Pierre Richardson: A Vacheron Constantin Alternative?

With all the economic uncertainty for those of us in the tech sector, it can be difficult to justify the purchase of a full-fledged luxury watch. But, Christmas is right around the corner and it might be nice to add something to the watch box. There are three Asian-made brands that I'm currently keeping an eye on that might scratch the luxury itch without causing financial distress.  These brands are Pierre Richardson, Roberto Marino, and Cristiano Aillen. As far as I can tell, these are all names created for marketing purposes. But, when it comes to watches selling for less than $150, quality, functionality, and looks are the real keys. In this post, let's examine the Pierre Richardson PR4311.

Pierre Richardson PR4311 (Amazon photo)

The first watch to check out is the Pierre Richardson PR4311. This brand is a creation of the Israeli company, Orlando Watches.  This model has a 42mm diameter case and a Japanese quartz movement.  Looking at the bezel and dial, this watch appears to be an homage to the famed Vacheron Constantin Overseas. However, the Overseas has an integrated bracelet and it looks like the Pierre Richardson has a bracelet that can be conventionally changed.  

Pierre Richardson PR4311 Back and Bracelet (Amazon photo)

For this reason alone, the Pierre has a decisive advantage over the Vacheron Constantin. Plus, for those of you who are financially focused, you can save an easy $30,000. The Pierre Richardson comes in at about $150 and there are coupons on Amazon that can knock that price down substantially.  There are currently three color combinations for this watch on Amazon (silver, gold, and black).  You can start with this stainless look for this Pierre Richardson watch here at my Amazon affiliate link.

Amazon Black Friday Deals 2025: Five Bulova Watch Bargains!

For 2025, Bulova has plenty of  great Amazon Black Friday Deals. I found several that you can jump on to save serious money during this holiday season! These deals are good from now through the end of Black Friday week (November 20th through November 28th).

The Bulova Men's Classic Automatic

First up, the Bulova Men's Classic Automatic (below) is 57% off! It has luminous hands, a 21-jewel automatic movement, hack feature, aperture dial, and exhibition caseback.

Bulova Men's Classic Automatic (Amazon Photo)

It's a bold 45mm diameter watch with a black ion-plated stainless steel case and domed crystal. You can check it out here on Amazon.

Bulova Marc Anthony Collaboration Watch

Next we have the Bulova Marc Anthony collaboration watch. This timepiece has a stylish WW2 aviation watch look that's a Black Friday steal at 24% off! 

Bulova Marc Anthony Collaboration

This versatile watch even comes with a brown leather bundt strap that easily converts to a conventional leather strap look.

Bulova Marc Anthony Collaboration with Bundt Strap

Even if you aren't a big fan of Marc Anthony as a music star and celebrity, the watch certainly is easy to love! You can check this one out here on Amazon.

Bulova Aerojet Automatic

I've been lusting after this watch since I first saw it and gave it a sharp watch shout out in 2024. For awhile, the blue ones were out of stock on Amazon. Now, it's back!

Bulova Aerojet (Amazon photo)

For Amazon's Black Friday week, you can  really like on sale for Black Friday at 17% off. It's a cool looking watch for Avgeeks since it has a retro-style that brings back the glamour of the early jet age! If you'd like to grab one, check it out here on Amazon!

Bulova Men's 3-Hand Calendar Date Quartz Watch

If you like some of the richly textured dial designs that are available now, you'll like this Black Friday deal from Bulova. It's their Men's 3-Hand Calendar Date Quartz Watch.

Bulova Men's 3-Hand Quartz Calendar Date Watch

This Bulova has a great look that rivals watches like the Citizen Tsuyosa or Seiko Cocktail watches. You can get it for 44% off here on Amazon and at a very respectable Christmas Gift price.

Bulova Men's Precisionist Watch

Finally, Bulova has my favorite Precisionist watch on sale for 15% off. It's a great stainless steel date watch that is appropriate for any occasion.

