I concur. I got a Sector diving watch for my 13th birthday and have had it ever since (16+ years now). Silver band, looks snappy, has never missed a beat. Waterproof to 100 meters (whereas I, for all intents and purposes, am not).
Off-topic: what do they make the watch faces out of? Mine has banging around on my wrist for the better part of my entire life, but it doesn’t have even a hint of a scratch on it.
Depends on the watch. My Swatch Midnight (ca. 1986) only has one blemish, and it got that when it was less than a year old, and it was my everyday watch for the better part of 20 years.
Depends on the watches but there are three main discriminators. First is movement. With quartz, this means there is less difference, but I have found lots of variability among quartz movements at different price points. Second is functionality. Do you want just the time, time and date, chronometer, phases of the Moon? Third is styling, including designer name and materials (think about the difference between a $100 bracelet and a $1000 bracelet). More expensive Rolexes are expensive mostly because of the name, and because they use gold and diamonds, not because they keep better time. And you know, Rolexes are the low end of the luxury watch market. I have seen watches that run into six figures. Here’s a sample of complicateds in the $20,000-60,000 range.
Good for you. But we’re trying to answer a question here.
I get the $40,000 watches with complications galore. That’s why I was asking specifically about the $100-800 range, which is what I think is what a ‘normal’ person might pay for a watch. Either way it’s a quartz movement in that range, right? Is there hundreds of dollars of variation in value among a quartz movement?
On a man’s band it’s going to be steel or leather, right? If for $1000 you got a white gold band instead of steel I could see the difference, but a $1000 Movado is still steel or leather.
Naturally I get that brand name can add a lot to the price, but is there a technical difference in a quartz movement watch with a stainless steel or leather band and no jewelery?
That is a great question. I have to believe that a $50 Timex has a different movement than a quartz Rolex but I have no idea how those movements are built and what the differences could possibly be. But as I mentioned, I have a $40 watch (which doesn’t work anymore) that kept time just as accurately as my most expensive quartz watch. But I think it was a fluke. If you make a zillion cheap quartz watches, some of them are bound to be very accurate.
You can find exceptional deals at http://www.chronoshark.com/ but they are a one deal a day site, so selection is limited. The deals really are exceptional if you can wait for something you like. I’ve ordered from them before. Delivered in a week, no issues at all.
I’ve heard very good things about http://www.christopherward.co.uk/ watches, but I have not owned one or even checked one out in person.
Brands are usually not important to me. I buy what looks good and meets a few basic criteria:
Sapphire crystal. Must have. Hardened mineral crystals scratch and look like crap over time. Sapphire is almost impossible to scratch. Also, a sapphire crystal usually indicates a significantly higher than average quality of the piece. In my experience, anyway. This is an absolute deal-breaker for me. No mineral crystal.
Quartz movement. Personal preference only. Japanese or Swiss Quartz are both fine in my book. Automatic movement usually puts you in very high quality watches. Automatics are very nice, and automatic movement with a view window can really add to the aesthetics of a watch. Plus, no battery to deal with. I just don’t like that I have to wear it almost every day to have it keep time. Of course, this does mean that you can buy him an automatic watch winder for his birthday. 
Clasp. I really like a butterfly clasp on a bracelet. Again, it’s a personal preference. This is another feature that I think is an indicator of higher than average quality. Does not pertain to leather bands.
Material. No gold accent. How long will two-tone watches be so common? Butt Ugly! My current watch is tungsten and nearly scratch proof. It’s heavy, though. Before this, I’ve never owned anything but stainless. Stainless will scratch. I’ve heard platinum is pretty indestructible also. Others prefer leather band, and I hold no grudge against them for it, but I prefer a metal bracelet.
Face size is a very personal preference, and probably the most important to many people. I usually wear 44/45mm diver watch but I have big wrists and like the way a heavy watch feels. It would probably be wise to measure a watch he likes and stay within a few mm of that.
There are a lot of very nice watches in your price range. The hard part is finding the right watch for your husband’s taste. I’d look very carefully at what he’s wearing now, especially in terms of size and material.
You may try to trick him into telling you what he likes if you think you can get away with asking his advice on someone else’s behalf. Good luck!
