Wristwatch Review: A Caribbean Joe Watch with Gold Tones

If there is a watch brand that I take an inordinate amount of joy in, that brand has to be Caribbean Joe. These watches are like horological potato chips. I think it is because they capture classic looks at a bargain basement price. For this review, let's take a look at one with gold tones and a brown leather strap. Technically, it might be CJ7166TTG, but I suspect that the manufacturer takes a "parts is parts" approach to casebacks.

This Caribbean Joe Watch has a classic look

Caribbean Joe Watch Style

Style is the essence of this watch. The features are simple. It's a 3 hand quartz watch with a silver-tone case. But, the style is rich and golden with golden tones to the alpha (also known as lance) hands, hour markers, and numerals, aspects of the dial, and the crown. The dial is a pail white with an underlying golden grid pattern and the trademark Caribbean Joe hut and palm tree logo are in black. This watch doesn't have any extraneous faux sub-dials that can sometimes detract the look. The overall effect is a relaxed, casual, dress watch that evokes the sun, the Caribbean, and the relaxation that comes with extraordinary wealth. This Caribbean Joe watch looks like a wealthier watch than it actually is. That's where we all join the brand and participate in an inside joke. The brand knows  and we know that this is just a $22 quartz watch. But passersby? They don't know.

Caribbean Joe Watch Dimensions

This Caribbean Joe watch is perfectly proportioned. The case of this watch is 40mm in diameter and 10mm thick. I measure about 47mm lug-to-lug and the strap is 20mm wide. The strap is around 187mm long. With the watch, you have about 22.5 cm of length to work with. The watch accommodates wrists of up to 7.95 inches (20 cm) if you deduct an inch (25mm) of strap end. If find that the watch accommodates my wrist easily with plenty of strap to spare.

This Caribbean Joe watch doesn't stand too tall on the wrist

The good fit and perfect size add to my appetite for these watches.

Caribbean Joe Watch Construction

Like most Caribbean Joe watches, there are little things that betray this watch's inexpensive origin. While the caseback is stainless steel, the case itself is made of a much less expensive material--probably a base metal. On the plus side, it's a light comfortable to wear watch weight. A big minus, is that the body of the watch can look cheap from time to time.  

The Caribbean Joe Watch caseback does tell you what kind of battery you need!

Moving on to the movement: it's from Singapore. It's powered by a common SR626SW battery. The synthetic leather strap is from China. It can be a challenge to set the watch precisely as the minute hand wants to jump a little when you push the crown in. While I haven't had any serious issues with my Caribbean Joe watches, they are definitely cheap watches that look good. 

A Caribbean Joe watch under the lights

Caribbean Joe Watch Overall Impression

Overall, I like this watch. Like most Caribbean Joe watches, it looks good. It's always easy to throw one of these into shopping cart and they don't break the budget. They are a fun, low-impact, guilty pleasure. These watches also make great beater watches. You can wear them almost anywhere. You don't have to worry about them getting lost, stolen, or bashed into doorframes. If you see one that you like the looks of, get it. You'll find yourself wearing quite often.

This Caribbean Joe watch looks great out on the town

Where to find Caribbean Joe Watches

I'm pretty sure I found this one at a Burlington store where it was marked somewhere around $20. I think it was $22. You can find Caribbean Joe watches at Boscov's, Kohl's, Sierra, and sometimes at Walmart.com.  As a fashion brand, Caribbean Joe styles and designs come and go. I haven't seen this particular one online anywhere.

Watch Deal Alert: Timex Men's 40mm Expedition Scout

Timex has always been known for making timepieces that everyone can afford. But, in these inflationary times, prices keep creeping up. With low cost watch competition from new Asian watch companies, Timex seems to be moving up market a bit with their premium watch lines like the Timex Waterbury collection. Fortunately, there are still Timex bargains available for those who search. If you are looking for a great deal on a field watch, check out the Timex Men's 40mm Expedition Scout with fabric strap. This is the traditional Timex Expedition watch that is familiar to many watch enthusiasts and outdoorsmen. I reviewed the leather strap version of this watch back in 2018, you can read my Timex Expedition Scout review here.