Bulova Precisionist

The movement is high tech with a fast 262 khz frequency that allows the second hand to sweep smoothly around the dial.  You can check it out here on Amazon.

This kind of Black Friday action beats getting up at 4 a.m. and stomping on your neighbors. But, remember, it all ends on the 28th!

Sharp Watch Shout Out: Caravelle Sea Hunter

Like many watch companies, Bulova has been reaching deep into their historical trove of watch models and designs for inspiration and cool watches to modernize and re-issue.  One such watch is the Caravelle Sea Hunter. An iconic design from the 1960s, it has returned with a modern Miyota 8215 automatic movement. This modern Sea Hunter is a 39mm diameter watch with a 42-hour power reserve and 200-meters (666 feet) of water resistance. The watch has a domed crystal and an antique lume look. I think it looks great and that's why it gets a sharp watch shout out!

Caravelle Sea Hunter - 2025 Reissue (Amazon Photo)

If you want to swap bracelets or straps, this Caravelle has quick release spring bars. You can find this one with the gold tone stainless steel case and greeen dial here at my Amazon affiliate link.  I have seen genuine vintage Caravelle Sea Hunters on auction sites at prices up to $4000! In comparison, this one is a steal at under $300.

You can also find variants of watches at other online outlets. I've seen versions with leather straps and more traditional stainless steel tone and various other retailers and jewelry stores. Caravelle is positioned as an affordable brand and JC Penney has a very nice rubber strap version for sale online.

TGIF: Will Tariffs Drive Watch Enthusiasts Back Towards Quartz Timepieces?

With tariff laws changing in the United States and trade rivalries being renewed, the price of watches--especially Swiss watches--seems to be climbing steadily. As a watch enthusiast, I'm not seeing quite as many great deals on Swiss-made mechanical watches. In some cases, the price difference between a quartz watch and a mechanical watch is truly significant. With all the challenges in the job market and in dealing with inflation and economic uncertainty, it's enough to make me wonder if it's worth it to postpone mechanical watch purchases in favor of a more affordable quartz version. 

Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium Automatic (Amazon Photo)

Comparing Tissot Gentleman Mechanical and Quartz Watches

For example, let's consider the venerable Tissot Gentleman in mechanical and quartz varieties. Take the Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium Automatic (above). It's a beautiful watch. It has 100-meters of water resistance and an 80 hour power reserve. But, it costs nearly $1000 on Amazon. You can examine it here at my Amazon affiliate link. It's perfectly proportioned at 40mm in diameter and 11.5mm thick. But, for about half the price, the Tissot Gentleman in quartz is a noteworthy adversary.

Tissot Gentleman Quartz Watch

In quartz, you get a very similar style. There aren't sub-second markers between the second or minute markers. It doesn't have a chrome box around the date. But, the case and bracelet are nearly identical. The quartz model has a 40mm diameter case that is slightly thinner at 8.52mm thick. Like the automatic, the quartz watch has 100-meters of water resistance. However, it comes in at just under $500. That's a $500 savings over the mechanical version. You can see the Tissot Gentleman in Quartz on Amazon here.

Which would you choose?

Watch Spotlight: Bulova Archive Series - Military A-15 Pilot

Bulova has a long history of involvement with the US military.  It has made field watches, aviation watches, and dive watches. One aviation-inspired watch that I recommend is the Bulova Archive Series - Military A-15 pilot.  The watch is an automatic with a hack feature and 30-meters of water resistance. It's listed on Amazon here as the Bulova Archive Series: Military. A little research on the Bulova site reveals this watch to be the Bulova A-15 Pilot. It looks like a field watch, but has aviation-inspired features.

The Bulova Archive Series - Military A-15 Pilot watch

The Bulova A-15 is an automatic watch with an unusual feature: two rotating discs within the dial.  One disc sits appears to be the minute track, but works like the unidirectional bezel of a dive watch to record elapsed time. The other disc just inboard of the first one  provides hour markings and can be set to provide the time in another timezone.  These unexpected features make this watch a big leap above baseline field watches and make this a watch collectors should consider. If you like this watch, it may be time to make a purchase here.

