I have a beautiful Rolex Submariner and lots of vintage Bulovas, a Hamilton and other 40s-60s watches. The Rolex is very nice and I plan to make money on it as I did with the first three I had, but with the economy so bad, I will let it live in my safe for the time being.

The older watches are great, fantastic time-keepers, but since I do wash my hands after using the bathroom (at least sometimes), I fear they will get wet and die. They were great in the office, but now my "office" is a rifle range or trap/skeet/sporting clays field.

I have looked all over the local area and haunted Watchuseek.com without success. Amazon has the best prices, but I can't decide.

I like diver-style watches, and think I want a quartz movement. Not one as big as the Seiko Automatic (I just sold one as it was toooooo big) and, since retirement is such a rough occupation, I think the sapphire crystal is probably best, though I guess I could settle for the mineral one.

I want an analog dial, too, rather than the digital.

I am sort of down to Luminox, Tracer, or Tag Heuer. But, I am not wed to any of these. My mental budget for this project is kinda between $100 and $700. Unlike the Rolex, these won't appreciate in value.

Anyone have any suggestions on a brand or model or experiences-good or bad-with these watches?

Bob

Hell Bob-just wear the Submariner. Or if you want, look at the Swiss Army Military time pieces-some of them are very nice and probably just what you're looking for.

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Forum consigliere

Just wear the Sub, it's one of the best watches around, I've been wearing mine since 1986.

Get an Omega Seamaster in quartz.

Citizen makes some pretty good dive watches that are under 100 bucks, and some are really big and some are medium sized. I am pretty hard on my watches and tend to get them scratched up so I don't spend a whole lot, I also get tired of wearing the same old thing so every two or three years I'm ready for something new. Seiko is one of my favorite brands and Sams Club occasionaly has what I want and they have great prices.

Look at the Fortis line. Mostly pilot watches, but very nice and you can find them priced below $1000 if you look hard enough.

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John

You're retired? And you need a watch? You're doing something wrong.

Jellybean; You're retired? And you need a watch? You're doing something wrong.

Funny.....& very well said. LOL

Well, yeah, I do need a watch. I want to be on time when the club or range opens and I need a watch with a date, since, otherwise, I'd have no idea what it was.

If you haven't retired yet, you just have no idea how tough this job is.

Bob

I used to like fancy watches but I have been cured. Try one of the Timex "Ironman" series. I know it doesn't fit any of your criteria. It didn't fit mine, either.

You might be surprised to find how much you like it. You can go scuba diving with it (200m W-R class), mine have always kept perfect time (+/-30sec/year, or thereabouts, as near as I can tell), they're light as a feather, and there is a certain appeal to me, at least, in knowing that it is one thing I use every day that I have to take absolutely no care of - yet it works perfectly. If you're lazy, you don't even have to change the battery. Just buy a new one.

I'll never spend big money on a watch again. The last Heuer I tried to have repaired was the "last straw." Getting all that weight off my wrist was an unexpected benefit.

I got my Speedmaster new back in 1972 ($200.00), 4-5 overhauls, but 3 of them were cycle accidents where the watch got damaged. I got this Timex because I like the way it looked....Its really a nice watch for $35.00.

+1 On the Swiss Army watches. I bought one for my son a few years ago in titanium. As irresponsible as he is, it is still working fine, is lightweight, and looks really good! It is a great diver style watch.
Steve

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Steve

Buy this Wenger watch, use the money saved from not buying an expensive watch, to buy a 686 Plus 3" barrel. Problem solved.

Wenger Mountaineer Titanium Watch, 88708 | | items from Campmor.

I'd suggest checking out this site - EOT Dive Watch Forum.

Dive Watch Forum - Equation of Time

Broaden your horizons. There's tons of quality watches to be had - Sinn, Doxa, AlphaTime, and on and on.

Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Here are a few of my favorite real 200m + divers.

Accutron VX-200

Marathon SAR or GSAR

Debaufre Ocean1or Trition


Swiss Army Dive Master 500

Hamilton Below Zero

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

straightshooter-just wear the rolex. i have worn mine nearly everyday since i bought in 1973.

I love my Swiss Army,Big plus is that it lights up with a push of a button.I've used it like a flashlight to find my way in the dark.
had it more than 10 years with no problems.
I have other watches just for looks.Funny thing is I get more compliments on t he Swiss Army.Even my jeweler says they are good watches for the money.A little over 100 bucks back when.

DG

Agreed... mine's been on my wrist for 25 years..

