Watch recommendation for non watch guy.

[fly out]

duplicate.

[Peally]

I'm a Citizen homie. The thought of an auto is neat but I don't like dicking with things.

[scjbash]

I've had that Citizen for a few years. It's a good watch and I've recommended it to a few people with your needs, with the caveat that the lume sucks unless they've improved it.

I have the Seikos mentioned earlier and they have better lume. I recommend the eco drive over an automatic for this choice, but also agree with fly out that automatics are just cooler and I would suggest exploring them. Seiko is a great starting point.

[JCS]

If you are willing to allow for the possibility of becoming a watch guy, then I'd definitely get an automatic. Watches with a little heartbeat are infinitely cooler than something with a battery. if you go down this road, then you will definitely end up with more than one.

If you're a committed non-watch guy, then I wouldn't get an automatic.

But get an automatic.

Well I don’t NEED another expensive hobby. So it’s in my best interest that I stay a non watch guy. I looked up the Seiko and it said I would need to adjust the time every couple days.... ya I’m out on that.

[krax]

Well I don’t NEED another expensive hobby. So it’s in my best interest that I stay a non watch guy. I looked up the Seiko and it said I would need to adjust the time every couple days.... ya I’m out on that.

I'm not a watch guy, but I think the Seiko 007 and 009 watches are a great choice for an everyday watch that can be worn out with the wife, but still be durable/functional. I don't take mine off to swim, shoot, work in the garage, do misc. military stuff, etc., but I can wear it with a suit/sport coat and get random compliments from strangers. It's not flashy, but you can tell it's quality when you examine it.

I recommend the ones with the rubber strap that are right around the $200 price point. I bought mine with the steel bracelet, but I wear it with a NATO strap 99.5% of the time.

Seiko has joined Glock and Toyota for brands that I'm loyal to due to their reliability and gladly pay for their understated value.

[perlslacker]

well if we're recommending terribad automatics that gain 15 seconds a day, you should at least look into Vostok.

e: wow I never saw the Komandirskie with the 24-hour hand before.

[ST911]

Since someone mentioned 007... Mine has been a lot of watch for the money. It's running +3-5 sec a day lately, and fits in with whatever I need to wear. Rubber strap models can be found in the $150-200 range at Black Friday time. Close, but a little more than OP's price goal.

[BillSWPA]

I am a watch guy and wear an automatic daily. Unless you want to become a watch guy, stick with quartz.

Quartz is less expensive, more accurate, more inherently shock resistant, and far less expensive to maintain. Automatics need a service every 5-10 years, and that service is more expensive than your current purchase budget. You will be without your watch for about 6 weeks, as opposed to a battery change that can be handled in 5 minutes by a teenager at the local shopping mall (or which you can simply learn how to do yourself with the right tools).

Among watch people, the difference between automatics and quartz is viewed much like your wife would view the difference between a diamond and a cubic zirconium. They serve exactly the same purpose, one is easier to produce with boring consistency, but the other is more valuable simply because of what it takes to produce a good one. The sweep second hand tells observers that your watch is powered by something other than a $10 quartz movement (although Bulova 262 kHz movements, which are extremely accurate, have sweep second hands). A movement that is capable of winding itself as you wear it is fascinating.

At higher budgets than yours, the value proposition of quartz becomes very difficult to justify unless it is an ultra high frequency movement, a thermocompeneated movement, or other high accuracy movement. Most high end watches are automatic. You usually get what you pay for in terms of automatic movement accuracy and durability, keeping in mind that a $25 Casio will have more of both.

Seiko and Citizen are both solid choices. Seiko is known for having very good luminous material on the hands and dial.




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[blues]

I hardly ever wear a watch anymore even though I have a beautiful Omega Seamaster automatic, and a couple of nice (quartz) watches by Tag Heuer and Concord.

I just can't be bothered with "jewelry" it seems. Or maybe I just don't care what time it is. Anyway, I rarely wear 'em is the point.

My automatic spends most of its time in the watch winder waiting for a special occasion to come out and play.

[1slow]

Back in 1984 I finally could afford and bought a Rolex Sea Dweller @ $1160 or so. At the time I viewed this as the grail divers watch.
I had previously dived with Seikos for years and they were very durable shock resistant etc.... and about $150 -200 or so.
I thought the Rolex was a fine machine at the time.

I was training Okinawan karate at the time ( 1980s). After class I had put street clothes back on. A junior student had asked about use of the makiwara ( leather or rope wrapped striking board attached at one end to a vertical mount so that it flexes a bit when struck). I still was barefoot and stepped back on the training floor and struck the makiwara with a left punch to demonstrate. It was not a maximum effort punch as I was showing form, alignment, and how not to damage oneself.

Later that week I had a $380 repair bill (1980s) to fix the Sea Dweller. At this point I lost all the fan boy feelings about Rolex durability. My mechanical Seikos had held up through much more.

I admire the machinery of a good mechanical watch but lost the fan boy feelings.

Now I wear a Citizen Eco Drive Titanium Divers watch and Casio G Shocks, Pathfinders.