahoo! Fortunately, they let us retain rights to the articles. Here is that review of the Timex Mercury.]
 
Sometimes ebay offers the chance to step back in time. As a casual watch collector, I was intrigued by a listing for a New, Old Stock, manual-wind, Men's Timex Mercury wristwatch. With so many auctions depending on subjective descriptions of used items, I was excited by the prospect of buying a brand new vintage watch. It was an exciting item to win for $38.95 plus a small shipping fee.

When my Timex Mercury arrived, it was still in its original packaging. Amazingly, the mechanical marvel originally sold for $25.95 sometime back in the late 1970s. As I removed it from it's box, I was struck by the simplicity of the watch. It has a shiny chrome dial, black numerals, and black hands for hours, minutes, and seconds. Since the Timex Mercury predates the huge and clunky watch trend, the face of the watch seems a little small at a sensible 35 millimeters across. The watch is also around 9 millimeters thick. It's a slim watch by today's standards.

Timex Mercury

Like many modern analog watches, the Mercury also provides the day of the week and date in addition to the time. However, setting the day and date is a little cumbersome by modern standards. You have to rotate the crown counterclockwise to nine o'clock and then back towards three repeatedly. It isn't difficult, but I was glad to have the directions. The band is a hybrid of expansion band and strap features. Basically, the band has a metal strap made of expansion band material and a clasp that clicks into the links of the expension band. The band is 20 millimeters wide at the watch and tapers down to 15 millimeters wide. While the band sounds a bit complicated, the Timex Mercury watch is actually very comfortable to wear.

Amazingly, this 1970s-vintage Timex has withstood the test of time and still keeps good time. You simply have to manually wind the watch each day. If you are a collector, playing with a watch is not a hardship. The shiny metallic look, dome-style crystal, and functional design of this Timex watch draw lots of complements. The design is simply timeless. The Timex Mercury was introduced in 1961 for only $8.95. Timex sold huge numbers of these watches during the sixties and seventies. The Mercury name even lived on into the 80s and 90s on quartz watches with Indiglo features. Needless to say, vintage Timex watches are regularly available from ebay, Etsy, and other auction sites at affordable prices.

Overall, this Timex Mercury was a great addition to my watch collection. While high end brands may have more prestige than Timex, nifty, cool, and affordable are adjectives that work well for me!





 

Monday, April 23, 2012

Back of the Drawer Time!

Have you pulled out all your watches lately?  Have you found a few that you haven't worn in a while?  Why aren't you wearing them?  Go get that battery.  Go get that new band.  Try 'em on and wear 'em!  They've been waiting for you!  I just put this old Soviet Submariners watch on a velcro band and made it wearable again.

 What's in the back of your watch drawer?

Monday, April 16, 2012

Reflections on a Rolex Watch

It's shiny, substantial, and perfectly functional.  It's a Rolex Submariner Date Watch.  Of course, it's not mine.  It belongs to a co-worker.  Ever since he got it, I've been checking the iconic luxury watch out from afar and taking mental notes on my observations.  My co-worker's Rolex looks like the one pictured here.

To read more about it, check out my article:  Dream Watches - The Rolex Submariner Date Watch.
Photo: By LuckyLouie at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

If you have the means to buy this legendary watch, then Amazon has your watch and has it for a good price, you can find it here: Amazon Rolex.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Need a Nerd Watch - Check out the Casio Classic Calculator & Calendar Watch

I've built up quite a collection of watches, but I haven't had much nerd watch cred.  Until now...
It's a classic calculator watch from Casio.  That's model CA53W-1 for all the uber-nerds out there.  It's definitely a nerd watch!  But, I'm ready for a math word problem at any time!  Here's my review -

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Thrift Store Clock - Westclox Dialite

I spotted this interesting vintage clock at a local thrift store.  It plugs into the wall, has a very smooth continuous motion second hand, and cost less than $3.  Plus, it was made in the U.S.A.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Rugged "Bang Around" Watches for Men

If you are like me, you need a watch that you can "bang around" with and not worry about too much.  They can't cost too much and they have to look cool.  Fortunately, lots of inexpensive watches fit the bill! These are some of the best inexpensive sport watches. Here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

Timex Ironman Triathlon

You can read my review of the Timex Ironman Triathlon here on this blog.

"Walmart Tactical"

This watch (above) that I dub the Walmart Tactical watch looks every bit as macho as some of the tactical watches that cost big money.  But, I found it at Walmart for an amazing $10.

Casio Forester

The Casio Forester (above) is a classic cheap watch.  It's great for kids or adults--especially if they still climb trees and walk about in the woods.  You can read my full review of the Casio Forester here on this blog.  To buy one for an amazing Amazon price, bang it here.

Timex Expedition Camper

The Timex Expedition Camper is another classic bang around watch.  It has a simple design that is easy to read and reminds me of a military watch.  You'll find many variations on the Timex Camper theme here at Amazon.

Timex Expedition Core Analog

For a larger watch dial and more contemporary style, check out the Timex Expedition Core Analog watch.  For less than $50, there's a lot to like about this watch.  You can buy it here on Amazon.