The Hundred Dollar Grail: A Good Skeleton Watch

It seems like every watch collector needs at least one skeleton watch. There is just something cool about having a watch that lets you see through the dial and caseback and observe the mechanism at work. I was fortunate to find a great skeleton watch at Walmart (read about it in this post) early in my watch collecting efforts and then receive an ornate skeleton pocket watch as well. But, the question is - can watch collectors on a budget still find affordable skeleton watches today? I've found one that fits our $100 budget.

Relic Men's Skeleton Watch

The Fossil brand Relic has a skeleton watch for 49% off. It's has a 42mm diameter case that is 14mm thick. It's quite practical for a skeleton watch with readable hands and markers that should make this one a very practical choice.  It has an automatic movement that can be hand-wound if the watch stops.

The discounts bring the price of this timepiece in under $90. To see it, click here on my Amazon affiliate link.

  

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 suppliers like Armitron to sell at even lower price points.]