@@ThePSGifford I own I dozens but almost never wear any lately. Idk political climate makes them weird to wear in some occasions. Especially in my line of work, people of David don't appreciate the current regime...
@@LawrenceMacMacster I disagree, Vostok have always been hard work of people. Just because it is Russian is Russiaphobic and disregarding to any Post-Soviet nationalities contribution in those time pieces including Ukranian descendant workers still at the factory. I daily wear my Vostok retro 550930 and love every piece of it also how it is descendant of Ww2 issued Soviet watched to both Ukranian and Russian soldiers fighting at the front against Nazis
Plastic instead of sapphire crystal :/ also yeah. Maybe people are lame and care because "Russia bad". Idk why buying a watch made in Russia means you're in support of their military leaders choices haha.
I had several. Interesting designs, cheap, but reliability/quality sucks in general, almost guaranteed to have something going wrong within a year or two after purchase (in my personal experience).
I had a Casio g shock blow off my hand from an ied. The G shock still works but the band and case is demolished. It’s in my collection now as a timeless piece of history.
Oh yeah I still have it. The watch is the DW6900. The watch took most of the punishment. It probably saved my hand to be honest. Luckily I was able to retrieve it before I was birded out. @@tyarnold4088
It still puzzles me why Certina has so few mentions in videos like this. They offer a great line of products that nobody seems to pay much attention to. I own two Certina watches now and I love their affordability and functionality.
Because swatch intentionally market different entry level brands to different parts of the world to not cannibalise each other’s sales. If you live in North America, Hamilton/tissot will be market d to you. If you live in Eastern Europe, you’ll find certina to be the most popular entry level swatch brand. Great strategy to ensure the survival of their subbrands that occupy similar price range.
Since the same group owns Citizen and Bulova, I wish they could combine the Ecodrive and Precisionist movements. A watch with that combination would never need a battery change or have to be wound and the seconds hand would tick 16 times per second. That would be the coolest movement besides Spring Drive.
Helm, Nodus, Direnzo, Aragon, Baltany, Hoffman, Hamilton, Orient, Glycine, Certina, and finally J&G, which was the watch P. Ross was wearing when you were on his SoCal podcast 😎
Just received a Timex Expedition North Titanium Automatic. For $300 it checks a lot of boxes for a good field watch. Great look and feel that gives my Hamilton a run for it money and my attention.
Boldr Expedition I - the watch that got me excited about watches. Near perfect aestethics, readability and modern field styling. On the other hand Timex Expedition series (and Timex in general) offer insane value for money as field/everyday watches, if you don't mind quartz.
Hamilton please! That HAS to be on the list. Some of the best watches for the money. You get real quality, solid movements and class. I'm wearing the fantastic 36mm pilot pioneer... on a decent leather strap it's a beauty. Hand winding little gem
With seiko you can just say in house. They aren’t “practically” in house they grow the quartz in some old wine cellar with just enough hint of pino in the air to affect the longevity of the crystal.
I have that Geckota and it is a real beauty. When the light hits that dial it really is something else, plus it comes with a rubber strap as well as the standard NATO. I love it💕💕💕💕💕!
The Boldr expedition White sands reissue is my daily watch. I find it to be the most comfortable amongst all in my small collection. No need to baby the watch either.
Shinola was new to me...and I have to say it made me laugh. Those of us from an older generation will remember our dads (primarily) using the phrase, "You don't know sh*t from Shinola!" Meaning, "You're an ignorant idiot". Shinola used to be a leather polish. Good luck to them with the next generation who aren't familiar with the history. :-D
Citizen also owns Alpina (in addition to Bulova and FC) and their Eco-drives are phenomenal. And the Tissot PRX is a Grand Slam. BOLDR makes some smart-looking watches but a bit pricey considering that they're made in China. Finally, I would have included Glycine in this vid. Their Combat and Airman collections offer Swiss manufacturing and significant horology at value pricing. One final thought. When a watch company omits its "country of origin" on the dial, it's deliberate and a certainty that it's made in China
BOLDR watches always go on sale though, or you can find coupon codes to give you a nice discount so they are worth it if you do a bit of bargain hunting.
