Affordable Alternatives to the Rolex 1908

How on Earth was the Rolex Faerie supposed to know that you actually wanted a Rolex 1908? She was thinking Submariner, Explorer, or Milgauss and here you come with your deep desire for a 1908. How was she supposed to know?

Now, you've made the Rolex Faerie Mad!

Needless to say, she's skipping your house this year and, probably, next year, too. By 2027, Rolex will probably need to figure out what kind of watch agentic AI likes to wear. So, are there any affordable watches that conjure up the new, but agelessly iconic, Rolex 1908? Here are a few that I found.

Sea Gull Small Seconds Minimalist Watch

This Sea Gull, small seconds, minimalist watch with numerals on the dial evokes the general silhouette of the 1908 and it does have an exhibition caseback. But, the Rolex is a far fancier watch with a coin-edge bezel and indicator tracks around the circumference of the small hands subdial and larger dial itself.

You can check out this Sea-Gull Automatic at my affiliate link here on Amazon. It's a great looking watch and you can also see rich-looking variants that substitute batons for numbers.

Baltany 1926s Oyster Homage

If you'd like to get the coin edge detail and racetrack marker indices, the Baltany Men's 1926s dress watch offers many desirable details. It certainly evokes a rich, classic, timeless watch, but the Baltany has a cushion case. So, it's not drawing inspiration from the 1908. Instead this watch evokes the original Rolex Oyster watch of 1926. This homage might be your huckleberry.

Baltany 1926s Oyster Homage Watch

 

To check out this interesting Baltany Rolex homage, click here to our Amazon affiliate link.

Tissot Tradition Stainless Steel Small Seconds Automatic

Finally, if you are looking Swiss manufacture, an automatic, an exhibition caseback, and a good bit of heritage. You might look to the Tissot Traditional Stainless Steel Automatic. It probably pre-dates the 1908, but evokes the same classic feeling. It's also not an obvious homage.

Tissot Tradition Automatic

This Tissot is surprisingly affordable at less than $500. You can check it out here via our affiliate link to Amazon. 

TGIF: The Watch Dude Blog Plans for 2026

Happy Holidays! It's the day after Christmas and time to reflect. I've tried to highlight as many good deals on watches as I could throughout the holiday season. Hopefully some of you many visitors were able to take advantage of them, save money, and find some nice watches to give as gifts and to add to your own collections. Now, the big question is what will the next steps be for this blog.

Step 1 - Clean up the mess. I'll need to clean up! After the mad orgy of a Amazon deals and links through the holidays, many of these deals will fade away or prices may go back to normal for awhile. I'll like revert many of deal posts to drafts, remove all the links that have gone dead, and repurpose some content to highlight truly great watches here and there.

Step 2 - Celebrate! I'm very excited to see this blog closing in on 2,000,000 views! That's awesome!

Step 3 - Write more reviews. With the recent emphasis on deals and sales over for 2025, it will be time to write up more reviews for watches that I've acquired over the past year. 

Step 4 - Focus on articles with lasting value. Some watches are timeless. Some watch companies persevere through thick and thin. I'll want to highlight them for posterity.

Step 5 - Trim the sails. My professional career has been in turmoil for the last few years with lay-offs and uncertainty. I'll be making some financial adjustments of my own in 2026. There will probably be fewer expensive new watches and more focus on sustaining and improving my current watches and on affordable watches.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 2025

I'd like to take a moment to wish everyone who visits thewatchdude.com a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a wonderful New Year.

An American Aviator Field Watch at the Nativity

Part of the fun of the holidays is taking watch photographs in various holiday situations. I think it adds to the festivities.

A Nautica Finn World Watch in Lights

Mostly I just hope that Santa, Nutcrackers, and Snowmen approve of my various watch choices.

I'm not sure how thriftstore nutcracker feels about my Lacoste watch

I hope that your holiday goes well and that you find every watch you ever want under your tree this year.

Santa arrives just in time

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and a blessed New Year to all!

Introducing our own Watch Battery Center

I've noticed that watch batteries are becoming more difficult to find in Walmart stores, Target stores, and local drugstores. While they may have the SR626SW/377 watch batteries, you are unlikely to find much more. 

A pile of watch and car remote batteries

When you shop for watch batteries online with Amazon, there are almost too many watch batteries to choose from. I wouldn't want to be an alkaline battery in one of my watches. I also wouldn't trust a random battery provider. Since I value my watches, I want to use watch batteries from brands like Duracell, Energizer, Maxell, or Renata.

To make watch battery shopping more convenient, I've put together a new page on this blog called:

Best Watch Batteries on Amazon.

