Watch Recommendations?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I need a new watch.

The purpose of this post is threefold.

  1. To ask what other people’s experiences with Fossil watches have been - good & bad.
  2. To solicit recommendations for a brand of watch to buy when I replace my current watch. I’d like to spend under $100.
  3. To complain about the watch I have now.

I’ll cover #3, then let you all chime in with answers to #s 1 & 2.

Up 'til my present watch, I always bought Timex watches. What they lacked in looks & sophistication they more than made up for in reliability.
I used to replace the watch when the crystal was so scratched that I either needed to replace the watch or the crystal. At Timex prices I always decided to replace the watch.

This time around I have a Fossil watch. It was a gift from my husband Christmas 2002.

I loved it - it was pretty. A little girly but not a lot girly.
Here’s a picture of one that someone is selling on Ebay. Same watch as mine.

It only worked right for about 6 months.
In the summer of 2003 it started running slow.
I thought perhpas it needed a new battery, since the flowers on the face are electronic. Took it to Alpha Omega & had the batteries replaced (there are two - one for time, one for flowers).
After the batteries were replaced it started keeping perfect time, but only when I had it on. If I took it off to go to bed it would have stopped by the morning.
After a few months of that it started stopping sometimes while I had it on, so I stopped wearig it altogether.

This afternoon I took it again to have its batteries replaced. It kept time for about 10 minutes.

Yes, it is stil under warranty, but when we moved I lost my sales booklet that had my purchase date & information in it, so I probably can’t get it fixed under warranty. As it’s only about a $60 watch, it’s probably not worth paying to have it fixed.

As I see it, it could be that I got a lemon, or that all Fossil watches suck, or that I ruined it by getting it too close to the book sensitizer/desensitizer here at work.

2

I bought a $5 watch from Wal Mart 4 years ago - I’ve replaced the battery once, and it keeps perfect time. Best $5 I ever spent.

3

Forgot to add: the brand is Watch-it

4

Timex Expidition. Who cares about looks. Indiglo rocks. A clean face makes it easy to read. And I’m lost with out a date. Function should be the biggest reason to buy a watch. I have 2 identical ones, and I keep one in my gym locker, so the one that’s sweaty from a work out get’s switched for a dry one. They’re around twenty bucks. So if it get’s too scratched up, I throw it away.

5

Curiously enough, I’ve had the same expeierience with Fossil watches that you’ve had. Mine worked well for a few months then died. I thought it was the battery, got it replaced, and a few weeks later it died.

I don’t have a recommendation for you other than avoid Fossil, but you knew that anyway.

6

I love my Roxy watch … got it 2 years ago as a gift and it has worked perfectly. It was probably about $60 US … not sure, it was bought on eBay.

7

I’ve had three Fossil watches and no problems with them. Now I don’t wear a watch at all, so the issue is moot, but there you go.

Re spending less than $100, I understand there are guys downtown who will sell you a Roolex off a blanket for about that much. :wink:

8

I am a big lover of Seikos. A little spendy, but damn near indestructible.

9

I bought a Seiko in 1994. Changed the battery and the crystal once, and it’s still going strong. I’ve worn that watch in some very punishing environments. That thing is going to last forever, it seems. I am really just amazed at how well that watch has held up.

I just bought a Timex GPS watch last week - I love it. The GPS works well from what I can tell so far.

10

Indiglo* is * cool. :cool:

But if you can afford it, get Titanium, with Traser- that’s “glow in the dark” except it always does so, needs no “charging”.

11

Bad experiences with Fossil watches. Run for a few months, die; frequently the second hands never work at all.

12

I’m a gadget kid, I was into Casio watches for all the extra crap on 'em but then grew up a little, and now I’ve had two fossils for two years, and they’re still going strong. 1 battery change, and that’s it.
Then I went and got one of these and never looked back. Tough as nails, that one.

13

I have one of these: http://www.fossil.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=16178&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=1019&iSubCat=1022&iProductID=16178 (or almost identical to that, at least; my band is slightly different and I have a window for the date) and while I’ve only had it 6 months, I haven’t had any problems with it. It replaced my last watch, another Fossil. The last watch didn’t fail, I just lost it. Heh.

It’s possible you got a bum watch. I like Fossil watches, m’self.

14

I have three Fossils, and three Rellics, which is a Fossil brand. They are all very similar in style, but the case on the Relics deteriorated. There are pits and corrosion or something all over the underside and side of the watches (I assume they are not 100% stainless steel). The Fossils are all perfect, keep great time and I will be buying more…

And who says I have too many watches!?!?! :smiley:

15

I love my Skagen watch. It’s elegant, it’s held up well, the band is stainless steel and both sturdy and not skin-irritating, and it really wasn’t very expensive.

They also do pretty nice pocket watches.

16

I have a Fossil watch that my mom gave me. I rarely wore it because I’m more into ‘technical’ watches than fashion. The battery died, and I never got it replaced.

Usually I wear a Rolex GMT II or Submariner, or a 1974 Seiko Bell-Matic. I hate having to think about batteries. I use the Seiko Sports 100 Chronograph that I got in 1986 for sniping on eBay. It needs batteries, but it’s the most accurate watch I have.