TGIF: Six Great Watches for Under $70 -- Total!

A Complete Watch Collection for Less than $70

Over the past few years, western consumers have really been pushed up against the wall with a sluggish job market for some professions, widespread job layoffs, and rampant inflation.  If you've been affected by these broader conditions, but still want to collect watches, here is a complete watch collection of cool low budget watches for less than $70 total. I've included links to these, but I'm not an affiliate of Walmart.

1. George Retro Watch

I've enjoyed wearing this George watch quite a bit. It has a nicely domed plastic crystal and what I can 1970s Retro Hashmarks.  They just remind you of the watches our dad and granddads wore in the 1970s.  It's quite a nice looking watch (Model 28/3017GNTT)

and it's made by E. Gluck Corporation (EGC)--that's the company behind Armitron.

A George Retro-Style Watch from Walmart

For $10.98, you really can't go wrong with this watch.  But, if you tap the crystal with your fingertips, it'll seem a little cheap.

2. George Brown Strap Watch with Tachymeter Markings 

This George Watch (Model 28/2043BKG) features a genuine leather strap, tachymeter markings on the bezel, and an easy to read dial. It's a simple watch that seems like a hybrid of military and sports styling cues. It's not my favorite in this inexpensive collection, but it is quite functional.

A George Watch with a Red Tachymeter Bezel

This is a nice basic watch made by the E. Gluck Corporation.  EGC makes watches for a variety of fashion names and private labels. Amazingly, it is now listed here on the Walmart website for only $9.98.  I think I paid $10.98 in the store.

3. George Gunmetal Men's Field Watch

I consider this watch a baseline field watch. It has the simple look and the markings for sure. It has a gunmetal case, black easy read dial, and cognac vegan leather strap. The 44.5mm diameter case helps make the watch easy to read. This watch is made by, what is reportedly a manufacturing division of Fossil, FMD. At $10.98, the price is certainly entry level.  You can find it (Model FMDOGE009) here on Walmart.com.

A George Field Watch with a gunmetal case and brown dial

I like this watch because it really hits the right tones as a simple field watch.  It's very practical.

4. George Men's Watch:  Matte Silver Tone Case Easy Read Dial

I also call this watch a field watch.  It made by FMD and the model number is MDOGE048.  It has a very legible off white dial and a tan vegan leather strap. It's listed at $10.98 online with Walmart. You can find it here on Walmart.com.

A George Field Watch with silvertone case and white dial

It's another watch that is practical and easy to like.  There are far more expensive field watches in our world, but their dials look the same.

5. George Silver-on-Silver Men's Watch 

This FMD-made George watch (Model:  FMDOGE024) is only $9.99 online here at Walmart.  It features a 41mm diameter silver-tone case, a silver-colored easy read dial, and a silver-tone expansion band.

A George classic watch with silver on silver color scheme

I really love the looks of silver on silver.  Of course, in a watch that sells for price this low, there are trade-offs to be made.  The numbers are simply painted on the dial.  

6. George Octogon Watch in Silver and Black

If you have Audemars Piguet tastes and a Totino's Pizza budget, check out this Octagonal model from Walmart.  It's made by Accutime (42028WMM) and sold under the Walmart George brand.  It has a silvertone case and black dial with a decorative subdial.  It evokes the famed Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, but it sells for over $40,000 less. You'll look rich from a distance, but you'll definitely want to slip out of the Polo match before its time for the divot stomp.  It's currently $12.98 here on Walmart.com.

An Audemars Piguet Alternative for less than $15

Obviously, this watch collection is a little tongue in cheek. But, cheap watches like these tell time perfectly well. They might well prompt you to question whether premium brands are delivering real value for your money.  Many of these low cost watches incorporate classic retro features.

What these watches can't do is intangible. They can't boost your self esteem or transmit to others that you are a man of substance and means.  For you single guys, they won't attract women. 

Of course, on the other hand, cheap watches like these might weed out women who just want you for your money. Plus, if you are trying to build lasting generational wealth, the $40,000 you don't invest in a prestigious watch could provide a healthy stream of passive income when put into other investments.  There's a chance that a cheap watch collection might not be as stupid as you think.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: The Perry Ellis Deep Diver

A Last Look At Fall Foliage in Atlanta

It was a dreary day here in Atlanta yesterday.  Many trees have given up large numbers of leaves. A short jaunt to my local coffee shop turned into a bit of a leaf looking and photography expedition. My watch for the day was my Perry Ellis Deep Diver.  It's thin case and somewhat dressy look make its unidirectional rotating bezel, screw-down crown, and 200 meter water resistance a bit of a surprise.

