Back To School Watches for Boys and Young Men

For many American families, it's back to school time.  Many kids are getting new wardrobes and for some that will include a new watch or two.  While most kids are probably relying on cell phones for timekeeping, there are lots of cool watches to choose from.

If your kid is into comic book heroes like Captain America or Batman, I've seen good choices in those genres at Target and Kohls.

Younger kids might benefit from a "time teacher" watch that has clearly marked hour and minute hands.  This inexpensive Batman watch from Amazon is a great example.

If Star Wars is your kid's thing, I've recently seen these inexpensive Star Wars Storm Trooper digital watches at Walmart.

Finally, if your kid is into survival shows like Bear Grylls' Man vs. Wild or Les Stroud's Survivor Man, Casio makes several rugged watches that are adventure ready.  Of course, one of the most affordable and practical is the venerable Casio Forester.  It has a velcro band, backlighting, and a very affordable price tag.  Casio Forester watches make great dog walking watches!

Casio Forester - Ready for Adventure

I also like my Casio Tough Solar Ana-digital watch.  The strap has a practically  unlimited number of perforations which will allow the watch to fit any sized wrist.  It's my current "go to" bang around watch!

Casio Tough Solar

If your kid is going back to school, a watch is one way to tell time without pulling out the super distracting cell phone.

[As of August 2025, the Casio Forester is still available on Amazon.com for less than $30. If you are ready to set out into the deep woods, you can find the Casio Forester here on Amazon.] 

Wristwatch Review: Men's Merona Round Dial Analog Dress Watch

A Dress Watch that Looks Great for Less A review of a sharp looking Merona men's round dial analog dress watch from Target. This quartz movement watch offers a polished professional look but fits into the tightest budget. (This is a reprint of my review originally published on Yahoo.)

If you are looking for a professional-looking dress watch to wear for work or special occasions, you should peruse the men's watches at Target. The big box department store's Merona watch brand offers some sophisticated wristwatch options. The Merona Men's Analog Round Dial Dress Watch (Model FMDM219-99) offers a very upscale look for only about $15.
 

Merona Analog Watch

What's the Merona secret? The quartz watch movement is a mature technology. This means that there are a wide variety of accurate timepieces to choose from regardless of brand. As a consumer, the key differentiators between quartz watches are style and extra features. Off brand and house brand watches can often provide the style and appearance of high end brands at a fraction of the cost. Marketing expenses are much reduced for a house brand.

One major way Merona cuts cost is by having non-functional, decorative, sub-dials on some watches. I've avoided many Merona watches for a long time because I personally like everything on any watch I buy to have a functional purpose. However, I recently found a pure dress watch by Merona that I really like. The watch has a dark graphite gray band and case and a smooth two-tone black face. The face has an outer bezel-like ring of pure black around a lighter black face with a slightly bluish cast. It mimics a high end Movado by placing a single bright crystal at 12 o'clock and having simple hash marks at five minute intervals. The ultimate effect is one of smooth simple elegance.

Surprisingly for a watch of this price, the Merona has a Japanese movement and a nicely etched stainless case back. The case back reveals the brand, the replacement battery needed, and that the watch has a base metal bezel. The band is metal and incorporates links divided by circles. It adds to the upscale look of this inexpensive watch. Of course, if you look at every surface very, very, closely, you'll notice that the "diamond" at 12 o'clock is just a small glass chip surrounded by a foil reflector. You'll also notice that the fit and finish of this watch not as perfect as a fine Swiss time keeping machine. However, this Merona is a $15 watch and it certainly competes with brands like Armitron, Casio, and Timex. From any distance, this watch will look great to the casual observer.

Overall, this Merona is a store brand watch that the wearer can be proud to wear and would be perfectly appropriate for a job interview, a date, or any formal occasion.

Wristwatch Review: Precision by Gruen Mens Dress Watch

In the world of cheap watches, there are a few gems.  One of those gems has to be a Precision by Gruen quartz dress watch that I found at Kohls several months ago.  It's a men's dress watch with a Japanese quartz movement, a date window, a brown leather strap, and a gold colored case.  It retails for less than $30. Ordinarily there wouldn't be much more to write.  However, this watch has one feature that makes it special:  a domed crystal.  That feature combined with a well executed vintage look makes this watch look much more expensive than it actually is.

Precision by Gruen with Domed Crystal

Construction.  This watch has a stainless steel caseback and base metal case.  At this price point, you won't find much information about the materials used. 

Dimensions.  This watch has a 40mm diameter case. stainless steel caseback and base metal bezel or case. With a gently domed crystal, it is 11.5mm thick. 

Battery. The watch takes a 377/SR626SW watch battery.

While Precision by Gruen was once a great name in American watches, today It is made in Asia by M.Z. Berger.  However, the company knows a thing or two about making watches.   I highly recommend this one.

Precision by Gruen with Domed Crystal

Wristwatch Review: Nautica Aviation-style Chronogragh Watch

A new job calls for a new watch.  That's my story and that's why I've stuck a new Nautica watch on my wrist.  If I remember correctly, this watch was about $80 at T.J. Maxx and I haven't seen one quite like it on Amazon.  I believe this may be a chrono classic and it is a quartz watch.

