The Hundred Dollar Grail: The Nautical Watch

Once upon a time, I owned a sailboat. (Perhaps that's why I'm broke today?) While I live far from the sea, I still have an affinity for nautical stuff.  I think it's very cool to have a nautical watch that evokes the sea in a classy, old man by the sea, kind of way. But, what can I find for $100 that scratches that nautical itch? Here are three watches that pique my interest.  

Nautica Vintage Blue Watch

This first breaks my $100 rule by a dollar or two, but it's a nice looking timepiece. It's the Nautica NAPNVF306 Vintage Blue Silicone Strap Watch. It has a rich look with a deep blue dial, 100-meter water resistance, and a rose gold-tone 90% recycled stainless steel case. It has a look that is similar to the Caravelle Sea Hunter Automatic, but it has hour markers similar to those on a vintage Omega Seamaster.

Nautica Vintage Blue Watch (Amazon Photo)

I absolutely love the vintage styling cues of this Nautica watch. While the look is vintage, the size is contemporary with a 44mm diameter case that is 11.28mm thick.   You can check it out here on Amazon using my affiliate link.

Addiesdive 41mm Yachtmaster Homage

Coming in well under $100, Addiesdive offers a nifty looking Rolex Yachtmaster Homage. It has a classic unidirectional ceramic bezel with numbers in relief, 200-meter water resistance, and a Japanese quartz movement. This watch comes in 14 different color and band combinations.

Addiesdive Men's 41mm Quartz Dive Watch (Amazon Photo)

The Addiesdive watch is well proportioned  with a 41mm diameter case that is 13mm thick. This is a watch that looks the part and would be right at home with the marina set.  To check this watch out, you can use my Amazon affiliate link here.

Invicta Ocean Voyage

Invicta regularly brings us big, bold, watches on the boundary of style. But, if you need a bigger boat, the Invicta Ocean Voyage just might be the one you are looking for! It is a big quartz watch with a 51.5mm diameter case (over 2-inches!). I like the wavy background of the dial that evokes pricier watches from fine makers like Omega. The watch also features a cyclops over the date window and bezel with numbers in relief much like the venerable Rolex Yachtmaster.

Invicta Ocean Voyage (Amazon photo)

Of course, none of those timidly-styled watches incorporate an exposed anchor chain motif. For a big statement watch, you can check this one out on Amazon here using my affiliate link. 

While I tease the respected watchmakers, my point is simple.  You can find an interesting variety of nautical themed watches at a very affordable price point.  Check these out!

TGIF: The Invicta Race Car Watch

Watches with novelty features are almost always cool.  But, sometimes, they just might prompt someone to ask how old you are. Case in point, this Invicta Racing Watch (Model 69636). It's ridiculous, but undeniably cool.  The watch features seven tiny model racecars on a track that spins with the push of a button.  The more and faster you push the button, the faster the cars go.  

The watch is 46mm in diameter and 20mm thick due to its very domed crystal. It comes with two leather straps, a thin set of racing gloves, and a presentation case. The watch is powered by the venerable Seiko NH35A automatic movement and the country of origin is listed as Japan. It's just an amazing watch to look at and very well done.

Unfortunately, this watch is rather expensive at prices up to $1000.  But, it might well be worth it as a unique conversation piece.  I'd recommend shopping around online for this one as prices can vary, but to take a quick look at it, you can use my Amazon affiliate link here. This is why we should never stifle Invicta craziness!

Watch Deal Alert: Men's Movado 1881 Automatic

If you are looking for a Swiss-made automatic watch with history and sophisticated design, you might take a fresh look at Movado. As a brand, Movado is sometimes denigrated by watch snobs, but is widely respected by the US upper middle class. They have a number of models that have moved beyond their now traditional Museum Watch. One such watch is the Movado 1881 Automatic. It's currently on sale for 30% off on Amazon. It's normally a pricey watch that now comes in under $850 with this deal. As I've laid out my definitions of watch affordability in this post, I'd call this timepiece  attainable.