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

I have a Rolex and a Seiko. The Rolex gets worn only when I dress for court. The Seiko never gets worn since it was a present from my mother shortly before she passed away.

A ten dollar Timex will keep better time than either of those fancy watches but I do not wear it either.

Like every other person in the world, I carry a cell phone. It displays the time on the face and I do not need a watch.

In my line of work, I have had friends get robbed for their watch and wallet. A thief is not going to worry about a cell phone that much but if he sees an expensive watch, they will go after it.

Ues the cell phone as a multi tasking item and reduce your risk of robbery.

Like some others have said, Wear the Rolex. I bought mine in the mid eighty's and it has been on my wrist everyday. Work, play, shooting, hunting, everything I do it's on. Yeah it's got marks and scratches but thats just like a well used old Smith. It adds character. And it's probably worth more now with the marks on it compaired to the price I paid new.

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Big Fred

I bought a Submariner in, 1989 about 2 years ago I had to send it to Rolex to be repaired, after paying for it, it stays in the gunsafe. What I wear now is an Invicta 8926 just go to ebay and type in invicta 8926 and look at them they can be bought for 70 to 100+ just buy the one with the coined bezel they look very similar to a Submariner in fact they look just like the Rolex they come with stainless case and band are are a 21 jewel automatic Japanese movement. Jeff

If you go to http://www.sharkstores.com/ and sign up for the deal of the day email an 8926 or similar Invicta Pro-Diver will pop up from time to time for $59-69. I pickep up this copy of a yachtmaster for under $50. The Pro-Diver series are great beater watches that are pretty rugged and don't cost a whole lot.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

Tape your phone to your wrist.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

This smart and stylish Casio G-Shock Men's watch features a black ionic plated solid stainless steel case and bracelet, water resistant up to 200 meters and black dial with luminous hands and markers. This superb watch also comes with these great functions - Multi-Band Atomic Timekeeping (US, UK, Germany, Japan),Receives time calibration radio signals which keep the displayed time accurate, Auto receive function (6 times per day), Manual receive function, Signal: US WWVB, UK MSF, Germany DCF77, Japan JJY40/JJY60,Frequency: US 60kHz, UK 60kHz, Germany 77.5kHz, Japan 40/60kHz. Tough Solar Power, Shock Resistant, LED Light with Afterglow. World Time, 29 times zones (48 cities), city code display, daylight saving on/off, 3 Multi-function Alarms (1 with snooze), Daily Alarm. Countdown Timer, 1/100 second stopwatch, Hourly Time Signal, Auto Calendar (pre-programmed until the year 2099),12/24 Hour Formats. Storage Battery: CTL1616, Battery Power Indicator, Power Saving Function, Approx. battery life: 7 months on full charge (without further exposure to light). right click open in new tab on the little picture icon

My 1987 Sub was placed in the safe when I went to Afghanistan.....bought a Suunto Vector. After wearing these light wt. watches, its hard to go back to the Sub. I have beat the living He!! out of this watch and its been great.

That's the old model from June 2010...the one coming out in July also has an explosives detector, mini defibrillator, 78 language translator, and also monitors your blood, cholesterol, and sperm count.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

^^^^Nut case^^^^

DG

I just got an Invicta 8926 and really like it.

I guess I'm in the wrong thread. I wear a WalMart $12.00 jog-watch. And wear $20.00 sunglasses. More money for the gunfund.

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Have guns...will shoot'em.

Rolex makes a great watch I had an explorer II over 20 years lost it and my swim trunks tubing Fourth of July weekend 1998; was a great weekend until that point. Hell it was a great weekend even after that and I have a memorable story to bore folks with.

I, like so many found the Seiko “Black Monster” to be just too big for day-to-day ware. I replaced the Seiko with a Citizen Echo-Drive 3 -4 years ago and have been very pleased with it. The model I have is mid to large size and is not overly dressy but still can be worn with a jacket and tie. It keeps great time.

Just checked the Citizen web site the model is called Professional Diver and the MSRP is $450.00, well in your price range.

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Always Stay Strong!

The $15 Casio is great for old folks, and it lasts and lasts and lasts! After 10 years just pass it on to your kids and splurge on a new Casio

Pete

I have a Citizen Eco-Drive Skyhawk (the standard model, not the Blue Angels). I wear it everyday and have never had a problem with it. I had many other watches while flying in the military, none of them were as good as this. I'd buy another in a heartbeat!