Casio: Cheap (not my cuppa T, though) Timex: Cheap. I like my Weekender and it cost peanuts. Seiko: Not so cheap for a good one these days. The Solar versions are value (own an old SSC Pepsi, so sexy for $250) Citizen. Cheap and great value. Top choice. Tissot: Cheap on Jomashop. My $300 Powermatic Chronometer is a win. Zelos: Cheap if you can find one. Shinola: Not cheap. Sorry, not cheap. Halios. Not cheap. But nice. Boldr: Cheap. And nice. Geckota: Cheap. Meh.
Your first comments said it all, Casio and Casio G-Shock. I have an AE-1200 'Casio Royale' Multi-Function,10 Year battery,100M water resistant for general wear and a Casio G-Shock GA-B2100 1 AER for more robust wear. Shock resistant, solar powered, bluetooth connectivity and 200M Water resistant with excellent back lighting for use in the dark, what else do you need. Great podcast as usual guys. 👍👍⌚😎
Great video as always. Have you guys ever considered a long form podcast something like an hour long. I love the banter between you and Tom. Also on a side note can you guys talk about Wristcheck X AP and their delayed announcement for the contest lol.
Missed out on the last steel swordfish and was waiting at launch. Was bonkers. Have a couple older ones from when you could buy one up to a whole day after the drop!
This is making me think about my old Timex that I haven’t looked at in years. I’ll bet it still works. When I get home that baby is getting a new strap. Thanks Tom.
Bought that black and Yellow Boldr for £211 before the video even finished. Reminded me of the Apollo 8 speedmaster Edit cancelled the order and bought the field medic 2 instead Bam
It’s nice to see you looking at cheaper micro brands. Not everyone can/wants to spend money on an expensive watch. Some of these options are really lovely. My favourites are the Halios and Geckota. Might even get one. Thanks again!
My favourite video of yours yet! Humorous and interesting, could tell you both had fun with this one. Lots of enthusiasm and a nice departure from the usual watch suspects being covered
Casio - Seiko - Tissot/Hamilton - Omega - Tudor/Rolex. My favourite 5 brands, and yes I realise the Swatch Group is far more than 2 brands. These have all got something for every budget.
@@Harpreet06 Seiko covers everything. From Seiko 5s to Presage & Prospex then Grand Seiko all the way to Credor. My hesitation at Grand Seiko is buyer's remorse and being unable to cash out for a reasonable loss.
Missed out Orient, Hamilton and Swatch. Bang for the buck for Orient watches, solid field watches from Hamilton and funky color from Swatch. These 3 need to be in the list.
First watch I owned was a Casio Edifice. When it's battery died after 5 years, I bought another one. I love and hate Casio. I love their watches. I hate them because their watches were a gateway drug. The reason my wife has to listen to these videos whilst trying to sleep when I'm lying in bed at night...
I'm a big fan of Clive Cussler's action/adventure hero Dirk Pitt. In every installment of his books the Doxa 300T dive watch makes a prominent appearance. Matthew McConaughey can even been seen wearing one in the film adaptation of Sahara. I've been hoping you'd do a review of this iconic and historical dive watch. Thanks
Honestly, I'm a bit surprised you didn't include Vostok Amphibia in this list and went for Shinola instead. You've passed on a watch that flew to space, was featured in movies and has an insane history behind the creation of its in-house movement. Now compare it to Shinola, which started as a shoe-polish brand (hence the name and the popular saying "You don't know sh*t from Shinola") and further went down to making laxatives and carpet cleaning products and honestly has not much going for it with its boring Sellita movement.
I was going to say Vostok is persona non grata right now but you are correct except for the current situation Vostok should be on here. I have three (purchased prior to the current political and military situation).
Curious can you even buy Vostoks direct from Russia right now with all the embargoes etc.? I do know you can get them off of ebay but 2 of mine came from Meranom.
Casio - Seiko - Tissot/Hamilton - Omega - Tudor/Rolex. My favourite 5 brands, and yes I realise the Swatch Group is far more than 2 brands. These have all got something for every budget.
