Great list. Love the citizen. Looks really sharp. I recommend the Tissot Le Locle with 80h power reserve, sapphire crystal and a stunning dial as another affordable dress watch.
I have an Orient Capitol in rose gold. The Capitol has both day and date complications. It is a very beautiful dress watch with a burgundy alligator band. I get very nice comments on it whenever I wear it.
Got a hand written card with my Vario Empire and couple days ago a "happy new year" sms from Judy and Ivan. Really nice to see people having such passion towards their work 👌 They also gave me a discount since I missed some promotion code as I ordered 😁
I have a TImex Marlin Manual wind, my girlfriend got me a Timex Waterbury open heart for Christmas, I am still waiting for it due to slow shipping. Just thought I would share the start of my collection, nice video! Subscribed!
I like the subscriber lists. Maybe you can just do them every other month or something. One I want to see is thinnest automatic watches under 500. That would be cool
I have the grey dial version and its hands down amazing. From all the different finishes on the case to the bracelet where every piece of metal individually moves. Each link is made up of 5 separate pieces! Plus the domed sapphire is great and not overly reflective like Hamiltons can be. Should have done a review on this watch alone really. Rrp is about $750 and in the UK it goes for £550. So $350 is an absolute steal!
I am only a few months into watch collection but have already several watches. Or maybe it's more correct to say selection... Here I want to talk for Seiko's solar watches in different dial colors with sapphire crystal. I have SNE530P1(white dial with gold case and leather bracelet), SNE525P1(blue dial with stainless steel bracelet), and SNE 529(green dial with leather bracelet). These are really stylish watches available from ~ $170-250.
That Timex California model, would have been a "must have" if it had a sapphire crystal. Yet again my ex- beloved Timex drops the ball. I guess some things weren't meant to be. Great review of some very nice dress watches. I appreciate your reviews on watches affordable to those of us who live on this side of the railroad tracks. Much more success to you through the years.
Thanks for including my recommendation on this video! Not the biggest fan of Roman numerals, but the California dial Marlin is growing on me. Timex executes clean mid-century modern like no other entry level watch brand. I want to add that Timex has the best leather straps of any entry level watch brand. I’m seriously considering buying Timex straps for my other watches and replacing the Timex branded pin buckle with a sterile one.
Nice collection but the Certina wins for me plus their prices are hard to beat. Some Certinas on Joma are just $199 for a swiss watch with a sapphire crystal...
I'll certainly miss this section, but I'm thrilled to see the new content you're planning for us Dave. Cheers for the upcoming refreshing of the channel's content!!!
Great review, thanks. I have the Visodate quartz, Max Bill hand wound and a Stiletto on a leather strap. The Visodate is a great watch but reflections in the crystal are a nuisance on the black dial version and the strap quality is not great. I wish it was 38mm like the Max Bill which fits perfectly on my 6 and 1/2 inch wrists. That Stiletto looks cool and quite Rado-esque on a bracelet but does not have as much character as the Max Bill IMHO. For my money the Max Bill is the best of these three, iconic design and the best quality overall.
Thanks for including the Junghans! I also like the Certina-watches, this one is a bit more expensive, but with a special curbed dial, catches the light well: Certina DS 1 Powermatic 80 - C0298071605100... Certina advertises itself also with the 'turtle'-concept, extra shock protection.
I have had my Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope with the acryclic crystal since 2017 and there is not a scratch on it. So if you are just a tad careful it should go a long while without scratching.
Vario, Timex, Junghans. Yes totally agree. All three are outstanding pieces. I own the Winter White Vario Empire and the Junghans (white dial, no numerals).
Good advice on the Acrylic crystal, I love being able to polish out the scratches on my Vostoks ! Brasso metal polish for the win ! Love the dial on the Vario, but the band ? Kill it with fire !!
Bauhaus is a movement alright, a bowel movement. Anyways, thanks Dave for doing a non-diver video. I absolutely love that Stiletto, I have a Swatch Skin something or other that is about the same thickness and without a seconds hand but to have it as a dress watch and solar... that is nice.
woah, that blue Orient Maestro is nnniiicccceeee! I just wish it had a sapphire crystal. The Vario Emipre Winter variant is stunning, Wow. Fun list, thanks for the heads up on these.
hardlex is actually rather scratch resistant. i had a orange monster and till now only have a minor scratch that is not discernable unless using magnifying glass or have to look around the glass for at least 30 seconds.
