Time On A Budget: The Best Watches Under $250 Pt. II

For anyone that missed it the first part of this guide, which covers dive watches and chronographs, can be found in the archives. If you have any questions about how watches work, such as the difference between a mechanical and quartz watch read part 1 first.



In Part 2 we are going to cover a few other types of tool watches as well as touching on dress watches, homages and replicas.

The Pilot Watch

The Wright Bros Flyer

First off let’s define what I mean by a pilot watch and discuss a bit of the Pilot’s history. Aviation history and the history of the wristwatch are intertwined. One of the first pilot watches , the Cartier Santos, was specifically made for aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont.

Alberto Santos-Dumont

The quest for flight has a long and storied history and depending on which side of the pond your idea of the first flight may differ. Americans insist that the first heavier-than-air powered flight was made by the Wright Bros at Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903. A European will insist that Santos-Dumont’s flyer was the first true airplane flight in 1906. Why the difference? The Wright Bros relied on a catapult to take off while Santos-Dumont’s plane had wheels which means it took off under its own power.

No matter your opinion on the first flight there’s no doubt that it’s a huge pain in the ass to pull a pocket watch out when you are trying to fly something made from bicycle parts and canvas.

The Cartier Santos-Dumont

Now the Cartier Santos is by no means an under $250 watch and it’s styling is not to my taste but there is no doubt of its importance in the history of aviation.

The pilot watch continued to evolve with aviation and the iconic pilot style watch that most of us know today owes its genesis, like so much of the modern world, to the Second World War.

(photo from monochrome-watches.com)





The Luftwaffe and the Pilot Watch

The pilot watch we all know and love is the wristwatch of the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. When I think about this it kind of gives me second thoughts about liking pilot styles. I am wearing something that was designed to be used in bombing runs on London. At the same time if I judged products by their history I could never buy a Volkswagen, BMW or Mitsubishi. So you just have to kind of check that reservation at the door if you like this look.

Because of it’s military origins no single company owns the German Pilot style in the someway that the Rolex Submariner dominates the looks of dive watches. As with most military tool the design was contracted out to a handful of German manufacturers. The watch produced by these companies called the B-Uhr, was huge even by modern standards at a whopping 55mm case diameter. The B-Uhr’s size was perhaps the biggest expression of it’s role as a tool watch. It was was not meant to be aesthetically pleasing but instead to be highly visible and accurate even at night. A watch was issued to the Navigator before every flight and returned to be calibrated and tested after every flight.

Type B and Type A Faces

When you look at a B-Uhr style pilot watch you will notice two different types of faces, called Type A and Type B. The original Type A only had an outer chapter ring listing the minutes. The Type B face that came a few years later listed the hours in an inner ring. In addition to the large face a Pilot watch also has a huge crown to make setting time easier with gloves on. As you can imagine it gets cold as hell at altitude and military engineering has never put much emphasis on climate control and comfort.

After the war and the economic recovery of West Germany many of the German manufacturers of the B-Uhr continued to make pilot watches for the RAF and other NATO countries. Interest in the B-Uhr began to rise in the 1990s which caused many of the original manufacturers, such as IWC, to revisit its design.

Avi-8 Hawker Hurricane ($100 on Amazon)

Avi-8 is a new comer to the whole budget watch game. They lean on having an English/RAF aviation heritage and their branding and packaging definitely ties into this. They use Japanese made movements with watches assembled in China and follow the Invicta pricing model. That means inflated MSRP’s with a much, much lower street price.

The Hawker Hurricane is pretty much the textbook definition of a pilot watch. The dial is a textured matte with raised, painted numbers on a B-Uhr Type B dial. The crown is signed with a RAF Bullseye and is a nice touch. There is a lot of nice attention to detail for a watch at this price point but in the end it did not do it for me.

You don’t realize how big a 46mm watchface is until you take it out of the box and put it on your wrist. Now, I know that Pilot’s are supposed to run big but this felt absurd on my 6.5” wrists. On a side note it’s kind of funny that American will use inches to denote our wrist size but metric for everything else. Anyway, it’s huge on me. Comically so. Now, if you are a bigger guy or have a bit wider wrist it will looks great on you. I usually have to wear my watches in the last hole on the strap to get them to fit.