Timex Men's 40mm Expedition Scout

This Timex Expedition watch has Indiglo Backlighting, 50 meters of water resistance, and a NATO-style watch strap. It gets 4.3 stars among Amazon purchasers and they sell over 2000 watches per month. It's a solid choice for a beater watch that can stand up to everyday wear and outdoor activity.

The Timex Expedition Scout Amazon Deal

As of March 30, 2025, this watch is 27% off to bring it well under $40. If you'd like to jump on this deal, you can find this Timex Expedition Scout here on Amazon.

The Best Timex Offerings on Amazon

I've collected some of the best Timex watches being offered on Amazon in one convenient page - Best Timex Watches on Amazon.

TGIF: Circle of Cool Watches

I've been seeing lots of watch hierarchy graphics online lately. They categorize watches into categories with the most expensive and prestigious at the top and more affordable consumer-oriented brands at the bottom. These charts are useful in understanding the pecking order of watch companies. But, they also feel a bit judgmental. People look to see how their favorite watch stacks up. They wonder if their watch is even included. For example, I don't see Movado. If they find themselves on the Entry Luxury level, they may want to "level up" to Luxury or even High-End Luxury. I hate that.

A Watch Hierarchy from Twitter

Throughout my adult life, it seems like every hobby is always spoiled by hierarchies, pecking orders, competitive spending, and the like. Hobbies like paintball, photography, and sailing have all been impacted. Hobbies that were cool become less inclusive and can even get to be a tedius treadmill of never-ending gear acquisition. The transition from pump action to semi-automatic paintball guns was quite bruising back in the day.

Thinkgeek watch previously on Amazon

While there are clearly differences in quality and price in the world of watches, I think hierarchies are best left to work organizations. For me, watch collecting is a hobby and fun pastime. So, let me suggest an  alternative arrangement. How about we just put all the watch brands in a circle instead of a hierarchy? We're all in this together. If you see a watch that looks cool, just acknowledge it and say, "Hey, that's a really cool watch!" or "Cool watch, bro!"

A circle of timepieces!

If you have a level of wealth that allows you to buy and wear an amazing watch from a legendary brand like Bovet or Vacheron Constantin, you are a patron and sponsor of watchmaking art and tradition. I hope that you will share your watch online or with trusted admirers. We do want to see what that level of craftsmanship looks like. You've sponsored the work of a horological Michelangelo. We should all be able to say, "Cool Watch!" 

At the same time, the cheapest acceptable watch from China is a wonder of globalism and industrialization. How can that watch sell for only $10? In a different way, it also is a cool watch. It's almost become a contest to see how inexpensive a decent watch can actually be.

Every watch from the cheapest to the most expensive has a story and, as watch collectors, we should be open to all of those stories.

Wristwatch Review: The Timex Waterbury 39mm Traditional GMT Men's Watch

If you are looking for affordable watches to collect, it may be time to give Timex a second look. They've been making some interesting watch lines that don't always make it to the shelves of common retailers like Walmart and Kohl's. Last year (July 2024) I bought an interesting watch from the Timex Waterbury collection.  It's the Timex Waterbury 39mm Traditional GMT Men's watch (Model TW2V28700VQ).

Timex Waterbury 39mm Traditional GMT Mens Watch

Timex GMT Features

This Timex is a GMT watch that incorporates a third hand (the red one with the arrow) that points at the Greenwich Mean Time (now called Universal Coordinated Time) on the 24-hour markings on the bezel. The watch has a unidirectional rotating bezel that can help you calculate the time in other time zones based on GMT Time. The watch has a button at 2 o'clock that you press in order to set the GMT time. A small date window at 3 o'clock shows the date. 

