I just found this Seiko Divers stainless steel auto Watch for $419 AUD ($287 USD) at Costco.
Seiko makes robust automatics that will run for years (sometimes decades). Orient and Citizen also make excellent value automatic divers.
That's a fair price here in the States, but I've seen them for less. Seiko fans name various models and that's the "Turtle", a current re-make of an iconic 1970's diver. Martin Sheen wore an original in
Apocalypse Now. The auto movement is robust, hacks and hand winds, but they're not regulated closely. Expect +/- 15 seconds/day. The watch shape is referred to as cushion case and is very comfortable. The 4 O'clock crown position is nice and won't dig into the back of your hand.
Seiko divers have some of the best lume in the business. Expose the face to the sun or a strong flashlight, and you can read time all night long. The downside to me is the crystal, which is Seiko's Hardlex. I prefer sapphire, which is virtually scratch proof. When a watch case gets scratches and dings, it adds character. When the crystal gets scratched, they just look bad.
FYI - PADI is the Professional Association of Dive Instructors. Seiko has a number of different Special editions with the PADI logo. They are suitable for scuba diving and Seiko labels them "Air Divers".
I don't have a Turtle, but I do have a few Seiko Divers.
Left to Right:
- A 30+ year old 5M43 Sports 200 Kinetic that still runs well. These have a sapphire crystal. The Kinetic is a quartz movement that doesn't take batteries. It uses a rotor, like an automatic, to charge a capacitor. Early versions like this would hold charge for a week. Current versions will run for 6 months on a full charge.
- This automatic was nicknamed the "Orange Knight". It's about 25 years old and still works fine. I had the hardlex crystal and the seals replaced, but that's the only service done. It doesn't hack or handwind, so precisely setting the time is a little tricky.
- 5 year old PADI GMT Kinetic. This is quite a watch, but it's too big for some people. It allows dual times, has a sapphire crystal, a case shroud and drilled lugs (which makes changing straps easy). It's very accurate and will run for up to 6 months on a full charge. The lume on this is incredible. Charge it with a flashlight and it puts out enough light to read by for 5 -10 minutes!
- 2 Year old PADI Samurai. This automatic hacks and handwinds and has drilled lugs. This is a reasonably sized watch in the same price range as the Turtle. Another Hardlex crystal, but I haven't managed to scratch it (yet)! This PADI version has a really attractive wave pattern dial.