As far as ruggedness, waterproof, and accurate, the Tag Heuer is up there with the best, at a lot less in price. I've had this one about 7 years now, and only used one battery. Accurate to the second, and I never worry about dipping my hand into the water to grab a fish or go swimming. It's certified to 200 meters. I had the "Rolex" magnifier put on at my Jewlers, for my old eye's.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I retired in '02 - Haven't put on a watch since (I don't *need* to be stylish though). I have a cell phone for emergencies and it knows what the time and date are. It even has an alarm function so that I know I need to get into the pick-up and on the way to the range --- or wherever.

I ran on tight skeds and deadlines for way too long --- NO MORE !!

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In dog years I'm dead.

Wow! The responses are overwhelming. I have followed all the links.

Obviously, the best place to get the Invicta is the Shark.com site. The prices on their Deal of the Day are way below Amazon, which is usually the cheapest.

I appreciate the "Just wear the Sub" responses and I have walked to the safe a couple of times to get it. But, I still need another watch that is water-resistant and can be abused. The Rolex can really take it, is very accurate, but I plan to sell it eventually and don't want to take a chance on losing value as a result of my clumsiness. I bought my first on in '86 and haven't been without one for very long since then.

I like the Tags, and most of the others, too. I don't think I am a snob, but the cheap plastic ones just don't appeal to me.

I am surprised no one mentioned Luminox or other similar watches. Maybe I overrated them.

I just have to wear a watch. I look at it when I start to shoot an event, and when it's over. I leave my cell in the car as it gets in the way of other equipment I wear. Plus, it's a real bad thing if a cell goes off when you are shooting an event. Kind of like your cell ringing in Church.

I know I can put it on vibrate, but I had a bad experience. I was at the Georgia State Trap Shoot in 2009. Had the cell on my belt (idiot that I am) and was shooting doubles. I was straight on the last 50 when I started getting the buzzzzzz. I reached down and opened and closed it to hang up, but the caller kept calling back. I missed one out of that last 50 out of frustration (and having my concentration broken). I still won my class, but it taught me never to take the cell to the line.

Still thinking....

If you like a good quality auto-wind mechanical try the web site of West Coast Time and google Bill Yao to see his line of watches.

Are you talking about the Rolex Cyclops date magnifier? How did the jeweller do that? Did he fit a genuine Rolex crystal? What did that cost?

My TAG-Heuer looks about like yours, but has the Rolex dive watch style hour hand. And the bezel isn't gold. I love it, but the date is small for my eyes. I think it's their Model 200. Probably replaced with a new model for more money...I gave about $900 in around 2000-2001. It's been fine, except for a couple of battery changes. Battery seems to last maybe 4-5 years.

I also have a couple of Seikos that are good. I've had one since 1985 or so. It's warranted to 100 meters. Much deeper than my bathtub! (Sports 100 line.) The TAG is good to 660 feet, and is labled on the face as a professional quality dive watch.

I had a Rolex Explorer, but the crystal wasn't quartz, and I had to get it buffed occasionally. And when I found that it'd cost several hundred dollars to clean, I sold it.

My son has a Rolex Yachtmaster, Rolex Submariner, and an Omega Seamaster, and likes them fine. He does dive. I think the Omega is a quartz one. Believe it ot not, he won the Yachtmaster as a door prize at a party sponsored by a wealthy Kuwaiti lady! Probably the best way to get a new watch!

T-Star
P.S. I like the way you decked out that M-60. It's my favorite snub .38, BTW.

I had a Submariner for a few years, then traded it for a GMT Master. Great watch, but the overhauls were too expensive on Sergeant's pay, so I got rid of it.

I'm wearing this one right now: CITIZENWATCH.com | Welcome to Citizen Watches Online

My only problems are that the calendar window is tiny so it's hard to see the date, and it doesn't glow in the dark all night long. But it looks great and it's extremely accurate.


Okie John

I did not mention Luminox because you said you had looked at them. Luminox is a fine Swiss watch, the downside is it will not last a lifetime, halflife of the tritium tubes is just over 12 years, and there is no telling how long the watch has been on the shelf. The new luminous materials like Superluminova and Seiko's lume will last for a good 8-10 hours and does not loose intensity over time like the radio active materials.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

I just think I may buy the cheap watch. I spent a couple of hours with my watch guy this afternoon and he really educated me on what has happened to watches in the past ten years or so.

First of all, I learned that some of the big name companies are no longer making their own movements, rather they buy them from ETA (for automatics) and put them in their very expensive watches. They do the same thing with quartz movements.

