Watch Deal Alert: Frederique Constant Persuasion 38mm Automatic

Lately, I've been quietly noticing many Swiss Made watches at price points within the range of our dreams. Brands like Certina, Frederique Constant, Hamilton, Nivada Grenchen, Tissot, and Victorinox; all have watches at prices less than $750 and many less that $500. Many of the models are quartz, but some are mechanical or automatic. Today, I've found Frederique Constant watch for less than $500.  It's a 38mm Persuasion Automatic with classic, old world, styling that is perfect for any classy occasion. It has a sapphire crystal and an exhibition caseback to show off its movement.

To find an automatic watch with a real Swiss Made pedigree for less than $500 is no easy feat! If you'd like to take a look at it, check it out here on Amazon!

Watch Deal Alert: Victorinox Swiss Military Attitude Quartz Watch

If you are looking for a great deal on a Swiss Made watch, you might like this Military Attitude quartz watch from Victorinox. It's a great Swiss quartz tool with a no-nonsense look.  You can find the watch for sale here on Amazon.  On Amazon, the product listing isn't very complete, but according to a recent ebay listing, the watch itself has a 42mm diameter case and a 19mm wide bracelet.

Swiss Military Attitude Watch

This watch design and model has been sold under the Wenger and Swiss Military brands over many years. But, is now being listed by Victorinox. You can read this next section for a bit of history to understand the evolution of all things Swiss Army

A History of Victorinox, Wenger, Swiss Army, and Swiss Military

Victorinox was founded in 1884 in the German-speaking Swiss Canton of Schwyz in the municipality of Ibach-Schwyz. Wenger was founded in 1893 in the French-speaking Swiss Canton Jura in the municipality of Courtételle. Both companies got contracts from the Swiss government to produce knives for the Swiss Army.  The companies had a strong rivalry for many years with Victorinox claiming to the the Original Swiss Army knife and Wenger claiming to be the Genuine Swiss Army knife. All of that rivalry came to an end when Victorinox bought Wenger in 2005. 

While Wenger products continued to be sold for a time, the merged companies have consolidated all their production and marketing under the Victorinox product lines. Victorinox still uses Swiss Army branding on knives, but they seem to have dropped it on watches as they move more upscale. The Swiss Military brand has appeared in a variety of places throughout time including on some watches made by Wenger. You can read my review of a similar watch called the Wenger Swiss Military Grenadier. I think this Attitude timepiece may be a fading holdover from those days.

While most Victorinox watches are now moving upscale, this Swiss Military-branded watch is a holdover from when anything in the Swiss Army arena was expected to be tough, simple, utilitarian, and Made in Switzerland. If you're looking for a watch built with these philosophies, this Swiss Military Attitude Quartz Watch on Amazon may be the watch for you! It's a deal at around $100.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: A Rumours Watch That Persists

Once upon a time, many, many, years ago in a living room far, far, away, my brother-in-law was incessantly bragging about a brand new Tag Heuer watch that he had just bought. Even worse he was obnoxiously sneering at everyone who was wearing a quartz watch that was common among mere mortals.  It got old fast and everyone present was sick of it.  Finally, I had enough.

A close up of the dial on my old Rumours watch

"Hey, what time is it over there on your fancy Tag Heuer watch?"

"1:15."

I glanced at this Rumours watch and replied, "Same here."

The room burst into laughter and my brother-in-law ceased his bragging.  It was an unforgettable moment and a victory for the common watch.

A Rumours Watch with a Silver-on-Silver design

This Rumours watch has been in my collection for 26 or 27 years.  I hope it persists for a very long time.  You can read about my Rumours watch here on this blog.

Sharp Watch Shout Out: BERNY Automatic Diving Watch

Sometimes beauty and value come together in a sharp looking watch.  This BERNY Automatic Diving watch recently caught my eye and looks like the perfect combination. The watch has a Miyota 8215 movement, an internal rotating inner bezel for timing, and 200 meters of water resistance. The bright, modern, and innovative look of this watch earn it a sharp watch shout out! The watch comes in black, blue, or green and has a silicone strap.

BERNY Automatic Diving Watch

The specifications on this watch are worth looking at and you can find this BERNY watch here on Amazon.

