Looking for a watch - good brands?

[slackerinabox]

I don't know a thing about watches, but like wearing them. I'd like something that looks good, has solid build quality, but doesn't need to be pretentious or ghetto chic. Most important, it must be in line with my current economic state (middle class, late 20s - not someone who's paid his dues and earned a omega). There's nothing cheasier to me than a 19 year old who drives a BMW or a McDonalds worker pimping with a $5k watch. I'm looking for the camry of watches.. Maybe even a civic - these are tough economic times!

So, what's a soild, unpretentious analog watch brand to look at? I had an invicta and it looked far nicer on the website than it did in person. I then bought a fossil and the crystal scratched almost immediately. Any suggestions?

Update
Thanks for all the great suggestions! The seikos and citizen ecos that I liked were realistically out of my budget so I had to go with a lesser brand for now, but I'll definitely keep those suggestions in mind as well as the other suggestions when I get my first pay check

Overstock had these Kenneth Cole watches for $50-60 each, so I bought two for different looks:

http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Wa...atic-Black-Leather-Watch/3963025/product.html

http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Wa...r-Strap-Watch/4064239/product.html?rcmndsrc=2

 

[F1N3ST]

Oh, you can afford a fucking watch, but can't afford to pay for half of YOUR fence? Asshole.

 

[*kjm]

I like my Citizen Eco-Drive..... looks good and never have to mess with batteries. Mine has been running for 6 or 7 years now without a problem.

 

[slackerinabox]

Oh, you can afford a fucking watch, but can't afford to pay for half of YOUR fence? Asshole.

Ha, just got a job offer yesterday. No longer unemployed, but still gotta make smart decisions with my money- I'm not going to go out and grab a $2,000 watch right now! But if there's something out there for $100, and I just deposited my last freelance check so....

 

[*kjm]

http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-BM8224...619869&sr=1-27

$120

http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-BM6010...619995&sr=1-61

$150 and sold by Amazon.

 

[mb]

http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-BM8224...619869&sr=1-27

$120

http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-BM6010...619995&sr=1-61

$150 and sold by Amazon.

Ew that first one is ugly. The second one is nice.
I like Citizen though. Invicta has some nice looking watches too. OP, just browse amazon for watches under ~150 and pick one you like. Try the watch finder http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Watches/b...node=404124011

 

[slackerinabox]

Thanks guys. Googling says that the Seiko Orange Monster's a good place to start, though I'm still deciding on whether I can pull off orange

 

[thebestMAX]

If you like the Monster they make it in black also.

 

[trOver]

I've had good luck with Skagen. Very minimalistic and incredibly light.
http://www.skagen.com/products/Men/Watch/All/1.fx

 

[Krazy4Real]

Get a calculator watch. I bet you'd love one of those.

 

[DesiPower]

get a freakin $50 Timex from wal-mart

 

[BurnItDwn]

Timex watches usually are VERY durable, and inexpensive. Pretty much the opposite of pretentious.

 

[LordMorpheus]

I have a simple Swiss Army (Victorinox) with a leather & nylon band.

It's been with me for many years and many bands. Holds up to abuse well.

 

[SViper]

I like my Citizen Eco-Drive..... looks good and never have to mess with batteries. Mine has been running for 6 or 7 years now without a problem.

Ditto, except I've had mine for about 1 and 1/2 years now. Don't ever have to worry about batteries.

Got mine for a steal on buy.com. It's a closeout model, but it still looks very nice.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Eco-Drive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS6K1COJ2PQ#t=3m30s

 

[Ika]

I recall from a few other watch threads that a lot of people like Skagen. At least, I think that was it.

 

[PricklyPete]

The best watch you can buy is the cheap ass shit they sell at Walmart...cause honestly...who needs a watch these days.

That being said, my wife bought me an Citizen Aqualand Duplex diver's watch. It's decently nice/sporty without being the least bit pretentious.

 

[iLL_Skillz]

Do you want mechanical (auto or hand-wind) or quartz (battery/kinetic/solar)?

Will you apreciate the engineering and mechanics of a watch movement, or are you purely practical and want accurate timekeeping that looks good? Neither is better than the other, but personal preferences can vary widely, and will determine what types of watches we should recommend.

You can learn more about mechanical watches at watch forums. (googling "watch forum" will lead you to a few of the most popular).

 

[crashtestdummy]

I abuse my watches like crazy, but wanted something fairly nice. I got the Seiko below:

http://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SNA469-G.../dp/B0007N544W

Since the crystal is sapphire, there's still not a scratch on the cover despite 3 years of banging it into rocks. The steel has marks, but those don't look nearly as bad as scratches on the cover would.

The clasp is a little odd, and I had to have it replaced a year ago. The stopwatch uses what would normally be the second hand (the second hand is relegated to a small dial). Other than that, though, I couldn't be happier. Looks good for both casual and formal.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I don't know a thing about watches, but like wearing them. I'd like something that looks good, has solid build quality, but doesn't need to be pretentious or ghetto chic. Most important, it must be in line with my current economic state (middle class, late 20s - not someone who's paid his dues and earned a omega). There's nothing cheasier to me than a 19 year old who drives a BMW or a McDonalds worker pimping with a $5k watch. I'm looking for the camry of watches.. Maybe even a civic - these are tough economic times!

So, what's a soild, unpretentious analog watch brand to look at? I had an invicta and it looked far nicer on the website than it did in person. I then bought a fossil and the crystal scratched almost immediately. Any suggestions?

I've had good luck with Citizen eco drive watches.

 

[Daedalus685]

I like my Citizen Eco-Drive..... looks good and never have to mess with batteries. Mine has been running for 6 or 7 years now without a problem.

+

I have an Eco-drive titanium, looks great, keeps great time, super light, and above all contains no nickel to which I am allergic

 

[Inspector Jihad]

i like the basic seiko automatics. can find them for like $80 on ebay.

 

[lsv]

Oh, you can afford a fucking watch, but can't afford to pay for half of YOUR fence? Asshole.

Your avatar is much too smiley for your posts.

Please observe my avatar as it matches my level of troll.

 

[purbeast0]

i got my movado from thewatchery.com when they had a good sale on it. it is a watch that is like $1000 in Movado stores or Macys and it was $265 shipped on there.

i like it a lot and get a lot of compliments on it. very clean and simple watch with a nice band, that matches the diamond bracelet my wife got me afterwards.

 

[Terabyte]

Get a watch from here - http://www.tokyoflash.com/en/watches/1/

Then when someone asks you for the time, you can "you tell me! i just got the watch because it looks cool!"