Excellent video and a great selection. The Dufrane Waterloo quartz is well worth considering in this price range (along with many others). Really like your emphasis on affordable pieces. Keep up the good work.
Water resistance is paramount to me, especially on a dress watch. When I attend a dinner party I inevitably end up diving 500 feet to the seabed. Happens every time.
@@StuntpilootStef If there is a Tissot boutique or ad jewelry store near you I would suggest going in and trying one on. It is 40mm at the base, but it tapers up to 38mm at the bezel. As such it wears more like a 38mm than a 40mm. I think you would be pleasantly surprised.
@@cjspillmann5576 I have enough experience with watches of similar sizes and lug to lug lengths to know this is too big. I can wear an skx casually, no problem. But a 40mm at work is just physically too big for me to wear with a dress shirt. I will only wear 38 or smaller for those occasions. Besides, we're in full lock down here until at least the 19th.
I like the Hamilton, it's an underrated option as everyone goes for Rolex, Omega - ok the Jazzmaster may not be a £6k watch, but it's Swiss Made and for the price it's a great option.
Awesome list! Is it really true that eco drive does not need any battery or capacitor change? I had an old eco drive, while doesnt need battery change, but the much more expensive capacitor needs to be replaced after a few years...
While this Certina appeals to me very much, I though that quartz and especially eco-drive usually makes more sense. As was mentioned in Vario review a lot of us wear dress watches occasionally. Maybe 3-5 times a year. Still it needs to be serviced at least once in 6 years. So, paying 150$ after wearing dress watch like 30 times seems a little bit pricy Thanks for the video! So many different options from ETA to Eco-drive
Thank you for mentioning the Vario Empire. I have the white automatic w/black numerals which is perfectly proportioned, versatile with straps, and far classier than it has any business being at this price point. Now eagerly anticipating the Vario Trench WWI watch in black & white. Have you ever discussed Geckota watches in depth? The G-01 v1 and v2 (Space Age) series are superb! As is the silver jump hour with textured dial. Lots of compliments on them all.
My fav dress watch under 500AUD is the seagull simple business watch you can find it if you search all express it's got sapphire date at 6 pm and a great st2130 movt which is a high quality clone of ETA 2824-2
Without the date, the Orient Maestro looks quite like A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Thin (one of my favorite luxury watch :)) Nonetheless, Orient Maestro is sold.
Nice choices! My top 3 are the Tissot viso, the Citizen Stiletto and the Manhattan cocktail time. The best value dress watch ever (imo) is the Cadisen ‘Diamond’. It’s a step up from some of their other super budget Cadisen offerings. If you can bear to venture onto AliExpress that is.... it’s got the Miyota 9015 movement a domed sapphire (and a tiny diamond at 12 o’clock) and I bought one for $112. Absolutely staggering for the price. Even the leather strap is surprisingly good quality.
#suggestion On the watch face, under 6 o' clock, some watches will show 'Swiss made' or 'Swiss movement' or 'Swiss quartz' or 'Swiss parts'. These are not synonyms. What is the best option for the buyer that affords the least risk of the watch breaking AND inexpensive repairs? tx.
Maybe the gray market isn't as prevalent in Switzerland? Jomashop and most Amazon sellers are not authorized dealers, so they sell the watches at a discount from their retail prices. Often the consequence of this is that you don't get a manufacturer warranty, and instead get a warranty through the seller. So if you buy from Jomashop and it breaks during the warranty period, you contact them to get it fixed instead of the brand.
That was probably the most heavily recommended one in the comments, unfortunately at the time of the video I couldn't find it available for under $500. The price on that one fluctuates a lot though, so it may have dropped back down into that price range.
First thing I noticed on their site: 'vandaag is low German for today'... The guts the Germans have for calling Dutch 'low German'... watches themselves are ok!
@@thomas181212 I'm just a bit annoyed about the fact that I happen to speak the low German and they get to speak the high German, could have also been East German and West German... although we live in two countries lower by the sea.
@@christianbernard8254 yup! I'm working with a Japanese Baptist church over here to plant a new church in one of the cities that was hit by the Tsunami in 2011.
