TGIF: Three Attainable COSC Certified Chronometers

What is COSC?

Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres(COSC) is one of the main bodies that certifies the accuracy of Swiss watches. For an automatic watch to be certified as a chronometer, it has to be accurate to losing up to 4 seconds or gaining up to 6 seconds per day (-4 to +6 seconds). That's just a 10 second spread for a mechanical device. Watches are individually tested and certified on behalf of the manufacturers. You can find some of these COSC certified watches on Amazon at somewhat attainable price points. Here are some of the COSC certified watches that I found on Amazon at prices between $600 and $1700.

Certina Action DS

Certina has been making watches since 1888. In 1959, they came up with the DS concept for extreme shock resistance. That tradition continues with the current DS line.

The Certina Action DS Chronometer (Amazon photo)

The Certina Action DS is a diver-style watch with 300 meters of water resistance. However, the manufacturer cautions that while it is  suitable for swimming, but not diving or snorkeling. The watch has a 43mm diameter case that is 13.67mm thick. As of this writing, it is regularly priced at just less than $650. You can find it here on Amazon. 

Tissot Heritage Automatic 1938 COSC

If you are looking for a classic vintage watch style with a very price automatic movement, the Tissot Heritage Automatic 1938 COSC might be the choice for you. It has all the style of an old school field watch and comes in several dial colors. This one is pink, but I prefer the black or white dial options.

Tissot Heritage Automatic 1938 COSC

This Tissot has a 39mm case that is 11.1mm thick. This watch retails for less than $850.  You can find it here on Amazon.

Mido Ocean Star Diver 600

If you want a real dive watch with 600 meters of water resistance and an 80 hour power reserve, the Mido Ocean Star Diver might be a good choice. 

This watch has a 43.5mm diameter case that is 14.55mm thick. As of this writing, it's 30% off bringing it down to below $1300. You can find it here on Amazon.

None of these watches are cheap, but they are all tested to the highest standards of mechanical accuracy. While you do pay a premium for these watches, they are all considerably more affordable than a Rolex. To read more about the certification process, here is the COSC website.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: A Geoffrey Beene Quartz Watch with Decorative Subdials.

Here's a Geoffrey Beene Quartz watch that I've been wearing lately. We recently found it in some stuff we had packed away. It was just $22 at Burlington. The subdials are non-functional decorations, but it does have a working date and a stainless steel caseback.

Geoffrey Beene Quartz Watch

The thing about a watch like this is that it shows that you don't need to spend a whole bunch of money on a watch for daily wear. There are plenty of bang around watches for $50 or even less.

The eXtract: Affordable Modern Watches with Small Seconds

[This article is based on my X posts exploring affordable Small Seconds watches. I found a new watch and added to the three I posted on X.]

Today, we're all used to a long second hand but, back in the days of yore, watches often had a small subdial with a second hand. The Elgin pocket watches that helped keep the trains running on time are a great example of watches with small seconds.

A Mounted Elgin Pocket Watch

You can still find the small seconds subdial on a variety of fine watches.  For example, the Rolex 1908 has a small seconds dial. But, let's take a look at some current small hands seconds watches that we can actually afford.

Tactical Frog Militado D12 36mm

Tactical Frog Miltado D12 (Amazon Photo)

The Tactical Frog Militado D12 (left) has the vintage military look with a 36mm case diameter. The watch offers 100 meters of water resistance and is powered by a Japanese VD78 quartz movement. Priced at well under $100, it's a great deal.

Some reviewers have said that this watch is for smaller wrists so don't be surprised if you need to get a longer watch strap.

You can find the Tactical Frog Militado D12 watch here on Amazon.

Baltany WW2 Field Watch

Baltany WW2 Field Watch

If you are looking for a larger case size, the Baltany S2081 WW2 Men's Field watch with small seconds and a date function features a 39mm diameter stainless steel case, an automatic movement, and a cleverly disguised date window at the 6 o'clock position within the small seconds subdial.

Baltany is well known for high quality Rolex Explorer-inspired homage watches that the watch community raves about and this field watch should be of a similarly high standard. For less than $200, it seems like a great deal for an attractive watch. You can find the Baltany WW2 Field Watch here on Amazon.

Timex 40mm Standard Sub Second Watch

Timex 40mm Standard Sub Second Watch
( Amazon photo)

For another more contemporary small hands watch look, the Timex 40mm Standard Sub Second watch blends new and old for a bold look. Powered by a quartz movement, this Timex is also surprisingly affordable at less than $100! You can find a limited supply of this Timex here on Amazon.

This watch is quite appealing because it renders old new again. I think the smooth case shapes and silver-toned subdial look both to the past and the future.

Orient Bambino, Version 7, Small Hands Watch

Orient Bambino, Version 7,
Small Hands Watch, (Amazon Photo)

Finally, for many, this small hands look cries out for an automatic movement and a truly vintage look. The 38.4mm Orient Bambino, Version 7, delivers both in a beautiful watch from a brand with a long heritage. It also comes in at an affordable price. 

