Wristwatch Review: Tahari Quartz "Datejust Homage" Dress Watch

Do you like the look of a fluted bezel like the one on the famed Rolex Datejust "Presidential" dress watch? I've been playing around with fluted bezel watches for awhile. On the one hand, I like the way that the fluted bezels catch the light, but on the other, I typically wear more utilitarian watches. Before plunking down big money on a Rolex, it's worth exploring the look a bit more thoroughly.  That's where a watch like the Tahari Quartz Datejust Homage comes in.

Tahari Datejust Watch Features

The Tahari Datejust has a quartz movement made in Singapore. It is a dress watch with a domed crystal, a magnifier bubble (or cyclops) over the date window; a gold-tone fluted bezel, case, bracelet, and hour markers; and the number 12 at 12 o'clock. It's a simple watch.

Tahari Datejust Quartz Watch

Tahari Watch Style

The Rolex "Presidential" Datejust is a watch that has long been associated with presidents, prime ministers, and other leaders around the world. With the Tahari, the style is a bit more relaxed. You don't need to do any of that leadership stuff. You just need to take $20 or so down to Burlington. Other than that, the Tahari mimics a traditional Rolex Datejust--without actual gold, diamonds, or crowns here there and everywhere.

Tahari "DateJust" Homage

On a more serious note, the Tahari does give an approximation of how a datejust might look on your wrist. It's not a substitute for a Rolex, but it is a placeholder. It'll help the wearer figure out if they like fluted dials or not.

Tahari Watch Construction

The Tahari Datejust is made by Accutime in Asia (most likely in China or Hong Kong). The watch has a stainless steel case back, a base metal case, and a Chinese stainless steel bracelet. Over the years, I've been satisfied with other watches made by Accutime over the years. The company makes many watches under license for sports teams and store-brand watches. 

This Tahari watch does have a few little things that reveal its low price point. For example, the bracelet is very light weight and there are a few brush or tool marks on the case. None of these minor things are showstoppers for a $20 fashion watch.

Tahari Watch Dimensions

The Tahari "Datejust" case is 39mm in diameter and 10mm thick. Without the room requirements of Swiss, antique-style, mechanical works, the Tahari (not counting the 1mm cyclops) actually comes in a little thinner than a 41mm Rolex Datejust which measures 11.6 to 12mm thick. The lug-to-lug measurements come in at about 47mm. The stainless steel bracelet is 19mm wide at the lug and tapers slightly to 15.5mm at the clasp.  It's  long enough to fit my 7 3/4-inch wrist perfectly without adjustment.

The Tahari Datejust Bracelet tapers significantly

Overall Impressions of the Tahari Datejust Homage

The Tahari Datejust Homage is a comfortable, cheap, watch that has allowed me to experiment with the fluted bezel watch look. It's a nice looking watch for casual wear. However, I probably wouldn't wear this watch in a professional setting. While it does mimic the look of a far more expensive Rolex, it doesn't have the brand reputation or high quality look that we expect from more expensive brands like Bulova, Seiko, or Timex. Still, its a fun bang around watch for the weekend.

TGIF: Is this US Polo Assn Watch orange enough?

 As a Florida Gators fan, it's time to address a fundamental question about this watch. Does the orange color of this US Polo Assn watch match my team's orange color? I think it comes close, but the color is, perhaps, too pale. This is an important question because our college basketball season shifts into conference play tomorrow (January 3, 2026).

A US Polo Association watch is inspected by the Florida Gator logo

Ultimately, I think the orange of this US Polo Assn watch would probably match well enough to wear to a game watch party or a sports bar to see my team play. After all this watch handled a recent trip to Mambo Italiano with style and flair. You can read my review here on this blog.

Is your watch collection keeping you poor?

Tricks for Saving, Investing, and Still Buying Cool Watches

As we enter 2026, thoughts turn to New Years resolutions and personal finance. I find that it's always tempting to grab the latest, best looking, shiniest, most technologically advance watch you see online in a given month. But, having witnessed the recent meteoric climb in silver and gold prices over the past year, I have to wonder and wish that I'd have invested more in precious metals or mutual funds. When I look around, I have to wonder if my watch collection is keeping me poor.  Perhaps, our watch collections are keeping all of us poor. If so, how can we change that?

