If you are just entering the wonderful world of mechanical watches, welcome! Finding a first watch is an important decision for every aspiring collector, so here are our top picks for inexpensive/starter time pieces with a price limit of $300. Seiko 5 SNK805, SNK803, SNK807, and SNK809 1) Seiko 5 - $65-85 This is one of the most popular watches by Seiko. Its an automatic (it winds itself) and is quite reliable. People (including myself) like Seiko for many reasons, one of which being their in house movements. It has quite a casual look to it, making it a great choice for everyday use. The ones shown here are SNK8## models, but really any watch from the Seiko 5 lineup does the trick. 2) Orient Bambino - (Generation 2) - $120-150 Version 1 Version 2 Version 3 Version 4 Orient is another very reliable brand with some great watches. One of their most well known product lines is the Bambino. It is more of a dress watch, and comes in four dif...
Watches from brands such as MVMT, Vincero, Daniel Wellington, and many others are - newsflash - a giant scam. First let's talk about build quality, Each of these companies ensures great quality for their own product. This however, is not true. They have no influence on the quality of their watches, as they are mass produced in china and branded with their company name after the fact. The front glass crystal is extremely fragile. It is some sort of mineral crystal. The second source of contention for me is that these brands have no heritage. They were made just to make money, not to improve watch future like their brands would claim. These companies sprung up out of nowhere, which is possible for them because they don't have to manufacture the watches themselves. I have touched on the truth about the production of these watches a bit, but let's go a little more in depth. Each watch is manufactured and sold to the brands for a mere few dollars at most, often ...