BERNY is a Chinese company established in 1995 and is a respected brand in China. The watch gets 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon reviews with some buyers being concerned about durability. The Miyota 8215 movement is sometimes criticized for being noisy when winding at speed. Still, this is a great looking watch and might be worth taking a chance on.

Wristwatch Review: Timex Expedition Metal Brown Leather Strap Watch

My wife recently picked up a new Timex Expedition Metal for me at Walmart. Here it looks nice during an evening out on the town.

Timex Expedition Metal

Timex Expedition Features

It's a nice solid watch with a brass case, simple field watch looks, and 50-meters of water resistance. The watch doesn't have a date feature so you never have to worry about setting the date. The watch has some lume on the hands and numbers which looks really great when exposed to the light for a short time and fully charged up. One thing that should be noted about this particular Timex watch is that it DOES NOT have indiglo lighting in this metal case version. I think Amazon has several similar watch versions under the same listing. The result is some mixed up or co-mingled reviews.

Timex Expedition Metal w/Fully Charged Lume

Watch Dimensions

With a 40mm diameter case that is 9.5mm thick, this Timex fits well and is unobtrusive. 

Watch Wearing Experience

I recently took this Timex watch on an actual Expedition--a business trip anyway--and it was a great choice. One great thing about a watch at this price point (just over $40) is that you can travel without worry. You don't have to feel bad about this watch much when you go through airport security or navigate your way through a busy airport. 

My Timex before Take Off

Nothing panics me more than the potentially losing a watch on a business trip. I was in a full panic when I thought I lost my Perry Ellis watch last time I went somewhere. That's why I recommend traveling with a cheap watch. Here I've just left this Timex out on a hotel room desk with no worries.

Timex Expedition on a Hotel Room Desk

If you'd like to get this Timex, you can often find it at Walmart or you can just snag the Expedition Metal here off of Amazon. It's amazing how this watch can take on so many colors depending on the lighting conditions.

A Timex at sunset in the Airport

Overall Review

I like this Timex Expedition very much. While the lume can be a little weak at times, you don't have to fuss with the indiglo lighting coming on an off as you flex your wrist.  I also like the vintage feel of this classic watch style. It reminds me of my Timex Expedition Vintage Metal which also continues to soldier on. If you'd like to check out some of the other Timex Expedition watches in my collection, hit this site search result. Overall, this Timex is a winner. It's a versatile and affordable watch that looks good and is a great choice for most settings.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Ed Hardy Stylized Mechanism Dial Design Quartz Watch

In the world of watches, skeleton watches are held in high regard because they expose the inner workings of a mechanical watch so that the wearer can enjoy watching the watch work. But, what if you wanted to see the gleam and shine of the machine with a quartz watch package?  This Ed Hardy watch is a traditional quartz watch with a dial that renders watch-like mechanisms in relief on the surface of the dial.  It's art instead of engineering.

An Ed Hardy Artistic Mechanism Design Watch

This watch really brings the bling to the wrist. It may not be a rugged, outdoorsmans, watch, but you can certainly signal a rescue helicopter to come your way.

This Ed Hardy Watch can reflect some light!

When you look more closely at the dial, you can see features like subdials and a date ring rendered in chrome relief. The photo below shows more of the details.  It's fanciful and fun.

The Ed Hardy Chrome Art Mechanism

Artistic designs in the form of Ed Hardy tattoo art and interesting dials like this are what make the Ed Hardy brand unique. I could see a watch like this appealing to artists, tattoo collectors, and motorcycle enthusiasts. I really hope to see more interesting art like this on Ed Hardy dials in the future.

Sharp Watch Shout Out: Victorinox Dive Pro Quartz Watch

 If you want to see how sharp a Swiss Quartz watch can look, check out the Victorinox Dive Pro Quartz Watch. It's a bona fide dive watch that offers 300 meters of water resistance. It has a sleek 43mm diameter case that is 13.5mm thick.  Aimed at professional divers, it is a well-engineered no-nonsense dive watch.  The sleek looks of the bezel and purposeful design earn this watch a well-deserved sharp watch shout out!

Victorinox Dive Pro 43mm Quartz Watch

The watch is antimagnetic and will not deviate in timekeeping capability even in the presence of strong magnetic fields.  It has a uni-directional rotating bezel with 20 minutes marked.  It also has a date window.  If you like the looks of this dive watch, you can find it on Amazon here:  Victorinox Dive Pro Quartz Watch.