Timex Waterbury GMT Design

The nice thing about the Timex Waterbury Collection is that it comes with high-end design details. For example, this watch incorporates the historic Waterbury Watch Company logo into the dial, crown, and a stylish W on the tail end of the second hand. 

Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT Dial Details

The watch also has lumed hour markings that are reminiscent of a diver style watch. The date window has a dark background that matches the dial and isn't disruptive of the design. The hour, minute, and GMT hand on this watch are very readable, but the date and second hand are less so. As a Waterbury watch, the design features place this watch in a more premium space that an ordinary Timex timepiece.

Timex Waterbury GMT Watch

There are a couple of minor drawbacks to the design that I have noticed. For example, the second hand is quite dark in color and very difficult to see at a glance. The date window is also too small to be useful to me as a wearer in my late 50s. While it isn't as small as the date window on some watches, as an aging Gen X watch enthusiast, I have a little trouble reading it without my reading glasses. 

Timex Waterbury GMT Construction

This watch has an all stainless steel case and mineral glass crystal. It also has a genuine leather strap. It's built to be water resistant to depths of 100 meters. I find that this watch feels solid and well built.

My Timex GMT travels to an exotic location for a double cheeseburger

Timex Waterbury GMT Dimensions

The trend now is to build watches with smaller dimensions. The Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT watch in on trend with a sensibly-sized 39mm diameter case that is 11.5mm thick. The strap is 20mm wide and fits up to 8-inch wrists. I find that the diameter of this watch seems just a bit small. For casual wear, I often choose slightly larger watches.

Timex Waterbury GMT Overall Impression

This Timex strikes me as being very professional and almost a little too understated. It is solidly constructed and sensibly sized. The GMT functionality works impressively, but it is a throwback to an analog era that isn't as obviously useful today. However, I suspect that, once I have mastered the arcana surrounding this feature, it will be useful for helping me figure out what time it is in a variety of places around the globe. Overall, this watch is tasteful, refined, and demonstrates how competent Timex watches can be. It's a perfect watch choice for "back to the office" wear.

Buying the Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT

While the model with my bezel colors is out of stock, You can get a similar Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT here at --

Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT watches on Amazon!

The Best Timex Offerings on Amazon

I've collected some of the best Timex watches being offered on Amazon in one convenient page - Best Timex Watches on Amazon.

TGIF: Two Watches to Bring Out Your Inner Bond Villain

If you grew up in the era of James Bond villains, you can look at a timepiece and just imagine the villainy. For example, if you were a fan of Ian Fleming's Goldfinger, you might want a watch with a golden tone. 

Versace Greca Dome Watch

The Versace Greca Dome Luxury Timepiece might fit the bill perfectly. The Medusa logo would be perfect for some shadowy organization determined to dominate the world or, at least, blackmail it. The bezel, dial, and bracelet designs of this luxury Swiss Made quartz watch just add to the mystery. But, you don't have to be a secret agent to hunt this watch down. This Versace Greca Dome watch is available here on Amazon.

Versace Greca Dome Series Watch

Mathey-Tissot Dragon Watch

If you were a fan of The Man with the Golden Gun, the Mathey-Tissot Dragon (available here on Amazon) might be your choice. There is nothing more elegantly sinister than a watch with a dragon.

The Mathey Tissot Dragon

This limited edition Swiss Made watch has a gold-tone case and an automatic movement with an exhibition caseback.

What is a field watch?

 A field watch is type of watch that is designed for rugged, outdoor use, and places a premium on simple utilitarian dials, with a minimum of complication. Field watches were valued for their usefulness on hikes and military maneuvers. Many examples of this watch type can trade their heritage back to military roots.

  

The Praesidus 34mm Jungle Field Watch
You can find this Jungle Field Watch here on Amazon!

Today, field watches span the entirety of the watch market. With simple dial and case designs at their core, field watches are a subset of tool watches that can attract inexpensive manufacturers into the market. In the middle of the watch market, more expensive entries appeal to traditionalists with mechanical movements and rugged designs that could survive in harsher environments. Finally, upscale entries from companies like Rolex build upon a long heritage of private expeditions by the world's greatest mountain climbers and explorers.

