Welcome to October! It's time for Spooky Watches!

Hanging with Old Friends and my Bulova

With Halloween right around the corner, October is a fun month! We get to bring out all of our spooky watches and try to take spooky pictures with all of our watches. It's a month where I can show off all my skull watches without feeling like I need to join a motor cycle gang. To kick this month off, I'll show you my vintage (circa 2007) Bulova Marine Star when I was checking to make sure all the bodies were still hanging where we left them.

A Vintage Bulova Marine Star is great for casually hanging with friends

To learn more about this Bulova and how I learned how old it was, check out my post here--

Wristwatch Review: Bulova Marine Star (Model C937355)

Wristwatch Review: A Caribbean Joe Watch with a Cushion Case

One of the nice things about the Caribbean Joe brand of watches is that it brings classic watch looks to those of us with limited watch budgets. Such is the case with the Caribbean Joe watch with a cushion case and faux sub-dials.

Caribbean Joe Cushion Case Watch (Model CJ7128SLGR)

What is a Cushion Case Watch?

A cushion case is a watch case design that was popular in the early 20th century and incorporates square and round design elements.  A cushion case is a square-ish or rectangular case with gently rounded corners that has a circular dial and crystal in the center.  It looks like a round watch resting on a square pillow.

Caribbean Joe Watch Design and Features

Like most Caribbean Joe watches, this one is designed for looks. It has a green dial, non-functional subdials, a somewhat square cushion case, and a synthetic leather strap. The dial design, bright orange second hand, and house The quartz movement is from Singapore. 

Caribbean Joe Square Watch with two cups of Joe

Caribbean Joe Watch Dimensions

One thing I like about Caribbean Joe is that their watches are well proportioned. This square Caribbean Joe watch is about 43mm wide (45mm if you count the crown) and roughly 11mm thick. It fits might 7 3/4-inch wrist without any issue and has plenty of strap left for the gathers to fit comfortably.

Caribbean Joe watch strap on 7 3/4 inch wrist

Overall Caribbean Joe Watch Impression

I enjoy wearing this watch. It has a classic look that is a little unusual and a worry-free quartz movement. The non-functional subdials detract from my perception of this watch's value, but they help the brand mimic a classic look. For less than $21 at Kohl's, this watch is a good buy.  For more on the pros and cons of Caribbean Joe watches, check out my post Are Caribbean Joe Watches Any Good. Overall, I like this one!

Where can I find this Caribbean Joe watch?

Caribbean Joe watches are available at Kohl's, Boscov's, and Seirra. This watch is listed as Caribbean Joe Square Dial watch (Model CJ7128SLGR) online here at Boscov's (not an affiliate link).

TGIF: Watch Brands for Collectors on a Budget

It's fun to collect watches. But, it can be demoralizing to read watch magazines and watch websites that are often focused on watches that lie far beyond comfortable middle class price points. It's no fun to read about watches that we can't afford and where our collection might be limited to just a handful of very high quality timepieces.

A used Nivada watch that is out of my price range

While the dream lingers out there on the edges of our imagination, in reality, the median household income in the United States in 2025 was just under $84,000.  The average income was a little higher at $121,000 annually. This means a Rolex watch could easily be priced at 10% of a year's annual household income. That's a significant financial commitment. When you think about the chronic underfunding of American retirement accounts, the high cost of housing, and the purchasing power than many American's have lost due to inflation, luxury and ultra-luxury watches as defined by the watch industry become an impossible dream.

A Pair of Timex Waterbury Watches

Fortunately, we don't have to give up watch collecting. There are many watchmakers that provide interesting watches at far more affordable price points.  In my years of perusing watch advertisements, Amazon listings, and collecting watches on my own, I've found 11 watch brands that provide affordable watches.  Most choices from these brands are prices at far less than $500. Many regularly offer nice watches for less than $100.  Here are the 11 watch brands that watch collectors on a budget can count on for attractive, affordable, watches:

1. Timex
2. Orient
3. Invicta
4. Mathey-Tissot
5. Peugeot
6. Harry Williams
7. MVMT
8. Skagen
9. Diesel
10. Swatch
11. Vostok

You can find plenty of great watches to build a collection without breaking your bank!

The Diesel I didn't get when I had the chance!

Now that my blog is a Timex affiliate through Commission Junction, we can send you directly to the Timex US Home Page for their most up-to-date offerings. To check out some of the very best Timex watches that I've found as an Amazon affiliate, please visit my Best Timex Watches on Amazon page. For an excellent selection of very collectible Diesel watches, check out my affiliate page Best Diesel Watches on Amazon.

