Gift Ideas for the Watch Collector

Do you have someone on your list who is a watch collector?  Is it tough to find a great gift for him?  Are the watches he likes hard to find?  Is it tough to guess his style?  Are the watches he collects out of your price range?  Does he scoff at consumer grade watches sold in stores?  Does he turn his nose up at the quartz watches that mere mortals wear?  Does he have so many watches that you are afraid of duplicating something he already has?  Well, worry no more!  I have three great gift ideas for the hard to shop for watch collector on your list.

Diplomat Watch Winder

1. A Watch Winder.  Automatic mechanical watches are generally wound while being worn by the wearer.  However, if you have a collection or you don't wear your automatic watch every day or every other day, they will eventually stop and need to be wound again.  However, you can get a watch winder that rotates the watches many times every hour or so.  This winds the watch so that it will keep the time accurately and be ready to wear.  Watch winders can vary widely in price.  I found mine used in a second hand shop for about $20.  But, new a Diplomat watch winder can vary widely in price.  Upscale purchasers can even buy find watch winders in mahogany or other fine woods.


2. A Watch Box.  If your favorite watch collector has more quartz watches that automatics or conventionally wound manual watches in his collection, a nice watch box is a great gift and good way to protect a watch collection from scratches.  A watch box organizer answers the age old question:  How do you store your watches?

A watch box for storage & display

3. A Watch Repair Kit.   Finally a watch repair kit comes in handy for resizing watch bracelets, replacing watch straps, or changing batteries.  There are many varieties, but if you aren't going to a watchmaking school in Switzerland, almost any choice will do.

A Watch Repair Kit

Holiday Gift Ideas: Citizen Eco-Drive Watches

When you give a watch as a gift, you like for it to have some special characteristics that make it unique.  But, when you can't fly to some exclusive watch maker in Geneva for a timepiece, you can find yourself in a pickle.  On our more affordable middle class plane of existence, many people turn to respected watchmakers like Citizen.  The Citizen Eco-Drive watch is a special watch.  It's a watch that can liberate its wearer from the tedious chore of changing batteries.  The Citizen Eco-Drive line of watches has one of the most sophisticated solar power plants in the world of horology.  Once charged, a Citizen Eco-Drive watch can run for six months in the dark.

My first Citizen Eco-Drive was called "Drive by Citizen" or some such marketing thing.  I'm wearing it as I type.  I've had it for just over a year now and it is still going strong.  The leather band remains soft and supple and the styling is masculine and appropriate for any situation.  You can read my full review of the Drive by Citizen watch here.


My second Citizen Eco-Drive watch is this classic design that obviously draws inspiration from the vintage Citizen watches of the past.  It's a great watch to wear to the office and looks great with khakis.  There is nothing to indicate that this is a solar watch, but it can run for six months in a dark sock drawer.  You can read my complete review of this stainless steel Citizen Eco-Drive watch here.

Armitron Watches - Great Gifts for the Holidays

In the world of middle class timepieces, the Armitron watch brand isn't as popular as Timex or as prestigious as Seiko.  It doesn't have the air of exclusivity that surrounds new brands and internet micro brands.  But, Armitron consistently brings two things to the table:  nice watches and excellent prices.  Some Armitron timepieces simply look like a million bucks!  If you are looking for a gift for a man this Christmas, many Armitron watches are worth a close look!

Here are three affordable Armitron timepieces that I spotted at Walmart at clearance prices.  This first one is a great gold tone watch with a sophisticated striped dial design.  It's the kind of watch that would look at home on the wrist of any executive.  It's the kind of watch that people might strain their eyes to figure out what brand it is. 

 

This watch has a 44 millimeter case and a 165-feet of water resistance.  It looks like the bracelet and case have an alternating gold tone and stainless motif. 

This next model is a basic dress watch for the office with an expansion band.  My pictures don't do it justice, but it covers the basics and it's much less expensive than similar watches from competing brands.  For a young man on his way up, this watch would definitely suffice.

While this watch is priced low as a Walmart clearance item, it's not tremendously expensive on Amazon.com.

Finally, we come to the common digital watch from Armitron.  While many consumers are looking for a Casio G-Shock or Timex Ironman watch, this Armitron is a great alternative.  It has large readable numbers for the time and the date front and center.  It also has 330 feet of water resistance.

You can find Armitron watches for a good price at stores like Walmart or online here at Amazon.com via my affiliate link.  These watches represent a good value.  Plus, they are perfectly priced to be great gifts or stocking stuffers over the holiday.

Wristwatch Review: Diesel Machinus Quartz Watch

A Watch Designed to Track Four Timezones

This is the Diesel watch that my wonderful wife gave me for my birthday.  It's the Diesel Machinus model DZ7359. 

Diesel Machinus model DZ7359

Diesel Watch Design

If you work for a multi-national corporation, this watch has a very cool design feature:  four subdials to keep time in four different time zones.  Now, you can coordinate with the UK, the US East Coast, the US West Coast, and Mumbai, India.  You pick the time zones and set the clocks independently.

A bridge in Mumbai, India

The Machinus has an interesting dial design that incorporates instrument panel and "carbon fiber" looks into a cohesive and modern design.  If you are looking for that distinctive big dial diesel look, you'll find it in this watch.  It has a 55 millimeter diameter case that is 14 millimeter thick case.  It's all secured by a robust 26 millimeter wide leather band.

Diesel Machinus watch (case back)

Diesel Watch Leather Strap

The genuine leather band for this watch is one of the strong points.  It is thick and robust.  It is properly sized for the bulk of the watch.  It has a rich, weathered, look to it and the patina of a comfortable pair of favorite shoes.