Timex Expedition
See this Timex Expedition 39mm Metal on Amazon

At the low end of the market, the Timex Expedition is a great example of a field watch. At the higher end, the Rolex Explorer 1 and Tudor Ranger are good examples of field watches.

Whether you are climbing a mountain or hiking around a lake, there's a field watch for you!

Thrift Store Watch Find: A Vintage Buler Automatic

 Classic Buler 25 Jewel Automatic Watch Found While Thrifting

When I went thrift store shopping with my wife, I didn't expect to find anything great. Usually, I'm lucky to find a book, or a clock, or an old pair of binoculars.  However, at the Furrkids Thrift Store in Marietta, Georgia, I came across a vintage Buler 25 Jewel Automatic wristwatch that originally had water resistance and shock resistance. Best of all, the watch was only $10.

Buler 25 Jewel Automatic Watch

Vintage Watch Condition

While this watch was marked at just $10. It's not a long lost Picasso. There were good reasons to mark this watch at $10. The watch has a few issues. The crystal and case have plenty of scratches. The old Buler also seems to be powered by movement and not conventional winding. For a non-watch collector, they might try winding it and fail to get it to run. The date is at six-o'clock and, while the crown does have a pull stop that might indicate that you would independently flip the date, I encountered strong resistance. Fortunately, I was able to set the date correctly by cranking the hands forward around the dial about 58 times to get to the right date. Fortunately, the watch runs, keeps decent time, and the date flips to the next day nicely at midnight. I was also relieved not to see any funkiness. It has a relatively short power reserve as it stopped shortly after I took it off my wrist.  The movement seems a bit loose and noisy when shaken.

A Vintage Buler 25 Jewel Automatic Watch shows some crystal scratches

Buler Watch Origin

I've been researching this watch and I've only learned a little so far. According to the Grok AI engine:

The Buler watch company was founded in 1945 by the SSIH group (Société Suisse de l’Industrie Horlogère) in Lengnau, Switzerland, with Charles and Albert Buhler as key figures in its early years. The company was headquartered in Lengnau, at a modern factory established in 1956 at Solothurnstrasse, near the Jura Mountains. It later moved operations to La Chaux-de-Fonds after being acquired by Renley Watch Manufacturing in 1991.

Buler was once a very popular watch maker. In the late 60s, they sold up to a million watches per year and had customers in 65 different countries. The Buler brand made relatively inexpensive watches. They often used pin-lever movements similar to the ones found in vintage Timex models. Grok suggests that the watch could well be from the late 60s or early 70s and might use a 25-jewel BF158 Baumgartner movement.

Vintage Buler Watch Caseback

Buler Next Steps

I've been researching this watch and Grok suggests that if I wanted to open the watch up and photograph the movement, it might help in the search. However, it is running and I'm reluctant to change that. That's where human wisdom has to override artificial intelligence. I may go ahead and get this watch serviced at some point.

The kind folks at Watchfreeks.com forum had some kind words and found this interesting post on MasterHorologer.com about Buler Watches History and Watches of Buler.  Apparently, the brand may still be active and making watches in Switzerland, but they are owned by Freetown Watch Products, Ltd, which is a company based in Hong Kong. I haven't found any of them on the internet.

It looks like this vintage watch is going to be a project for awhile. It was a fun find!

TGIF: Passing the Time with Watches

If I were a perfectly rational consumer in the watch market, I would buy no watches for 12 years and put $50 per month in the bank or investments until I could buy a really nice watch like a Rolex Explorer. Of course, I'd be about 70 and I might not want to explore very much. Alternatively, I could have fun with lots of less expensive watches and have something to blog about. I think I'll choose the latter and have fun with watches I can easily afford.

If I'm not going to worry about the prestige of a Rolex, then I'll focus on value, variety, and fun. With those three criteria, the watch brands that bubble to the surface for me most often are Timex, Bulova, Orient, and Invicta. 