A Perry Ellis Deep Diver watch against a backdrop of trees

Nature isn't far away

Before the onset of our admitted short winter, I tried to find a little color. It's the last part of fall and the trees are giving up their leaves. One of the things we've found here is that you don't necessarily have to go to the mountains to see the fall foliage, there is much fall color to be seen in the city and close in suburbs. You don't have to venture out of a shopping center parking lot to find trees with vivid yellow leaves and vast piles of fallen ones.

Fall Foliage in the back of an Atlanta area shopping center

Wildlife in Atlanta's Chattahoochee River Corridor

The area near the Chattahoochee River is quite wooded with lots of wildlife corridors. My wife and I have seen animals including an American mink, a skunk, a bobcat, a boar, red foxes, grey foxes, coyotes, and turkeys. Some local residents have even seen bear wandering through the area.

The Perry Ellis Deep Diver among the leaves

The neighborhoods have preserved many hardwood and decorative trees.  They offer the most colorful foliage. Of course, since there are many mansions of the well-to-do in the area. Sometimes you'd like to linger longer, but you don't want to arouse the suspicions of some of the neighbors. They give you that accusing look.

A suspicious neighbor eyes me up

A Glimpse of the Chattahoochee River

It's enough to make you skeedaddle over to the river itself. The river was a bit swollen from the rain in the region. I took this quick shot of the river from the parking lot of one of the area's more exclusive restaurants.

Way Up Yonder on the Chattahoochee River

It was nice to get out and take a glimpse of the foliage while we still had plenty of leaves and color.  But, as signs in the parking lot reminded me all license plates were noted and all vehicles were being record, it was time to move on. It was a nice 20-minute sojourn with nature and see the river on a damp and overcast day.

A glance at my Perry Ellis watch reminds me that it is time to head home

Check out this link for a full review of my Perry Ellis Deep Diver Watch on this blog.

Titanium Tuesday: Citizen Men's Ecodrive Weekender Casual Sport Watch

Should we have a Titanium Tuesday? The lightweight wonder metal is all the rage in the world of watch making. It has many advantages.  The metal is strong, light weight, water resistant, corrosion resistant, temperature resistant, and rust resistant. It also has a natural oxide layer that tends to self-repair light scratches. There are lots of affordable options for titanium watches in the marketplace. That's why I'll feature some here. The first up is this attractive Citizen's Men's Ecodrive Weekender Casual Sports Watch.  It's bright and cheery and will help you fend off seasonal affective disorder when winter gets dreary.

A Citizen Men's Ecodrive Weekender Sport Watch (Amazon Photo)

If found this one on Amazon.  It has a 41mm diameter case, a sapphire crystal, 100 meters of water resistance, a date window, and a bright orange dial.  One drawback is that the bezel is fixed and doesn't rotate.  But, the band is made of genuine leather.  If you'd like to check it out, bang it here to see it on Amazon. As of this writing (11/2024), the watch is listed at 16% off of the normal retail price.  It's a nice looking watch for everyday wear.

Watch Deal Alert: Bulova Men's Marine Star 63% Off

Christmas time is approaching rapidly. In 2024, there are plenty of great AmazonDeals to be had on watches. That's a good thing because a wristwatch makes a wonderful holiday gift. I've found many watches for up to 50% off on Amazon lately.  But, this Bulova Marine Star with a red dial struck me as a great deal at an amazing 63% off!  If you'd like to save over $350 on this Bulova, bang it here to go to the Amazon listing.  Act fast because this is a limited time offer.

It's a great looking watch with a gray ion-plated stainless steel case,100 meters of water resistance, and 1/20 of a second chronograph. I've had good luck wearing a similar Marine Star, but mine didn't have a an all read dial and wasn't quite as focused on chronograph functions.  A Bulova watch makes a wonderful gift for any man.

Watch Review: Joseph Abboud Quartz Watch with Green Sunburst Dial

One of my recent watch pickups is this Joseph Abboud Quartz Watch with a green sunburst dial.  It's a rather large watch that wears well and is easy to read at a glance.  The watch is a practical reminder that quartz watches with designer labels made by common manufacturers can perform the same mission as more expensive timepieces from iconic watch makers.   

A Joseph Abboud Quartz Watch

Like the Tudor Ranger and Rolex Explorer, this Joseph Abboud Quartz Watch can be used to tell the time. Unlike those far more esteemed brands, this watch can tell time accurately without winding for years. In fairness, this watch probably isn't as rugged as one of the legendary watches.  But, as a self-aware consumer, I'm also not as rugged as the adventurers who tout the iconic watches from the back covers of old National Geographic magazines.