One thought I have had is to make a game of watch buying and investing. Here are three things you can do to make sure you are growing your wealth while still enjoying your watch collecting.

1. Match your watch with an investment purchase.  It is easy to do.  If you want to buy a watch that costs $500, invest $500 in a financial asset when you buy your watch. It's a simple concept. You have an incentive to save up $1000 so that you can buy that $500 watch and a matching investment. If you have $500, but saving up $1000 seems far, far, away, you have an option. Find a watch that is roughly equivalent to the $500 watch at $250 and then you invest the $250 into a financial instrument of some kind. This way you have an incentive to save up for a watch purchase and, if you can't be patient, you have an incentive to save money on your watch purchase so that you can invest an equivalent amount appropriately. For example, a Movado Calendoplan watch costs just over $500 on Amazon. You can see it on my affiliate link here.

Movado Calendoplan (Amazon photo)

Now, the challenge becomes finding a suitable substitute for the Movado. For example, would this Bulova Men's Classic fit the bill? It's quartz, but it doesn't have lume. It's normally a bit over $300, but it's 31% off for a price that would meet the $250 savings goal. Now, you have a watch a few ounces of silver bullion or another investment notch towards fully funding the Roth IRA for the year.

Bulova Men's Classic Quartz Dress Watch (Amazon photo)

You can see this Bulova Men's Classic quartz dress watch here via my Amazon affiliate link. There is no lume on this watch, but does it provide the same satisfaction? This isn't to pick on the Movado. It may well be a substitute for a $1000 watch. The point is to play the game well.

2. Substitute and save. An alternative strategy is to substitute a less expensive watch for the one you want to buy and invest the difference.  For example, if you want a field watch like the Rolex Explorer, but find that an MVMT Field II watch (below) can accomplish the same mission for you, buy the MVMT and invest the difference between the Rolex Explorer price and the MVMT. It can be a substantial amount of money.  You can see the price of the MVMT Field watch here at my Amazon affiliate link.

MVMT Field II Quartz Field Watch (Amazon photo)

With these first two strategies, you have a nice watch collection and you've tricked yourself into saving and investing money along the way. If you want more watches, you have to invest more.

3. Buy Investment Grade Watches. Finally, if you already have significant wealth, you could buy investment grade timepieces from reputable brands like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Rolex, Ulysse Nardin, and Vacheron Constantin. Classic timepieces from these brands stand firmly at the intersection of technology, art, and social status. They have values that are closely tracked and that can fluctuate with economic conditions. But, these sorts of watches are assets and can retain or build value. For a middle class investor, I suspect that much wealth would be concentrated into just a few watches that might have the risk of being counterfeit, getting damaged, or getting stolen.

Watch Collecting for Beginners by J.S.

I'll have to read up on the watch collecting topic before getting started with any sort of serious timepieces. I suppose one could flip their way to nicer and nicer watches by buying low and selling high. But, it's hard to know where to get started. In the new year, I'll try to start with the book "Watch Collecting for Beginners" by J.S. You can get it here via my Amazon affiliate program link. 

Ultimately, finding cool watches and meeting investment goals is just a matter of time and consistency.

What Makes A Watch Good for Work?

A sensible watch is an important part of a any man's wardrobe. Outside of creative fields or sales, the primary purpose of a work watch is to tell time and project an image of competence. In creative fields, you may want your watch to express your creativity. In sales, you may want a watch that helps align your status with those of your clients. In law or medical practice, you may want your watch to assert authority, competence, and a degree of success. For the rest of us, a competent professional watch should suffice. 

This old Pulsar Quartz Watch is a nearly perfect work watch

Here are a few components of a professional looking watch for the workplace. To me, there are four main  factors to consider:

• Readability
• Distraction-Free
• Reliable Brand
• Wardrobe Compatible

First, a watch you wear to work, should be readable. In a normal office setting, you should be able to quickly glance at your timepiece and know what time it is. Just as being on your phone during a meeting is considered rude, obviously glancing at your watch during a meeting is a bit of a faux pas. A readable watch should provide you the time with only the most incidental of discreet glances. Of course, you'll still want to know when the boring meeting ends.

