Watch Deal Alert: The Diesel Master Chief at a Great Price

I've been drooling over Diesel watches quite a bit lately and I found a good deal on Amazon. It's the Diesel Master Chief. It's a 45mm diameter quartz watch with 100-meters of water resistance. It has the size and swagger that you'd expect from Diesel, but Amazon has them on sale for 46% off. This brings the price of this watch in at less than $100. I like this brand a lot due to their bold styling and general affordability. This sale price only makes them better.

Diesel Master Chief Quartz Watch (Amazon Photo)

To get this great watch, bang it here for the Diesel Master Chief on Amazon. Any time these watches drop below $100, you are getting a deal.

The Best of Diesel Watches on Amazon

I've put together a page with some of best Diesel watches that I've found on Amazon.  It has the models that everyone wants. You can find my Best Diesel Watches on Amazon page here!

Wristwatch Review: A Caribbean Joe Watch with Gold Tones

If there is a watch brand that I take an inordinate amount of joy in, that brand has to be Caribbean Joe. These watches are like horological potato chips. I think it is because they capture classic looks at a bargain basement price. For this review, let's take a look at one with gold tones and a brown leather strap. Technically, it might be CJ7166TTG, but I suspect that the manufacturer takes a "parts is parts" approach to casebacks.

This Caribbean Joe Watch has a classic look

Caribbean Joe Watch Style

Style is the essence of this watch. The features are simple. It's a 3 hand quartz watch with a silver-tone case. But, the style is rich and golden with golden tones to the alpha (also known as lance) hands, hour markers, and numerals, aspects of the dial, and the crown. The dial is a pail white with an underlying golden grid pattern and the trademark Caribbean Joe hut and palm tree logo are in black. This watch doesn't have any extraneous faux sub-dials that can sometimes detract the look. The overall effect is a relaxed, casual, dress watch that evokes the sun, the Caribbean, and the relaxation that comes with extraordinary wealth. This Caribbean Joe watch looks like a wealthier watch than it actually is. That's where we all join the brand and participate in an inside joke. The brand knows  and we know that this is just a $22 quartz watch. But passersby? They don't know.

Caribbean Joe Watch Dimensions

This Caribbean Joe watch is perfectly proportioned. The case of this watch is 40mm in diameter and 10mm thick. I measure about 47mm lug-to-lug and the strap is 20mm wide. The strap is around 187mm long. With the watch, you have about 22.5 cm of length to work with. The watch accommodates wrists of up to 7.95 inches (20 cm) if you deduct an inch (25mm) of strap end. If find that the watch accommodates my wrist easily with plenty of strap to spare.

This Caribbean Joe watch doesn't stand too tall on the wrist

The good fit and perfect size add to my appetite for these watches.

Caribbean Joe Watch Construction

Like most Caribbean Joe watches, there are little things that betray this watch's inexpensive origin. While the caseback is stainless steel, the case itself is made of a much less expensive material--probably a base metal. On the plus side, it's a light comfortable to wear watch weight. A big minus, is that the body of the watch can look cheap from time to time.  

The Caribbean Joe Watch caseback does tell you what kind of battery you need!

Moving on to the movement: it's from Singapore. It's powered by a common SR626SW battery. The synthetic leather strap is from China. It can be a challenge to set the watch precisely as the minute hand wants to jump a little when you push the crown in. While I haven't had any serious issues with my Caribbean Joe watches, they are definitely cheap watches that look good. 

A Caribbean Joe watch under the lights

Caribbean Joe Watch Overall Impression

Overall, I like this watch. Like most Caribbean Joe watches, it looks good. It's always easy to throw one of these into shopping cart and they don't break the budget. They are a fun, low-impact, guilty pleasure. These watches also make great beater watches. You can wear them almost anywhere. You don't have to worry about them getting lost, stolen, or bashed into doorframes. If you see one that you like the looks of, get it. You'll find yourself wearing quite often.

This Caribbean Joe watch looks great out on the town

Where to find Caribbean Joe Watches

I'm pretty sure I found this one at a Burlington store where it was marked somewhere around $20. I think it was $22. You can find Caribbean Joe watches at Boscov's, Kohl's, Sierra, and sometimes at Walmart.com.  As a fashion brand, Caribbean Joe styles and designs come and go. I haven't seen this particular one online anywhere.

