Ana-digital Watches from US Polo Association

Over the holidays, I spent a little time nosing about in department stores and looking at watches.  Here are a couple of ana-digital watches from U.S. Polo Association.  Ana-digital watches supplement the traditional hands of an analog watch with digital watch features.  It's interesting to see how different watch companies strike a balance between traditional style and futuristic features with analog digital watches.

This first US Polo watch goes in a digital direction with a face that is dominated by digital features.

However, this US Polo watch takes a different tack by emphasizing the analog features of a very readable diver-style watch and adds a little extra digital feature at six o'clock.

I've read a few tweets disparaging U.S. Polo Association as a copy of the popular Ralph Lauren Polo brand.  Ironically, the U.S. Polo Association brand is the official brand of the actual governing body of Polo - the US Polo Association.  I figure that if I buy a US Polo watch from Kohl's or Sears, I'm a classy guy supporting the sport of kings.

By Ficflash (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

You can be a classy guy too.  Check out US Polo Association Watches on Amazon. Ironically, US Polo Association watches offer great looks at very affordable prices.

My Bulova is a winner!

I recently won a pair of sunglasses from Bulova through a Twitter contest. A photo of my Bulova watch was chosen as a photo of the day! Here's my picture. I call it "Bulova in the Boardroom."

Bulova dress watch (Model 9B168)

If you are looking for this watch, it is Bulova dress watch (Model 9B168). Bulova is a great brand for watches that are a step above the commonplace without getting into the stratosphere of ridiculous pricing.

[As of 2024, this watch might be a very hard find.  However, Amazon still offers plenty of classic Bulova watch styles here.]

 

Structure Ana-Digital Watch in White

I'm not a fan of white watch bands for men.  But, if I were, I'd definitely check out this ana-digital watch from Structure.  The white face and contrasting black bezel look cool and give this watch a very masculine look.  It's the kind of watch that looks like it would belong to some sort of snow mobile champion or Scandinavian commando.

A Structure Ana-Digital Watch at Sears

Classic Watch Style at Any Price

Structure is one of my favorite inexpensive watch brands.  However, this Structure watch from Sears looks an awful lot like the Fossil Ansel watch I bought from the Fossil Outlet a few months ago.

The only thing that is missing is the date function.  Otherwise, these watches look very, very, similar.  Perhaps the Structure is an homage to the Fossil which is probably an homage to an old Timex.

The Structure watch costs about $30 and the Fossil Watch costs $70 to $115 depending on where you buy it and what discounts you get.  These are great looking watches.  But, the similar styles make me wonder if they are churned out by the same sweatshop in Chinese Watch Village #637.

Since I've had issues with one of my Structure watches, I'd sure like to think that the Fossil watch is a little more substantial and accurate. 

Mens Watch Review: Stainless Steel Armitron with Leather Band

Every once in a while, a watch will strike me as being perfect. So it was with my most recent watch purchase a stainless steel Armitron with a leather band. With the catchy name like Model 20/4859GNSVBN, the watch had to beckon me by looking better than all the other men's watches at Kohl's in the Christmas of 2012. It looked better than any Timex, any Relic, any Citizen, any Seiko, any Caravelle, and almost any Bulova except the vaunted (and 10 times more expensive) Precisionist.

Armitron Stainless Steel Watch

Why was this Armitron so attractive? Besides being a shiny, gleaming, watch under department store glass, this Armitron combined the simple, manly, functional style of a military watch with the panache and flair of a showy high tech sport watch.  It also features an accurate Japanese quartz movement.

Watch Dimensions. This Stainless Steel Armitron has a military-style dial in a stunning silver-on-silver color scheme set into a solid-looking 43-millimeter diameter all stainless steel case. At 15 millimeters thick, the watch is robust without being monstrous or inconvenient at the office. The crown is thick and is circled by a grey rubber accent strip that makes pulling the crown and setting the watch a breeze.

 Armitron Model 20/4859GNSVBN

Watch Dial Style. The Arabic numerals denoting the hours are of a shiny silver-tone color that contrasts with the lighter silver-tone complexion of the dial. The sunray dial itself is subtly divided into four quarters that give the face a faceted look. When combined with the inner black circle with tiny 5-minute markings, the watch evokes the look of a rifle-scope crosshairs. Grey and white accents the perimeter of the dial (technically called the channel ring) of this watch. It's the angled upslope under the crystal from the watch face to the case. This perimeter area is also put to functional use with 24-hour markings for the hours and hash marks for the minutes.

My Stainless Steel Armitron Running Strong in 2024 with a new battery

Watch Pricing. Like all Armitron watches, my new wristwatch was affordable. Kohl's had it for $89.99, but offered considerable Christmas season sale discounts. However, the low price point manifests itself in one obvious drawback to this watch. The 18.5 centimeter brown leather band that came with the watch was a tad short for my wrist. I swapped the band for a diver-style rubber band from Timex. It fits well, has lots of room for expansion, and enhances the rugged look of the watch. I'd love it if watch companies offered a free or low cost watch band swaps with a watch purchase to ensure that any purchase fits well.

Overall, I really enjoy my new Armitron watch. It is a practical, readable, rugged and rich looking timepiece.

[While I can't find this Armitron for sale in 2024, there are lots of reasonably priced Armitron watches available on Amazon.]

Merry Christmas 2012!

Merry Christmas!  I hope that all readers have a wonderful holiday.  Soon this page will feature reviews of the new watches I got for Christmas!

Christmas for Nerds: Nerd Watches

Do you have a nerd on your Christmas list?

If so, you can always get him a nerdy watch.  Nerd watches are big business.  There are even online discussion boards dedicated just to Nerd watches.  For example (back in 2012), you could visit the Pocket Calculator Show's now defunct Nerd Watch Message Board to learn all about vintage nerd watches.  They have the coolest collections of interesting and obscure digital watches.

As for me, I only have one genuine nerd watch.  It's a Casio Calculator watch.  These watches are dirt cheap at Walmart and make a great bonus gift or stocking stuffer at Christmas.  If you haven't read it yet, here's my review:

Wristwatch Review:  Casio Calculator and Calendar Watch