Timex is a reliable brand for work watches

Second, your watch should not cause a distraction in the workplace for yourself or your co-workers. Generally, you don't want to bring a meeting to a screeching halt with your co-workers asking questions about your flashy new watch. You also don't want to circle your section of the cubicle farm flapping your arms like a bird because your vintage watch doesn't like sedentary office work.

This Hilfiger Quartz 3-hand watch is a simple attractive watch for work.

Third, you'll want to wear a watch from a brand that people have heard of and have found reliable over the years.  This generally means brands like Armitron, Bulova, Citizen, Fossil, Hilfiger, Lacoste, Nautica, Orient, Seiko, and Timex. The watch  brand you choose is an extension of your own personal brand. If you aren't a senior-level employee, a brand like Tudor or Rolex might brand you as a trust fund baby. An Ali Express special might send the signal that you're ok with outsourcing to save money. A big honking gold Invicta might let everyone know you are a made man with a "no show" union job in New Jersey. It's brutal, but I don't make the rules.

Finally, the watch you wear should complement and blend in with your other wardrobe choices. That allows for a bit of freedom on any given day and let's you show that you have a degree of taste and refinement.

An Affordable Three Watch Collection

The big watch blogs and magazines often recommend three watch collections to their readers. A three watch collection should be able to cover most of a man's watch needs. For example, a typical three watch collection might contain a dress watch, a sport watch, and a dive watch.  Where many of these collections fail is in the affordability arena. Watch enthusiast magazines often define an affordable three watch collection as a collection where each watch costs about $1000. For most of Americans, $1000 for a watch is a major stretch. I define an affordable collection as less than $75 per watch. 

Affordable Means $75 or Less Per Watch

If I were starting out to build an affordable watch collection with a cap of $75 per watch, I would start out defining what my watches should do. To cover the basics, I'd suggest a dress watch, a field watch, and a diver-style watch.

Peugeot Men's 14K Gold-Plated Sun Moon Watch

To start things out, I'd choose a dress watch from Peugeot. Their watches come with a Seiko quartz movement, free lifetime warranty that included free battery replacement, and most importantly classic looks. The 14-carat gold-plated sun moon quartz watch has a vintage look and a contemporarily-sized 40mm case.

Peugeot Sun Moon Phase Analog Watch (Amazon Photo)

While this watch looks expensive, it is surprising affordable at less than $70. You can see for yourself using my Amazon affiliate link here. The small commissions from every purchase help to support this blog.

Timex Expedition 40mm Metal Watch with Luminous Hands

Next, you'll need a rugged watch that can stand up to the rigors of daily life. I'd suggest a Timex Expedition field watch. This 40mm Timex has a silver-toned brass case, a leather strap, and comes in  variety of available dial colors. This one does NOT have indiglo back lighting, but it does have lume on the hands. I think this one looks a little better for business casual wear. For more information, I've reviewed this Timex Expedition here on this blog.

Timex Expedition Metal Brown Leather Strap Watch

This watch typically comes in at just over $50. But, there are always sales. As of this writing, the watch is 11% off on Amazon.  You can see this Timex Metal Expedition here via my affiliate link.

Stuhrling Original Depthmaster Dive Watch

Even though I don't currently swim, snorkel, or dive, I really like the looks of dive watches. In this affordable dive watch space there are many potential choices. But, I'd recommend starting with a Rolex homage watch from Invicta, Stuhrling Original, or Timex. At this writing, Stuhrling Original offers their Depthmaster Dive Watch for 86% off to come in at less than $60. It has a 42mm case diameter and 100-meters of water resistance which is good for showering, swimming, or snorkeling.

Stuhrling Original Depthmaster (Amazon Photo)

Beginning watch buyers should note that Invicta and Stuhrling have long been notorious for having high Manufacturers Suggested Retail Prices and discounting them very aggressively. Ignore all the noise and don't buy an Invicta or Stuhrling Rolex Submariner homage for more than $75. You can see what I mean when you use my affiliate link to check this Stuhrling Original out.

Grand Total for an Affordable Three Watch Collection

As of this writing on December 29, 2025, my total on Amazon for these three watches is $163.19. These prices handily beat the $225 mark suggested by our $75 cap for this exercise. You can even cap the prices at $50 a watch and find plenty of suitable watch choices. It's a fun game to play. You define the price point that is comfortable for you!