Have you guys ever looked at Marloe ? British company using Swiss and Japanese movements, and a very high level of finishing on their products for sub 1k money
There is one great IG channel that covers these affordable watches. Microbrand spotter is the name and that guy covered some pretty good watches and seems to know his stuff
Love the shoutout to Halios. I don't own one but they're from my hometown, my friend has a Universa, the quality for the price is unreal. I don't know if you can find a rival watch with a better bracelet for the price
I'm a big fan of vintage ebay finds. Today I'm wearing a 1980s Quartz Slava from the then Soviet Republic. In my experience cheap vintage mechanical watches can be a bit of a gamble but I'm so so happy with this quartz one. It's attractive and reliable and I've never seen another one like it. Whenever I look at it I feel jealous of myself. I also like that Timex North Expedition Mouthful thingy you featured. And the Zelos. And the Halios and Geckota which are brands I had never heard of.
@@bittermoon29 Thanks for your perspective. I have thought about that because of recent events. When I look at it I do wonder about the people who made it and their lives. It dates from the 1980s but I don't know exactly where it was made. I think that there is care and love that was put into it's design and manufacture. I am certain that some of the workers will have gained pride and satisfaction from producing it. I think they would have wanted it to be appreciated. I understand that it will symbolize dark things to other people. I hope the war in Ukraine stops soon and that Ukraine regains it's freedom and is able to rebuild quickly.
Non micro, swiss, ETA mechanical movements and relatively cheap (distributed mainly in Poland and eastern countries): Atlantic Watches, since 1888. Other good ones from Poland mini and micro brands like Vratislavia and Gerlach, the second one inspired by Polish history.
Atlantic were big in the printing industry, making numbering machines. The were the budget brand with the German brands being premium. I assume it’s the same company.
@@goldfools5445 aI don't think it's ever been something different than a watch company, in their site (check "Atlantic watches") there's the company history and it's all about watches only.
Now that’s a great vid, guys! I am with you on the solar powered watches- it is so so practical and cool 😎. I think Islander makes some of the best spect, good looking watches in the affordable range☝🏻. Phoibos are neat too.
The Gekota's dial is no match to Grand Seiko's although it is a nice dial. There's a painful difference in price to be fair but it can never be compared to a GS. No comparison.
The best I've bought is Vaer (superb value and quality, with many near or under $500). The Formex field watch is cool, unique, and titanium, for under a grand.
More focus on the budget end of the spectrum please! I really do enjoy many of these so much more. I often buy watches as gifts for people so this comes to mind
Brilliant choices. Timex was my first watch in 1966 age 5 best Christmas gift I ever had. I would have liked to have seen Accurist as they have made and still making some great watches. I have one from 1954 and one a retro racer from 2021 and love them both. Great show as always 🍻
Geckota dial looks nice but as a very unhappy customer of this company I'll be wondering about this watch quality. In May "21 I purchased a couple of stainless steel bracelets and a spring bar tool from them. All those products were low quality ( didn't last long ) for the money and on one of the bracelets clasp wasn't working. When I complain about clasp to customer service, they asked me to send a picture of it, nothing about replacement. I ended up replacing clasp myself. Anyway I wouldn't spend money on quite nice dial from this company.
I picked up the geckota as soon as I saw it. Unbelievable value, you also get a watch roll, tool and black rubber waffle zuludiver strap. It's also a limited edition. £190 no brainer for me ✌️
Another to add to the list....Accurist. I own an Accurist reverse Panda chronograph that I was given for my 15th Birthday. I'm 46 now, and it's still running beautifully. (Quartz unfortunately), but that's what you get with a chronograph for under £300!
Solar powered watches like Citizen eco drive and Seiko solar do have batteries, just they are rechargeable batteries. So you may have to change the battery eventually
Halios also comes in a case, depending on model, might be like a small nanuk case (Canadian made pelican like case) or leather multi watch holding travel case (Fairwind), watch roll. Typically it may also came with a second strap probably a SS and a leather.
The first 5 brands are actual brands but the rest are just make believe generic no name brands that are a made in a factory that produces 100 other brands of the same level.
I paid $14 for my F91W 3 years ago. It's a farm and hunting watch for me, it's held up as to where the timex expedition gave up the ghost after a year.
I like CITIZEN for one reason, I bought one, why... it's gold (amalgam) & was at a ridiculous special price. I wanted a gold watch to reinforce my notion of being retired, I look at it, it says to me I'm retired. My own humour played into my attire... for that's worth. More that I bought it because CITIZEN is a special word, used in a "Red dwarf" episode, sort of espionagey and funny at the same time, which gives me another Red dwarf reference, keeping me in good humour all round. Having a reason to look at your watch is a good aspect to... watching.