 

Watch Design.  This Nautica has a cool style that harmoniously  brings together many classic watch design elements. First it has the vintage stainless steel look of a 1960s James Bond watch.  The case and bezel are neither highly polished nor flat.  Instead, the watch has an experienced classic look. 

Second, the watch has some aspects of a dive watch.  The time and date are set via a screw down crown.     The non-rotating bezel has numbers and markings that subtly evoke a dive watch. 

Third, beneath the crystal, a white triangle at 12 o'clock deftly pays homage to the classic aviator watches that have been so popular in recent years.  The aviator-style is backed up by simple numerals denoting each hour.

Watch Functions.  This Nautica has a lot of functionality built in.  There are three subdials to present information.  At 3 o'clock, the subdial provides the 24 hour time to the nearest hour.  At 6 o'clock, another subdial presents the elapsed seconds once the chronograph function is started.  Finally, at 9 o'clock, a final subdial records the elapsed minutes.  To complete the complications,  a canted date window between 4 and 5 o'clock provides the date.  I wish that the bezel rotated, but it is rather thin and streamlined.

Watch Construction.   Nautica may be a fashion brand, but they also make pretty solid watches.  This Nautica is water resistant to 100 meters.

Overall, I highly recommend this Nautica.  It's a stylish watch that has the looks I like!

Organizing Watches: Some must go!

The time has come to get my watches organized.  I'm starting a new job.  My work dress code will be a little more formal.  It even looks like I'll be wearing a suit and tie more often.  I'm excited.  I'll be taking my game to a new level.  But, not every watch in my collection will be appropriate and wearable to my new office.  I've got to make some cuts.

I've placed about a dozen of my watches in a shoe box destined for Goodwill.  Some of the choices are obvious.  But, the conversations are difficult. 

Merona with decorative subdials you have to go.  I'm just not keen on non-functional subdials.  Casual observers won't know the subdials don't work.  But, I know.  It bugs me.  It's not going to work out.

Cherokee pocket watch.  The 1880s are over.  I'd look ridiculous trying to wear a quartz pocket watch.

Walmart no-name ana-digitals, you look great.  But, if I put a battery in you. I know you will beep at all the wrong times.

Pembrooke dress watch.  You look great.  But, you have a tiny dial.  People would wonder why I was wearing a "boyfriend" watch.  You need to live somewhere else.

I know it will be difficult for some of these watches.  But, you aren't getting worn now.  It will be more fair to you in the long run to find a new home where you can be worn.  Plus, you'll be helping a good cause.

At least, quartz watches don't cry.

Shark Watches for Shark Week!

It's here!  This is the one week of American television programming that has teeth.  It's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.   It's only natural for this blog to celebrate Shark week with sharks and Shark watches.

A Freestyle Shark Watch

As a brand, Shark was established in 1997. The official home for Shark brand watches can be found at the parent company Freestyle.  Shark watches are affordable and attractively styled.  I think these digital watches would mostly appeal to kids and teens. If you'd like to see the Freestyle Shark watches available on Amazon, click the link below:

Freestyle Shark Watches on Amazon

A Juvenile Sandbar Shark - By NOAA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I first encountered a real shark as a student in a Marine Biology summer school class in North Florida.  Our class was fishing with a large seine net just off the beach.  I was stationed just outside the middle of the net.  I saw a gray blur inside the net speeding towards me.  Then I noticed a hole in the net right near my feet.  The blur was a juvenile shark and he shot through the hole, zig-zagged through my legs, and disappeared into the vast Atlantic Ocean.  My shark was probably all of 2 feet long.  To this day, I can remember his fins brushing against my legs.

Perhaps the shark I encountered grew into a huge predator and roamed the seas for years?  Sharks can live for 20 to 30 years in the wild.  As the apex predator, once my shark got big, there would be little for him to fear in the sea.

A Great White Shark - Terry Goss [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

While sharks feature multiple rows of sharp teeth, Shark watches feature a wide variety of styles. If you are in an extended shark phase, these watches might be a good choice!

[This post was updated with new links in July 2025.]

Watch Pictures - Pulsar Diver-Style Watch Pictures

It's time for a dose of watch porn. O.K. low budget amateur

watch porn.   Today I'd like to share some pictures of my Pulsar PS9319 diver-style dress watch.  It remains one of my favorites for wear each week.

Pulsar PS9319 Diver-Style Watch

It has the looks for sailing or for the pool.  Of course, this blog doesn't have the budget for poolside hot bikini models or beefcake hunks.  For that, we'll have to wait for the Invicta watch shows on TV.

Pulsar Diver-Style Watch

It continues to look great at the drive thru window at Wendy's.  I've pictured salads in the background so that everyone will think I eat healthy.

However, you'll most typically find this watch worn to Five Guys.  They make a danged good burger.

Perhaps being worn out and about is the true test of any watch.