Introducing our own Watch Battery Center

I've noticed that watch batteries are becoming more difficult to find in Walmart stores, Target stores, and local drugstores. While they may have the SR626SW/377 watch batteries, you are unlikely to find much more. 

A pile of watch and car remote batteries

When you shop for watch batteries online with Amazon, there are almost too many watch batteries to choose from. I wouldn't want to be an alkaline battery in one of my watches. I also wouldn't trust a random battery provider. Since I value my watches, I want to use watch batteries from brands like Duracell, Energizer, Maxell, or Renata.

To make watch battery shopping more convenient, I've put together a new page on this blog called:

Best Watch Batteries on Amazon.

It's our own Watch Battery Center. I've populated it with the battery types that I've used most often for maintaining my own watches and I've selected battery brands that I trust. I'll be expanding it with a few more brands and battery types. But, it should take the hassle out of finding watch batteries

Watch Deal Alert: Bulova Men's 3-Hand Calendar Date Quartz Watch

There are some watches that get lots of attention in the media. For example, the Citizen Tsuyosa or Seiko Cocktail watches. But, there are some watches that simply offer a great look, a name with heritage, and a solid value for the price. If you like some of the richly textured dial designs that are available now, you'll like this Christmas 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 far more ballyhood watches. But, you can get it for 41% off here on Amazon for a limited time and at a very respectable sub-$200 price. 

This watch carries all the prestige, rarity, and shine needed to make a memorable holiday gift. However, it would arrive after Christmas. It looks like December 29th is the soonest Amazon can promise it. Still, it's a great looking watch and would make a special gift.

Watch Deal Alert: Nautica Finn World Watch

One of my favorite recent watch purchases is now on sale NEW! It's the Nautica Finn World watch and it's a beautiful dive-inspired watch.  The styling of this watch is just amazing with the boldest of blues, a purposeful looking diver-style bezel, and a silicone strap that fits an up to 8-inch wrist.

Nautica Finn World Watch

The Nautica Finn World Watch Deal

Right now, this Nautica Finn World watch is on sale for 43% off! There is also a clickable $10 off coupon on top of that. That makes this incredible watch a bargain at just over $60 with the coupon or $70 without! You can grab the Nautica Finn World Watch here on Amazon!

TGIF: Brick-n-Mortar Watch Ideas for Christmas Shopping 2025

I guess you really put your shopping off to the very last minute this year? You may not be sure that delivery services can even get a watch order to you or your recipient soon. If that's the case, you may want to pick up a watch at a local retailer.

Burlington Watch Shopping

If you are on a tight budget, you can usually count on Burlington to have some decent watch choices for under $30.  

A Selection of Men's Watches at Burlington

I've actually found that most watches at Burlington are priced under $25. You can find brands like Armitron, Beverly Hills Polo Club, Caribbean Joe, Geoffrey Beene, Gianello, Izod, Steve Madden, Tahari, True Religion, US Polo Assn, and Van Heusen at Burlington. Since Burlington is a discount and closeout store, the selection can vary widely.

J.C. Penney Watch Shopping

It's been a long time since I've shopped in J.C. Penney, but they do have a nice selection of watches. They had many excellent watches from Armitron, US Polo Assn, and Relic.  They also seem to be a great place for shopping Caravelle by Bulova watches. Prices at JC Penney have also been surprisingly competitive with discount stores.

The Watch Selection at JC Penney

Ross Watch Shopping

Ross usually has watch brands like Ed Hardy, Invicta, Joseph Abboud, Steve Madden, and Kenneth Cole Reaction. You may also find some surprising brands like Boss, Bulova, Fossil, Nautica, and Perry Ellis from time to time. You can generally find watches at Ross from $20 to $60. There have been reports in 2025, that shoppers in "Runway" Ross stores have been finding Zenith watches with automatic movements and a ceramic bezels for an amazing $125.

T.J. Maxx Watch Shopping

Lately, the watches at T.J. Maxx have been a little too rich for my blood. I have seen watches by Citizen, Invicta, Movado, and even some higher end brands. You can get some great deals. But, the price range runs from about $80 to $1200. The downside is that it can make me think twice before snatching up a watch. But, the plus side is that you can find a good deal on a very nice watch that would be the perfect gift for someone significant.

A Citizen Watch Deal at TJ Maxx

Walmart Watch Shopping

Walmart has their own George brand which has been creating some nice looking cheap watches lately that range from $10 to $25. Walmart also carries Casio, Skecher, and Timex watches in their stores, but the in-store selection on the name brand watches tops out at about $55. Usually, you can find Timex Expedition and Easy Reader watches and Casio digital watches and Casio MRW200H diver-style watches (which I reviewed here long ago)

Watch Shopping at the Shopping Mall

If you like safe public places to wander and shop, this is definitely a good time to throw your local shopping mall a bone. I'd love to click my heels together and go back to the 90s myself. You'll generally find that major anchor stores like Macy's and Von Maur usually have ample inventory of watches. Traditional jewelry stores in the mall also have some great watches. As the price of a watch purchase goes up, it becomes more important to see, feel, and try on the watches of interest. If you've waited to the last minute, this is definitely the time to join the shopping mall crowd.

Watch Deal Alert: The Bulova Men's Classic Automatic

 A Classy Looking Watch for 45% off!