Diesel Machinus Leather Strap

Setting the Time on the Diesel Machinus

One thing you'll notice is that for subdials 1 and 3, there are crowns that stick out where the leather strap and case meet.  Those are used for setting the dials at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions respectively.

Diesel Machinus model DZ7359

Despite the odd placement of the crowns, they don't get in the way.  The subdials at 9 and 3 o'clock are set electronically by a button underneath each that advances the hours as needed.

Drawbacks to the Diesel Machinus

Any watch with unusual design features is sure to generate opinions.  In my opinion, the only real drawback to this watch is that the subdials are small and not easy to read.  I'd like to see this watch with slightly larger hands and more lume.  Basically, I love the sub-dials, but I don't have the eyes to read them well any more.  I can read them, but I do have to stop and focus on them.

Diesel Machinus Watch

Overall, the Diesel Machinus has been a great addition to my watch collection.  The multiple subdial design allows me to know the time where my far-flung co-workers live.  The style is a great blend of traditional and contemporary features.  It's an interesting and unusual timepiece that is sure to start conversation.  If you are looking for a gift for a watch collector, this is a great one.

The Best of Diesel Watches on Amazon

I've put together a page with some of best Diesel watches that I've found on Amazon.  It has the models that everyone wants. You can find my Best Diesel Watches on Amazon page here!

Wristwatch Review: Fossil Nate Chronograph Watch for Men

For a Halloween treat, I've dug up this spooky photo of my Fossil Nate Chronograph watch.  It's a solid, rugged, quartz watch with military-inspired looks.  As you can see this watch doesn't shrink in the face of silver skulls or Magic Voodoo potions!

Read on, if you dare, for a short review of the Fossil Nate.
Perhaps, if you like, buying it will be your fate!

A Fossil Nate Wristwatch

This ain't no "boyfriend" watch.  It's not gold, it's not girly.  The Fossil Nate is big, bad ass, and action-oriented.  It ain't afraid of no ghost.  The watch feels like a solid block of stainless steel.  While the bezel doesn't rotate, it does have gear-like teeth that harken back to the abandoned factory at the edge of town.  The numbers and hashmarks evoke the classic military-style watches that have recently surged in popularity.  The case is 46 millimeters in diameter and just a tad thicker than more gentlemanly watches.  Should a wicked witch drop you in a well, this Fossil Nate chronograph offers 100 meters of water resistance.  Overall, it's a watch that I really like.  However, it's being supplanted by slightly more streamlined Fossil models.  If you like this design, I found the Fossil Nate with a black leather strap here on Amazon.

Spooky Watch Photos to make your Pulsar run cold!

Do you hear it?  Do you hear the galloping hooves?  Perhaps it is the autumnal winds and the blowing leaves?  But, may be it is headless horseman pursuing us with a warning that Halloween is approaching fast!

Headless Horseman pursuing Ichabod Crane - John Quidor [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Every tick and every tock, brings us closer to that time on the clock with the barrier between the living and the dead is very thin indeed!  We've recently had a few spooky encounters of the horological kind.  For example, here is an evil jack-o-lantern that asked me for the time.  While my own pulse nearly stopped, I was wearing my Pulsar dive-style watch.

I found that all of the undead were most excited about this dive-style timepiece.  It had plenty of bracelet for the local skeletons.  If you hear a clink-clink-clink in the evening, it may be a skeleton wearing my watch!

Wristwatch Review: Casio Forester Men's Analog Watch

An Affordable Watch for Adventurers 

The G-shock and Pathfinder are not the only Casio watches for adventurers, this review covers the humble Casio Forester. This earth-tone watch provides an affordable analog alternative to digital watches. While Casio is best known for digital watches, they also make a wide variety of analog watches. One of my favorites has long been the Casio Forester Model FT500WV-1BV. It's an inexpensive analog watch with an attractive velcro, nylon, and synthetic leather strap that fits anyone. The watch has a Japanese movement, stainless steel back, and plastic case. This Chinese-assembled case measures 42mm x 40mm x 11.5 mm. If you get rained on, it's reassuring to know that the Casio Forester is water resistant to 100 meters.

Casio calls this watch an "illuminator" as the face can be lit by pushing a button at the 3 o'clock position where the crown would normally. The crown has been moved to the 4 o'clock position where it is less likely to dig into the back of your wrist. The case has been bumped out on the sides to protect the illumination button. While I often accidently light up my entry-level Timex Expedition Camper-style watch, the Casio's case effectively precludes accidental activation.

Like the Timex Expedition, the Casio Forester provides 24-hour or "military" time in small numerals set inside of the primary 1 through 12 numerals. The Forester also provides the date in the familiar 3 o'clock position. The case and bezel for this watch are a little larger than the slim round Timex. The bulged out case and bezel evoke the more popular G-shock look and provide a modicum of protection for the watch face and crystal. The dark green and black of this Casio's case and band give this watch a distinctly masculine look. It looks like it is ready for a hike or military exercise.

Of course, no watch is perfect and there are definitely flaws in any $20 to $30 watch. First, the battery in this Casio is difficult for most people to change. Indeed, this is my second Casio Forester. My first gave me great service for about two years, but when I tried to replace the watch battery it proved to be an impossible task. Second, the nylon band fits everyone, but has a velcro strip all the way around the watch. It can certainly attract dust and lint. Finally, the toughness of this watch is undermined a bit by a plastic case. After several days of wearing metal dress watches like my Pulsar to work, I felt a little under-dressed wearing the Forester to work.

A Casio Forester at Walmart for $21.92 in 2024

Overall, the Casio Forester is still a cool looking little bang around watch for weekend wear and a good value for $30 or less. When I put on my adventurer's hat, I choose the Casio Forester for my expeditions.

[This review was originally published on Yahoo Contributors Network.  Since initial publication, it's become even easier to find good prices on the Casio Forester.]

[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.]