Why do I like these four watch brands? 

Timex, Bulova, and Orient all provide that connection to history and heritage that I crave, but can't really afford with the prestigious European brands. Bulova and Timex have long histories as American brands and their older models are still affordable as collectibles. Orient has a mystique and a reputation for making quality mechanical watches at good prices.

Circa 2007 Bulova Marine Star

Timex, Bulova, and Orient all provide great collectible value and much variety in their offerings. Timex aims directly at the enthusiast market with their Waterbury Collection. Bulova hits us with great watches in their Aerojet and Sinatra series. It's interesting to track down the stories behind watches and post about finds like my circa 2007 Bulova Marine Star. Orient has beautiful watches with mechanical design magic built in. You can also find vintage Orient models like my vintage Orient Tri Star online for very low prices to add to the fun of collecting.

1970s vintage Orient TriStar

Finally for pure fun, I like Invicta. Invicta watches are boldly styled and always make a statement on my wrist. The designers at Invicta just seem to go for it with their designs. Plus, the deals you can get on Invicta watches online are just insanely good. 

Invicta Multifunction Watch with Day, Date, and 24 Hour Time

While they have a few understated models in their catalog, most Invicta watches get noticed. They invite conversations about watches. That's a good thing.

What is a Dive Watch?

A Deep Dive into Dive Watches

Dive watches are a subset of tool watches. Dive watches were originally designed for diving--and particularly--SCUBA diving. 

Hamilton Khaki Navy Frogman Automatic Dive Watch (Amazon photo)

Dive Watch Properties

Dive watches are made of robust materials like stainless steel or titanium to resist corrosion, they have high degrees of water resistance (typically above 100-meters with 200 or 300 meters water resistance for professional models). They have unidirectional rotating bezels to help with timing a dive. They usually have screw-down crowns to increase water resistance. Professional models might also have helium release valves to help professional divers using underwater diving bells decompress their watch without damage.

Dive Watch Examples

Watches like the Rolex Submariner, Rolex Sea Dweller, and Omega Seamaster Diver 300M are well known dive watch examples. The titanium Hamilton Khaki Navy Frogman Automatic Dive Watch here on Amazon is a very good example of a solid dive watch.

Dive Watches versus Diver-style Watches

Over the years on this blog, I've evolved into reserving the label "dive watch" for watches that had more than 100-meters of water resistance, rotating bezels, and screw-down crowns. Watches that have the look, but don't deliver the performance features, get the "diver-style" watch label. They can still be beautiful, but I don't want to call them dive watches.

While I love it dearly, my old Pulsar PS9319 (reviewed here on this blog) is just a diver-style watch. Even though it has 100-meters of water resistance, it doesn't have a rotating bezel and it is clearly made for beauty and not SCUBA diving.

If you are realistic about your likelihood of SCUBA diving, you can save lots of money by choosing a diver-style watch over a proper dive watch. But, it's also nice to know that you could go SCUBA  diving anytime if you had the time.

Watch Deal Alert: Timex Men's Southview Quartz Watch at 42% off.

If you are looking for a nice Timex, there are plenty of beautiful watches in the Timex Waterbury Collection, but sometimes Timex offers similar features in their regular watch collections.  For example, the Timex Men's Southview Quartz Watch has lines that are very similar to some of the watches in the Waterbury Collection.  It has a 41mm diameter brass case, a crown with a golden tone, and a nice genuine leather strap. The Roman number font has a simpler modern font and the dial is one color. Where the Waterbury collection embraces traditional and decorative details, this Southview embraces modernity and minimalism.

Timex Men's Southview Quartz Watch

The Timex Southview is a very respectable and functional watch that normally retails for around $70. But, now in August 2025, it's on sale for 42% off! That brings the price down to $40! That's a price from over a decade ago. You can get this price on the Timex Southview for a limited time at --

Timex Southview watch on Amazon!

