Maratac mechanical watches when the get released on countycomm.com. I have a couple SR-35s and get asked about them weekly.
Watches
A community for watch & horology discussion.
Seiko, Orient, Tissot, Hamilton are some good brands in that entry level range and make great time pieces.
Islander watches
Islanders are cool. Parts kit watches made by a watch guy. Good prices and he uses good parts
Tissot.
Kuoe homie
Edox
Emporio Armani.
Tissot PRX, 70s style watch and looks mc sexy
I love Orient. Extremely similar to Seiko in build and quality (same parent company) but are more refined, simple, and classic.
Check out it the Islander brand sold by Long Island Watch. They carry other brands as well, but my opinion is you get the most bang for your buck from the Islander brand. They have watches that cover pretty much all styles of watch also.
Hopping on this, similar position but not the sales part. Finally able to afford some stuff and would like to learn more about watches but have no idea where to start. I’d like one that has some celestial information, but I can’t afford a 500k Patek
Get ya a Tag man!!!
Citizen all day
hamilton khaki. if you like the field watch look. nothing really better or will top this watch, lots of different variants. not really a bracelet watch, but lots of strap options
seiko panda quartz chrono. snazzy as fuck, punches way above its weight class/price point
Seiko alpinist(either buy one with a bracelet or get one from strapcode or whatnot). some of the dials on these are out of this fucking world. the blue glacier variant is unmatched. but the OG green seiko alpinist. is still solid. ---i would get this watch. maybe decide if a non-green variant speaks to you. but the flexibility. casual on a strap. or more sleek on a bracelet. might push your budge a bit. but... Seiko Alpinist is a watch you can keep forever.
tissot PRX. personally i dislike the look of this watch, but for the specs, it's well regarded. there are different color options. maaaaaybe pick one not so common.
if you want the german bauhaus look that's popular in engineering and certain coder circles (think rigid minimalist) sternglas is the "micro brand" 400-600 alternative to the junghams $1k ish max bill.
you could also go g-shock casio-oak. gm2100 get a good bracelet for it. or full metal g-shock is just an all around solid watch. digital. but rock solid nerd cred.
Other brands you could look at Orient. the kamasu is a great entry lvl watch. bambino...slightly dressier. Timex, other non gshock casios. lots of good check watches there. Seiko. has literally a bajillion watches. cocktail time. "pressage" watches. there's also slightly less clunky seiko 5s. like the srpj81 just a dirt simple seiko.
only thing you 100% want to avoid are bullshit fashion brands. no guci, or fucking department store branded shit. And... i would avoid micro brands, anything on like an IG page or facebook ad only.
Baltic.
The Watchgang!🤣🤣🤣
Citizen Nighthawk and a GShock 5610. $350 for both on Amazon. Both very respected watches. Both solar.
Ngl Apple Watch in those settings screams confidence that a more expensive watch does not
Helsen... Look at the Sharkdiver. Guaranteed compliments from anyone who sees it.
Deep Blue
I'd go with a sturdy seiko diver. super legit and you never have to baby it.
Citizen
I started with Citizen and if I were to buy now it would probably be a Hamilton field watch.
Any particular styles or designs that you like? Do you like quartz (battery operated) or mechanical? (Spring and gears that can last for decades but less accurate and expensive to service.
I was going to suggest the Mercie field watches and Le Grandpa, Bulova Aerojet, and a Seiko SUR309 for quartz. The Citizen eco drives also have a wide assortment of styles!
For mechanical, same thing with Mercie field watches, most of Seagulls's dress variety, Seiko Cocktail, Orient Bambinos, and Tissot LeLocle.
Timex some really nice stuff in that range
I have a lip as my main driver and I love it. Was 400€ and is a fully mechanic skeleton watch.
A vintage Omega! Vintage never get you in a position where people (Rolex owners) think the reason for you not to have a Rolex and "Just a PRX" is that you are cheap. Vintage says you have style!
It’s under your price, but if you want something a bit smaller, you could get a Seiko SNXS79 on the grey market. Simple, elegant, looks kind of like a Rolex Oyster Perpetual without being one. Bullet proof watch.
I ordered a Seiko 5 GMT last week and I am loving it
My $500~ watch is the Hamilton King Khaki. Mechanical, sexy, and a Hamilton brand watch appeared in interstellar, so you’ll have some fun facts
Seems like a job for Tissot Gentlemen watch