Watch Deal Alert: Timex Men's 40mm Expedition Scout

Timex has always been known for making timepieces that everyone can afford. But, in these inflationary times, prices keep creeping up. With low cost watch competition from new Asian watch companies, Timex seems to be moving up market a bit with their premium watch lines like the Timex Waterbury collection. Fortunately, there are still Timex bargains available for those who search. If you are looking for a great deal on a field watch, check out the Timex Men's 40mm Expedition Scout with fabric strap. This is the traditional Timex Expedition watch that is familiar to many watch enthusiasts and outdoorsmen. I reviewed the leather strap version of this watch back in 2018, you can read my Timex Expedition Scout review here.

Timex Men's 40mm Expedition Scout

This Timex Expedition watch has Indiglo Backlighting, 50 meters of water resistance, and a NATO-style watch strap. It gets 4.3 stars among Amazon purchasers and they sell over 2000 watches per month. It's a solid choice for a beater watch that can stand up to everyday wear and outdoor activity.

The Timex Expedition Scout Amazon Deal

As of March 30, 2025, this watch is 27% off to bring it well under $40. If you'd like to jump on this deal, you can find this Timex Expedition Scout here on Amazon.

The Best Timex Offerings on Amazon

I've collected some of the best Timex watches being offered on Amazon in one convenient page - Best Timex Watches on Amazon.

TGIF: Circle of Cool Watches

I've been seeing lots of watch hierarchy graphics online lately. They categorize watches into categories with the most expensive and prestigious at the top and more affordable consumer-oriented brands at the bottom. These charts are useful in understanding the pecking order of watch companies. But, they also feel a bit judgmental. People look to see how their favorite watch stacks up. They wonder if their watch is even included. For example, I don't see Movado. If they find themselves on the Entry Luxury level, they may want to "level up" to Luxury or even High-End Luxury. I hate that.

A Watch Hierarchy from Twitter

Throughout my adult life, it seems like every hobby is always spoiled by hierarchies, pecking orders, competitive spending, and the like. Hobbies like paintball, photography, and sailing have all been impacted. Hobbies that were cool become less inclusive and can even get to be a tedius treadmill of never-ending gear acquisition. The transition from pump action to semi-automatic paintball guns was quite bruising back in the day.

Thinkgeek watch previously on Amazon

While there are clearly differences in quality and price in the world of watches, I think hierarchies are best left to work organizations. For me, watch collecting is a hobby and fun pastime. So, let me suggest an  alternative arrangement. How about we just put all the watch brands in a circle instead of a hierarchy? We're all in this together. If you see a watch that looks cool, just acknowledge it and say, "Hey, that's a really cool watch!" or "Cool watch, bro!"

A circle of timepieces!

If you have a level of wealth that allows you to buy and wear an amazing watch from a legendary brand like Bovet or Vacheron Constantin, you are a patron and sponsor of watchmaking art and tradition. I hope that you will share your watch online or with trusted admirers. We do want to see what that level of craftsmanship looks like. You've sponsored the work of a horological Michelangelo. We should all be able to say, "Cool Watch!" 

At the same time, the cheapest acceptable watch from China is a wonder of globalism and industrialization. How can that watch sell for only $10? In a different way, it also is a cool watch. It's almost become a contest to see how inexpensive a decent watch can actually be.

Every watch from the cheapest to the most expensive has a story and, as watch collectors, we should be open to all of those stories.

Wristwatch Review: The Timex Waterbury 39mm Traditional GMT Men's Watch

If you are looking for affordable watches to collect, it may be time to give Timex a second look. They've been making some interesting watch lines that don't always make it to the shelves of common retailers like Walmart and Kohl's. Last year (July 2024) I bought an interesting watch from the Timex Waterbury collection.  It's the Timex Waterbury 39mm Traditional GMT Men's watch (Model TW2V28700VQ).

Timex Waterbury 39mm Traditional GMT Mens Watch

Timex GMT Features

This Timex is a GMT watch that incorporates a third hand (the red one with the arrow) that points at the Greenwich Mean Time (now called Universal Coordinated Time) on the 24-hour markings on the bezel. The watch has a unidirectional rotating bezel that can help you calculate the time in other time zones based on GMT Time. The watch has a button at 2 o'clock that you press in order to set the GMT time. A small date window at 3 o'clock shows the date. 

