I have a skagen watch, steel mesh band (never pinches or grabs hairs, by the way), looks very classy and simple. They run between 100 and 200 bucks.
Here is a link to some Ollech & Wajs watches. They use ETA movements, which is the same company that manufactures movements for almost all swiss watches including Omega. They are very high quality watches at an affordable price. Here is a link to a tonneau style also from O&W. At $285 it’s a bit over your limit, but a very attractive and high quality watch for the price. Seiko watches are also excellent value.
A;ll the “Men’s” watches I’ve been getting have been freakin’ enormous! They were starting to cause depressions in my wrist. So I decided to get one that
1.) wasn;t huge, laterally
2.) wasn't so thick it started to intrude on my wrist
3.) Didn't look like a "women's" watch.
I looked around and finally found some discrete, slim, and elegant watches from Kenneth Cole. People have noticed, and I recommend them. And the programming isn’t so complex that I need a manual to set the damned thing!
I just purchased an Invicta Men’s Automatic Pro Diver S2 Watch #8926 that seems pretty nice.
$90 or so before shipping. Heavy and large, but that’s what I’m used to. It’s an automatic movement, so no winding or batteries needed. Waterproof to 200M, which is further than I’d ever go underwater. Automatic movements can gain/lose time due to the manual nature of the movement, but through a week of wearing it (almost, I got it in the post on Friday), I’ve not noticed any gain/loss of time.
Online reviews were good, with a few exceptions. I’d bet that even a Rolex Super-duper-extra-special would have a few complaints as well.
Well the choice, I think, is between the Invicta 8926 and a Seiko 5, possibly both if I can find them for the right price. I am going to head down to a watch store I just found in my neighborhood and see if I can’t get a look at them in person and see what I think. As much as I really loved the Luminox, I can’t justify spending that much on a watch at this point in my life.
I really want one of the Seiko Monsters too (I am particularly fond of the Blue one, but $450 is also a lot to spend on a watch), but that may have to wait for a little bit.
So, I am looking at 2 watches now, and have a wish list that is comprised of 3 watches that I can’t currently afford and one watch that I can afford in about 2 months. Sheesh, I didn’t know what I was getting into.
If you’re willing to buy online, every time I buy myself a watch, I get a Roots. They don’t sell in stores down here in the States, but you can get them from the website.
http://usa.roots.com/style.aspx?catid=25&dptid=1&saleGroup=&template=1
I’ve currently got a Pilot from the Canada Eh! collection; but I couldn’t see it on there.
While BJs club had some Invicta watches around Christmas time, I was unable to find anywhere that had them locally in stock. I had to go via the website.
The picture is really what it looks like. The measurment across the outside ring of the dial (turning part) is really 43mm. (about 1 3/4 inches)
That Seiko 5 is a sharp watch, but doesn’t have the rotating bezel… a requirement for me.
Ha! Got another one.
There’s something about watches, for some of us. Since my first Mickey Mouse watch in 1973/4 I’ve been fascinated by the things. I couldn’t tell time back then (I was in kindergarten), but once while getting beat up in a blizzard by an older kid, my only concern was to protect my watch. “Don’t push me into the snow, my watch isn’t waterproof” I sobbed.
Touching, eh?
Anyway, quartz watches are nearly soulless IMHO, and since I’m rarely more than a half-hour from a clock that’s synced with NIST in Boulder, the second/day my Luminox gains matters not. I often wish I didn’t carry so much crap in my pockets so I could carry one of the many pocket watches I’ve picked up.
Here’s the watch I recently bought. It’s a replica of the first “automatic” watch, from the 1920s. It’s got everything but a “death ray.” One of the originals recently sold for $300,000.
NAF if you can find a Seiko Factory Store (outlet) in your area, you can generally pick up a Monster (orange or black) for around $170-ish, sometimes they even have discounts on top of that…
from what i understand of the Blue Monster (Cookie Monster? 
