Look up Tissot on Amazon there's a watch to your exact specs. For $232.00
this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2023
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It depends on your fiance wrist length. If you just want to look around, check out "Buying Guide" in this sub.
Check Ben's-Watch-Club in youtube for great reviews on affordable watches. He has a great list of options HERE There are tons of cheap Chinese watches but quality will vary a lot. He reviews all kinds of watches and filters out all the bad ones.
You can also check r/ChineseWatches for some recommendations. Some brands seems to like there are SanMartin and Steeldive
As most people will agree: Seiko, Orient, and Citizen are the most common options. Some examples
- THIS orient Kamasu FOR $240
- Any Seiko 5 (too many Seikos to mention all tbh)
It's not a great brand but for $72 the Invicta Pro diver is a good watch for the price.
Boldr also has good options within your budget like THIS one for $299
Also: seagull 1963.
loving my new san martin sn0121. great watch for under $200, better than seiko sand orients for similar price range by a mile. i bought in watchdives.com fyi - they offer an extended warranty compared to ali express or buying from the manufacturer.
Looks great tbh. Dimensions?
39mm in diameter Lug to Lug 47mm Thickness 12.8mm Band width 20mm Weight: 152g
Wow that's pretty good actually. Might have to look for one. Thanks!
Look for modded Seiko that you can switch between bracelet and will look good with a strap.
These are all modded Seikos I had built for between $200-$250 roughly. I actually just ordered a red goat leather strap for the white dial one. Now the strap was $130 but they have much cheaper straps that would work. Just trying to show you what you can get $300 and under. Way better than off the shelf stuff.
These are dope!
Way better option for her to get for him. Plus she can completely customize the watch. So it will have more meaning than a store bought watch.
With your budget, I'd go with quality more than "brand" recognition and Islander Watches punches way above their weight.
I'd suggest:
- Islander Manhasset 36mm Automatic - $285, 36mm, automatic NH36 movement, sapphire crystal w/ AR coating, sapphire display case back, milled clasp, timeless design and should fit any situation. Can't think of another watch that ticks all the boxes or is better for this price.
I’ve always wanted to see their watches in person. I like to watch his videos on YouTube.
This watch just doesn’t work. The delicate, super fine hands with the practical, bold 3 6 9 makes no sense. It doesn’t add up. I want to like Islander but it always misses imo.
a watch AND a strap? jeez...
JK, there are a lot of nice watches in that range. The one's mentioned are good. I have a citizen that's one of my daily. It looks nice and I love wearing it. A lot of people love Seiko, but I just can't get into them for some unfortunate reason. I've Neve tried on an Orient, but they look pretty good I think. Not sure, but Tissot might be out of price range.
For $300 and a bit shopping about you could get an orient kamasu and a g shock.
Some great options can be found at great prices from jomashop Great brands/lines would include Seiko 5, Orient Bambino, G-Shock, Tissot Also check the reddit group r/watchexchange for great deals on pre-owned watched. Many are like new or NIB.
Also places like watchmaxx . com
You can get a beautiful Tissot powermatic on Amazon for around $300
The answer to a gift watch is ALWAYS to take them out and let them pick the watch. Especially true for a SO.
Please so much this.
Let's be realistic.
Watches are expensive, luxury items, and as a watch sub if your budget is under $300 you will naturally feel out of place.
Generally watch tiers are: under $1000 is budget, $1000 to $5000 is affordable and over $5000 is luxury.
Given Western salaries, and the fact the a watch hobby is generally a middle class to upper class hobby this is where consideration of good / good value / luxury and above is based.
Under $300 will tell the time and could (AliExpress originals etc.) be a "good" watch, but in terms of a watch enthusiasts sub will be meh
Check out Seagull. They have well priced automatic watches and black friday sale on now
Vaer, Seiko, Citizen, Timex, and maybe Vero should all have options in that price range or even potentially less (Timex). You’ll need to know his wrist circumference and if he has any other watches, you would measure the case size (usually measured across the face of the watch) as well as the entire length (“lug to lug”—the length from one pointy metal end of the case where the straps go, to the other one on the other side of the case). Most watch brands will have case size (up to ~41mm) but the lug to lug is what affects how big a watch looks on your arm. A watch with a smaller case size w/longer lug to lug can look bigger than a bigger case size with smaller lug to lug. Good luck!
