WTB: a watch

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  berger on 03/12/2012 - 20:32

  If in Melbourne,hit the carrabean garden markets. Fake watches are pretty good. I got 3-4 immitation tag haier that look a good as the real thing. $80 roughly. No point wearing these if you got SWAG though. I saw some Nike & Adidas watches at DFO that looks dressy too.

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  [Deactivated] on 03/12/2012 - 20:45

  I've owned a few watches including a Tag Heuer, Citizen, Seiko, Relic and a few others. The most expensive being the Tag which was $800 at the time.

  Anyways the best watch for it's price/function/looks would be one made my Relic/Fossil. It looks a little something like this http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Relic-by-Fossil-Mens-Rectang-Skel… but mine is completely skeleton. It cost me $100. It's self winding, water resistant and most importantly shiny. As a joke when i first got it i would tell people it cost me $1000 and unless you're a watch person no one knows the wiser.

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  Riczter on 03/12/2012 - 21:11

  Watches are hard. Its difficult to get a reliable brand name watch for a cheap price. I remember a while back my friend was bragging and showing off his brand new expensive watch with bloody GPS tracking and wifi syncing and bluetooth and shoots lazerz and spews forth rainbows and whatever else. Paid like 600 bucks for it. He was getting all excited about it, and then I said: Check out my watch, bought it 5 years ago for 30 bucks from Big W. It tells the time and its waterproof and has a light so you can see it in the dark. It still works on the same battery 5 years later and is still in good condition after being worn everyday. What the hell more do you want from a watch???

  Moral of the story: Just get any watch under 50 bucks that looks good. And get another one when it craps out. Plus a thumbs up for big W watches haha.

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    [Deactivated] on 04/12/2012 - 08:33

    Your 5-year watch reminded me…

    I found a ~$30 (!?) Casio sport watch on the main road into Uni. One end was broken off the watch face itself, where the band locks in with the spring pin. The band was long discarded, and the owner had attached a keyring to the watch. There was also a broken zipper from a nylon sports bag on the ring. (Obviously when the band snapped off, he must've connected the watch to his Uni bag using a keyring.)

    Anyway… That watch was on our dining table for YEARS. My three kids constantly played with it through their toddler years, "wasting" the power with the light button. We threw it away when the battery finally died about TWELVE YEARS later.

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  plmko on 03/12/2012 - 21:27

  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CITIZEN-MEN-LEATHER-DAY-DATE-WR-B…

  I use that, no fuss, no fancy stuff, looks more expensive than it is….but it actually has a really good price.

  I use it at the office.

  You can pay internet overseas prices for around $80 or get it in Australia for $120.

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  altomic on 03/12/2012 - 21:36

  get a design your own watch from ARTCOWS.

  with a deal/coupon it is like $6.99

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  blitz on 03/12/2012 - 23:33

  +1

  The difference between a cheap watch and an expensive watch is the movement:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TumUQACIQsc

  The cheap junk you get at the market may look a little like a real Tag to the casual eye, but the movement will be crappy. If you don't want to spend much, don't go to the market, and don't get a cheap fake. Also avoid showy brands like Rivers or Diesel (the same cheap movement) and Adidas (they make shoes, not watches). In any case, all of these watch types will break.

  Instead, in your price range, get something that is reliable, and understated. Go for something respectful like a Seiko, Lorus, Casio or Citizen. Numerous examples on Amazon in your price range. Sky Watches also has a good reputation. For example, check out this beauty:

  http://www.skywatches.com.sg/reviews/seiko-quartz-mens-watch…

  I love watches. While I'm more of an Omega man, I have numerous Seikos. They make beautiful, reliable stuff.

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  berger on 04/12/2012 - 21:12

  Look at the peters of Kensington tw steel watch bargain. $194 a big jump, but these oversize watches look awesome, I have 2. They look normal on my arm though :-/

  • 

    blitz on 05/12/2012 - 14:16

    Those TW Steel watches use the same Miyota movement as many cheaper watches. A perfectly good and reliable movement made by Citizen, but you're paying $194 for the looks and the label. For that price, I'd buy a Seiko no question.

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  demod on 05/12/2012 - 14:37

  This place freaks me out. Also looking for a watch. Was looking for a pair of sketchers shoes a month or 2 ago, and whaddayaknow someone posts "Looking for sketcher shoes".

  I've been looking at:

  Bulovia - should be able to get it for $99ish USD on special + 9 for delivery. Was a recent post here around black friday.
  http://www.amazon.com/Bulova-96B127-Precisionist-Claremont-L…

  A few kinetic Seiko's around $150USD

  or another random Amazon brand: Stuhrling - this is automatic (no battery) but a bit chunky. about $85 delivered
  http://www.amazon.com/Stuhrling-Original-387-33111-Automatic…

  Good luck!