No Orient? possibly the best budget mechanical watches brand out there
Was thinking the same, I think Orient is what Seiko was in the past before they keep increasing the prices of their timepieces.
Agree,orient makes some great watches for the money.Especially their divers offer great value for money
Agreed,bought an orient,i replaced the clasp for a milled one and couldn’t be happier
I like sekio 5 orient and Bulova..
So what's better orient ,sekio or Bulova?
Either Vostok would finally get a mention - or the top comment would be someone asking why Vostok wasn't mentioned.
I agree. And I was scrolling comments hoping I wasn't alone. I own three.
@@ThePSGifford I own I dozens but almost never wear any lately. Idk political climate makes them weird to wear in some occasions. Especially in my line of work, people of David don't appreciate the current regime...
@@LawrenceMacMacster I disagree, Vostok have always been hard work of people. Just because it is Russian is Russiaphobic and disregarding to any Post-Soviet nationalities contribution in those time pieces including Ukranian descendant workers still at the factory. I daily wear my Vostok retro 550930 and love every piece of it also how it is descendant of Ww2 issued Soviet watched to both Ukranian and Russian soldiers fighting at the front against Nazis
Plastic instead of sapphire crystal :/ also yeah. Maybe people are lame and care because "Russia bad". Idk why buying a watch made in Russia means you're in support of their military leaders choices haha.
I had several. Interesting designs, cheap, but reliability/quality sucks in general, almost guaranteed to have something going wrong within a year or two after purchase (in my personal experience).
I had a Casio g shock blow off my hand from an ied. The G shock still works but the band and case is demolished. It’s in my collection now as a timeless piece of history.
Damn. How is your hand? Hope it's still in your collection. Lol.
Oh yeah I still have it. The watch is the DW6900. The watch took most of the punishment. It probably saved my hand to be honest. Luckily I was able to retrieve it before I was birded out. @@tyarnold4088
Noice! Lol
It still puzzles me why Certina has so few mentions in videos like this. They offer a great line of products that nobody seems to pay much attention to. I own two Certina watches now and I love their affordability and functionality.
I have a DS-4 amazing build a nice ETA 2824 and the dial looks great all for under $500
Because swatch intentionally market different entry level brands to different parts of the world to not cannibalise each other’s sales. If you live in North America, Hamilton/tissot will be market d to you. If you live in Eastern Europe, you’ll find certina to be the most popular entry level swatch brand. Great strategy to ensure the survival of their subbrands that occupy similar price range.
@@Ballacha Certina is also very popular in South Africa.
Agreed, Certina is great. I quite like the DSPH500m
I have a few older Certina. Amazing watches and the newer ones are very affordable for quality watches.
I love orient, the kamasu is a great dive watch for the price, it can be found around 200 bucks with a sapphire crystal, mechanical. Banger of a watch
Asian watch makers are literal parasites than only copy an steal what europeans invent and selling it cheaper destroying who invented those things
100%
Yes Kamasu for me, amazing value for the spec
hi
can their casebacks be changed for a glass back?
@@DODEN_YT Orient has glass back watches,dunno if they are compatible.
If you plan on actually wearing it though .....it doesnt add anything to it
Since the same group owns Citizen and Bulova, I wish they could combine the Ecodrive and Precisionist movements. A watch with that combination would never need a battery change or have to be wound and the seconds hand would tick 16 times per second. That would be the coolest movement besides Spring Drive.
Asian watch makers are literal parasites than only copy an steal what europeans invent and selling it cheaper destroying who invented those things
I mostly agree, with one exception. It would be _cooler_ than spring drive.
@Ranger Smith Spring Drive doesn't have a battery. It is also the only watch movement with a truly smooth sweep of the seconds hand.
@@dns711 Yes, but what do those facts prove?
@@rangersmith4652 it proves that it is the coolest watch.
I’m a big fan of Farer. Haven’t gotten my hands on one yet, but I love their designs!
Farer are not on the cheap side.
