Recent grads will probably be hooked to their phones and other various technology for the rest of their life. A watch is a ticket to disconnect. You can go off on your own but know when to be back. Dads could use some unplugged time as well. And seeing those seconds physically tick by on your/his wrist might be a good reminder to really appreciate every moment. Afterall, Father Time is undefeated. Congrats to the grads, and kudos to the dads who didn’t just procreate, but are also working hard to be great fathers.
Same watch as the OG resin strap version, only now upgraded to a stainless bracelet. 200m of water resistance, a surprisingly well machined stainless steel case, and a rotating bezel which feels much more expensive than many other watches priced under $100. Finish is mostly brushed with polished sides and inset bits on the bracelet, which happens to be a folded-link-style. Double push button clasp on the bracelet is good and snappy. Not small at 44m in diameter, but should wear comfortably for most medium to larger wrists.
Full review here. It’s clean, it’s classy, and it’s professional. At under $100, it’s affordable enough to anchor the dressed-up end of a watch arsenal for pretty much all budgets. And in this age of horrendously cheap drop-shipped trash and gaudy garbage, this Citizen watch excels at being entry level.
Full review here. The entry-level automatic dive watch standard. 40mm diameter is wearable by the vast majority. Seiko NH35A automatic movement hacks/hand-winds. 200m water resistance, screw down crown, fully brushed bracelet, and an exhibition case-back. And unlike the previous entry-level go-to (Invicta’s Sumariner homage) there’s no tacky logo engraved on the side. (That was a huge compromise with their cheap-sub imitator.) This one looks clean, classy, and is nice and comfortable to wear. Versatile too, as it can be worn with everything from a t-shirt and shorts, to a suit and dress shoes.
There might not be a better bang-for-the-buck diver on the market. Automatic movement hacks and hand winds. 200m water resistance. 120 click bezel helps keep track of elapsed time. Classic dive-watch looks. Not everyone will like the shined up inserts on the bracelet, but it’s more subtle than many other competitors. Reviewed here.
Orient’s OG bestselling dress watch design. In-house automatic movement, simple and sharp design details, super wearable. Affordable and classic.
Not as versatile as the old, out of production 1978. But great looking all the same. And dashes of color are certainly on trend right now. Deep green dial. Tonneau shaped case. Black croc-embossed style leather band.
Full review here. One of the best looking <$200 watches released in recent memory across all brands. 41mm case diameter has some presence, but overall it’s svelte enough to look good with a suit and tie. Quick release straps means swapping out the brown strap for a black leather strap to match black shoes should be a breeze.
One of the classiest designs Orient has come out with. Everything you’d expect from a Bambino. Simple dial. Domed crystal. And with these models, that perfectly proportioned and placed small seconds sub dial. Silver option shown above, while a full review of the champagne dial can be found here.
Full review here. It doesn’t look, feel, wear, or sound like any old Timex (no super-loud TICK). It doesn’t look or feel like a Timex at all. What it does feel like is a really well made, truly handsome, short-lugged diver with a quick release bracelet and drilled lugs so swapping in NATO, rubber, or leather straps is a relative breeze. One of their best releases in recent memory. A new flagship for them. Often sells out.
Classic pilot watch styling, a GMT hand (so you can tell the time across separate time zones), and an E6B circular slide rule. Yes, a slide rule. Movement is Citizen’s very popular, very accurate, solar powered quartz Eco-Drive movement. The Nighthawk also features one of the best bracelets you can find on a watch under $500. It has solid end-links, and a very secure precision machined clasp with a diver’s safety in it.
On the spendy side considering it’s sandwiched on the price scale between Citizen’s legendary Nighthawk and an Orient automatic diver… but look at it. For a panda chronograph that evokes the golden age of motorsport, they sure did nail the styling.
Sleek and a little mean looking. 41.8mm diameter. “Swimming” at a price nowhere near luxury-brand “whale” territory. In-house automatic movement. Available in multiple colors. Full review here.
Dan Henry is a brand that takes the good looks of watches from the past, then re-packages those styles in affordable timepieces for today. And they nailed this 1937 chrono. Art Deco inspired looks. 38mm case size. Tachymeter around the outer edge of the dial. Quick change leather straps. Seiko VK61 mecha-quartz movement, so you get the snappy feel of a mechanical movement at the pushers, with the reliability and affordability of a quartz chronograph. Available in a few different color combos, but the silver shown above with the sub dials at 12 and 6 really is something. Also shown at the very, very top of this post.
Basically Seiko’s version of that luxury “crown” brand’s Explorer model. Sporty enough to be worn with a t-shirt and jeans, yet refined enough to be worn with a suit and tie when needed. Specs from the brand are 40mm in diameter and 11.5mm thick. Wears pleasantly mid-sized. Feels great, looks great, and for a price that’s ~3% of that previously mentioned luxury brand.
Full review here. Sized down to be on-trend and more acceptable to more wrist sizes, Orient’s second design of their 38.4mm Bambino automatic is a mash-up of the old 40.5mm Bambino Vintage-style + the original 40.5mm Small Seconds. The end result is a watch that looks, frankly, great. The Roman numerals make it look dressy and classic. The blue hands make it quietly pop. The small-seconds dial makes it interesting. And the slightly sized down, 38.4mm diameter should make it wearable by the vast majority. Slap one of the big luxury brand logos on this thing and it could sell for 20x–40x more. Brilliant work by Orient.