Movado 1881 Automatic Dress Watch (Amazon Photo)

The Movado 1881 is a 39mm diameter watch that is 9mm thick powered by a Swiss Sellita SW200-1 movement with a 38 hour power reserve.  In some years of manufacture, this watch can use an ETA 2824-2 movement. Either way, you can see it at work through the exhibition caseback. According to Movado, the watch is Swiss made with the movement assembled and cased in Switzerland.

Movado 1881 Automatic with Exhibition Case Back (Amazon photo)

I can't afford this watch right now. But, with a little juggling and sacrifice, this is an attainable timepiece. It's a realistic dream watch.  It's also from a brand that is headquartered in the United States. If the Movado 1881 fits into your dreams or your budget, check it out here on Amazon.

Ten Dollar Tuesday: Hunruy Men's 41mm Big Face Quartz Watch

 A Classic Vintage Look at a Discount

One thing we haven't seen in our quest for a $10 watch deal is a vintage looking classical watch with a parchment colored dial and old fashioned numerals and hands. Until now! I just found this Hunruy 41mm Big Face Quartz Watch for Men or Women.

Hunruy Men's Big Face Watch (Amazon photo)

This watch is 41mm in diameter and just 8mm thick. It has a classic style with railroad track-style inner and outer scales. For American markets, the style is marred only by a foreign language word BINLIHUAN in the upper portion of the dial.

This watch gets 3.8 stars out of 5 in 13 reviews. As of this writing it is 38% off to meet our $10 goal. It's an interesting timepiece for the cheap watch collector for sure. If you'd like to check it out, you can use my Amazon affiliate link to find it here.

To see all my Ten Dollar Tuesday watch posts, bang it here!

Caribbean Joe Has Arrived on Amazon!

If you are into budget-friendly, affordable, and attractive watches, I have some great news to report:  Caribbean Joe has arrived on Amazon. There's even a Caribbean Joe store! You have to search for their watches conventionally, but there are nine models available and prices are fairly reasonable. I've done a search and you can see all the models offered on Amazon here via my affiliate program link.

The Caribbean Joe Logo with a hut and palm tree

Now, let me be clear, Caribbean Joe watches are cheap fashion watches. Sub-dials are purely decorative. The movement can be difficult to set with precision. However, they look good and they have a fun, lazy, style that includes a hut and a palm tree. You don't get that with every watch brand. 

Some of my Caribbean Joe watches

I collect Caribbean Joe watches like some people eat potato chips and you can read every post I've written about the brand here via this link. If you don't take them super seriously and you don't overpay, they can be a fun cheap watch brand to collect.

Caribbean Joe Watches on Amazon

On my Amazon storefront, I've put together an Amazon product collage and product list of Caribbean Joe watches.  You can find it here via my affiliate program link.

Watch Spotlight: Maurice Lacroix Pontos Day Date Automatic

Whenever I go scouting to find deals on attainable watches, I look for watches that are bargains compared to other watches in their genre. Every luxury brand has watches that are unique, cool looking, and not the most celebrated in the watch press and blogosphere. If you find one that appeals to you, you'll end up with a watch that can be a real conversation starter. I think the Maurice Lacroix Pontos Day Date Automatic might be a great example.  Everyone in the press celebrates the Maurice Lacroix Aikon which is a fantastic watch costing around $2000. But, the Pontos comes in at just less than half of that price.  At a glance, you can fall in love with its elegantly casual style, unique dial design, and rich calfskin leather strap secured by a push button deployant clasp.

The watch is a great size at 41mm in diameter and 12mm thick. It has a transparent caseback that reveals the Sellita 220-1 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve. It's a great looking business casual watch with solid specifications and it's half the price of an Aikon. It communicates class without flaunting it in the latest, greatest, shiniest package.  

Is this watch a bit beyond what I normally aspire to own? Absolutely. But, it's not impossible to raise $900. If you'd like to attain it, you can see this Maurice Lacroix here using my Amazon-affiliate link.

