Cameron Martel

Founder, Head Watch Geek & Reviewer

Cameron’s love for watches began over a decade ago. His personal collection includes over 33 watches, ranging from $25 to $5,000 in value. WYCA was his way of appreciating the engineering and artistry that goes into affordable watches.

Highlights

Experience

Cameron built his first website when he was 10 years old. When he was 12 he aced a social studies assignment by building a slick website biography on Bill Gates. At age 15 he sold his first website. The $400 he earned might as well have been a million because that sale kickstarted a lifelong passion for business and entrepreneurship.

In his early twenties he managed a team of 12 sales professionals at a national print and online marketing company. A few years later he was working with a talented & distributed team to create content on 15+ websites.

Education

Cameron received a Bachelor’s degree from Fanshawe College, where he studied Business Administration, Leadership and Management.

EXPERTISE: Watches, Photography, Motorcycles, Cars, Entrepreneurship
EDUCATION: Fanshawe College
LOCATION: Calgary, Canada
TITLE: Head Watch Reviewer

About Watches You Can Afford

WYCA stands as a testament to the charm and reliability of affordable watches. Reaching over 100,000 people each month, our website is a resource specially created for watch enthusiasts who value practicality without compromising on style. Watches You Can Afford features thorough reviews from people who not only write about the watches but also wear them, ensuring each review is rooted in authenticity.

Learn more about how we review watches and about us.

More from Cameron Martel

James McCabe Heritage Automatic

On the Wrist: James McCabe Heritage Automatic II

Here’s an automatic from James McCabe with the same case and similar aesthetics as the Heritage Retrograde. While the dial loses a few complications, the watch itself gains a Miyota automatic that is nicely decorated and shown off via a mineral exhibition caseback.

Despite an entry-level movement, the Heritage Automatic is a solid watch to consider if you’re wanting something distinctly styled and still 100% watch. If you want to add an inexpensive automatic to your collection, and you want that watch to be something special, well, you’ll want to keep reading…

Spinnaker Overboard SP-5023

Taking a Deep Dive With the Spinnaker Overboard

I’ve been checking out a lot of dive watches lately as research for an upcoming dive watch article, so when Spinnaker reached out to us and asked if we wanted to review one, the timing couldn’t have been better. I received the Overboard early August and have given it plenty of wrist time since.

Compared to some of the other divers I’ve been wearing lately (the Scurfa Diver One and Hamilton Navy Sub Auto, for example), the Overboard is bigger and heavier at 46mm. The Overboard boasts 300m of water resistance, a sapphire-coated mineral crystal, and a helium escape valve.

AVI-8 Flyboy Centenary 1960s

Hands-On: AVI-8 Flyboy Centenary 1960s

Avi-8 is one of my favorite little/big watch brands because of how on-point their watches are thematically. Avi-8 embodies the aviation watch in fun and sometimes over the top ways. Their latest – the Flyboy Centenary edition – is a great example of that.

Both the 1960s and 1980s versions are fitted with three color schemes. Here I’ve got the blue dial 1960s (model AV-4060-02), which I think is the best looking. Let’s take a closer look.

Scurfa Watches Diver One Blue

Scurfa Watches Diver One

Several weeks back a reader emailed me asking if I’d ever seen a watch from Scurfa Watches hands-on. Scurfa, a microbrand based out of the UK, is owned by Paul Scurfield. A North Sea pressure diver, Paul created Scurfa in order to build dive watches that gave divers high-end capability… but at an affordable price.

Scurfa is a two-person brand – my favorite kind of company – and so I decided to buy a Diver One Blue and get my feet wet. Let’s dive in.

Undone Urban Tropical Sahara

Undone Urban Tropical Sahara

UNDONE is an independent brand that has taken a unique approach to their watches: customers can customize their watch – changing cases, dials, casebacks, and even engraving initials – via UNDONE’s website watch builder. Fans of customization rejoice!

Priced at $345, the Urban Tropical Sahara is within the scope of what most would consider a “nice watch”. This is the first UNDONE I’ve seen hands-on, so let’s not waste any time in having a closer look.

Citizen Promaster BJ8050-08E Dive Watch

Citizen Promaster “EcoZilla”: One Serious Diver!

Powered by an Eco-Drive quartz movement, and with styling only an underwater welder could love, the Promaster BJ8050-08E is one of the few watches I’ve come across where the photos do not at all demonstrate the entirety of it. Suffice to say that this Promaster is 100% business, built tough as nails, and designed to handle itself under pressure. With a common street price of under $225, it’s also an affordable option that gives its wearers more for less. So, let’s go for a deep dive as we explore the Citizen Promaster BJ8050-08E!

Votum New Classic

Hands-On With the Votum New Classic

Votum as a brand has an interesting legacy that spans the course of over five decades, and its new iteration promises to retain the personality and quality the brand has historically been known for. When they reached out to me approximately two months ago about reviewing one of their pieces, I was eager to accept.

