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Good quality affordable mechanical watches

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lixlix United States482 Posts August 13 2010 03:23 GMT #1 I have recently developed a love of watches as you can see from my entry here high end watches Since that entry dealt with ultra high end watches that are pretty much unattainable, this entry will deal with some reasonably priced, high quality mechanical watches from some companies that might not be super well known. Recently I have been getting in to pilot style watches. In particular I am looking in to getting a Prometheus recon 5 with a Swiss Unitas 6497 movement This watch retails for about 250 to 300 Euros depending on whether you have to pay the VAT tax. Considering that good quality quartz watches will run you about the same amount, I think its a fantastic value for a mechanical watch with a trusted swiss movement.

lac29 United States1485 Posts August 13 2010 03:54 GMT #2 I like it. It's very clean and readable like a fortis or jorg gray.

micronesia United States24750 Posts August 13 2010 04:20 GMT #3 Can you please add a little bit more? All you seem to have done is mention what you are going to be interested in and then post a picture of 1 watch... not enough content by itself to warrant its own blog.

lixlix United States482 Posts August 13 2010 04:42 GMT #4 oh I thought I could put everything in to separate posts. I was going to do 1 company per post. another company I like is Steinhart, especially their NavB uhr line. though certain versions of this line will run up to about 700 euros which starts getting kind of expensive. Its important to know that most watch houses do not make their own movements. They buy the movements from a select few houses (less than 10 I believe) that do make their own movements. So when researching in to buying a watch, its important to find out the type of movement the watch has and research in to the reliability of that movement.

lixlix United States482 Posts August 13 2010 05:03 GMT #5 Also, there are a lot of lesser known watch companies that have good workmanship and movements but stylistically are homages to more famous higher end brands. I typically try to go more for houses with a more original look but some of these brands can be a good alternative if you must have a certain style. A good example is Debaufre. Great movements and craftmanship but stylistically their watches resemble other high end brands. This watch resembles a Bell and Ross while this one resembles a Rolex Submariner.

ella_guru Canada1741 Posts August 13 2010 05:05 GMT #6 I find these to be extremely expensive . Sundial is cheaper : P

lixlix United States482 Posts August 14 2010 02:44 GMT #7 Now those watches I listed above are all $350 dollars +. While affordable, I wouldn't call them cheap. If that is still too much, there are a few other options for good mechanical watches. Sea Gull has some very nice watches that start out at around $100 and go up to $400. They have their own in house movement but it is a Chinese movement. Its actually a fairly high quality movement but doesn't carry the Swiss badge.

lixlix United States482 Posts August 14 2010 02:49 GMT #8 Invicta is another company that has some good quality watches but stylistically, I find their watches to resemble other brands too much. I can't even call them homages anymore as they look like exact copies. here's the invicta here's the rolex Did I mention the submariner (AKA the Savior watch) is copied super frequently?

lixlix United States482 Posts August 14 2010 03:28 GMT #9 If you like a dive style watch like the submariner, but not something that looks like an exact copy, the Orient Mako can be a good choice. Orient is a Japanese watch house that has been around since 1950 and makes their own in house movements and turn out some affordable good quality mechanical watches. ($100 to $250) In particular, their Mako model has been a good seller for a more sporty look, the orange Mako on a rubber strap looks pretty good to me too

asianskill United States289 Posts August 14 2010 03:46 GMT #10 wow i appreciate watches so much more now

kakaman United States1576 Posts August 14 2010 03:48 GMT #11 dude...Seiko 5, you can never go wrong with that!

lac29 United States1485 Posts August 14 2010 03:53 GMT #12 I got my brother a Hamilton Khaki a few years ago:

lixlix United States482 Posts August 14 2010 03:58 GMT #13 Yup the Seiko 5 is great. Even though most Seiko watches on the market are quartz now, they make some good automatics. Automatics mean mechanical watches that are wound by natural movements of the wearer's arm. In this case, the 5 in the Seiko 5 refer to 1. automatic 2. water resistant 3. shock resistant 4. date 5. day

lixlix United States482 Posts August 14 2010 04:03 GMT #14 On August 14 2010 12:53 lac29 wrote: I got my brother a Hamilton Khaki a few years ago: very nice watch. Hamilton is a very nice brand of watches. They tend to be a bit more higher class than the watches I've listed but they are still more affordable than a IWC, Rolex, Panerai. I really like some of their Jazzmaster watches though they are a bit outside my budget.