Watches A to Z: Harry Williams

When I was searching for watch values on Amazon over the weekend, I came across an unfamiliar brand:  Harry Williams. I wondered if it was an old British brand or a newfangled Asian brand. It turns out that it is actually an Italian brand. It was founded in 2015, by watch industry veteran Stefano Abbati. A veteran of watch brands including Sector, Binda Group, and Fossil, Abbati chose the name as a playful nod towards Britain's royal family with Harry being the rebel and William being the traditional. The design ethic is one of homage to the Swinging London era of the 1960s and 70s where tradition and rebellion were often at odds. Perhaps, you can see some of that conflict, in the design this Harry Williams Moon-phase Watch. 

The Harry Williams Moon-Phase Quartz Watch

[You can get this interesting watch (above) for 20% off on Amazon.com as of September 2025, just click it here for this Harry Williams watch.]

On the one hand, it has electric blue hands and a modern minimalist dial, but the moon phase complication and the Roman numeral at 12 o'clock remind the wearer of tradition. It makes for a captivating look: minimalism, modernism, and tradition. It makes for a sophisticated and transgressive combination for a watch that costs less than $100. 

The Harry Williams Skeleton Watch

Another cool watch from Harry Williams is this colorful skeleton watch with a Japanese automatic movement. It provides an unusually vibrant and youthful look for a fairly traditional automatic watch. It's also a very reasonably priced watch at less than $140.

[You can also get this skeleton watch (above) on Amazon, just click it here for the Harry Williams Skeleton Automatic watch.]

Sharp Watch Shout Out: The Invicta S1 Rally

If you are looking for a watch inspired by auto racing and fast cars, check out the Invicta S1 Rally. It's a great looking motor sports chronograph watch that most of us can afford. That's why it gets this week's sharp watch shout out!

Invicta S1 Rally Chronograph Watch (Amazon.com)

Invicta S1 Rally Features

The watch has 24-hour chronograph functionality with elapsed hours, minutes, and seconds. It's well constructed with 100-meters of water resistance and a stainless steel case. The strap is made of leather and has large holes around the circumference to help well air circulation. The watch has a VD54 Japanese quartz movement. The case is 48mm in diameter. It's a good looking watch that you won't miss on any wrist. 

Where to get the Invicta S1 Rally Chronograph

The Invicta S1 Rally is available on Amazon right here.

TGIF: How Important is Dial Color?

A recent question on X by the French watch shop (@TempusShop) about some watch colors he had in stock, led to a discussion about dial colors. For me, dial color is pretty important. I have some dial colors that I really like - blue, silver, black, and white. Some dial colors are right out for me:  salmon (that is pink) and red. It makes me wonder: How important is dial color to you? When you visit watches on Amazon, its pretty obvious that dial color can really make a big difference in price.

A Grok-generated AI image of colorful watches

To see a good example of the price differences between dial colors check out one model of watch that comes in different colors. For price comparison purposes, let's look at the Fossil Men's Sport Tourer Quartz Stainless Steel Chronograph watch. I've been intrigued by watches that have a vintage vibe and this one is all over it. This combo is brown leather, silver, and cream. There is currently a 16% discount on Amazon that brings this watch in at just over $160. You can see this watch here on Amazon.

A Fossil Men's Sport Tourer Quartz Watch (Amazon photo)

If you want the same exact watch with a slightly different strap, the sale price drops it from $195 to just under $115. 

A Fossil Men's Sport Tourer Quartz Watch with Yellow Dial (Amazon photo)

It's definitely worth poking around just to see variations of this watch between $115 to $220. To see this one here, check it out on Amazon.

Watch Deal Alert: Stuhrling Original Minimalist Black Watch for Men

Stuhrling Original is known for putting very high retail prices on their watches and steeply discounting them so that they appear to be bargains. However, even accounting for such practices, they do have some watches that value-oriented watch enthusiasts may want to consider. For example, this Stuhrling Original Black Watch is a great looking minimalist timepiece. It is part of their Symphony collection. Purchasers on Amazon seem to like this watch as it earns 4.4 stars in reviews and ratings. It might be time to set aside the Stuhrling hate.

Stuhrling Original Minimalist Black Watch (Amazon Photo)

Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding the exact dimensions for this timepiece. The best information that i can find is that the watch comes in at 42mm in diameter. The watch is currently marketed as being 80% off and that comes in at just under $60. That's a price range that I love because the watches start to be decent and, yet, they are still affordable.

If you'd like to get this Stuhrling Original minimalist dress watch, you can find it here on Amazon.