Hamilton Khaki Navy Sub Auto

Hamilton Khaki Navy Sub Auto Review

I have talked about Hamilton watches quite a lot on WYCA over the years because their mid-range price point puts them right in the upper-end of affordable for most people. “Watch people” might spend north of $1,500 on a watch without hesitation, but for most that’s simply a bit too much. $500 or $600, though? That’s more manageable.

Priced on the grey market in the $490 – $525 range, the Sub Auto is an affordable Swiss-made dive watch with an ETA 2824-2 in it. This is my favorite price range to shop in, and so I definitely appreciated a chance to assess the Sub Auto hands-on. Let’s check it out.

Invicta Specialty Mechanical

Invicta Specialty Mechanical Hands-On Review

Invicta’s reputation is as polarizing as it gets in the watch world. I make a point of not being interested in popular opinion when assessing a brand as I’d rather see their watches hands-on and form my own opinion. It was in that spirit that I plopped down $80 to purchase this specialty and give it a fair shake

Given its low price, many will find the Specialty attractive, and there’s no denying that the Skeleton dial is atypical compared to the usual $80 watch. After several mixed experiences with similar watches from other brands, I was genuinely curious to see how the ultra-affordable Specialty would be.

Orient Monarch FDD03003Y0

Orient Monarch Mechanical Hands-On Review

As of the time of this review, the MSRP of the Monarch is $335 (though I bought this one off of Amazon for $160). The Monarch is a classy dress watch that is rather conservatively styled (once you look past the serif hour markers). This model comes with a leather strap, stainless steel buckle, and an exhibition caseback.

Like the Bambino, which I still maintain is the best automatic watch you can buy for under $250, the Monarch hits that sweet spot where what it brings to the table greatly exceeds what it costs to eat there. You won’t find another quality mechanical – let alone with a power reserve complication – at this price point until you start looking at no-name Chinese-manufactured movements.

Stowa Marine Klassik 40

Stowa Marine Klassik 40 Roman White

The Marine Klassik is one of Stowa’s best-selling timepieces, and for good reason. A semi-customizable watch, the Marine Klassik 40 gives its owners choice with respect to which movement powers it. The base model, coming in at roughly $650 USD, is powered by an ETA 2824-2; opting to upgrade introduces both the top-finish ETA 2824-2 (+$130), a limited-edition model with an ETA 2892, or a hand-wound ETA 2804-2 (+300). All versions are made by hand and come with fine finishing- traits Stowa is known for.

DuFa Aalto Regulator DF-9017

DuFa Aalto Regulator Hands-On Review

Those looking for historical horological significance will likely overlook DuFa. Deutsche Uhrenfrabrik – aka, DuFa – is a brand that has flown underneath the radar, as they compete in a sea microbrands and Kickstarter success stories. In today’s environment, it’s difficult to differentiate yourself and there are a lot of up and coming indie brands out there. But DuFa stands out, and so do their watches.

Take, for example, the Aalto Regulator I have here. The German roots of its style are undeniable – clean shapes, a bold face, and minimal distractions – and the mechanical heartbeat, care of the Miyota 8217 automatic ticking within, is found in hundreds of watch models the world over. A blend of sophisticated style and practical engineering- very German.

James McCabe Heritage Retrograde JM-1026-08

Hands-On With the James McCabe Heritage Retrograde

Six weeks back I received an e-mail from Drew Meyer, who represents several watch brands. Among them is James McCabe, a highly-stylized microbrand that is doing what brands like Lucien Piccard should have done. Not long after that e-mail, the Heritage Retrograde arrived at my doorstep – courtesy of Drew – and it has commanded my interest ever since.

As the photos within this review will undoubtedly show, the Heritage Retrograde – a sub-$300 quartz casual watch – is among the most excellently styled (and stylized) watches I have come across in a good long time (if not ever). The real question is: is it a good watch? I suppose you’ll have to read on to find out.

Timex "The Waterbury" Classic 36mm

Timex Waterbury Classic in Rose Gold

The Waterbury collection is Timex’s dressier line of affordables, with timeless styling and a multitude of options in terms of sizes, straps/bracelets, and color schemes. On my wrist here is the is the Classic 36mm in rose gold and brown crocodile-grain leather (model: TW2R72500VQ), which is a unisex dress suitable for most occasions.

With an MSRP just north of $100, the Waterbury Classic is an affordable and upscale looking watch that fits in most circumstances. Thanks to its size, it’s also a unisex watch that is equally comfortable on the wrist of a man or a woman (as Melissa and Don demonstrate here).

Best Matching His & Hers Watches

Matching His & Hers Watches Priced Under $500

Finding affordable his & hers watches that aren’t junk can be tough, especially in a world flooded with no-name brand watches from overseas manufacturers. Here are a few recommendations – curated by my wife and I – that are sure to be a hit. Affordably priced, these timepieces are sure to be a hit.