Helm, Nodus, Direnzo, Aragon, Baltany, Hoffman, Hamilton, Orient, Glycine, Certina, and finally J&G, which was the watch P. Ross was wearing when you were on his SoCal podcast 😎
Just received a Timex Expedition North Titanium Automatic. For $300 it checks a lot of boxes for a good field watch. Great look and feel that gives my Hamilton a run for it money and my attention.
Boldr Expedition I - the watch that got me excited about watches. Near perfect aestethics, readability and modern field styling. On the other hand Timex Expedition series (and Timex in general) offer insane value for money as field/everyday watches, if you don't mind quartz.
I have a Timex expedition North (has a blue and orange decal and compass, tide etc) as well as a boldr field medic venture II. Both are awesome.
Been enjoying your content for years.
Good stuff.🔥
Hamilton please! That HAS to be on the list. Some of the best watches for the money. You get real quality, solid movements and class. I'm wearing the fantastic 36mm pilot pioneer... on a decent leather strap it's a beauty. Hand winding little gem
With seiko you can just say in house. They aren’t “practically” in house they grow the quartz in some old wine cellar with just enough hint of pino in the air to affect the longevity of the crystal.
I have that Geckota and it is a real beauty. When the light hits that dial it really is something else, plus it comes with a rubber strap as well as the standard NATO. I love it💕💕💕💕💕!
It looks beautiful.
Orient should have been included. Good video though.
The Boldr expedition White sands reissue is my daily watch. I find it to be the most comfortable amongst all in my small collection. No need to baby the watch either.
Spinnaker and Zeppelin deserve to be on this list, too.
Shinola was new to me...and I have to say it made me laugh. Those of us from an older generation will remember our dads (primarily) using the phrase, "You don't know sh*t from Shinola!" Meaning, "You're an ignorant idiot". Shinola used to be a leather polish. Good luck to them with the next generation who aren't familiar with the history. :-D
Someone bought the name to revive it as a Detroit inspired luxury goods maker. They started doing nicer leather goods.
That Gekota Surfers against Sewage is one beautiful piece, I prefer automatic movements like my Seiko 5 SNXL72, but that Dial is just glorious.
Asian watch makers are literal parasites than only copy an steal what europeans invent and selling it cheaper destroying who invented those things
Citizen also owns Alpina (in addition to Bulova and FC) and their Eco-drives are phenomenal. And the Tissot PRX is a Grand Slam. BOLDR makes some smart-looking watches but a bit pricey considering that they're made in China. Finally, I would have included Glycine in this vid. Their Combat and Airman collections offer Swiss manufacturing and significant horology at value pricing. One final thought. When a watch company omits its "country of origin" on the dial, it's deliberate and a certainty that it's made in China
BOLDR watches always go on sale though, or you can find coupon codes to give you a nice discount so they are worth it if you do a bit of bargain hunting.
Take a look at Spinnaker. Great design, excellent quality, incredible value!
Great to see some micros on the channel. I have a couple of Zelos, a Spearfish and a Hammerhead v3. More micros please!
Casio: Cheap (not my cuppa T, though)
Timex: Cheap. I like my Weekender and it cost peanuts.
Seiko: Not so cheap for a good one these days. The Solar versions are value (own an old SSC Pepsi, so sexy for $250)
Citizen. Cheap and great value. Top choice.
Tissot: Cheap on Jomashop. My $300 Powermatic Chronometer is a win.
Zelos: Cheap if you can find one.
Shinola: Not cheap. Sorry, not cheap.
Halios. Not cheap. But nice.
Boldr: Cheap. And nice.
Geckota: Cheap. Meh.
Great video! Love the variety of the brands. Can you guys review Cuervos y Sobrinos?
Orient and Vostok seem to be absent here.
Your first comments said it all, Casio and Casio G-Shock. I have an AE-1200 'Casio Royale' Multi-Function,10 Year battery,100M water resistant for general wear and a Casio G-Shock GA-B2100 1 AER for more robust wear. Shock resistant, solar powered, bluetooth connectivity and 200M Water resistant with excellent back lighting for use in the dark, what else do you need. Great podcast as usual guys. 👍👍⌚😎
Casio G-shock is a sheer utility watch and what I think of first when people talk about value for the money.
Great video as always. Have you guys ever considered a long form podcast something like an hour long. I love the banter between you and Tom.