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  zfa on 05/12/2012 - 16:18

  I'm a watch nut - everything from real cheapo fashion watches right up to vintage pocket and wrist-watches. Not very ozbargain I know!

  Anyway, for $50 I'd recommend looking at 'Kenneth Cole' watches on Amazon.com/.co,uk. There's some horrific looking stuff in his range but also some very nice classy watches for around your price-point. I have one of his that looks like it should cost a few hundred bucks but it was about £30 from Amazon UK. Get compliments on it all the time (which is annoying when no one ever mentions a Rolex, say, should I wear one).

  Otherwise as I've seen that others have said, your bog-standard low-end Citizen or Seiko are worth looking into but may well be over budget - depends how flexible that is.

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  2ndeffort on 06/12/2012 - 14:29

  I am a watch tragic. You can go 2 ways on watches, you can get a real watch or you can get a fashion watch. I will discount fake watches because, certainly if you want to wear it to business meetings and the like, nothing, for me anyway, says 'I cant afford a real one but I want to look like I can' more than a copy watch. The type of people that would be impressed by a watch wont be impressed by a copy watch.

  If you want to go for a fashion watch it will have a 'quartz' movement inside. Not all Quartz watches are fashion watches, but most are. A Fashion watch may have an impressive brand name on it like Hugo Boss or Calvin Klein or Nixon or Quicksilver etc etc. In reality most of them contain a quartz movement, are made in the same factories in china and have the respective brand stamped on them at the end of the production line. The more expensive ones charge more based on the branding. Quartz watches are battery powered and essentially most are, functionally at least, the same as the $30 Casio etc mentioned above. You may prefer the look of a Quartz Tag or a Kenneth Cole etc but internally they will be the same. There are some Swiss Quartz movements like Ronda etc that may be a little higher end. Quartz movements are the most accurate and, until the Battery runs flat will need no maintenance.

  If you want to wear a watch that other WUS (watch tragics) will notice and, perhaps wear what many consider a 'Real' watch, you should look at Mechanical watches. These come in mainly 2 forms (I say mainly because there are hybrid watches like Seiko Kinetic etc that sit somewhere in between), 'Hand Wound' and 'Automatic'. The Hand Winders are probably what your grandfather wore, you wind them up with the crown as you go. Automatics use the movement of your wrist throughout the day to wind themselves up. Mechanical watches are less accurate that Quartz and they may need maintenance every 4 - 10 years or so depending on brand etc. The Uber expensive $400K watches you see in the magazines etc are all automatics, normally hand made 1 offs, they are so expensive because some old swiss wqatchmaker spends a couple of years hand making every intricate little gear and lever and painstakingly builds it up as his life's work etc. Autos are essentially cool, not just because of what they look like but because, inside they have a tiny, complicated intricate little machine cranking away keeping time. Some have a glass back on them so you can see the little gears etc spinning. Many of the more expensive ones have 'complications' which are extra features that may keep track of multiple time zones or have alarms or keep a calendar etc.

  That out of the way, generally auto watches are more expensive but the cheaper end of auto watches is in the $200 ish category. Fashion watches can go as low as $20 and up to several thousand. Without knowing your budget, I always wear auto watches. There is a watch tragics forum at www.watchuseek where you can post up about what kind of watch you like and your budget and folks from all around the world (mostly US) will make recommendations, mostly with pictures.

  In short though, if Auto is interesting I would probably recommend:

  $100 - $400 range - Seiko 5 or 'Orient' - Japanese Auto Watches that have a great reputation for reliability. You can get a large range of styles and they are normally good for warranty. The new 4R movements in the Seikos are supposed to be pretty good. Seiko Divers watches like the SX007 and the 'Monster' also get a good rep (I have both).

  $500 - $1500 - You are entering the world of watch collectors, at the lower end you could get a Seiko SARB Auto model and you are getting into the lower ens of Swiss Autos. I have a Hamilton Jazzmaster Swiss Auto that cost me about $400 and is a lovely watch that goes well with a suit etc. At the $1500 end you can easily pick up TAG, Oris, Mido and other Swiss brands. Best deals are on the net from 'Grey Market' dealers where you will save about 40% off the retail price but you will not get the international warranty, these are genuine watches but they arent warranted from the factory. many of the Grey Market dealers like Amazon and Jomashop give their own warranties though. Obviously the internet is awash with fake and copy watches. believe me, you wont get an Omega Planet Ocean for $200, I know because I have spent countless hours looking. With watches, the old adage is true, if it looks too good to be true it normally is. You can however find bargains though, I just bought a Candino Planet Solar watch, Swiss ETA movement, Sapphire crystal, sporty look for less than $300 delivered from Amazon France. Last week I bought a Seiko SX007 for $150.

