It may not be a real “dive watch”, but the Mako Rubber definitely looks the part. With 200m of water resistance, it can get plenty wet and look great doing it. Otherwise, the Mako is an affordable and capable watch, powered by a house-made automatic movement, and looks that match. I’m a big fan.
The Nixon Sentry Leather, powered by what is likely a Miyota quartz movement, is a great looking watch that embraces its fashion status without making structural or mechanical compromises. It’s affordability and overall look make it a great daily wearer, though if you’re looking for something more mechanical, the Sentry isn’t for you. It’s a fashion watch, yes, but a pretty good one.
The Seiko Flightmaster is a genuinely useful watch. The chronograph and date display are standard complications, but the integration of a slide-rule is what gives the Flightmaster its utility. It’s made well and looks good (in my opinion). There isn’t anything I dislike: the Flightmaster is a good watch overall.
The SNKN01 is a great looking watch that is powered by the legendary 7S26 automatic movement. For someone looking for an affordable automatic, the SNKN01 – and the Recraft series of watches – offer a lot of value. I’ve seen this watch for as low as $110 on Amazon, and at that price it’s an obvious choice. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Priced at under $175, the Bonvier Classic offers a variety of attractive styles to choose from. It’s made using good materials and a quality Miyota movement, meaning that it should keep ticking for years to come. I wish they’d have used sapphire instead of mineral glass, but it’s not unreasonable for the price point. I like the Classic 40mm overall.
The fighter plane theme is a hit, and I’m not the only one that thinks so. Everyone into aircraft that I showed this watch to were smitten, and I can see why: the Hawker Hurricane looks fantastic and carries a real personality. It’s plucky, like the aircraft it commemorates, and I love that about it. If AVI-8 tossed a sapphire crystal on it, the Hawker Hurricane would be an obvious sub-$250 addition to the “our picks” collection.
In October 2013 I picked up an automatic Delphi Acheron from Stuhrling Original. How has it help up in the nearly 3 years since? Only one way to find out!
If the Bambino is the proverbial bulls eye, the Symphony lands just short of the inner circle. It’s powered by the same Caliber 48743 automatic that Orient fits in the Bambino, and it’s built just as well, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark aesthetically. Because of this, it always seems to sit in its better-looking cousins shadow. It’s not a bad watch by any technical means, just make sure you’ve checked the Bambino out before you pull the trigger on the Symphony.
Orient hit the nail on the head with the Bambino V2. This is a great looking watch, and of the three versions of the Bambino, I think that the V2 is the best looking. The quality of its build is evident all over, with no corners cut in its construction. Overall, the Bambino is an excellent watch. I recommend it.
The Symphony Eclipse Horizon, as it’s dramatically called, is a ridiculous watch. The 47mm case is monstrous, and the translucent sections of the dial give it even more wrist space. The sparse use of color makes the watch feel more techno-punk than world traveler, but I think that’s kind of the point… which is odd, given that it’s got two separate movements for each dial. Like all Stuhrling’s, you’ll find it’s street price is around $120 as opposed to its $595 “MSRP”.
The Holst is an attractive minimalist timepiece, monotone in color and free from anything that would detract from its spartan aesthetic. I quite like it. It’s affordable and keeps good time, and despite being frustrating to set the date, it’s a pretty straightforward watch to use. It’s sleek, thin, and looks good with just about everything. I wear mine all the time.
The Decker CH2573 is pretty good, though it is on the expensive side for what it is. It is comfortable to wear thanks in no small part to the silicon strap. It feels good on the wrist and offers excellent night visibility. It’s a perfectly average watch in basically every respect.
The Legacy Executive is loud. The blue hands brightly contrast with the skeleton face and white dial, and the flash continues down to the highly decorated movement ticking away inside. The movement is fairly accurate, and there’s definite novelty to watching the movement tick away. It’s a showpiece, that’s for sure. It’s posted MSRP of $588 is misleading- you’ll easily find it for less than a third of that.
The Skagen Ancher is a fantastic looking timepiece. It’s lightweight, thin, and comfortable to wear thanks to the surprisingly soft saddle-brown leather band. It offers fair value for its price. For an everyday wearable and versatile quartz watch, the Skagen Ancher fits the bill nicely
This is a case of a watch that looks far more valuable than it is. The Breytenbach BB7745BE isn’t necessarily bad- its automatic movement seemed to be fairly accurate (losing only 18 seconds per day), the leather strap is pretty good quality, and the beautifully decorated movement is almost a showpiece. However, don’t be confused into thinking this watch is good value. You very much get what you pay for.