Watch Review: Armitron (Model 20/5403TT) Men's Two-Tone and Silver Day Date Dress Watch

I recently bought this Armitron Two-Tone Day Date Dress Watch (Model 20/5403TT) at Burlington. It looked great and was only $19.99 at the discount and closeout chain.

Armitron Model 20/5403TT Two-Tone Dress Watch

Watch Style and Features

This all stainless steel watch has a quartz movement, 50 meter (165 feet) of water resistance, and a fold-over clasp with double button safety closure. As a dress watch, this Armitron makes effective use of gold and silver tones and shiny and matte surfaces. The inner links of the bracelet are a bronze-like gold-tone with a flat finish. The outer links are a shiny silver-tone. The dial is what Armitron calls a gray sun-ray dial with gold tones for odd-hour marker batons and even-hour numerals. The dial is ringed by a sloping gray minute track that slopes up to an inner bezel with a shiny gold-tone. The crown is gold toned in keeping with the two-tone design of the watch while the case is a shiny silver-tone.

Armitron Model 20/5403TT Two-Tone Dress Watch

Watch Dimensions

This Armitron has a 41mm round case that is 10mm thick. The bracelet is 20mm wide and generously sized. It fits my wrist perfectly with no additional room for expansion.

Overall

Armitron has created a very nice looking watch for a remarkably low price. Like many low price quartz watches, the minute hand can sometimes jump a little when you push it in to set the watch. However, with a little fiddling, I was able to set mine to within 5 seconds of the atomic clocks of the U.S. Naval Observatory as shown on Time.gov. I like the simplicity and rich looks of this watch. However, it's almost too pretty and might tempt a woman in your life might abscond with it and make it a "boyfriend watch." Overall, this is a great dress watch at a great price. I like it.

Armitron Model 20/5403TT Two-Tone Dress Watch

Availability

Fashion watches come and go. This exact watch doesn't seem to be available on Amazon.  However, it's currently available here at Walmart for $32.99 (regularly $39.99). You might also be able to luck into this watch at a Burlington store. A similar watch with a different bracelet and Roman numeral markers can be found here on Amazon. 

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Walmart Automatic

My Walmart Automatic is still going strong since I first posted about it way back in 2011. It was only $50 when I first bought it. At the time, I was new to watch collecting and it was a cool way to get a glimpse at the inner workings of an automatic watch.

Walmart Automatic Watch

The watch has a Chinese movement with a few internal wheels highlighted in a golden bronze. As a Walmart exclusive, it was probably built to a strict price specification. I can only imagine the arm twisting that Walmart buyers applied to bring this watch to market with a $50 price tag. Needless to say, the attractive diver-style bezel does not rotate. However, the watch has a stainless steel case and caseback.

I've been informally testing this watch for accuracy and so far--in 12 hours--it has gained about 25 seconds versus time.gov. That's not bad for the casual uses I have for this watch. You just may have to adjust the time once a week or so.

An Iconic Watch: The Seiko Prospex "Alpinist" Watch

Every once in awhile, it's fun to search for iconic watches that you read about in watch articles and see posted about in watch communities. I like to see if they are watches that I can aspire to own or that would be appealing to me. One such watch is the Seiko Prospex "Alpinist." I've seen it mentioned as a more affordable alternative to watches like the Rolex Explorer. While it shares tool watch or field watch mission of great watches like the Explorer, the Seiko Alpinist does it in its own style and with its own heritage. This is the first Alpinist that I found on Amazon. It is the SPB121J1 and it has the green dial, sapphire crystal, date cyclops, and a very cool internal rotating compass bezel that can be used in combination with the hour hand for navigation. You can find this great watch here on Amazon. As of this writing, it comes in around $600. For me, it's certainly a high price, but not unattainable.

Seiko Alpinist SBJ121J1 (Amazon Photo)

There is a second Seiko Alpinist list on  Amazon.  It comes with a stainless steel band and a deep blue dial. The look is a bit more contemporary that the classic green and gold combo of our first example. The model for this one is SPB117J1. It's a tough choice between the two, but the SPB117J1 is about $100 to $150 more than the leather strap model. This watch also has an exhibition caseback.

Seiko SPB117J1 (Amazon photo)

It's hard to believe that the Seiko Prospex Alpinist has evolved from the 1959 Laurel Alpinist--a watch that was aimed at Japan's own mountain men. Like the Explorer, this watch line has evolved with the times. If you'd like to take a look at this version of the Alpinist, bang it here to visit the Amazon listing. 

The eXtract: COSC Standards for Watch Accuracy

[This article is based on my X posts exploring COSC-certified watches.]

There are standards bodies for timepiece accuracy and I've been looking into them. The Swiss watch certification body, Contrôle officiel suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) certifies the accuracy of mechanical and quartz chronometers by testing each individual watch that is submitted to them by manufacturers.