Seiko 5 SNK809 ($60 on Amazon)

When it comes to affordable watches the Seiko 5 series can’t be beat. First introduced in the 1960s the Seiko 5’s have been a go for a great looking affordable watch. The “5” in Seiko 5 denotes the features that every single model in the line has; automatic movement, day complication, date complication, shock-proofing and water resistance. While this is pretty standard on a lot of modern quartz watches it was almost unheard of on inexpensive watches in the 1960s when it made its debut.

The Seiko 5 has a long and venerable history and the SNK809 is no exception to this. For most people interested in starting a watch collection with an automatic this is one of the first places to start. Not only is it great looking and affordable it also has sister models in green, blue, and khaki so there’s a little something for everyone.

The SNK809 is far smaller than most pilot style watches coming in at 38mm with a Type B dial and a really nice looking set of hands (particularly love the red tip on the second hand.) The case is a matte finish which is nice for someone going for a bit more of a subdued, less-flashy look.

The 809, while a great watch, didn’t hit the sweet spot for me either. I like a little bit of shine to a pilot watch so the matte finish missed the mark. This is a fantastic watch for the price and if you want a pilot look for less than $100 without strapping an absolute monster to your wrist this is a fantastic choice. It’s hard to go wrong with any watch in the Seiko 5 series. This particular one just wasn’t for me.

And of course these aren’t the only style Pilot watches. Companies like Hamilton have a long history of making watches for the US military including WWII. I just focused on the watches that style that appeals to me.

Avi-8 Flyboy Automatic ($170 on Amazon)

The Hawker Hurricane impressed me enough to give another Avi-8 a try. The Flyboy is a bit more upscale with a Miyota automatic movement and an updated face design. Rather than being a direct homage of the B-Uhr it takes Avi-8 puts their own spin on it.

The face has the same matte texture as the Hawker Hurricane but is a much more manageable size at 43mm. The oversized numbers at 0, 3 and 9 are a nice update to the look but I wish they were a little bit smaller. There are a lot of nice little touches like the crosshair on the face, red tipped second hand and the date at 6 o’clock. It comes on a nice, comfortable NATO strap that is a bit too clean looking out of the box. After a few months of wear it will look great with a bit of aging.Seiko SNN231P2 ($100 on Amazon)

Seiko SNN231P2 ($100 on Amazon)

I’ve been wanting a B-Uhr Pilot style but nothing in my price range was sitting right with me. I was rewatching bits of Season 2 of House of Cards getting ready for the new season and my eyes were always drawn to Kevin Spacey’s rotating collection of IWC Chronograph Pilot watches.

An IWC is quite a bit out of my price range so I started looking for something that would give me a similar vibe.

This has a bit more tool watch styling than the IWC Pilot but I absolutely love it. Once I swapped out the stock strap for a brown leather one it just felt right on my wrist. It’s a bigger watch than what I normally wear but it’s not absolutely massive.



It’s funny it has a much bigger and busier face than the Avi-8 flyboy but it feels right. The size wears very well even on my smallish wrists. The chronograph function has a nice, automatic-like sweep to the second hand instead of a tick like almost all quartz watches. The 60-second subdial still ticks like a quartz watch though it’s subtle.

I did not know how I was going to feel about the raised chapter markers but it does not stand out enough to be distracting. It’s funny this is a busy watch face but it’s so well balanced that it does not bother me. It looks far better in person than on Amazon’s site. I think I finally found the watch to scratch my pilot itch.



Field Watches

WWII era Hamilton Field Watch with 987A Movement produced for the USMC

The field watch is the classic military watch. Meant to be easy to read, durable and with no frills to speak of there were thousands issued to military personal over the years. The contemporary field watch can be traced back to the trench watches of the First World War. A pocket watch was not going to be practical in combat. Because of this the earliest military watches were pocket watches with lugs attached for a wrist band. This design gave way to smaller, more practical, specially produced wrist watches. The thousands of men coming home from the First World War abandoned the pocket watch in favor of the more practical wrist watch that they wore in the trenches.

Timex Weekender ($30 on Amazon)

Probably the most popular affordable watch in menswear and for good reason. These guys are absolutely rock solid and will do everything you want to do with it just short of scuba diving. Their minimalist, medium sized face tends to look good on most people of varying wrist and body sizes. They are not too big, not too small and look good with almost any type of strap.

There’s not a whole lot to say about them. They look great, are rock solid and can be found for little money. Fair warning that their movement is loud. It’s gets exaggerated a bit in online reviews but it is definitely noticeable. If you are a light sleeper and keep your watch on your nightstand next to your bed you will notice it.