Also on a side note can you guys talk about Wristcheck X AP and their delayed announcement for the contest lol.
Missed out on the last steel swordfish and was waiting at launch. Was bonkers. Have a couple older ones from when you could buy one up to a whole day after the drop!
This is making me think about my old Timex that I haven’t looked at in years. I’ll bet it still works. When I get home that baby is getting a new strap. Thanks Tom.
Bought that black and Yellow Boldr for £211 before the video even finished. Reminded me of the Apollo 8 speedmaster
Edit cancelled the order and bought the field medic 2 instead Bam
Phoibos has been one of my favourite budget watch brands recently
It’s nice to see you looking at cheaper micro brands. Not everyone can/wants to spend money on an expensive watch. Some of these options are really lovely. My favourites are the Halios and Geckota. Might even get one.
Thanks again!
Lol how are you going to find a cheap halios
@@Chris-de2qc yeah. Had a look. No chance!
My favourite video of yours yet! Humorous and interesting, could tell you both had fun with this one. Lots of enthusiasm and a nice departure from the usual watch suspects being covered
Casio - Seiko - Tissot/Hamilton - Omega - Tudor/Rolex. My favourite 5 brands, and yes I realise the Swatch Group is far more than 2 brands. These have all got something for every budget.
Mine would be the same apart from tissot/Hamilton. I'd replace it with Longines and would include Grand Seiko with Seiko
@@Harpreet06 Seiko covers everything. From Seiko 5s to Presage & Prospex then Grand Seiko all the way to Credor. My hesitation at Grand Seiko is buyer's remorse and being unable to cash out for a reasonable loss.
What do you think about Phoibos?
What about Swatch? they are more than the MoonSwatch and they have legitimate cool cheap watches
I would have included Rotary, the British historical racing watch brand which has some really good value watches, with unique styles.
Can't believe Sea-gull wasn't mentioned. Some of their watches are beautiful and they make their own movements.
You guys should feature German and other European brands more often. Lots of value to be found there in the smaller companies.
Swap shinola for Lorier or islander and that covers your US based brands that aren’t sneaky
Missed out Orient, Hamilton and Swatch. Bang for the buck for Orient watches, solid field watches from Hamilton and funky color from Swatch. These 3 need to be in the list.
5:56 when I first got my seiko 5 gmt, one of the first things I noticed was how easily the lume charges up and how bright it is. Truly awesome
First watch I owned was a Casio Edifice. When it's battery died after 5 years, I bought another one. I love and hate Casio. I love their watches. I hate them because their watches were a gateway drug. The reason my wife has to listen to these videos whilst trying to sleep when I'm lying in bed at night...
Lorier. Take a good look at them.
Christopher ward affordable ish if you go for a non bracelet and one of the best for the Money or generally in the 1k watches
Nice video. I do own several budget and miscrobrand watches, some of them you showed or mentioned in the video. Very good overview.
I'm a big fan of Clive Cussler's action/adventure hero Dirk Pitt. In every installment of his books the Doxa 300T dive watch makes a prominent appearance. Matthew McConaughey can even been seen wearing one in the film adaptation of Sahara. I've been hoping you'd do a review of this iconic and historical dive watch. Thanks
I’ve got every Cussler/Pitt adventure, EVERY ONE. 😂🇨🇦👍
Love my doxa. So under rated and lesser known. Though not exactly a budget watch.
Vario has some great options - I love the 1918 Trench but the Medic is my favourite
Boldr (in this video) also does a medic.
Honestly, I'm a bit surprised you didn't include Vostok Amphibia in this list and went for Shinola instead. You've passed on a watch that flew to space, was featured in movies and has an insane history behind the creation of its in-house movement. Now compare it to Shinola, which started as a shoe-polish brand (hence the name and the popular saying "You don't know sh*t from Shinola") and further went down to making laxatives and carpet cleaning products and honestly has not much going for it with its boring Sellita movement.
Supporting Vostok is fine, the cold war is over and the USSR is gone. Get over it
I was going to say Vostok is persona non grata right now but you are correct except for the current situation Vostok should be on here. I have three (purchased prior to the current political and military situation).
Curious can you even buy Vostoks direct from Russia right now with all the embargoes etc.? I do know you can get them off of ebay but 2 of mine came from Meranom.