COSC Mechanical Chronometer Standards

For example, to earn the Swiss COSC Chronometer certification, a mechanical (usually automatic) watch must have precision of -4/+6 seconds per day.  Rolex, Omega, Mido,Tudor, and Tissot submit the most watches for COSC certification. 

Here is a COSC-certified Mido Commander Chronometer on Amazon. At around $1300, the Mido Commander isn't cheap.  But, it's also not out of the realm of a possibility for someone determined to save and get a really accurate watch.

A Mido Commander COSC-certified chronometer (Amazon photo)

COSC Quartz Chronometer Standards

To earn a COSC certification, a quartz watch has to be accurate to + or - 0.07 seconds per day. It also has to meet standards for accuracy under various temperature and humidity conditions as outlined here on the COSC website. 

A good example of a COSC certified quartz watch is the Certina DS Podium. It's an attractive, accurate watch and it's available for less than $500! If you'd like to check this one out, here it is on Amazon.

Certina DS Podium Quartz COSC-certified Chronometer (Amazon Photo)

Finally, men aren't the only ones with watch bragging rights. This Certina DS Action Lady Diamonds women's watch has the COSC-certified performance brawn of a Precidrive quartz movement to back up its beauty. You can find it here on Amazon.

Certina DS Lady Diamonds

Other watch certifying bodies include the Geneva Seal, the Besançon Observatory, METAS, and the Fleurier Quality Foundation. Chopard and Vacheron Constantin certify watches via the Geneva Seal. For affordable COSC-certified chronometers, check out my post--

TGIF: Three Attainable COSC-certified chronometers.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Nautica N/83 Signal Flag Watch with Yellow Strap

Spring is almost sprung here in the Southeastern United States. The cherry trees and dogwoods are beginning to bloom and maple trees are beginning to bud. It might be too early to wear a watch with a bright yellow silicone strap, but I'm going for it.

Nautica N/83 Strap Watch with Silicone strap

This is usually my summer and beach watch as you can see from my last posting on it back in July of 24. Since fashion watches change quickly, this one is long gone from Amazon warehouses. However, if it inspires a quest, the model number is NAPGCS004. I like the Nautica brand because it creates consistently styled watches that are fun and go well with casual attire. You can see Nautica watches for men here on Amazon.

TGIF: Three Attainable COSC Certified Chronometers

What is COSC?

Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres(COSC) is one of the main bodies that certifies the accuracy of Swiss watches. For an automatic watch to be certified as a chronometer, it has to be accurate to losing up to 4 seconds or gaining up to 6 seconds per day (-4 to +6 seconds). That's just a 10 second spread for a mechanical device. Watches are individually tested and certified on behalf of the manufacturers. You can find some of these COSC certified watches on Amazon at somewhat attainable price points. Here are some of the COSC certified watches that I found on Amazon at prices between $600 and $1700.

Certina Action DS

Certina has been making watches since 1888. In 1959, they came up with the DS concept for extreme shock resistance. That tradition continues with the current DS line.

The Certina Action DS Chronometer (Amazon photo)

The Certina Action DS is a diver-style watch with 300 meters of water resistance. However, the manufacturer cautions that while it is  suitable for swimming, but not diving or snorkeling. The watch has a 43mm diameter case that is 13.67mm thick. As of this writing, it is regularly priced at just less than $650. You can find it here on Amazon. 

Tissot Heritage Automatic 1938 COSC

If you are looking for a classic vintage watch style with a very price automatic movement, the Tissot Heritage Automatic 1938 COSC might be the choice for you. It has all the style of an old school field watch and comes in several dial colors. This one is pink, but I prefer the black or white dial options.

Tissot Heritage Automatic 1938 COSC

This Tissot has a 39mm case that is 11.1mm thick. This watch retails for less than $850.  You can find it here on Amazon.

Mido Ocean Star Diver 600

If you want a real dive watch with 600 meters of water resistance and an 80 hour power reserve, the Mido Ocean Star Diver might be a good choice. 

This watch has a 43.5mm diameter case that is 14.55mm thick. As of this writing, it's 30% off bringing it down to below $1300. You can find it here on Amazon.

None of these watches are cheap, but they are all tested to the highest standards of mechanical accuracy. While you do pay a premium for these watches, they are all considerably more affordable than a Rolex. To read more about the certification process, here is the COSC website.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: A Geoffrey Beene Quartz Watch with Decorative Subdials.

Here's a Geoffrey Beene Quartz watch that I've been wearing lately. We recently found it in some stuff we had packed away. It was just $22 at Burlington. The subdials are non-functional decorations, but it does have a working date and a stainless steel caseback.

Geoffrey Beene Quartz Watch

The thing about a watch like this is that it shows that you don't need to spend a whole bunch of money on a watch for daily wear. There are plenty of bang around watches for $50 or even less.