TGIF: Defining Watch Affordability

Do you ever get frustrated by watch blogs and magazines that promise affordable timepieces and then direct you to articles on expensive luxury watches? I know I do. I'll read a headline teasing us about an "affordable" watch and then find myself reading about a $4500 watch that I won't be able to afford any time soon. Since I don't want to aggravate you, I figure this might be a good time to throw out some general definitions of watch categories. I'll use some terms that come up regularly on this blog and in my X posts:  cheap, affordable, attainable, and achievable.

An Inexpensive Watch at Walmart

What is a Cheap Watch?

To me, a cheap watch is a watch that costs less than  $50 US. Most of us can purchase a cheap watch without deeply affecting the family budget during a given pay period. At this price point, there are legions of watches available. Reliable brands like Armitron, Caribbean Joe, Casio, George, Timex, and US Polo Assn are solid brand names in this category. However, as my Ten Dollar Tuesday blog posts show, these brands are being pursued by lesser known Chinese brands that are delivering surprising features in this price category.

A Rumours Quartz Watch

A good example of a cheap watch is this square watch from SKMEI. It seems inspired by Bell & Ross, but it has a smoothness that seems like it should be perfectly at home in a Bugatti.  The surprise is the price. This watch is art, but the price is well less than $50.

An SKMEI Square Watch for Men

You can take a closer look at this beauty on Amazon. It's available via here via my affiliate link.

What is an Affordable Watch?

I believe an affordable watch is a watch that generally costs less than $300 US. Most of us can purchase an affordable watch with just a little savings or a credit card. An affordable watch shouldn't impact family finances much.  At this price point, brands like Casio and  Timex are joined by brands like Caravelle, Guess, Invicta, Hilfiger, MVMT, Nautica, Perry Ellis, and Wenger. Watches from brands like Bulova, Mathey-Tissot, Momentum, Orient, and Seiko also start to appear on shopping lists.

A Wenger Grenadier Watch

What is an Attainable Watch?

To me, an attainable watch is a watch that generally costs less than $1200 US. It's not always easy or prudent to purchase an attainable watch, but diligent savings, a nice tax refund, a decent work bonus, or some other windfall should sometimes allow an attainable watch to enter the collection from time to time. Attainable watches might come from brands like Bulova, Hamilton, Laco, LIV, Mido, Mondaine, Movado, or Tissot. There are lots of attainable watch brands from France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland. I consider these watch brands something special, a real luxury, and they evidence a strong commitment to watch collecting.

A Bulova Watch with Diamond Markers

What is an Achievable Watch?

To me, an achievable watch is a watch that generally costs between  $1200 and $2500 US dollars. You have to be financially successful to have the disposable income to buy these watches.  However, if you work hard, save, invest, and make all the right moves, you should be able to achieve the success necessary to buy one of these watches. I cover these watches from time to time because they are interesting and because they might be something we can get our hands on without using a ski mask and a hammer. But, this blog doesn't dwell on these watches because they are beyond the prudent reach of many readers.

What lies Beyond Achievable?

Once we get beyond $2500, we enter the world of the highly successful. These might be the luxury and ultra-luxury watches of entrepreneurs, lawyers,  doctors, and real estate moguls of our world. This blog ends where many mainstream watch magazines and influencers begin. We might admire these watches from afar. For most of us, watches from brands like Panerai, Tudor, and Rolex are out of prudent financial reach. I spot them from time to time on people who are successful entrepreneurs. God bless them for putting in the hours and taking the risks to fuel our economy. These brands established the icons that serve as aiming points for the rest of the watch industry. I don't generally cover these watch brand on this blog unless I notice one in the wild, find a great deal on a used one, or use one as an inspiration for finding similar looking more affordable watches

Hopefully, these definitions help a bit. Obviously, they can be a little fluid from time to time. But, this should cover the gist of what I cover on this blog.  May all of you attain the prosperity to only visit this blog in search of beater watches for gardening and mowing your lawn.