@@karlsenula9495 Vostok make the ratnik watches theoretically used by the Russian military but - in practice - often sold on eBay.
@J R lol NOBODY is calling you out for wearing one
Mr Hands introduced us to Zelos a couple (a few?) years ago. Impressive watches.
One can really never go wrong with a Casio. But I had an Aquatech for years so they'd be worth a mention. Also, Victorinox & Nixon....?
Casio - Seiko - Tissot/Hamilton - Omega - Tudor/Rolex. My favourite 5 brands, and yes I realise the Swatch Group is far more than 2 brands. These have all got something for every budget.
Have you guys ever looked at Marloe ? British company using Swiss and Japanese movements, and a very high level of finishing on their products for sub 1k money
There is one great IG channel that covers these affordable watches. Microbrand spotter is the name and that guy covered some pretty good watches and seems to know his stuff
I would go for San Martin as the the good stepping stone for new people. Solid price, solid quality, interesting homages from zillion watches.
Is San Martin a chinese/aliexpress company.
@@4th_Disciple the kings of AliExpress
Boderry - skeleton, titanium case, sapphire crystal- all for under $200
I’ve got that particular one and I love it!
I looked at it several times. But could not get over the Bezel design. Otherwise it would be a sure buy.
In a future video of a similar style, Spinnaker would certainly not be out of place.
Great to see some micros here. I own a few of those you mentioned and all great quality, value and customer service.
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What do you think of Yema?
Love the shoutout to Halios. I don't own one but they're from my hometown, my friend has a Universa, the quality for the price is unreal. I don't know if you can find a rival watch with a better bracelet for the price
I'm a big fan of vintage ebay finds. Today I'm wearing a 1980s Quartz Slava from the then Soviet Republic. In my experience cheap vintage mechanical watches can be a bit of a gamble but I'm so so happy with this quartz one. It's attractive and reliable and I've never seen another one like it. Whenever I look at it I feel jealous of myself.
I also like that Timex North Expedition Mouthful thingy you featured. And the Zelos. And the Halios and Geckota which are brands I had never heard of.
If you would know what does it mean to live in a soviet regime, you would never wear that thing.
@@bittermoon29 Thanks for your perspective.
I have thought about that because of recent events. When I look at it I do wonder about the people who made it and their lives.
It dates from the 1980s but I don't know exactly where it was made.
I think that there is care and love that was put into it's design and manufacture. I am certain that some of the workers will have gained pride and satisfaction from producing it. I think they would have wanted it to be appreciated.
I understand that it will symbolize dark things to other people.
I hope the war in Ukraine stops soon and that Ukraine regains it's freedom and is able to rebuild quickly.
My first watch was a Timex back in 1966!
Marloe seem to be a decent British microbrand, their astro is a unique looking square mechanical watch
Non micro, swiss, ETA mechanical movements and relatively cheap (distributed mainly in Poland and eastern countries): Atlantic Watches, since 1888. Other good ones from Poland mini and micro brands like Vratislavia and Gerlach, the second one inspired by Polish history.
Atlantic were big in the printing industry, making numbering machines.
The were the budget brand with the German brands being premium.
I assume it’s the same company.
@@goldfools5445 aI don't think it's ever been something different than a watch company, in their site (check "Atlantic watches") there's the company history and it's all about watches only.
Big fan of Atlantic, I have one with a. Quartz eta movement and it’s spectacular.
I love Timex. They're really cheaply made and cost twice as much as they should.
I can't stand them. They copy so many designs.
And I hear their customer service is just unbelievable…
🤣
timex L casio W
casio is much much better
I had the Casio Data Bank loved it
i found a casio while metal detecting and after replacing the battery it still worked
Now that’s a great vid, guys! I am with you on the solar powered watches- it is so so practical and cool 😎.
I think Islander makes some of the best spect, good looking watches in the affordable range☝🏻.
Phoibos are neat too.
Nice try, Mark;)
@@RomanBayanov now that’s a first for me😂..you think I am Mark, hyping myself? 🤣👌🏻
@@Zotrax1946 nah, just a joke)
I happen to be wearing a Casio DBC-611G at the moment - it brings me much joy
The graphic starting at 6:48 is lovely
The Gekota's dial is no match to Grand Seiko's although it is a nice dial. There's a painful difference in price to be fair but it can never be compared to a GS. No comparison.
