Dream Watch: Hamilton Khaki Aviation Automatic

I recently saw an X post inquiring about this interesting aviation-inspired watch.

A mystery watch on X

The timepiece turned out to be a Hamilton Khaki Aviation Automatic. It's a 45mm diameter watch on a genuine cow leather strap. Powered by the Swiss H-30 Automatic Movement, it has an 80-hour power reserve. It's in the same ETA movement family as the Tissot Powermatic 80. I found this watch on Amazon for just under $1400.  It's what I would classify as an achievable watch according to my scale here - Defining Watch Affordability.

 To find this watch yourself, you can use my Amazon affiliate link here to the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Automatic.  

Watch Deal Alert: Casio AE1200WH Series Digital Watch

Hello Mr. Bond. I see you are interested in a villainous timepiece from Casio. I'm not surprised. If you want a watch to track your network of orbital satellite weapons, track incoming drone attacks, and countdown to the moment the world must deliver your million dollars, you might start with the Casio AE1200WH World Time Illuminator Digital watch. 

It can't do any of that, but it sure looks like the kind of watch a supervillain would wear. We'll set off sirens and alarm bells to announce a watch deal alert for 25% off on this watch. Now, it comes in at just under $30 on Amazon.

The real capabilities of the Casio are impressive. For example, the map is to help track world time across 31 timezones and 48 cities. The watch also offers 1/100 second stop watch, 5 alarms, an analog subdisplay, and backlighting. Physically, the watch offers 100-meter water and 10 years of battery life.

You can check out this super villain watch using my affiliate link here on Amazon. But, if you do, Mr. Bond, I expect you to buy.

Don't Hate Fossil Watches

There are plenty of watch collectors that don't like Fossil watches. I've probably been a little too dismissive of the brand myself. But, the Fossil hate is undeserved. I've never had any issues with the Fossil and Relic watches that I've bought.

Let's look at things Fossil has not done:

1. They haven't mislead me. I haven't seen the egregious triple the price of a watch so Fossil could put it "on sale."

2. They haven't put me on a waiting list. You don't have to wait a year to buy a Fossil.

3. Fossil hasn't coerced me into buying a watch I don't want in order to qualify to buy a watch I do want.

4. Fossil hasn't withdrawn unpopular watches from dealers and destroyed them to keep prices artificially high.

Now, let's look at things Fossil has done:

1. Fossil has provided a nice collector's tin with each watch I've bought.

2. Fossil outlet stores have provided great deals like Buy One / Get One in their outlet locations.

3. Fossil has built watches that are "on point" in design, price, and quality.

If there has ever been a reason to knock Fossil, it's been on the company's perceived lack of pedigree. They aren't a European brand. While there are some Swiss-made Fossil watches, the company primarily uses Asian sourcing. This basically boils down to watch snobbery and brand tribalism. A few layoffs and real financial hardships have knocked most of that nonsense right out of me. A cool looking, reliable, watch will suffice now.

Overall, Fossil watches have been a great value.

Watch Deal Alert: Tommy Hilfiger Quartz 3H Watch

An awesome watch from Tommy Hilfiger is on sale right now for 40% off! I have a similar model that we bought at a department store for twice the price and it's been a great watch. Now, it's available with a black dial and matching leather strap. The word we need here is sharp! At a 40% off price less than $60? The next word we need is deal!

Hilfiger watches are made by Movado Group and offer much in terms of build quality and design consistency. They are built like watches rather than props. My Hilfiger watches feel and look good. The sunray dial design on this one is a nice plus that helps separate this watch from the pack. 

This Hilfiger model features all stainless steel construction, a genuine leather strap, a mineral crystal, and practical 30-meter water resistance. That means rain and incidental splashes are OK, but swimming is not recommended.

I like these watches because they fit my wrist well. The watch has a 42mm diameter case that is 10mm thick. The strap is 22mm wide.

You can check this great looking watch out here on Amazon!

Watch Spotlight: MVMT Field II Field Watch

Some field watches have a history dating far back to 20th century wars. Others hang on the spikes and pitons of great adventurers and mountain climbers. Some jist look cool. The MVMT Field II Field watches promise that we can escape from the cubicle maze and set off on an epic adventure.

The MVMT Field II watch (Amazon photo)

The beauty of this watch is more than skin deep. It has stainless steel construction, a mineral crystal, and 100-meter water resistance. Inside a reliable Japanese  Miyota 2415 quartz movement provides accurate time and date functionality.

Dimensionally, the MVMT Field II comes in at 41mm in diameter and 11.5mm thick with a robust 22mm wide nylon textile  strap. The Field II is a very attractive field watch and a great California-designed  offering from a Movado Group brand.

If you are interested, you can see this MVMT watch here via my affiliate link to Amazon. 

Vintage Inspired Watches - The Olev's Quartz Small Seconds Classic

The Look of A Classic Watch for Under $50

Everyone loves classic vintage watches. But, sometimes, service can be expensive when performance begins to lag or a watch stops entirely. That's when vintage-inspired modern watches can step up.  Even upstart brands bring vintage looks forward.

Olev's Classic Dress Watch with Small Hands (Amazon Photo)

The Olev's Vintage Leather Dress Classic (above) brings a small-seconds subdial to your wrist for well under $50. It leaves behind the tiny proportions of old watches with a 41mm diameter case that is 10mm thick. But, Arabic numerals ground the design with a vintage font. The watch also offers stainless steel construction, a genuine leather strap, and 30-meter water resistance.

If you'd like to check out this great offering from Olev's, use my Amazon affiliate link here to help support this blog.

Timex Under $60: Timex Men's Southview 41mm Watch

After a few problematic purchases in the extremely cheap watch department, it's nice to point out modestly priced watches from well known manufacturers like Timex. The Men's Timex Southview 41mm watch is an affordable offering from a maker that many of us rely on.

The Southview is a quartz watch that strikes a design balance between modern, minimalist, and traditional. With Roman numerals as markers it gives the wearer a bit of formality for church or the office. But, with a sparse dial and the lack of a date window, the watch hits the mark for minimalism. The openness of each Roman numeral and the lack of cross bars on those numerals provides a modern touch. Finally, the brown leather strap comfortably admits this watch to the business casual club. It's a big paragraph to say, "Balance."

The Southview has contemporary dimensions with a 41mm diameter case that is just 8.5mm thick. The genuine leather watch strap is 20mm wide. If this sense of balance appeals to you,  check out the Timex Southview here using my Amazon affiliate link.