) it’s basically a standard Monster with a blue dial, the 7S36 movement (23 jewels) and Sapphire crystal (more scratch-resistant, but more prone to chipping/shattering under impact)
the 2 extra jewels of the “36” are of dubious functionality, they’re there so Seiko can rationalize charging a higher premium for the “36” movement
the stock Hardlex crystal (Mineral Glass) on my OM is still pristine, and i don’t baby the OM either, i don’t abuse it, but i don’t baby it either, not a single scratch on the crystal, and i’ve had the watch for 6 months of almost-constant wear
the real secret behind the durability of the crystal is the bezel ring that surrounds it, it sits above the crystal and acts as an impromptu guard, deflecting anything that could potentially scratch the crystal
so, the premium you’d be paying for a Blue Monster would be for three reasons mainly…
1; the rarity of the watch (Asian-market only, limited production numbers)
2; the 23 jewel 7S36 movement
3; the Sapphire glass crystal
functionally, all the Monsters are identical, a Blue won’t be any more accurate than an Orange or Black…
it’s all Moichandizing! (where the real money from the movie is made… )
I know, and that is why I won’t spend the extra on the Blue, I just really like the way it looks. But I like the Orange a whole lot as well. I can be happy with just one of them…right…right?
Ok, so maybe I can’t, but I will learn to deal.
I’m not one to talk, personally, after all, I have six watches and only 2 arms…
Luminox 3000 series (blue face, Tritium traser illumination)
Pulsar Tech Gear Solar 4000 analog Quartz divers watch
Pulsar digital watch with reversed dot-matrix LCD display
Seiko 5
Seiko Orange Monster
Casio G-Shock 7300
Casio G-Shock 7500
of all of them, the Orange Monster and Casios see the most weartime, the Seiko 5 and Pulsars the least (they’re actually gathering dust)
So, i’d have to say my active watches are the Luminox, the Monster, and the G-Shocks
Dear Og…how did i end up with six watches…
<resolutely refuses to count his knives and flashlights, lalalalalala, i’m not listening!!!>
I found that wrist watches made mincemeat of my shirts. So I use a pocket watch.
I’ve had that same watch for a bit over a year, and I love it! I always like to have an analog watch, but I also want something with a stopwatch/timer on it, so that usually means a combo analog/digital watch. Most of the digital watches I see in stores nowadays look so “goofy”… this one has a nice clean look to it.
Say MacTech can you answer a question for me?
I like the look of the orange monster, it reminds me of my old Doxa that got stolen. But doing a search for it, I also find the SKXA55K1 listed for about the same price.
Other than a slightly different face and band what is the difference between this watch and the Orange Monster? What are your thoughts?
Of course I could always just order this and be done with it. 
PS I too refuse to count my flashlights, and I am sure I have enough wristwatches to outfit an octopus.
Although this thread isn’t about the wonders of mechanical watches, here is an essay I particularly enjoy devoted to that topic.
- small excerpt of piece found on timezone.com, no copyright or use info found on their site so I didn’t include the whole thing
I have a Seiko Sport150 that I bought in the late '80s that still works flawlessly.
I have a Bulova ‘Marine Star’ that I got as a gift. Its very nice; functional if heavy. It has features I like and it is built like a tank.
Both of these proudly sit in my drawer for my sons some day.
What I wear every day is my Citizen Eco-Drive. It’s easy to adjust, has features I like, and is completely solar powered. (I Hate having to get new batteries)
Related question about Automatic Watches:
How important is a watch winder if I am not going to wear my automatic watch everyday. The Seiko Orange Moster for instance; if I get it I can’t really wear it to work. Will the watch be ok if I just let it run down durring the week and reset it every weekend when I wear it, or do I need a winder to keep it in good shape?
According to this guy, no. I’ve heard people claim that you do need to keep a watch running to prevent something bad, but this seems to apply more to older watches than new.
It’s more a matter of convenience, as it’s sometimes a bit of a pain to get everything adjusted again, but not $100+ worth of a pain, imho.