It's our own Watch Battery Center. I've populated it with the battery types that I've used most often for maintaining my own watches and I've selected battery brands that I trust. I'll be expanding it with a few more brands and battery types. But, it should take the hassle out of finding watch batteries. Purchases through our Amazon affiliate link will also help support this blog.

Watch Deal Alert: Bulova Men's 3-Hand Calendar Date Quartz Watch

There are some watches that get lots of attention in the media. For example, the Citizen Tsuyosa or Seiko Cocktail watches. But, there are some watches that simply offer a great look, a name with heritage, and a solid value for the price. If you like some of the richly textured dial designs that are available now, you'll like this Christmas deal from Bulova. It's their Men's 3-Hand Calendar Date Quartz Watch.

Bulova Men's 3-Hand Quartz Calendar Date Watch

This Bulova has a great look that rivals far more ballyhood watches. But, you can get it for 41% off here via our Amazon affiliate link for a limited time and at a very respectable sub-$200 price. 

This watch carries all the prestige, rarity, and shine needed to make a memorable holiday gift. However, it would arrive after Christmas. It looks like December 29th is the soonest Amazon can promise it. Still, it's a great looking watch and would make a special gift.

Watch Deal Alert: Nautica Finn World Watch

One of my favorite recent watch purchases is now on sale NEW! It's the Nautica Finn World watch and it's a beautiful dive-inspired watch.  The styling of this watch is just amazing with the boldest of blues, a purposeful looking diver-style bezel, and a silicone strap that fits an up to 8-inch wrist.

Nautica Finn World Watch

The Nautica Finn World Watch Deal

Right now, this Nautica Finn World watch is on sale for 43% off! There is also a clickable $10 off coupon on top of that. That makes this incredible watch a bargain at just over $60 with the coupon or $70 without! You can grab the Nautica Finn World Watch here via our Amazon affiliate link!

TGIF: Brick-n-Mortar Watch Ideas for Christmas Shopping 2025

I guess you really put your shopping off to the very last minute this year? You may not be sure that delivery services can even get a watch order to you or your recipient soon. If that's the case, you may want to pick up a watch at a local retailer.

Burlington Watch Shopping

If you are on a tight budget, you can usually count on Burlington to have some decent watch choices for under $30.  

A Selection of Men's Watches at Burlington

I've actually found that most watches at Burlington are priced under $25. You can find brands like Armitron, Beverly Hills Polo Club, Caribbean Joe, Geoffrey Beene, Gianello, Izod, Steve Madden, Tahari, True Religion, US Polo Assn, and Van Heusen at Burlington. Since Burlington is a discount and closeout store, the selection can vary widely.

J.C. Penney Watch Shopping

It's been a long time since I've shopped in J.C. Penney, but they do have a nice selection of watches. They had many excellent watches from Armitron, US Polo Assn, and Relic.  They also seem to be a great place for shopping Caravelle by Bulova watches. Prices at JC Penney have also been surprisingly competitive with discount stores.

The Watch Selection at JC Penney

Ross Watch Shopping

Ross usually has watch brands like Ed Hardy, Invicta, Joseph Abboud, Steve Madden, and Kenneth Cole Reaction. You may also find some surprising brands like Boss, Bulova, Fossil, Nautica, and Perry Ellis from time to time. You can generally find watches at Ross from $20 to $60. There have been reports in 2025, that shoppers in "Runway" Ross stores have been finding Zenith watches with automatic movements and a ceramic bezels for an amazing $125.

T.J. Maxx Watch Shopping

Lately, the watches at T.J. Maxx have been a little too rich for my blood. I have seen watches by Citizen, Invicta, Movado, and even some higher end brands. You can get some great deals. But, the price range runs from about $80 to $1200. The downside is that it can make me think twice before snatching up a watch. But, the plus side is that you can find a good deal on a very nice watch that would be the perfect gift for someone significant.

A Citizen Watch Deal at TJ Maxx

Walmart Watch Shopping

Walmart has their own George brand which has been creating some nice looking cheap watches lately that range from $10 to $25. Walmart also carries Casio, Skecher, and Timex watches in their stores, but the in-store selection on the name brand watches tops out at about $55. Usually, you can find Timex Expedition and Easy Reader watches and Casio digital watches and Casio MRW200H diver-style watches (which I reviewed here long ago)

Watch Shopping at the Shopping Mall

If you like safe public places to wander and shop, this is definitely a good time to throw your local shopping mall a bone. I'd love to click my heels together and go back to the 90s myself. You'll generally find that major anchor stores like Macy's and Von Maur usually have ample inventory of watches. Traditional jewelry stores in the mall also have some great watches. As the price of a watch purchase goes up, it becomes more important to see, feel, and try on the watches of interest. If you've waited to the last minute, this is definitely the time to join the shopping mall crowd.