The watch has an in-house Orient F6222 automatic movement that can hack and be hand-wound. It has a stainless steel case and a domed mineral crystal. The watch comes in a few combinations with the white dial shown being the most affordable and the slightly more expensive black dial being a little more dramatic. 

You can find this Orient Bambino, Version 7, Small Hands watch here on Amazon.

Sharp Watch Shout Out: The Venezianico Redentore Bronzo

I found another amazing watch on the Venezianico watches website. This one is the Venezianico Redentore Bronzo or Venetian Redeemer Bronze. Isn't it beautiful?

Venezianico Redentore Bronzo (Venezianico website image)

It's just an amazing looking 40mm watch with a hand-aged antique bronze finish.  It's powered by a Miyota 9039 Automatic movement and it has sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. The front of this watch is enough to earn it an instant sharp watch shout out! But, wait until you see the etched caseback!

The Horses of St. Mark captured on a
Venezianico Redentore Bronzo Caseback
(Venezianico website image)

Venezianico is taking pre-orders for this watch now.  The price is set at about $750. That's a very attainable price point for a dream watch like this. Unfortunately, I may have to do some plotting, planning, and scheming to get this one. But, if you can afford it, this looks like a very special timepiece. You can visit it here on the Venezianico website.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: The LaCoste 12:12

For this watch wearing Wednesday, my LaCoste 12:12 Silicone Strap watch is still going strong. That's probably a good thing because basic black LaCoste watches are hard to find on Amazon right now. They've got LaCoste watches in every other shape and color right here on Amazon.

LaCoste 12:12 watch

This watch is a wonderful representative of minimalist watch style from a fashion brand. You can read my full review here on this blog! I continue to like this watch due to its grab and go simplicity and ease of wear.

TGIF: The Drawbacks of Cheap Watches

 Most of the time, this watch blog revels in the glories of all kinds of cheap watches.  Ahem...inexpensive watches. Cheap watches fit into any budget. They strip away snobbery and distill the hobby down to "cool watch, bro" vibes that are healthy for everyone. They don't attract muggers or burglars or signal wealth levels that would make you a target. Most of the time, I enjoy the variety of cool looks that come with inexpensive watches. But, I really need to note that cheap watches have their downsides, too! Here are some of the problems that may arise with cheap watches.

1. Lack of Time Setting Precision. Sometimes with a cheap watch you'll go to set it and, when you push in the crown, the minute hand will jump 2 to 3 minutes in some random direction. I used to have that problem with Target, Walmart, and Caribbean Joe watches from time to time. However, eventually, you'll develop a steady hand and guide the crown down without changing the time.

An Inexpensive Caribbean Joe Watch

2. Short Straps. One of the easiest things manufacturers can do to save a little money is to shorten the watch straps by just a little bit. By the time the watch makes it to consumers home, the maker can be enjoying a beach in sunny Mexico. 

A short watch strap on a Caribbean Joe watch

The watches will fit the wrists of most younger purchasers and older purchasers can simply replace the strap. Few people will actually go through the hassle of replacing or returning the watch. It's not usually too hard to replace tight bracelets with a roomier strap, I really liked the look of this Armitron Quartz Date Function Watch, but the bracelet was too tight. Fortunately, it was easy to swap out for a Bisonstrap as covered in my initial watch review.

3. Small Diameter Cases and Dials. Some inexpensive watches have smaller diameter cases and dials. While a 40mm case might look a little better, a 38mm case will be just a little cheaper to manufacture.

4. Non-Replaceable Bracelets. Sometimes cheap watches have strange, non-standard, connections between the watch bracelet and the watch case.  It can make replacing the watch bracelet with a longer replacement, very difficult. Look for unusual strap/case connections before making a purchase.

5. Quality Issues. Finally, cheap watches sometimes have quality control issues.  For example, the watch hands, the dial markings, and the bezel markings (particularly of a diver-style dial) may not align properly. It's frustrating to see that your minute markers don't line up with where the minute hand falls at the top of a minute. It's aggravating to see that you rotating bezel lines up half a degree off from 12 o'clock noon. You may not start out with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) when you begin your watch collecting journey, but you may end up there.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Caribbean Joe Silver-Tone Blue Dial Watch (CJ7127SL)

Are you tired of my Caribbean Joe watches yet? I'm not. They are like horological potato chips to me.  They are inexpensive. They have great looks and colors.  And, dang it, I can't stop at just one! I recently had a chance to attend a small private gaming convention and it turned out to be the perfect opportunity to get my Horatio Hornblower on with a game called Black Sails. The game used miniatures rules and my Caribbean Joe watch was just perfect for ruling the waves of our table top.

If this watch looks familiar to you, it's probably because I have the same watch with a green dial and gold-toned case. Kohl's called it the Caribbean Joe Men's Degrade Green Sunburst Dial Strap Watch.  That's a mouthful.  Fortunately, Boscov's just calls it the Men's Caribbean Joe Silver-Tone Blue Dial Watch (CJ7127SL). I'm not an affiliate, but you can still find this cool watch on their website here. If you'd like to read a review of this watch, read my original review of the green one here.

If you are still here and just want to learn more about Black Sails, you can find the Master and Commander starter version of the game with all you need here on Amazon.