Smith & Wesson SW1464 ($25 on Amazon)

I’ve had my eye on this one for a while. It’s definitely got some traditional World War 2 military styling and for less than $25 it’s hard to pass up. If you’ve had your eye on the Bulova for J. Crew Air Warden but don’t want to spend $200 on it this is a very nice alternative. It also comes with a khaki and black strap in addition to the green. That’s a hell of a deal for less than $25.

The Nick Harris x Go&Behold Field Watch ($270 on Go&Behold)

So this one is a bit of a splurge. In the watch nerd community there’s a group of people that will modify watches to be whatever they want. Now this is not something for the faint of heart. Automatic watch movements are complicated pieces and have parts that you would need a microscope to work on. I myself am a tinkerer. I build guitars, service scuba gear and worked at the Genius Bar for a while. I like taking things apart to see how they work. When it comes to watches I’ll leave that to people with steadier hands than I. Nick Harris is one of those people. The Field Watches he has done for Go&Behold look absolutely gorgeous. Built on top of a Seiko 5 movement and case it’s got the vibe of a far more expensive Hamilton Field Watch without being a direct copy or homage to any particular Hamilton model.

Murph’s Hamilton from Interstellar

It reminds me of the Hamilton Field Watch that Murph had in Instellar. That particular watch was only made for the movie and not available for sale. So this watch from Go & Behold will get you close to that look without breaking the bank.

I’ve not had a chance to see one of these guys in person but I am definitely intrigued. They are a bit of a splurge over the $250 but it’s worth taking a look at it. It’s a unique watch made by a real guy! He posts on reddit under the name crappysurfer and his blog can be found here: https://nickswatches.wordpress.com. Definitely worth taking a look at.

Dress Watches

There are certain considerations for something to be considered a true dress watch. This includes a low profile case, minimalist face and dial, and a leather strap. If we are going to be pedantic though a watch should not worn in formal occasions. If you’re in a Tux you should not be wearing a wristwatch according to most sartorial traditionalist. Try telling James Bond that though. Like we talked about in Part 1 the popularity of the Bond franchise changed what’s expected for a man in formal wear. Nowadays a tool watch like a Submariner can be worn with a suit and not look out of place thanks to Bond.

So if we are looking at watches with a dress feel without breaking the bank what are our options?

Timex T2P4519J ($30 on Amazon)

Ah yes the good ol’ T2P4519J…seriously how in the hell do they come up with these model names? Either way this is a fantastic bang for the buck. The faux croc strap looks great but probably won’t age all that well if you wear this out a lot. It’s a 20mm strap so that’s an easy replacement when the time comes.

This watch is much better looking in person than in the Amazon photo. The blue watch face and subtle chevron pattern looking particularly nice in person. I’ve paired it with Monkey Shoulder Scotch here. I’m more of a bourbon than Scotch guy but Monkey Shoulder is one hell of a bang for the buck. It’s very smooth so it’s easy for bourbon drinkers to make the switch but it’s still smokey enough to be distinctively, unapologetically Scotch. So for less than $70 you can get a great looking watch and a nice bottle of Scotch.



Vintage Bulova

This late 50s model Bulova was my late grandfather’s everyday watch that he wore for over 40 years. It was given to me to wear for my wedding and it’s one of my prize possessions.

If you like the look and want one like it then eBay is your best friend here. Vintage Bulova’s can usually be found for less than $200 on eBay in restored working condition. If you’re willing to gamble and find a good watchmaker to service it for you that price can drop down to less than $50 for a nonworking model. Keep in mind that vintage watches like this tend to run very small by modern standards. If you have bigger wrists a vintage sized watch may be a bit harder to pull off.

Skagen SKW6082 ($125 on Amazon)

Skagen makes a great looking affordable dress watch for usually less than $150.

The blue second hand and round date window give it a really classy Bauhaus kind of look without breaking the bank. The only drawback is that Skagen doesn’t use a traditional lug for the strap. Which means that the strap is not easily changeable.

(photo from watchismo.com)

Rodina R005 ($119 on good-stuffs.com)

Another option in the minimalist Bauhaus style is the Rodina R500G. This Chinese made automatic is an homage to the far more expensive Nomos Tangente. Watch it all about has a great review: http://www.watchitallabout.com/rodina-r005-bauhaus-watch-review/

Homage Watches

The Rodina brings us to the world of homages. Homage is a very nice way of saying knockoff. If you hang out with the hardcore watch crowd either online or in person you will probably get an earful if you bring up homages. One side will say that companies like Rolex and Panerai worked for years on their designs and deserve to reap the rewards of that work without people ripping them off. The counterargument to that is most of the designs copied are a half century old and have entered the world of popular culture. As such they no longer belong solely to the company that produced them. This is true for a lot of pop culture objects from the mid-20th century. How many Fender Strat copies will you see on the wall of any given pawnshop? You can walk into almost any gas station in the US and find copies of the Ray-Ban Wayfarer. These “homages” don’t get anywhere near the same amount of shit that a company some watch homages get.