There is currently a great deal on the Bulova Men's Classic Automatic (below) in Rose Gold tone with a brown leather strap. In the lead up to Christmas, the watch is 45% 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 large 45mm diameter watch with lots of wrist presence, a rose gold-tone stainless steel case, and domed crystal. You can check it out here on Amazon. For less than $325, this watch is a great deal!

Nixon Watches: Great Christmas Gifts

It can be very challenging to find an interesting and unique watch for a loved one while staying within a reasonable Christmas gift budget. One approach to the problem is to find a nice watch from a reliable brand that may not be familiar to most people. One brand that makes quality watches at sensible prices is Nixon. Nixon makes rugged watches for surfers and skateboarders so that they can handle "gnarly environments" and still look presentable for a night out on the town. I've covered the Nixon brand in this blog in this watches A to Z post.

Nixon watches offer rugged good looks with water resistance for wearers who are active in watersports let swimming, surfing, or jet skiing. The brand also has some unique takes on most watch genres. Since Nixon focuses on quartz movement watches, most of the brands watches are also affordable! 

One of the first Nixon watches to catch my eye is the Nixon Clutch 42.  This watch has a Miyota quartz movement, 100-meter water resistance, and an interesting cushion-case.  It also has a rugged woven nylon strap.

You can find this watch here on Amazon for less than $200. The watch has lots of  lume for low-light visibility and it comes in three different case/dial color combinations.

Another Nixon that caught my eye is the Nixon Time Teller. It's one of their standards and it reminds me of a Tissot PRX. This watch is 37mm in diameter with an 19mm bracelet. It also has 100-meter water resistance and a Miyota Quartz movement.  However, it comes in 30 different case and dial color combinations.  If you poke around a bit, you can also find similar Nixon watches with solar movements or leather straps. The possibilities seem endless!

This watch offers many ways to express individual style and it's priced at less than $200. You can see the Nixon Time Teller here on Amazon.

I've posted more Nixon watch gift ideas on X. I think they make excellent gift choices because they are unusual, affordable, and built to perform. You can see more here on X:

If you're shopping for gift for a watch enthusiast this Christmas, you might try Nixon. They are an American brand inspired by the west coast's surfing and skate culture. Their mission was to create a watch you could surf with and then go to decent beach front restaurant.
(1/4) pic.twitter.com/MxRJBEB87P

— TheWatchDude (@the_watch_dude) December 16, 2025

This brand bigs fun back to the watch game in a big way!

Affordable Swiss Watches: Three Swiss Watches for $100 or Less

If you are on a tight budget and looking for affordable Swiss Made watches for your collection, it can be a challenge. Many Swiss watchmakers have moved up-market and staked out high price points that aren't always easy to attain for many consumers and especially younger collectors. Fortunately, there are still a few Swiss watch brands that most people can easily afford.  Here are three Swiss Made watches that are available for $100 or less.

Mathey-Tissot Excalibur Series Three Hand Date Watch

Mathey-Tissot is an interesting watch brand with a long and rich heritage.  It was founded in 1886 by Edmond Mathey-Tissot. Originally founded in Les-Ponts-de-Martel, Switzerland, it was moved to Geneva in 1975 when it was acquired by American distributor Jules Elefant. The brand changed ownership again in 2014 when it was acquired by Alberto Frigerio.  It is now managed by Swiss Watch Partners SA. Most of their watch models cost less than between $100 and $2000 within many offerings below $500. 

Mathey-Tissot Excalibur Series Three Hand Date Watch (Amazon Photo)

For this exercise, I focused on cost and selected their least expensive watch. The watch above is the Mathey-Tissot Excalibur Series Swiss Quartz watch. It's an all stainless steel watch with a 45mm diameter case that is 10mm thick. I love that they call the pattern "Medieval." You can check this watch out here on Amazon!

Wenger Urban Metro Swiss Quartz Watch

When Victorinox acquired Wenger in 2005, the Wenger brand started to disappear from the watch marketplace. The brand stopped making Swiss Army knives in the 2013 timeframe. It was a small price to pay to end tedious arguments about which brand was the original and which was the genuine Swiss Army brand. However, as Victorinox has moved more upscale, they must have made the decision to bring back the Wenger brand. According to Grok, the Victorinox subsidiary Wenger is focused on watches, travel gear, and licensed products (other than knives). The Wenger Urban Metro watch is a 42mm diameter Swiss Quartz watch that features minimalist styling and a canted date window at 4 o'clock.

Wenger Urban Metro Swiss Quartz Watch

Initially, this watch reminded me of the utilitarian designs from Mondaine (covered here on this blog). However, a second glance reveals strong field watch influences from timepieces like the Tudor Ranger. You can see the Wenger watch here on Amazon.

Swatch New Generation Bio-Ceramic Swiss Quartz Watch 

Finally, one popular Swiss Brand needs to be mentioned:  Swatch.  The brand makes all kinds of cool watches that are affordable and made in Switzerland. This one hits our $100 mark and brings a bit of style to the conversation. Swatch has watches that run from $60 on up and has recently made waves with collaboration watches with some big names in the watch industry.  The one pictured here today is called "Good to Gorp" and incorporates the latest in Bio-Ceramic case technology. This should increase the watch's longevity.

Swatch "Good to Gorp" Bio-ceramic Watch

You can find this Swatch here on Amazon. There are many other Swatch watches in this price range so this brand could form the basis for an interesting and affordable collection.

In an era when so many watch prices seem completely unaffordable, it's nice to have options!