Kind of like washers, dryers, microwaves and AR-15s-they just put their name on the movement and, Presto, it's a big name watch with a big price.

Secondly, he educated me on counterfeits. He's shown me a Rolex, solid gold case, diamonds, etc. before and asked me if it was real. I said sure, since it had real gold and real diamonds. He then showed me how to tell it was fake from the outside, by comparing the size of the holes for the pins to hold the strap with a real Rolex. He removed the rear and, sure enough, it was an ETA movement.

He discussed how they are even faking Seikos now. It is illegal to import a real fake watch, but there is no restriction, apparently, on parts. So, Seiko dials, maybe real Seiko cases and a cheap Chinese quartz or automatic movement is assembled here in the US and, again, Presto, it's a Seiko.

You'd never know till it quit or someone serviced it.

The good news, I guess, is that the fake Seikos are generally only sold at flea markets and over the net. So, if I decide on a Seiko, I'd only buy it from a dealer I trusted.

He says, if I am going to spend anything like serious money, just buy another Rolex (he'd love to take mine in trade or sell me one of his) since Rolexes will appreciate, while MOST of the other brands will depreciate.

He's always been straightforward with me, and has sold and serviced many watches for me. I have bought some at his cost.
I bought my wife's Rolex from him, a woman's sub, gold and stainless with the diamond bezel, for a very good price (and for that kind of money, I certainly checked around before buying).

Now I am not saying these watches are not good anymore, but they are watches one buys for the name/style rather than for the value of the movement.

Anyway, I passed on a very expensive, famous diver at another shop just because it was a newer one with the now-installed ETA movement with the famous name on it. Actually, I can use the money saved to buy another gun.

So, Timex or Casio or something similar, here I come, I think.

Bob

Although companies like Blancpain, Breitling, IWC, and Panerai use ETA movements they are highly modified to meet that company's specs. A stock car may have a Chevy engine but it's not the same engine that's in your Chevy. Granted many low end makers like Swiss Army, Invicta, Jaques Lemans and the rest use bone stock ETA movements, but then they don't cost $500 to have serviced.

ETA is under the SWATCH umbrella, as is Omega, Hamilton, Tissot, and Bruget. So technically these watches make their movements.

Not to bash Rolex as they are a top tier brand. But they are on the bottom of the top tier. The thing that sells Rolex is the intensive advertising. If you truly want a fine top tier watch then look at Patek Phillip, Jeager Le Coultier, Audmars Piquet, A. Lang Sohn, or even the American made RGM 801. Even the great Rolex uses ETA movements in the Tudor line.

Here is a link to the story of the ETA 2824 which became the industry leader for a valid reason.
The ETA 2824

BTW By shopping wisely all my ETA driven watches are worth more now than what I paid for them. It's a lot like buying quality S&Ws

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

I have a mid-sized TAG quartz that would probably fit the bill for you. Very rugged - sapphire crystal, 200m rated. But I have a Rolex wearing friend on this forum who besmirches it by saying that "it has as much soul as LED candles on your birthday cake". I also have the Omega Seamaster quartz but I can imagine that you would find one in your price range. the TAG, probably so.

Thanks for the info Smith357, I feel a little better now. I was aware of the use of ETA movements in the Tudor but didn't know about the other companies, especially Omega not making their own movements anymore.

I just sold off my Omega Seamaster, an older watch, and it was very accurate, just so old it was no longer water tight and I knew it was just a matter of time before I ruined it.

I looked at the RGM 801-there's one for $1850 on Ebay now, but they don't seem to be the type I'd wear trapshooting, etc. The others are also pretty dressy. I like the diver style, just not as big as that Seiko Monster I sold last week. Not that it wasn't great, but the bezel has no bevel, so I'd hit something and, either I'd stop or what I hit had to give,

beemerphile-I sent you a PM.

Bob

Any watch in general is a bad investment, and, that has a substantial appreciation is with extraordinary attributes.
You'll get a better return on the interest in your checking account.

I have some brands with stock ETAs and one Valjoux. Reading into your first post, Citizen brand is what kept comming to mind. I bought my first one only 2 yearsa ago, a chrono, and I am impressed. I beat it up at work, and I don't have to worry about a battery.

I have a Luminox I also like. Between them and Citizen they are the only two brand of quartz that are worth spending over $100 for.

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9tenz

I ended up getting, what I think is a good deal, on a Swiss Army diver just like the one pictured in Smith 357's first post on this thread.

Hopefully, it'll work out.

Thanks to all of you,

Bob