Women usually don’t like mechanical watches, so I would avoid automatic and manual / hand wound movements. Stick with quartz movements that run on battery. It’s almost exclusively men who enjoy the art and finesse of a mechanical watch. Though there are exceptions of course, but not in the normal population. They usually already have an interest in watches.
Check Jomashop for grey market watches (nothing illegal but you get better prices. The only risk is that you can’t go to an official shop for warranty repairs (I think?). You have to return it to Jomashop.
I got my gf this Tissot last year from Jomashop. It’s men sized but that’s what she prefers. She loves it (but is slightly annoyed that it’s automatic).
Very sexist of you implying women don’t care for a mechanical watch.
hero
The watch isn't even for a woman! This commenter was so excited to spout a bit of sexism he didn't even read the post...
Most off my watches are Quartz, I enjoy my watches as they are. In this bracket quartz would probably be the best option, though Cestriancestina would be worth a mention but they are bracelet not straps. Use the Seiko NH35 auto movement.
Seiko SRPG37 black if he’s more rugged Or Seiko SUR311 for the office Or Seiko SRPB43 for cocktail hour
Not much of an expert here, but just got my gift watch it's a Citizen Tsuyosa with a black hearth, amazing looking watch in my opinion.
Mondaine - a lovely, modern, distinctive design without breaking the bank.
Orient, Citizen, Seiko, Certina and Casio come to mind. Watches are pretty personal so you might want to find out a bit more about her taste in them before buying. And make sure it's not to big for her wrists.
I don’t know how serious you were about all black, but this one is a beauty:
https://seikousa.com/collections/seiko5sports/products/srpd79
Seiko is a well regarded brand. On Amazon or eBay you’ll find it cheaper than this. I’ve almost bought this watch 2-3 times.
Seconded you will have a hard time beating the value of a seiko5…
Orient Maestro
Seiko SNJ029...a bit more expensive but can be found at huge discounts and is the perfect set and forget watch. A true perpetual calendar which is easy to set too. My daily west (coming from a professional watchmaker)
Can't go wrong with a Citizen Tsuyosa, in my opinion.
Brew! I got my fiance a brown brew retrograph and she loves it
Don't sleep on Casio!
Seiko orient timex
Seiko is my go-to recommendation for entry level watches. They look nice, are reliable and affordable, and can be worn for a variety of occasions. A Seiko 5 automatic can run anywhere from $150-$300, well within your budget.
The cool thing about Seiko is that they can easily be modified to fit your style. There are also tons of people out there who build custom watches using Seiko parts, even to the point of looking like the higher end luxury brands but still within your budget. If you're interested in something like that, PM me and I'll send you a few suggestions of custom watch mod makers I recommend.
Good luck!
Braun aw10 for life!
You could check out Undone, Boldr and Deep Blue.
Get him a Tissot.
I'd recommend an Orient bambino. Simple yet classy and very sensibly priced.
Vaer
As someone with a nice collection of more costly watches, I can confidently say I’d be delighted to receive just about any of the suggestions thus far. (Monetary value is a secondary concern to a lot of us, and you should absolutely NOT feel out of place here.)
The only 2¢ I’d add would be to budget $30-40 for a decent strap. At this price level (especially with the Japanese brands) you’ll get a sensational watch for the money, but the strap will instantly betray where they did the cost-cutting. Barton and Hirsch in particular make very nice replacement ones of all sizes, colors, and styles for this price range, and any of them will wear much better and look better than the originals (in some cases, a $40 strap can make the watch look substantially more expensive, lol).
I would check out Seiko, Certina, Timex in that range. Based on the stated preferences I would recommend checking out the Seiko SRPD79K1. It’s an all-black watch with a really sleek design. Comes with an mechanical movement (4R36) with automatic winding and can be had for around 300 dollars.
There is a lot of variety in that range so your sure to find something that your fiancé will love. Good luck with the hunt.
Orient bambino for a dress watch, seiko for sporty
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