You started great, great brands of which i own a few watched, but ended with brands i never heard of!!
How about Vaer? I have a couple and they are well made and decent vfm.
The best I've bought is Vaer (superb value and quality, with many near or under $500). The Formex field watch is cool, unique, and titanium, for under a grand.
Marathon makes some awesome and affordable watches. They have higher end and affordable. I own two if their high end models.
Good call.
Casio/Gshock, Timex, etc Rule the under 150$
I understand there are so many microbrands out there. I was hoping for a shout out to Lorier. Great episode guys!
No time stamps and/or links to the watches in the description? …
Love hearing about the quality from companies like Tissot and Timex and the quality microbrand over the overhyped and overpriced.
Mentioned the Casio brand but omitted the Casio Duro...an oversight of consequence I would venture
What about Bausele???? Can you please do a video on Bausele?
what you say about orient ? that is also a very good quality and it is not expensive 😊
More focus on the budget end of the spectrum please! I really do enjoy many of these so much more. I often buy watches as gifts for people so this comes to mind
check out the new casio retro
This video made me buy the Timex Q immediately. It’s beautiful
Tissot Seastar is cool and I would buy it but the dimensions....
I was hoping you could help me get the citizen watch the men's strap. I could find a store that sells it.
Brilliant choices. Timex was my first watch in 1966 age 5 best Christmas gift I ever had. I would have liked to have seen Accurist as they have made and still making some great watches. I have one from 1954 and one a retro racer from 2021 and love them both.
Great show as always 🍻
Yeah I got a expedition solar and paid around£55 and it looks very cool.
Geckota dial looks nice but as a very unhappy customer of this company I'll be wondering about this watch quality. In May "21 I purchased a couple of stainless steel bracelets and a spring bar tool from them. All those products were low quality ( didn't last long ) for the money and on one of the bracelets clasp wasn't working. When I complain about clasp to customer service, they asked me to send a picture of it, nothing about replacement. I ended up replacing clasp myself. Anyway I wouldn't spend money on quite nice dial from this company.
I picked up the geckota as soon as I saw it. Unbelievable value, you also get a watch roll, tool and black rubber waffle zuludiver strap. It's also a limited edition. £190 no brainer for me ✌️
The finishing on Geckota watches is incredible value. They are truly beautiful
Does anyone know the names of the first 2 citizen watches shown in the video ?
Best value watches I bought were Armand Nicolet j09 £400 , & Armsnd nicolet js9 diver £400 , stunning watches well made & from TK Max
Really enjoyed this one.
Another to add to the list....Accurist. I own an Accurist reverse Panda chronograph that I was given for my 15th Birthday. I'm 46 now, and it's still running beautifully. (Quartz unfortunately), but that's what you get with a chronograph for under £300!
Solar powered watches like Citizen eco drive and Seiko solar do have batteries, just they are rechargeable batteries. So you may have to change the battery eventually
But when eventually is over a decade it's kinda moot
Halios also comes in a case, depending on model, might be like a small nanuk case (Canadian made pelican like case) or leather multi watch holding travel case (Fairwind), watch roll. Typically it may also came with a second strap probably a SS and a leather.
Out of these choices I would go with Casio and if I had more of a budget Citizen would be my choice.
Hard to wrong with a Duro or Edifice.
@@andrewrobertson3894 Amen brother.
The first 5 brands are actual brands but the rest are just make believe generic no name brands that are a made in a factory that produces 100 other brands of the same level.
Given the 240% inflation since the F91W's 1989 introduction, it now costs 1/2 of what it cost then.
I paid $14 for my F91W 3 years ago. It's a farm and hunting watch for me, it's held up as to where the timex expedition gave up the ghost after a year.
I like CITIZEN for one reason, I bought one, why... it's gold (amalgam) & was at a ridiculous special price. I wanted a gold watch to reinforce my notion of being retired, I look at it, it says to me I'm retired. My own humour played into my attire... for that's worth. More that I bought it because CITIZEN is a special word, used in a "Red dwarf" episode, sort of espionagey and funny at the same time, which gives me another Red dwarf reference, keeping me in good humour all round. Having a reason to look at your watch is a good aspect to... watching.