Value watches

[ilikegunspdx]

I'd like to have these 4 watches. But since the cheapest of them is $6500 and the most expensive is $11,000, I'll just have fun playing with these cheap automatics.




Heck, even this $9 quartz has a neat starburst background that changes with the light and it's really thin.

IMG_2279.mov

• ilikegunspdx
• Mar 18, 2026

 

[SSloan]

Interesting watches I've purchased that I considered bargains & kept good time over the years.

Early Tauchmeister dive, 1937 Germany. TO300, in my opinion, is not a great movement for extreme shock but has maintained time/seal @ 150-200ft repeatedly. Luminescent for approximately 4-5 yrs from manufacture, ask for a discount accordingly. Great watch for normal stuff, big, beefy, Legible.
Below is @ 13yrs.


Even earlier "Traser's" (before traser) unmarked & where primarily mil/gov contracts (a ton of overruns where released) denoted by only the H3 on the dial.
But case backs had the movement #, as I remember, traser later cataloged by movement #'s, hard use/durability/Bat life is/was respected.

Wife still wears one, that says something. Think they were the first yellow dial tritium dive at the time.
Added a pic of my wife's H3 (MB Microtec P6500) when newer, she is still wearing it, when she wears a watch.
And my old H3 dive, they look small but were on the extreme XXXL side, both probably around early 2000.

 

[El Padrino]

Was looking for beater watch for everyday and I'm surprised the quality you can get now for very little $. Post up any you have found please! Here is one I ordered. Reviews were all good. Seiko vk 63 mecha-quartz chronograph movement. AR coated saphire crystal. Saphire coating on bezel. That's stuff I never thought I'd see in a watch for $58. Pics from internet. I got plain black band.
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Awesome!

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Enjoying this skmei quartz watch. Could only find 2 that are homages to the lWC Portuguese. Don't remember the cost but I think it was around $15. I wish it didn't have printed number markers though.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Received the blue paulareis automatic watch. Love it. No idea how they can make these for $23. Blue color is much more subtle than the red one.

I noticed power reserve on the red one is not the greatest. I always thought automatics had a reserve of 32-40 hours from when it's fully wound and the red one is definitely less than that. I assume this is due to friction but have no idea. Bezel has nice click and hands don't look cheap. Side of case is brushed but doesn't look like stainless brushed.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Rundown on the Tevise ($23 shipped on sale) automatic submariner homage/replica:

Pros:
-Great power reserve
-Stainless band is good
-Stainless see through case back
-"Sort of" decorated movement
-Cyclops is very good imo and crystal seems good
-Raised dial markers with lume (haven't tested lume but I would have noticed if it was "great" and I didn't notice that)

Neutral:
-Thickness, size, and weight seem about right to me

Cons:
-Runs a little fast
-Bezel rotates too easily, clicks are fine but too easy to knock off the mark accidentally
-Chinese movement of course
-Alloy case and bezel looks a bit cheap but not too bad
-Protected crown (not screw down) makes it difficult to get a grip to hand wind

Easily worth that cost to me. It's getting a surprising amount of wrist time.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

If anyone cares the astronauts on Artemis 2 are wearing Omega x-33 skywalker and breitling cosmonaute watches. Omega is quartz with mission timer etc designed for space. The Brierling is an automatic or hand wound? Story of the breitling design as requested by Scott Carpenter, one of the original mercury astronauts.







Also a page on John Glenn's stopwatch taped to his space suit. It was his backup clock for the mission.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Received the leather watch bands and they are very good. Some may not like this type of clasp though. Quality on band and clasp (stainless) are both good. But the for $ they are great. The stitched ones are $3.50+$6ish shipping and the unstitched one is around $5.50 shipped. Same clasp on all.

 

[raftman]

Thought it was pretty relevant.

 

[MannyGlocks]

We all have our love of things beautiful, but guns and then knives appeal to me more than 'things that tell time'...not knockin em, just druther guns and knives, I like em mo bettah!

 

[Medic!]

We all have our love of things beautiful, but guns and then knives appeal to me more than 'things that tell time'...not knockin em, just druther guns and knives, I like em mo bettah!

Guns, Knives/Swords, Cars, Trucks, Watches and Stereo Equipment.
You can have them all.


And they're not like Wives. You can have more than one.

 

[MannyGlocks]

lds agrees...

 

[joken]

Was looking for beater watch for everyday and I'm surprised the quality you can get now for very little $. Post up any you have found please! Here is one I ordered. Reviews were all good. Seiko vk 63 mecha-quartz chronograph movement. AR coated saphire crystal. Saphire coating on bezel. That's stuff I never thought I'd see in a watch for $58. Pics from internet. I got plain black band.
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View attachment 2252968

 

[joken]

Heck, I got a Rolex in Hong Kong for $25.

 

[Capn Jack]

Working with high voltages and occasionaly getting my watch snached off by machinery, I finally settled for the little $23.00 Casio watch with the plastic band.

It doesn't look like an alarm clock on my small wrist and it tells me everything I need to know, Time, Day ,& Date.

If something, " eats it " well, that's better than part of me.

 

[wdavey]

Most variants of the Casio G-Shock FTW....

I am super satisfied with my 2 G-Shocks I got off Marketplace. Affordable, useful, durable and stylish in this particular way. Fancy is nice, but I can fish, chop wood, climb, swim and beat down blackberries without worrying.

 

[zobieman99]

I really like my casio oceanus t200, it's versatile, always keeps time because it's radio synced and never needs to be charged or wound because it's solar