Watches A to Z: Peugeot Watches

Over the years, I've stumbled across the Peugeot watch company on Amazon several times. I always gave them a passing glance and wondered if they were related to the French Peugeot car company. It turns out that they aren't and their real story is far more interesting. 

Peugeot Men's Rectangular Watch (Amazon Photo)
Get This Peugeot Watch on Amazon

I did a bit of digging into this company. Apparently, it was founded by a watchmaker named Paul Peugeot back in 1957. For 25 years, they made traditional luxury watches with mechanical movements, but having weathered the quartz watch revolution, they pivoted to affordable, quartz, fashion watches. 

Peugeot Men's Non-Rotating Sport Bezel Watch
Get this Peugeot watch here on Amazon

Why? Originally, they made many watches with 18K gold. But, when gold prices rose with inflation and geopolitical issues in the late 70s and early 80s, the watches became unaffordable to lower and middle class markets where they had a strong reputation for quality and good prices.

Today, the Peugeot brand offers a wide variety of watches at affordable price points. The brand also backs their watches with a limited lifetime warranty, free battery replacement for life, and free link removal for resizing.

Peugeot Men's 14K Gold-Plated Moon Phase Dress Watch (Amazon Photo)
Get this Peugeot Watch Here on Amazon

Peugeot offers an interesting mix of watches and draws inspiration from traditional European watch designs. You'll find lots of tanker-style watches, moon-phase watches, and some homages to famous watches. I like this gold-plated homage to the Rolex Datejust. 

Peugeot 14K Gold Plated Luxury Big Face Watch (Amazon Photo)
Get this Peugeot Watch here on Amazon

Some of the other Peugeot watches resemble the Rolex Submariner  and Cartier tankers. At price points under $100, buyers should definitely read the reviews before making a purchase. But, Peugeot offers a good warranty and has some very attractive timepieces.

TGIF: Ten Watch Details That Make You Feel Rich

When it comes to watches, the smallest of details can really make you feel good about your watch purchase. In my years of collecting, I've found that little things can come together to make a timepiece satisfying. Here are ten details that make a watch feel like a luxury and that I am richer for having made the purchase.

1. A Mechanical Movement - When I buy a watch with a mechanical movement, I feel connected to the magic and mechanical wizardry of watches. It doesn't matter if the watch came from Switzerland, the far east, or a workshop in India, if it winds or shakes and ticks, then I feel like I have something special.

My refurbished HMT Pilot is powered by a manually wound movement

 I think a mechanical watch is one of the closest things we have to a magic item in this world today.

2. Well-Designed Bezels - When it comes to watch bezels that bring something to the party that is my watch. If a bezel has diver-style markings, I like the bezel to be rotating with clicks and unidirectional. It's one of the things that separates "real dive watches" from "diver-style watches." If the bezel doesn't rotate, I like when bezel on a dress or sport watch has some design features like a coin-edge or an engraved design.

3. Fancy Hands - I like when there is something a little special about the hands of a watch. For example, I like the W-shaped design of the back part of the second hand on my Timex Waterbury watches. It looks like craftsmanship. Similarly, if the watch is a tool watch, it's nice to see some lume on the hands so that the watch can be read in the dark.

This Timex Waterbury Standard Watch has a great bezel

4. Stainless Steel Cases - A stainless steel case feels substantial. It has weight and substance. It's real metal. Titanium feels real, too. Cases made from lesser base metals like brass, copper, tin, or zinc or from various plastics and resins just don't feel as luxurious. They also may not last as long. I've got plenty of inexpensive watches with base metal cases, but stainless steel or titanium just feel like richer materials and better purchases.

5. Working Subdials - I blow hot and cold with subdials. I can barely read them even with reading glasses. But, when subdials don't work, a watch can feel like a mere facade of a watch. I wish companies that use non-functional subdials would replace them with other design elements like shields or sailing ships or compass roses or meaningful logos.

The Invicta Sub Aqua Noma III 

6. Engraved Casebacks - An engraved caseback is a way for a company to share heritage and communicate watch capabilities with the watch wearer.