Now, I don’t feel strongly either way. I prefer to have a watch that has their own take on a classic design rather than a straight-up homage but I can make exceptions. The homages that I own are usually based historic watches that are so beyond a reasonable price point for me as to be absurd (like the Rolex Milsub from part 1.)

Invicta 9402 II ($75 on Amazon)

I like the look of the Rolex Explorer II but I will never in a million years be able to justify the cost to myself for a watch that I only like not love. However, Invicta makes a decent looking homage at a good price. The 9402 has the same fixed 24 hour bezel as the Rolex it pays homage to and it works the same way. A dedicated hand (the red arrow one) follows the bezel in 24 hour increments. This is intended to allow a person in a cave to distinguish day from night without daylight.

Is this anywhere near the quality of a Rolex? Nope, but I don’t think it pretends to be.

Replicas

Another term thrown about is “replica” which I feel is a bit disingenuous. A replica can be anything from a watch put together from authentic vintage parts to a cheap Chinese made counterfeit watch. Most of the time when someone is talking about a “replica” they are talking about the Chinese counterfeit. Some of the copies are fantastically made timepieces that rival the real thing in their fit and finish. Others are cheap as cheap can be with sharp edges and misaligned parts.

This is the only counterfeit watch I have. It actually has a “Rolex” logo on it but I photoshopped it out because…well it just seemed like the right thing to do for this. Anyway, I bought this as my experiment watch. I want to play around with watchmaking and for $30 on Aliexpress this seemed like a good place to start. That way once I inevitably screw something up it’s on a cheap watch rather than a nice one. When I got it the date magnifier was misaligned and removing it scratched the hell out of the crystal. It’s not really a big deal but you definitely get what you pay for when it comes to a $30 automatic watch like this. Honestly, it does not look bad at all but I would honestly feel a little tacky wearing it out in public.

Accessorizing

One of the reasons I got into watches is because it’s one of the few things that is socially acceptable for guys to accessorize with. You can find watches that run from minimalist to super tacky blingy. You can get a strap made out of almost every conceivable material and accessorize until your heart’s content. Some people like the look of a stainless steel bracelet. I’m personally not a huge fan of that look mainly because it makes me think of retired people in Orlando for some reason. Nothing wrong with that just not really a look I am going for.

The easiest way to change out the look of your watch is to change out the strap.

Spring Bar Tool ($8 on Amazon)

A Spring Bar Tool is the first thing you will need for this process. This allows you to push down the spring bar that holds your strap in place and to pop it out.

Once you get the old strap off you can decide what type of replacement you would like. First things first you need to know the band width. Most watches in the 40mm range have a 20mm band. Larger watches tend to have a 22mm band. The manufacturer specs on Amazon tend to list this information.

Photo from taylorhorology.com

Nato Strap

If you want to add a bit more character NATO straps are extremely popular right now. The NATO strap gets its name from the original stock number that the British Ministry of Defense put on the requisition form to get one. The NATO Strap is a great because its extra long length allows it to be worn on everything from a bare wrist to over a wetsuit or jacket. Since they come in so many color choices and are so easy to swap they can easily be matched to an outfit. cheapestnatostraps.com is a great place to search around and find the perfect strap for your outfit.

RAF/“Original NATO” Strap

If the NATO is a bit too bulky but the nylon look still appeals to you there is also the RAF style or “Original NATO.” This strap style is very similar to a NATO except it is much shorter and less bulky. It’s also a good idea to look for stock Weekender straps if you are looking for something in this style.

Rally Strap

There are also other retro strap options like rally straps which first became famous during the 1960s and can be seen on lots of late 70s and early 80s racing Chronos.

I picked up this blue and orange rally strap from Strap Co and it looks fantastic on my Casio EDF503. It’s definitely a departure from what you see on a lot of watches out in the wild these days.

Well that’s it for my watch manifesto. Hopefully you found this whole thing helpful when it comes to figuring out what the best watch for your look while not spending a fortune.