Timex Waterbury GMT Design

The nice thing about the Timex Waterbury Collection is that it comes with high-end design details. For example, this watch incorporates the historic Waterbury Watch Company logo into the dial, crown, and a stylish W on the tail end of the second hand. 

Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT Dial Details

The watch also has lumed hour markings that are reminiscent of a diver style watch. The date window has a dark background that matches the dial and isn't disruptive of the design. The hour, minute, and GMT hand on this watch are very readable, but the date and second hand are less so. As a Waterbury watch, the design features place this watch in a more premium space that an ordinary Timex timepiece.

Timex Waterbury GMT Watch

There are a couple of minor drawbacks to the design that I have noticed. For example, the second hand is quite dark in color and very difficult to see at a glance. The date window is also too small to be useful to me as a wearer in my late 50s. While it isn't as small as the date window on some watches, as an aging Gen X watch enthusiast, I have a little trouble reading it without my reading glasses. 

Timex Waterbury GMT Construction

This watch has an all stainless steel case and mineral glass crystal. It also has a genuine leather strap. It's built to be water resistant to depths of 100 meters. I find that this watch feels solid and well built.

My Timex GMT travels to an exotic location for a double cheeseburger

Timex Waterbury GMT Dimensions

The trend now is to build watches with smaller dimensions. The Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT watch in on trend with a sensibly-sized 39mm diameter case that is 11.5mm thick. The strap is 20mm wide and fits up to 8-inch wrists. I find that the diameter of this watch seems just a bit small. For casual wear, I often choose slightly larger watches.

Timex Waterbury GMT Overall Impression

This Timex strikes me as being very professional and almost a little too understated. It is solidly constructed and sensibly sized. The GMT functionality works impressively, but it is a throwback to an analog era that isn't as obviously useful today. However, I suspect that, once I have mastered the arcana surrounding this feature, it will be useful for helping me figure out what time it is in a variety of places around the globe. Overall, this watch is tasteful, refined, and demonstrates how competent Timex watches can be. It's a perfect watch choice for "back to the office" wear.

Buying the Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT

While the model with my bezel colors is out of stock, You can get a similar Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT here at --

Timex Waterbury Traditional GMT watches on Amazon!

The Best Timex Offerings on Amazon

I've collected some of the best Timex watches being offered on Amazon in one convenient page - Best Timex Watches on Amazon.

TGIF: Two Watches to Bring Out Your Inner Bond Villain

If you grew up in the era of James Bond villains, you can look at a timepiece and just imagine the villainy. For example, if you were a fan of Ian Fleming's Goldfinger, you might want a watch with a golden tone. 

Versace Greca Dome Watch

The Versace Greca Dome Luxury Timepiece might fit the bill perfectly. The Medusa logo would be perfect for some shadowy organization determined to dominate the world or, at least, blackmail it. The bezel, dial, and bracelet designs of this luxury Swiss Made quartz watch just add to the mystery. But, you don't have to be a secret agent to hunt this watch down. This Versace Greca Dome watch is available here on Amazon.

Versace Greca Dome Series Watch

Mathey-Tissot Dragon Watch

If you were a fan of The Man with the Golden Gun, the Mathey-Tissot Dragon (available here on Amazon) might be your choice. There is nothing more elegantly sinister than a watch with a dragon.

The Mathey Tissot Dragon

This limited edition Swiss Made watch has a gold-tone case and an automatic movement with an exhibition caseback.

What is a field watch?

 A field watch is type of watch that is designed for rugged, outdoor use, and places a premium on simple utilitarian dials, with a minimum of complication. Field watches were valued for their usefulness on hikes and military maneuvers. Many examples of this watch type can trade their heritage back to military roots.

  

The Praesidus 34mm Jungle Field Watch
You can find this Jungle Field Watch here on Amazon!

Today, field watches span the entirety of the watch market. With simple dial and case designs at their core, field watches are a subset of tool watches that can attract inexpensive manufacturers into the market. In the middle of the watch market, more expensive entries appeal to traditionalists with mechanical movements and rugged designs that could survive in harsher environments. Finally, upscale entries from companies like Rolex build upon a long heritage of private expeditions by the world's greatest mountain climbers and explorers.

Timex Expedition
See this Timex Expedition 39mm Metal on Amazon

At the low end of the market, the Timex Expedition is a great example of a field watch. At the higher end, the Rolex Explorer 1 and Tudor Ranger are good examples of field watches.

Whether you are climbing a mountain or hiking around a lake, there's a field watch for you!