If you want a high quality watch at a modest price ($200-$400), take a look at Bernhardt watches. Here is the address: All Watches | Bernhardt Watch | American Watch Companies
You can get sapphire crystal, solid link bracelet, swiss automatic movement, and great service. And a watch that you will probably not see on anyone else.
I have over 200 watches, and consider the 6 Bernhardts I have to be among the best.
The most important question is what kind of watch does he want? I have oddles of divers, and many chronographs, pilot’s watches, GMTs, and G Shocks.
And only one dress watch.
But that’s my taste. Other folks have different tastes. So Jake Jones gave some great advice.
And as an aside, all quartz are not equal. I would stay away from Chinese movements. Swiss are great in general, and Japanese are too…some Japanese quartz are at the top of the list and so are some Swiss. Nearly all quartz will keep time very well - within 15 seconds a month.
Automatic movements generally come in two flavors. The lower quality movements cannot be hand wound - they rely on your arm movements or a winder to be wound…but may be very durable. The higher quality movements are automatics generally, but can also be hand wound by turning the crown with the fingers. This is a nice feature if you don’t wear your watch everyday. Automatic movements are not as accurate as quartz; a good movement will able to be within 2-3 seconds a day, while the low end movements will be 15-20 seconds a day.
Email me if you want more opinions - but in the end, only your opinion and your husband’s count.
I will 2nd or 3rd the Tissot brand. I have worn a PR100 for about 7-8 years now as my daily watch.
There is an extra zero or two in that price. Most Omegas are around $1800+
I personally think Omegas are pretty good bang-for-buck mid-range luxury watches. They typically keep better time than Rolex while costing less, and having comparable cachet.
You can buy “Omegas” on the street in Bangkok for around 10 bucks American. 
Myself, I’ve worn a Casio for years and years. I don’t know why anyone would want any other kind. It even has an alarm clock and never more than US$50, often much less. Lasts a long time. If the wife ever feels the need to buy me a watch, she knows that’s the one to go for.
No offense to sunstone, but why do people do this? Everyone here would like to hear your opinion. There’s really no reason to keep it private.
Ahh… A fellow watch fanatic. Its not about keeping time thats for sure. My $40 timex keeps much better time than my rolex’s. It might be about durability, a good watch can last a lifetime. A good watch can be water resistant to 1000 meters. (mine are 200) A good watch has a sapphire cystal that is hard to scratch. A good watch will have a very nice bracelet. A good watch can be refurbed to look new. A good watch may retain value. A 30 year old Rolex can fetch 5 or 6 times it original value.
I can go on and on. A nice watch is a thing of beauty. But… a $30k watch will not be a better time keeping device than a timex. There is no real reason to have a decent watch for purely functional terms, so i guess its something else.
A nice $100 watch - Invicta diver
a nice $200 watch - Seiko SKX009K diver
A nice $250 watch that you will not see on every wrist - 1950’s tissot Seastar
A nice $500 watch - Tissot PRC100
A nice $2500 watch - Omega Speedmaster
Ok im gunna stop now
I think we need to know a bit more info: Dress or sport / gold or ‘silver’ or other / metal band or leather strap?
It may be worthwhile to involve Dung Beetle’s spouse. Watches are very personal. I would try to dissuade Ms. Attack from getting me a watch without my input, as I have pretty specific tastes.
I like my watches minimalist, and so I’ve been a fan of Movado’s Museum series and pretty much anything by Skagen. These fit the OP’s price range.
I neglected to recommend a watch - sorry. Take a look at Raymond Weil. Some of them are massive chronometers that will track the Pleides, and some are simple, yet manly.
Not in the price range, but I just people to know that if someone wanted to give me an IWC, I’d say yes.
I agree I also tend to be hard on watches. I buy a nice watch and in two months it’s destroyed. I buy a $20 Timex and it lasted me nine years.
I think it’d be nice to have a few watches. One for everyday use and the other to use like jewelry.
I can understand not wanting to spend that kind of money on a watch, but why bother posting in a thread about watches that you don’t like them? I have some nice watches, no one but me really notices them. I like them because it’s like I’m wearing a sculpture on my wrist and I like them because they are mechanical, not quartz. I like that the watch will be working long after I’m dead and not part of a disposable culture that doesn’t value craftmanship. It has nothing to do with impressing anyone, and everything to do with pleasing myself.