ThePurist Canada686 Posts August 14 2010 04:44 GMT #15 Hello~ I'm really into haute horologerie and I consider myself to know a bit more than the average Joe. I hope you re-considering purchasing a mechanical watch at a price point below $1000 US. I'm all for lower-end watches but it is in my opinion that anything below $1000 isn't really a quality mechanical watch and perhaps it would be in your best interest to save for now and when the time comes you can purchase something that will last you a lifetime. Some opinions regarding the opinions posted above: 1. Seiko does make great watches, matter fact just as good as Swiss-made watches in terms of time-keeping/accuracy and are priced usually 100s below the price-point of the competitors model. However, in terms of automatic movements, Seiko is very lacking in their entry/mid level movements are usually even the ETA/Valjoux base, modified movements are superior. Seiko's flagship models pretty much carry the brand. Thus, their quartz and high-end gets a thumbs up and for their entry/mid I give them a thumbs down. 2. Any self-respecting watch house will not copy a design of another watchmaker and produce them. It's really a shame. 3. Invicta makes terrible watches. Do not purchase. If you really want one you can find them in outlet malls for super cheap. Hamilton is really just an more expensive Swatch watch. 4. Orient would be a good purchase in terms of price-point in relation to quality. Not too many people know about Orient I'm surprised it was even mentioned. My 2cents: Save your money, till you have around 2/3/4000 and then purchase a mid-priced watch at that price point. It'll last you a lifetime and buying a lower-end watch and saving up again for a nicer upgrade will just be a hassle and you will end up having a cheap watch that you won't wear. (This is from my personal experience) GL

T0fuuu Australia2275 Posts August 14 2010 06:22 GMT #16 you guys know that a 10 dollar quartz is more accurate than any of these hundred dollar watches right? You are only buying the design and the quality. The accuracy part is bullshit.

ThePurist Canada686 Posts August 14 2010 06:36 GMT #17 Yes quartz movements are more accurate than mechanical watches. But, you are wrong about buying the design and quality. It is more about appreciating fine craftsmanship and a sense of a personified watch. It is 'alive' so to speak, if it an automatic it will wind with your arm movements. Furthermore, mechanical watches have complications which add to the complex nature of the watches. In terms of accuracy, as long as you maintain your watch most mechanical watches will be accurate and be off by a few seconds per time period depending on it's movement/other climate factors/usage and so on. Why buy a Rolls Royce when a Suzuki does the same job?

T0fuuu Australia2275 Posts August 14 2010 07:11 GMT #18 was design and quality hard to understand? Im not gonna argue there isnt craftsmanship involved. Its just that theres iffy movements even in 5k watchess, which are also ridiculously expensive to service because of the need to reseal and retest the watch. Mechanical watches are great accessories. But a few seconds off is optimistic of their timekeeping ability. Anyways if its for daily wear, have to reccommend seiko. Bullteproof.

ThePurist Canada686 Posts August 14 2010 09:52 GMT #19 Quality = reliability of a watch and the watch performing it's intended functions. Quartz > Mechanical Design = aesthetic appeal. Quartz watches are more diverse in design > Mechanical that usually follow set bezel shapes such as the tonneau. It wasn't that hard to understand and I don't stand corrected in my previous statement.

Zlasher United States9129 Posts August 14 2010 17:11 GMT #20 Man these watches look hot, I don't care about the time if I want accurate time I'll look at my cell phone but man, I just LOVE the look of those open end watches where you can see the gears and shit, if anyone could link me to a site where I could get cheap ones, even fake ones or whatever that just have that type of look of open moving gears, with a decent stylish look hit me up

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