New Watch Models - Bulova Surveyor Classic Watches

If you like classical men's watches with a minimum of muss, fuss, and artifice, there are some real treats coming your way from some respected watch brands.

Bulova Men's Classic Surveyor Watches

Bulova has recently released a new series of watches for their Men's Classic Collection called Surveyor.  These watches demonstrate an understated class and substance at a price point that is luxurious without being ridiculous.  You can find Men's Bulova Surveyor watches here on Amazon.  The watch that really stood out to me is the Bulova Men's Classic Stainless Steel Watch (Model 96C125).

Bulova Men's Classic Watch (Model 96C125).

This basic watch has a beautiful blue dial, a quartz movement a day window at 12 o'clock, a data window at 3 o'clock, and the beloved Bulova Tuning fork logo.  It also has an excellent price for a dress watch of this caliber. You can find the Bulova Model 96C125 here on Amazon. While the blue dial drew me in, other combinations feature an attractive leather band, or a gold-tone accented case and band.  Other models in the collection feature automatic movements, exposed apertures to show the watches movement, a skeleton watch, and a watch with chronograph subdials.

A Guide to Neo-Classic Watches for Men

AN OVERVIEW OF NEO-CLASSIC WATCHES

The next step up from the minimalist watch is the neo-classic watch.  Just as mid-century modern architecture and decor has become a thing, so have straight forward watches that are simple and functional.  They remind us of the watches that our fathers or grandfathers wore in the 1970s or 1980s.  I would submit that my classic Citizens Eco-Drive dress watch is an excellent example of a modern neo-classic watch.  It looks almost exactly like the kind of Citizen watch that would have been worn in the 1950s through the early 1970s.  But, underneath, it has a modern solar power plant that charges it up and keeps it running for a very long time.

Citizen Eco-Drive Dress Watch

Not every neo-classic watch is powered by the sun, but every neo-classic watch evokes a past era of classic watch design.  The watches of the 1960s and 1970s were basic and functional.  Today, these watches make great dress watches or business casual watches.  They are great in situations where you don't want to bring focus onto your watch.  When you just want a sensible, simple, and elegant timepiece, neo-classic watches are excellent choices.

Pulsar Men's Stainless Steel Dress Watch

Whenever I have a job interview, I choose a neoclassical watch like my Pulsar.   It's simple, easy to read, and it comes from a reputable manufacturer. 

You'll find many neoclassic watch designs from discount stores like Walmart on up. When giving such a watch as a gift, you'll want to make sure you select a brand that recipients have heard of and respect. Brands like Pulsar, Citizen, and Seiko excel as respectable manufacturers that most people have heard of and enjoy.

Wristwatch Review: Citizen's Stainless Steel Eco-Drive Dress Watch

For Christmas in 2015, my wife got me a very nice Citizen Eco-Drive dress watch.  It goes by the catchy name - Model BM7193-07B.  It's a great addition to my watch collection and will never need batteries.

Citizen Eco-Drive Dress watch

Style.  This men's Citizen Eco-Drive is a beautiful watch with classic retro-styling.  If you search vintage men's watch or vintage Citizen watch and look for images, it won't be long before you come across watches that look much like this one.  Vintage Citizen dress watches typically had the double baton at 12 o'clock and regular batons to denote the hours.  The cursive script on the classics was typically centered below the hands at 6 o'clock and described the number of jewels in the mechanical movement.  A vintage Citizen typically has a date window surrounded by a gold tone box and this Eco-Drive as well.  This watch even has a domed crystal.  The dial is white, but I'd almost call it an off-white or parchment white.  It's not a bright white.  At a contemporary 40 millimeters, the case diameter is probably a little larger than the classics.  It is dress watch thin at 10 millimeters thick.  I find the size just right for a dress watch.  Even though this watch is thoroughly futuristic on the inside, it is still connected to a long line of great Citizen watches.  For that, I give extra style points.

The strap is crocodile-embossed leather and long enough to fit my wrists comfortably.  At first, it was a little stiff, but it is comfortable and looks pretty good.  I like the Citizen label on the buckle to help differentiate this watch from lesser brands.  In this price category, these little touches are expected.  If I was the designer of this watch, I think I would also put some sort of inscription (perhaps a 'C') on the crown.

Construction.  This watch has a gold-tone stainless steel case, stainless caseback, and a scratch-resistant mineral crystal.  The watch is water resistant to 99 feet if you stumble into a pool or water feature while texting about important business matters.  Overall, this watch seems pretty well constructed.