Wristwatch Review: Tahari Two-Tone Dress Watch

Oops! I did it again. I bought another cheap watch. I couldn't resist. I got lost in the game. This time, I picked up another Tahari watch at Burlington. This one is a dress watch. It's a two-tone timepiece with black and silver tones in a coherent design that is carried through the bracelet, bezel, and dial.

Tahari Men's Two-Tone Dress Watch

Tahari Watch Style

This is my second Tahari watch. In my first Tahari review, I revealed that the brand is the brainchild of fashion designer Elie Tahari. She is best known for women's fashions and accessories. However, Accutime produces a limited number of Tahari-branded watches for men. 

This Tahari watch features a simple retro design with silver-toned  numerals to mark the time at 12 and 6 o'clock and silver-toned batons for the other hours around the black dial. The bezel appears to be round like the dial of a Rolex Explorer-style field watch. However, a closer look reviews subtle facets at the edge of the bezel. The sword hands are very readable in low light conditions.

Tahari Bezel Close Up

The watch fits my wrist perfectly, but it would be nice to have the capacity to adjust it to be just a little looser. The interior of the bracelet is pretty smooth and comfortable for day-to-day wear.  However, as with many watches with metal bracelets, this watch can get uncomfortable for extended wear at a computer keyboard. The weight of your wrist causes the bracelet to dig into your wrist a little. 

Tahari Watch Bracelet

The clasp of this Tahari watch is etched with the brand name which is a nice luxury touch at this low price.

Tahari Watch Construction

This watch is built under license by Accutime Watch Corporation. They do a great job for many different brands and make pretty good sports team watches.  This watch has a stainless steel caseback and stainless steel bracelet. Presumably, base metal is used for the case and bezel. The watch design uses black for the case and outer bracelet links. The finish is smooth and glossy for the black portions of the watch and shiny and highly polished for the bare metal parts.

Tahari Men's Two-Tone Dress Watch

As with many inexpensive watches, the watch bracelet is integrated into the case and would be difficult to replace. You won't be able to find an interchangeable strap.

This Tahari watch bracelet would not be easy to replace

According to the caseback, this watch has a Japanese quartz movement and uses a standard SR626SW watch battery. That should make changing a battery simple.

Tahari Two-Tone Men's Dress Watch Caseback

Tahari Watch Dimensions

The case is around 42mm in diameter and 9mm thick. From the tip of one lug across the watch to the tip of the opposite lug is about 51mm.  The bracelet is about 21mm wide tapering down to 19mm wide. The watch is nicely proportioned for a dress watch and would fit easily under the cuff of a shirt.

Tahari Two-Tone Dress Watch Out on the Town

Tahari Watch Overall Impression

I generally like this watch. It is comfortable for a few hours of wear, but it would be nice to have an extra link or an adjustment to loosen the fit just a little bit. Overall, it is a good looking watch in the $20 to $40 price range. I enjoy it for casual wear.

Where to Buy Tahari Watches

I bought this watch for about $20 at a Burlington store. You can also find them at affordable prices online at Belk and QVC.

A Tahari Dive-Style Watch

If you are interested in a review of my other Tahari watch, you can read it here on this blog!

Sharp Watch Shout Out: The Diella Automatic Starry Sky Globe Automatic

Diella watches are an interesting choice in attainable luxury watches. I'm still investigating this brand. Apparently, they are based on the designs of Swiss Watch maker Jeff Diella.  The novel thing about these watches is that they incorporate jade into their designs.  Apparently, when you illuminate jade with a bright light, the effects can be very cool looking. They have designs for men and women at a variety of price points on Amazon. This one: the Diella Automatic Starry Sky Globe Automatic caught my eye. The combination of eye catching design, intriguing use of jade, and an automatic movement earn this watch a Sharp Watch Shout Out!

You can check this sharp looking Diella watch out here on Amazon. For a limited time, this one comes with an 11% off coupon. It incorporates black jade for a smooth look!