Full review can be found here, and you can see it featured in our double time series here as well as here. The Seiko 5 Sports dive-style is basically a baby Planet Ocean for a measly ~4% of the P.O.’s price. It’s easy to read, it feels rugged and well built, and the 42.5mm case brings some tool-watch “presence,” yet should wear great for most. The exhibition caseback shows off the hacking, hand-winding, Japanese-made 4R36 movement. Bracelet is terrific with its comfortable, brushed links (just the edges are polished) which avoids the jangly/overly-intricate/shiny “jewelry” look. 100m resistance is plenty, and while the crown doesn’t screw down, it feels incredibly solid. You have to play the sale game, but Macy’s and Kohl’s will run codes and promos every so often that drops these watches down to the mid $200s. And now available in a sized down 38mm version.
Assembled in the USA. Powered by a movement made here in the States as well. Available in either a smaller 36mm “retro” size, or a mid-sized 40mm which should fit most average to larger wrists just fine. Lots of strap options to choose from. Olive single-pass strap shown above will cost $329. Get it on a stainless steel bracelet, and it’ll run $419.
A favorite of watch aficionados, this is the one with an almost iridescent blueish-silver dial. Case size is a pleasing for many 40.5mm, and the movement hacks and hand winds. The hands and indices look razor sharp, the case back is an exhibition style showing off the 23-jewel movement, and the slightly tapered crown has a classically styled Seiko “S” etched into it. But it’s the band that’s a deal breaker for some of us. Sure it’s pliable leather with a soft underside, and the blue accent stitching is neat, but the topside is a glossy almost patent leather. It’s easy to see what they’re going for here, but it just doesn’t do the piece justice. Looks cheap. Yet a strap change-out is simple enough. Go with a black croc style embossed instead.
Full review here. Swiss made, rugged matte blasted case, and powered by a set-it then forget-it quartz movement. Available in multiple color combos as well. For the grad or dad who loves his hiking boots as much as he loves his dress shoes. Or maybe they only love their hiking boots. Those types could love this watch too.
38mm or 42mm size. Solar powered quartz movement. Matte black bezel keeps the glare & gleam to a minimum. A highly capable, do anything watch that’s assembled in the USA for about half a grand. VAER is a brand that’s been on the rise the last few years, and the future for them seems bright.
Another one for the outdoorsy/leans casual/rugged fellas. A classic field watch like this certainly does say “take me outside, please.” 38mm in diameter. Manual wind mechanical movement. 80 hour, yes 80 hour power reserve when fully wound. Full review here.
Full review here. Does everything and looks great while it is doing all of those things. GMT function but has the body and bezel of a dive watch. 200m water resistance. Made in Japan Miyota 9075 automatic movement. 41mm diameter, 46mm lug-to-lug, 12.2mm case thickness + 2.4mm dome crystal, 20mm lug width. Has some nice (but not overwhelming) wrist presence. Should be easy to wear by most. And the flat-link bracelet is one of the most comfortable, well machined you’ll find. Especially at this price.
Full review here. Panda-dial racing good looks. Dependable, super accurate, solar-powered quartz movement. Build quality is really impressive. It just feels good on your wrist. Not flimsy. Not rickety. It’s solid. Also looks great on a leather strap (standard, perforated rally, “bund” strap, etc.) Can sometimes drop in price significantly with the random code or promo at Macy’s.
If the recipient prefers to dress casually most of the time, then this is a watch he could wear almost every day. Rugged. Dependable. Brown leaning tan strap pops next to that black dial. Terrific feel to the construction and finish.
A GADA (go anywhere do anything) watch with a bit more visual spice thanks to that extra crown. Looks simultaneously interesting and subtle. 40mm diameter, 11.5mm thick. Looks great with a t-shirt and jeans, a suit, and everything in-between. Styling is inspired by compressor-case watches from the 1970s. Top crown works the inner bezel, bottom crown works the movement. Both screw down, and the entire thing feels solid and well made. It’s also assembled and regulated in the USA. Miyota 9015 automatic movement. Sapphire crystal. 300m of water resistance. The on-the-fly push-button micro-adjustment feature in the clasp is a huge bonus. As are the quick release pins on the bracelet, so swapping out said bracelet for a leather strap or NATO is quick and easy. Available with a black or white dial, and a 60 minute or 12 hour interior rotating bezel.
For those that love quick machines and the watches that go with them. Motorsport inspired and plenty fast looking. 39mm case width. 11.7mm case thickness + 2.1mm dome crystal. Seiko Automatic Chronograph movement. Panda dial with a little splash of color.
The Murph 38 is a sized down version of Hamilton’s popular selling (42mm) model. But unlike its bigger brother, the 38 has (finally) been updated to come with an optional wear it with whatever outfit you’d like stainless steel 3-link style bracelet. That bracelet makes the Murph 38 arguably the best Swiss automatic GADA (go anywhere, do anything) watch under a grand. It’s a capable sports watch, it’s dressy enough to wear with a suit, and compared to the big luxury Swiss brands, it’s relatively reasonably priced. A grand is no small bill to pay. But it’s also not ten Gs. Once again, nothing about the wristwatch world makes sense. Least of all, pricing. For the bigger-wristed folks, I hear you and see you. It’s probably fair to assume that the 42mm Murph will get the stock bracelet treatment soon. But if you’re already an owner of the 42mm Murph and want the above look now? There are after market options available.
Christopher Ward’s flagship Trident Pro watches are slimmer and more wearable than their bulky competitors, are still Swiss made with Swiss automatic movements, and boast an impressive 300m worth of water resistance. The bracelet is incredible, and the clasp even has an on-the-fly micro adjuster for maximum comfort. Covered by a 60 month movement guarantee. Available in 38mm, 40mm, and 42mm diameters. These ship from the UK, so the extra $200+ (ouch) tariffs and whatnot gets charged at checkout. But at least it’ll get DDP. …No, not that DDP. In terms of international shipping, DDP is an abbreviation for “Delivered Duty Paid.” Which means they do the paperwork and pay up front. So it should show up on time and with no surprise extra costs.
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