Movement.  This watch has a Japanese quartz movement and is powered by Citizen Eco-Drive technology.  After a day of charging, it can keep time for a very, very, long time.  (See my post The Citizen Eco-Drive and the Sock Drawer). After a full day of charging, this watch should keep time for six months.  Despite the high tech power, this watch does not have any design features that appear to be a solar cell at all.  It is perhaps the most subtle of sun-powered watches.

Overall, I really like this Citizen Eco-Drive dress watch.  It is perfect for the office and other events.  The brown band and rose gold-tone are the perfect style for such settings.  It's not a big watch that beats you over the head with pizazz.  Instead, it's a refined, cultured, design that fits into a long line of great Citizen watches.  Perhaps, this business-like watch is a solid Citizen.

A Guide to the Affordable Men's Watches of the Classical Revival

Classic Watches for the Common Man

According to the WatchTime 2012 Buyers Guide magazine, there is renewed interest in simple, basic, elegant timepieces that focus on the essential function of telling time. The magazine called it the classical revival. To some degree, they said the classical revival is a reaction to large, boisterous, timepieces that sport huge cases and oversized dials. For prestigious Swiss watch makers the test of design and craftsmanship has always been getting reliable mechanical functions into an aesthetically pleasing and slim watch case.

Venerable watchmakers like Zenith and Vacheron-Constantin have released watches in recent years that mimic their classic models of the 1950s and 60s. The Zenith Elite Ultra Thin is a simple elegant watch with a round face, baton markers, and a small seconds hand sub-dial. The Vacheron Constantin Historiques line includes the round Ultra Fine 1968 and the square Ultra Fine 1955. Both sport simple graceful faces with minimal markings and complex mechanical mechanisms beneath the surface. These high end watches are made by craftsmen working to the most exacting standards. They are heirlooms to be passed from generation to generation in some of the world's most elite families.

While the high end watches of Vacheron Constantin are out of reach for most consumers since they are price between $20,000 to $30,000, there are many classically-styled quartz watches for the rest of us in the marketplace. While classic watches may not have their own shopping network television shows, they can be found in nearly every local department store. Here are five of my favorite affordable classic watches for men:

1. Bulova Classic Quartz Silver Dial Watch. Bulova makes some very accurate and sophisticated quartz watches. At $400 or $500 the Bulova Precisionist line is a marvel of modern design. But, the venerable company also makes many traditional quartz dress watches that are perfect for no nonsense business attire. My $99 Bulova (Model 96B168) has a slightly technological look due to a subtle grid pattern underlying the dial. Other models have a sunburst design.

2. Fossil Ansel Vintage Style Watch. If you are of Generation X, you probably remember the watches your father and grandfather wore. They were simple, fairly, slim, and they had plain faces and hash marks on the hours. In short, they were attractive, minimalist, and superbly functional. Fossil brings that look back in a more contemporary quartz package with a larger face more in keeping with today's fashion. The retro look of the Fossil Ansel works well.

3. Pulsar Men's Analog Dress Watch.  Silver on silver is one of the coolest color combinations on any man's watch. My old Pulsar does the job well. It's cool, competent, and perfect for job interviews. A watch doesn't have to scream for attention. Sometimes it can better serve you by standing competently in the background and adding to your aura of competence. Of course, in the right light, the dial of my Pulsar looks much like the dial of the more expensive, automatic, Ebel Classic 100.

 

4. Timex Weekender. Simple. Readable. Indiglo. Preppy. The $35 to $45 Timex Weekender looks like the watch you'd wear at your summer place in the Hamptons. It offers tons of preppy practicality in a non-snooty package. It's an affordable classic. Plus, the Swiss don't have Indiglo backlighting at one thousand times the price.

5. Armitron Diamond Men's Analog Dress Watch. Of course, not all classical watches are plain and functional. Some achieve a dramatic look with an accent jewel. For example, most Movados have a timeless elegance. At a sub-$100 price point, you might take a look at the Armitron Diamond series of watches. Mine has a deep brown face, accented with golden batons marking each hour, and a tiny diamond chip at 12 o'clock. It looks great, but not necessarily rich.

Classical designs have never gone away. They've just been waiting for you to stop playing SCUBA Steve, Racer X, and Johnny Fighter Pilot. If you are ready for a simple, elegant, timepiece that tells the time and looks professional, your classic watches are waiting.