  Above that, definitely do some research. Send me a PM if you want to chat more as there are all sorts out there. I am currently buying 'project' watches where people have set up little 'indy' watch companies and are making their own cool little watch projects. Final note, be careful of brands like 'Invicta, Akribos, Croton etc. These guys pass themselves off as Swiss watches and the ad normally says they are normally $3K but today only $50. Relity is that these brands are always $50, arent swiss at all, they are mostly made in china with inferior materials and I think they trade through deceptive marketing to unwitting customers.

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    demod on 06/12/2012 - 17:26

    Wow awesome post. You mention those 85% off brands from amazon, do you put bulova and Stuhrling under that description too? I almost pulled the trigger on the Stuhrling (linked above) the other day. For $85 I can't go too wrong :)

    I really want an automatic, would probably settle for kinetic type also. Will definitely check out the SX007 you mentioned.

  • 

    blitz on 06/12/2012 - 20:23

    I am a watch tragic.

    Let it out, 2ndeffort, you're among friends here ;)

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  2ndeffort on 06/12/2012 - 19:20

  Some of the Bulova's are interesting, I would check which movement was inside. I nearly bought one that had an ETA movement inside (swiss auto) for about $300 from www.upscaletime.com. stuhrling, Invicta, Croton, Akribos, Kenneth Cole etc are brands I personally wouldn't touch. I once bought a Croton one one of the Deal of the Day sites just to see what it was like and, compared to other watches that I have from around the same price bracket, it was pretty poor quality. I have a Seiko 'Neo' monster that cost $79 from a US site and it leaves the Croton for dead. Not trying to ne prejudiced in any way but I havent been impressed with any of the Chinese made watches I've seen but I am always amazed at how good the Japanese make a watch. The Swiss and Germans make great watches too but you wont get one for the price of a Seiko monster.

  I bought my son a Seiko 5 auto from an online seller and it has been great. It is a sporty look, not a conservative office look. If you are open to a sporty look, have a look at a Seiko SKX781 commonly known as a 'Monster'. These are cheap-ish Seiko automatics that collectors love. They are a bit unique and not to everyone's taste. There is a 'modding' community online too where people buy their own custom hands and watchfaces etc and mod their 'monsters', or even pay 'modders' to mod their watches. try googling 'dagaz watch' and have a look at some of the mods. The 'Lume' on the Moster is legendary, meaning the luminous hands and how much they glow in the dark.

  Have a look at these online shops for Seiko or orient watches www.Seiyajapan.com or www.skywatches.com.sg or www.creationwatches.com Seiya in particular is famous for getting the 'Japanese domestic market versions of watches and giving great service. I havent bought from him yet but I wouldnt hesitate to do so.

  I would shop around before buying but here is a Seiko that I would recommend:

  http://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SRP311-Stainless-Generation-Auto…

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  berger on 06/12/2012 - 20:40

  Aldi next catalog has some cheap watches that look ok…

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  P.Sherman on 07/12/2012 - 01:22

  Thanks for all your posts, especially those lengthy ones. OMG 2ndeffort!

  Will give them all a read again when I have time on Monday.

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  demod on 08/12/2012 - 18:43

  Hey 2ndeffort, thanks for your advise, I think you helped me dodge a bullet on the Stuhrling. Looked around at more of the Seiko 5s. That monster looked a bit big for me!

  So just bought a SNZG13J1: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/280991166516

  Has everything I'm after, can't wait to get it!

  • 

    blitz on 09/12/2012 - 09:07

    That's a nice watch! And so it begins!

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  2ndeffort on 09/12/2012 - 11:10

  Looks like a nice watch, bit of a Military watch look to it. The Seiko 5's that I have had have been bulletproof. Enjoy, and as blitz says…so it begins

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  demod on 09/12/2012 - 21:46

  After hours of searching locally COTD do this to me :
  https://m.catchoftheday.com.au/smallfish_info.php?event_id=2…

  I already want another watch! :)

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  shorewalker on 09/04/2017 - 18:19

  Try a Timex Weekender. Change the nylon strap for a good leather one when you have the spare $25.

  Look on Amazon or spend $60 here: https://www.catchoftheday.com.au/product/timex-38mm-t2p142-w…

  Or a Timex Expedition Scout, easily mistaken for something more expensive. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Timex-TW4B01800-Expedition-Scout-Leat…