The Engraved Caseback of a Timex Waterbury Watch

I like an engraved caseback much more than a plain one. Some engraved casebacks are practically works of fine art. I like having art. Art enriches the soul.

The Engraved Caseback of an Invicta Sub Aqua Noma III

7. Engraved Buckles - If you have a watch with an engrave buckle (usually with the name or logo of the watchmaker), you feel like you are getting something that isn't generic. You feel like the watch company invested a little more in the design and detail of your watch.

The Engraved Buckle of the Sub Aqua Noma III

8. Crowns with Designs - A crown with a design engraved in it or a jewel embedded in it, feels a little more finished and a little more polished, than a plain generic crown.

The Engraved Crown of my Timex Waterbury

9. Genuine Leather Straps - In this synthetic world, it's nice to have something genuine.

The Leather Strap of my Timex Waterbury

10. Improved Dials - A dial design with interesting materials or a textured surface or a sunray dial is more interesting than a plain dial.

The sunburst dial of my Caribbean Joe watch

I may not want to have each and every one of these elements incorporated into one watch, but when a design incorporates several of these features, my purchase makes me feel pretty rich.

If you are looking for a watch that brings many of these details together, check out the Timex Waterbury Men's Standard 3 Hand Quartz Watch (above) with a Silver-Tone on Silver-Tone case and dial and a brown leather strap.  It's a real bargain at less than $60. You can get this Timex here on Amazon.

Art Watches - Swatch Unisex Casual Bioceramic Watch Black Art Journey Leger's Two Women Holding Flowers

If you are an artist or art enthusiast, you might really like the art watch collection from Swatch. These watches are quite different from what we normally see. As unusual watches, they might be great additions to any watch collection. Best of all, they are attainably priced. The watch below is a Swatch Bioceramic Watch from their Black Art Journey collection and it incorporates elements of a 1954 painting by Fernand Léger titled Two Women Holding Flowers.

Swatch Bioceramic Watch Black Art Journey - Leger's Two Women Holding Flowers (Amazon Photo)

This watch is 41mm in diameter and is 9.85mm thick. It has 100 meters of water resistance.  The case is made from bioceramic material which is 2/3 zirconium oxide and 1/3 bio-sourced plastic made from castor oil. It has a durable, scratch resistant finish, and is lightweight for comfortable daily wear. If you are interested in taking a closer look, check out this Swatch Black Art Journey watch here on Amazon.

What is a Tool Watch?

Defining the Tool Watch

The tool watch is a broad category of watch that includes watches with designs that originate with watches that are relentlessly driven by the essentials of a function or mission. 

A Tudor Ranger Field Watch

Originally, these designs had few if any purely decorative features. But, in modern times, more decorative features have been added to boost the crossover appeal of tool watches. According to Grok AI:

A tool watch is a timepiece designed primarily for practical functionality in specific activities or environments, emphasizing durability, legibility, and reliability over aesthetic embellishment. Originally developed for professional or utilitarian purposes, tool watches are built to withstand demanding conditions while providing clear, precise timekeeping and task-specific features. They are versatile, often transitioning from specialized use to everyday wear due to their robust construction and timeless design.

There are several primary categories of tool watch. These include dive watches, field watches, pilot/aviation watches, racing/chronograph watch, and GMT watch. Each of these categories of tool watch has a job to do.

A Timex Navi XL 43mm Automatic Dive Watch (Amazon photo)

A recent conversation on X has really got me thinking on these categories and their definitions.  There are many watches that straddle the boundaries of these categories. Sometimes they have the look, but the not the performance. Other times, they have the performance, but it is buried under so many extraneous styling cues that the focus on functionality is lost. My Invicta Sub Aqua Noma III has 200 meters of water resistance, a screw-down crown, chronograph functionality, tachymeter markings, and a rotating bezel. It has lots of style, but I'm not sure how to categorize it. Maybe it's a Multi-Tool watch?