 

Joseph Abboud Watch Construction

This particular watch was manufactured by E. Gluck Corporation.  They are the parent company of Armitron and make many designer and store-brand watches.  The watch has a stainless steel caseback and a reliable Japanese quartz movement.  The case and bezel are made of a base metal. The crystal is made of some sort of glass and is slightly domed.  It feels nice to the touch.  The numbers and lettering on the dial are raised and not simply painted on the dial.  It's a touch that gives the watch a rich look.

A Joseph Abboud Watch with a green sunburst dial

Joseph Abboud Watch Dimensions

This watch is big and bold with a 44mm diameter case.  Fortunately, it doesn't sit high on the wrist, the case is a slim 9mm thick.  The strap is a robust at 22mm wide at the lugs. The dimensions give this watch presence on the wrist. This watch is just a little bigger than the green sunburst watch that I reviewed here from Caribbean Joe.

The case of this Joseph Abboud watch is slim at 9mm thick

Joseph Abboud Overall Impression

I really like this watch. It's attractive, readable, and eminently practical. It's also nicely built in a way that looks high quality. According to the box, the full price of this watch was $150, but I was able to get it at the close-out discount store Ross Dress for Less for $20. It was a lucky find. On my social media [@the_watch_dude on X], I often retweet watch enthusiasts around the world who take photos of the big, bold, watches that they are wearing on their daily adventures.  This Joseph Abboud watch fits right in. I love the way it looks.

I think she's impressed by my Joseph Abboud watch

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Invicta Subaqua Noma III

This is a cool, casual, watch that makes quite an impression.  It's the Invicta Subaqua III.  It has a quartz movement and comes in a variety of color, bezel, and band combinations.  This one comes in the ionic-plated tones of gold or old bronze.  It's an awesome look for a nautically-inspired watch. You'll also notice that the watch has a translucent dial that lets you see the quartz movement and the date dial.

The Invicta Subaqua Noma III

This watch impresses from a distance with a 50mm diameter stainless steel case that is 17mm thick.  It's a big watch.  However, this Subaqua Noma 3 also boasts 200 meters of water resistance, but some of these watches claim up to 500 meters of water resistance.  At 200 meters, the watch should be great for recreational SCUBA diving. The watch has a screwdown crown and a protective clasp to keep it secure.

The Invicta Subaqua Noma III

The Subaqua Noma III may not be subtle, but it makes an impression and it looks great. The details of this watch will fascinate wearers for years to come.  If you'd like one of your own, bang it here to find a very similar Invicta Subaqua Noma III on Amazon.

Watches A to Z: Movado

Movado detractors deride the brand for being a commonplace watch choice among upscale American consumers.  But, the company is no upstart.  It has a long and storied history.  

Photo by Sumiemyra, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The firm was founded in Switzerland by watchmaker Achilles Ditesheim in 1881.  Three Ditesheim brothers (Leopold, Isadore, and Achilles) combined their independent watchmaking concerns in 1892 to found L.A. & I. Ditesheim, Fabricants. It was one of the first modern factories in the watchmaking town of La Chaux-de-Fonds.  In 1905, the company was renamed Movado--which means "always in motion" in the international language Esperanto.

A circa 1950 Movado watch. Photo by - Bachelot Pierre J-P, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

As a watch company, Movado introduced many innovations. For example, in 1912, they introduced the Polyplan watch.  It was a tanker-style watch that curved to the wrist and had a movement that was angled  on 3 separate plans to allow the watch design to follow the contour. The original Movado Polyplan watch command thousands of dollars on auction sites.  But, this Peugeot Men's Classic Vintage Curved Watch (below), captures the essence of the design in an affordable quartz format.

Peugeot Men's Classic Vintage Curved Watch (Amazon photo)

In 1926, they introduced an art deco pocket watch called the Ermeto chronometer with a clever movement that wound the watch whenever the case was opened.

1928 Ermeto photo by Jafd88, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1947, Nathan George Horwitt designed the Museum Dial watch that has become synonymous with Movado over the years.  This modern quartz version shows the variety within the concept with a black sunburst radiating from the classic golden dot.  You can find this Museum Classic with a Swiss Quartz movement here on Amazon.

According to the Movado Group website, Cuban refugee, Gedalio Grinberg founded North American Watch Corporation in 1965. That company acquired Movado in 1983. The company then evolved into Movado Group, Inc. In recent years, the company has built an impressive portfolio of watch brands including Ebel, Burton, and MVMT. It has also licensed brands such as Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, LaCoste and Scuderia Ferrari.

Movado history keeps moving forward. A vintage watch from Movado recently made headlines. According to a recent article in the Robb Report, Winston Churchill's 1946 Movado Calendrograf watch will soon be auctioned off with an asking price of a cool $192,500.

With a rich history of over a hundred years, it is clear that Movado has a bright future ahead as a luxury watch brand.