I need to find a new watch, and since I have always been fascinated with watches, and have a habit of over-researching, I've been trying to educate myself and pick up a new watch at the same time. I'm a value guy, so getting a good deal is part of the fun. I'll patiently wait if I have to. I just bought an interesting but cheap Timex Expedition Diver/Chronograph to hold me over - half price ($35) from the guy who said he couldn't fix the Zodiac gaskets and told me to send it in. Now I realize that Zodiac is now a Fossil (irony), time to look at something new maybe.
I have a 1993 Zodiac diver - silver dial/bezel which was $350 back then. Also have a Sears Swiss-T watch my father had. And of course, my Timex prv mentioned Timex holdover.
First watch I saw that I loved was the Seiko Scubamaster Stingray. It's a shame that it's so expensive and rare. But what a nice watch.
Having trouble deciding between Automatic/Kinetic, Quartz and Eco-Drive. Probably prefer mechanical, but you can't switch watches with an automatic unless you have manual wind - right? That's why an Eco-Drive might be cool. I am 5'8" 1/2 standing straight, but weigh 190 or so with medium stocky build. So a watch too massive watch may not work - but it doesn't have to be small.
Am overwhelmed by the variety of watches now, and having trouble settling.
Here are some watches I have considered, and I am open to other ideas.
Citizen Eco-Drive - Nice watch. Don't really like the hands, and no red second hand, which I prefer. But the Eco concept is cool. Looks durable.
Seiko Blue Tuna - Nice, but I'd worry about scratching my kids up with that bezel. No red second hand either.
Seiko skz209 Seiko 5 Sports Superior - I found this intriguing because I camp often. But finally decided that the extra crown protruding out might be a pain to deal with. And the compass doesn't appear to be a floating compass that's easy to deal with. The Atlas seems to be the same watch. Many people seem to question the water resistance capabilities - a requirement for me since I spend a lot of time in the water.
Seiko SMA235P1 Kinetic - nice looking. Only 100m, so how water resistant is it? Also, being kinetic, has to be worn daily to stay set.
Seiko SKA293P2 - another kinetic. Divers 200m. Nice metal bezel, red second hand. Hands are okay - not my favorite, but okay. Nice looking watch.:think:
Seiko SGEB75 Submariner - quartz, but a 'less is more' watch. Has red second hand. Simply says 100m (no water resistant crap). Quartz. But handsome. Might have bought it on looks alone, but they bid it up too high on ebay though. I wouldn't pay a lot for a 100m quartz watch.:-S
Citizen Promaster NY0054-04EB - Beautiful. Meets all requirements. I like the dial, good luminescence, red second hand, nice metal bezel.:-! But I am not sure about the quality. It is an automatic, so I would need to wear daily I guess to avoid winding issues.
Citizen Aqualand II - Chrono/Diver - same issue as the Seiko compass watch. That huge thing sticking out the side makes it perhaps too busy. But otherwise, I like the dial, bezel, red second hand.
St. Moritz Black Chronograph - looks thinner than most watches. Not sure about water resistance. Cool looking watch though.
Seiko SNM011 - Classy Retro-looking dial. I prefer a dial without ordinal numbers on it - not a requirement, but they tend to look better to me.
S.U.G - I was fooled. This watch looks more high quality than it actually is. Great reviews on this forum. Might be heavier than it looks in picture, but I like the retro-dial, red second hand, and the bezel is unique.:-!
British SBS with red second hand - I like the dial and second hand, but clearly this is a cheap watch. saw a picture of one opened up. And they seem to be launched on ebay from hong kong - something seems wrong.
Tauchmeister - Is this the German equivalent of a Seiko? It gets decent reviews, but priced similarly to Seikos. I always thought it was a low-end watch, similar to Timex.
Some very cool German watches in the German forum. Some are very expensive (more than I can get away with paying). Just don't know enough about German-made watches.
Considering investigating the "next level" to see what a few hundred more might buy, but is there really that much of a difference? I want to wear the watch often and bang it around a bit.
I have a 1993 Zodiac diver - silver dial/bezel which was $350 back then. Also have a Sears Swiss-T watch my father had. And of course, my Timex prv mentioned Timex holdover.
First watch I saw that I loved was the Seiko Scubamaster Stingray. It's a shame that it's so expensive and rare. But what a nice watch.
Having trouble deciding between Automatic/Kinetic, Quartz and Eco-Drive. Probably prefer mechanical, but you can't switch watches with an automatic unless you have manual wind - right? That's why an Eco-Drive might be cool. I am 5'8" 1/2 standing straight, but weigh 190 or so with medium stocky build. So a watch too massive watch may not work - but it doesn't have to be small.
Am overwhelmed by the variety of watches now, and having trouble settling.
Here are some watches I have considered, and I am open to other ideas.
Citizen Eco-Drive - Nice watch. Don't really like the hands, and no red second hand, which I prefer. But the Eco concept is cool. Looks durable.
Seiko Blue Tuna - Nice, but I'd worry about scratching my kids up with that bezel. No red second hand either.
Seiko skz209 Seiko 5 Sports Superior - I found this intriguing because I camp often. But finally decided that the extra crown protruding out might be a pain to deal with. And the compass doesn't appear to be a floating compass that's easy to deal with. The Atlas seems to be the same watch. Many people seem to question the water resistance capabilities - a requirement for me since I spend a lot of time in the water.
Seiko SMA235P1 Kinetic - nice looking. Only 100m, so how water resistant is it? Also, being kinetic, has to be worn daily to stay set.
Seiko SKA293P2 - another kinetic. Divers 200m. Nice metal bezel, red second hand. Hands are okay - not my favorite, but okay. Nice looking watch.:think:
Seiko SGEB75 Submariner - quartz, but a 'less is more' watch. Has red second hand. Simply says 100m (no water resistant crap). Quartz. But handsome. Might have bought it on looks alone, but they bid it up too high on ebay though. I wouldn't pay a lot for a 100m quartz watch.:-S
Citizen Promaster NY0054-04EB - Beautiful. Meets all requirements. I like the dial, good luminescence, red second hand, nice metal bezel.:-! But I am not sure about the quality. It is an automatic, so I would need to wear daily I guess to avoid winding issues.
Citizen Aqualand II - Chrono/Diver - same issue as the Seiko compass watch. That huge thing sticking out the side makes it perhaps too busy. But otherwise, I like the dial, bezel, red second hand.
St. Moritz Black Chronograph - looks thinner than most watches. Not sure about water resistance. Cool looking watch though.
Seiko SNM011 - Classy Retro-looking dial. I prefer a dial without ordinal numbers on it - not a requirement, but they tend to look better to me.
S.U.G - I was fooled. This watch looks more high quality than it actually is. Great reviews on this forum. Might be heavier than it looks in picture, but I like the retro-dial, red second hand, and the bezel is unique.:-!
British SBS with red second hand - I like the dial and second hand, but clearly this is a cheap watch. saw a picture of one opened up. And they seem to be launched on ebay from hong kong - something seems wrong.
Tauchmeister - Is this the German equivalent of a Seiko? It gets decent reviews, but priced similarly to Seikos. I always thought it was a low-end watch, similar to Timex.
Some very cool German watches in the German forum. Some are very expensive (more than I can get away with paying). Just don't know enough about German-made watches.
Considering investigating the "next level" to see what a few hundred more might buy, but is there really that much of a difference? I want to wear the watch often and bang it around a bit.