Watch Spotlight: Black & Rose Gold Bulova Marine Star Series A (Model 98B278)

If you are looking for a classy watch from a great brand, the black and rose gold ion-plated stainless steel Bulova Marine Star Series A watch is a great choice. In a long running line of watches inspired by the sea, this one (Model 98B278) combines the modern look of basic black and the nautical feel of ion-plated black and rose-gold stainless steel.

Bulova Marine Star Series A Quartz Watch 

This is a very nice watch for about $300. It's a great gift idea and would be a watch of substance that would be appropriate to wear in any setting. I've been following this one for awhile, you can too.  You can find this Bulova Marine Star Series A here on Amazon via our affiliate link!

Wristwatch Review: Orient Bambino, Second Generation, Version 3

I've wanted a Bambino for a long time. It's a watch from Orient, a well-regarded Japanese brand, that has a long history of building high quality mechanical watches. There are many versions of the Bambino. It's a long running watch series that was first released in the 2012 timeframe. The one I purchased is the Orient Bambino, Second Generation, Version 3.

The Orient Bambino, 2nd Generation, Version 3

Bambino Version 3 Watch Features

The Bambino version 3 watch (Model TAC0000DD) is a dress watch with a domed crystal, a stainless steel case, a Caliber F6724 automatic movement, and a genuine leather strap.

My Orient Bambino arrived well-package in a long box suitable for a gift

The F6724 is a 22-jewel movement that features self-winding, hand-winding, and hacking capabilities. According to CaliberCorner.com, "winding the crown 30 times will wind the spring full and achieve full power reserve." The movement has a power reserve of 40 or more hours. 

Bambino Watch Style

The second generation Orient Bambino, Version 3, has a minimalist style. Many watch pundits describe this watch as having a bauhaus style due to its similarity to the German school of minimalist design. It has a sparse dial design with simple stick hashmarks as indices to denote the hours and minutes. The hands are equally simple batons. This model does not have an exhibition caseback. While the watch does have a little bit of pop in the stylish Orient logo and the sunray design of the blue dial, the overall design is purposeful, elegant, and restrained. 

The Orient Bambino, Version 3, has a sun ray dial.

In a flashy world, an automatic watch that has all the functionality and a tasteful modicum of restraint is refreshing.

Bambino Watch Construction

The Orient Bambino, Version 3, is made in Thailand. It has a stainless steel case and genuine leather strap. As a dress watch, it has 30-meter water resistance which is sufficient for incidental splashing and light rain. In six months of ownership, the watch has held up to normal wear in dress and casual situations. 

The Orient Bambino, Version 3, does not expose its movement for the world to see

Bambino Watch Dimensions

This Bambino's case is 40.5 mm in diameter and 11.8mm thick. The lug-to-lug measurements come in at 46.8mm. The leather strap is 21mm wide at the lug and tapers slightly to 19mm at the buckle.  It's  long enough to fit my 7 3/4-inch wrist perfectly.

Orient Bambino, V3, caseback and strap

Overall Impressions of the Orient Bambino, Version 3

I enjoy my Orient Bambino as a serious entry into the world of watch collecting. I have a few vintage Orient watches, but this one seems like a pinnacle of the brand's watch design and construction efforts. I like knowing that the brand has a long heritage as a maker of mechanical timepieces. As a series, the Bambino watches are aimed squarely at new and middle-class watch collectors and this one hits me perfectly. I'm proud to own it.

The Orient Bambino holds its own against luxury brands

The Orient Bambino, Version 3, seems like it is completely comfortable in the world of luxury watch brands, but doesn't feel the need to show off. It has nailed the requirements. In my opinion, this Orient Bambino, Version 3, is one of the best values available for watch collectors on a budget. I like it.

Where to get the Orient Bambino Version 3

I got my Orient Bambino, Version 3, online at Amazon. It is currently available here via my Amazon affiliate link for a bit over $200. Since there are many, many, versions of the Bambino and a variety of other Orient Automatics available on Amazon, you might want to check this alternate Amazon affiliate link for an even broader look at the wide world of Orient automatics. It's a fun rabbit hole to jump down.