Invicta Sub Aqua Noma III

Sometimes, the discussion becomes into a matter of "I know it when I see it." That's probably natural because each type of tool watch has a standard bearer--a archetypal watch that represents the whole genre. For some reason, most of these archetypal watches are made by Rolex.

• Dive Watch:  Rolex Submariner
• Field Watch:  Rolex Explorer
• Pilot/Aviation Watch: Breitling Navitimer
• Racing/Chronograph Watch: Rolex Daytona
• GMT Watch: Rolex GMT-Master II

There are other watches that can claim first in a category. There are up and coming challengers. Perhaps, most importantly for most of us, there are also affordable alternatives in each of these watch categories.

Amazon Links For Watches:

Tudor Ranger (w/Rubber & Leather Strap)

Timex Navi XL 43mm Dive Watch 

Invicta Sub Aqua Noma 3 (only available in White)

Wristwatch Review: Armitron 20/5351GNSV Stainless Steel Diver-style Multifunction Watch

This is a fairly new addition to my collection. It's an Armitron 20/5351SV Stainless Steel Diver-style Multifunction Watch. 

Armitron 20/5351GNSV Stainless Steel Diver-style Multifunction Watch

Watch Features

This Armitron has 50 meters (165 feet) of water resistance and functional subdials to tell the 24-hour time, date, and day of the week. 

Watch Style

The watch has a rich green dial and bezel. The markers and sub-dials, are trimmed with a gold-tone. The hands have the gold tone as well for a rich look. However, the case is the familiar silver-tone of stainless steel. Somehow, the look works much better than I thought it would.

Watch Dimensions

The 20/5351GNSV has substantial presence on the wrist. It has a 52mm diameter dial and is 16mm thick. The bracelet is 24mm wide. It's a big watch.

Armitron 20/5351GNSV Stainless Steel Diver-style Multifunction Watch

Overall Impression

I got this watch at Burlington for an amazing price. But, that was luck, you can find the Armitron 20/5351 on Amazon. I wish it had a better name--a nickname even. Hulk is taken. Perhaps, I'll call this one the hornet. This watch is a great value and I enjoy wearing it!

TGIF: Are George Watches Any Good?

I have lots of cheap watches. They are like potato chips. If you happen to be shopping at Walmart or another discount store, it's very easy to throw one into the cart. 

A George Watch from Walmart

If you happen to be shopping at Walmart, chances are good that you'll throw a George watch into your cart. Of course, before you do, you may want to ask yourself one question: 

Are George Watches Any Good?

As the owner of many George watches, I can definitely tell you that George watches are actually very good.  In fact, they are better than you would think a watch that costs less than $20 can possibly be. I like them.

Why Are George Watches Good?

There are many reasons that George watches are actually pretty good. Here are three of the top reasons that I like them:

1. Style. George watch designs are on-point. The features and looks of the most popular iconic watches are well known now. Lots of these features make their way into George watch designs. You can find decorative subdials, tachymeter markings, and diver-style markings on many George watches.

2. Build Quality. George watches are made by pretty solid suppliers like EGC (E. Gluck Corporation - the parent of Armitron) and FMD ( a division of Fossil). These companies make millions of watches at many price points. The Walmart buyers have also obviously insisted on some quality standards in order to minimize product returns. 

Now, you can see where George has cut corners in design and materials. For example, this retro watch with baton markers looks phenomenal, but the crystal is made of some kind of plastic and the bracelet is integrated so it might be hard to replace.

A George watch with integrated bracelet and plastic crystal

While you won't escape all the things I identify in my post on the drawbacks of cheap watches, the quality is much higher than you would expect for $12.

3. Price. George watches are quite inexpensive. Most of them cost about $12 and even the most sophisticated usually cost less than $20. This makes them fun indulgences to pick up while you are at Walmart. For bang around watches, they are great. You don't really have to worry about damaging them. However, you won't gain any personal prestige if you wear one to the office.