One accessory that can upgrade a man’s style instantly is a good watch. But a good watch can be hard to find, especially if you’re a novice to the industry. So what does a good starter watch entail? To cover the most basic aspects of a dependable timepiece, it needs to be convenient, fashionable, and well-fitting among other things.
But I have so many questions! For one, what does it mean for a watch to be convenient?
Good question. We’ll be covering everything you need to know when it comes to buying your first watch. Here at Jargon Style, we believe that watches are a must in the accessory world. But in order to buy the best possible starter watch, you’re going to need to know what makes a timepiece great.
P.S., if you’re a big watch fan, then you might like our Bulova watch review.
Table of Contents
Building Your Collection: What Makes a Starter Watch Affordable?
When you’re building your watch collection, the first watch is always the most important because your starter watch is the watch that will define what timepieces you get in the future.
Therefore, you want to get something that has more than enough value for what you’re paying.
For your starter watch to be affordable, you need a timepiece that uses high-quality design and materials and doesn’t break the bank. But breaking the bank has a different meaning for each of us.
For some, it means $150 for a watch. For others, it means $1000 for your first timepiece. Heck, your budget might even be $15. But no matter what your price point is, an affordable watch should be one that fits within your budget and gives you more value than what you paid for it.
What to Look For in an Entry-Level Watch
For me, a great starter watch entails convenience, how fashionable it is, and the fit. Then, from there, I consider the quality of the materials used to make the timepiece and its movement.
Convenience
Convenience means many things. When it comes to clothing, convenience means that your fit can adapt to many different environments and conditions. When it comes to watches, convenience means it’s durable, easy-to-use, and fits your occasion most often.
You first have to determine what you need a watch for. Do you need it for daily wear, dinner, work? Before you can buy a watch, there needs to be a good reason behind it.
If you need a watch that is convenient for most occasions, then I’d highly recommend checking out beater watches. They’re very durable, well-fitting, and most beater watches can hold up really well in tough environments.
If you need a watch because you want a piece that looks good on your wrist for dinners and formal events, then try a dress watch. If you’re out on the water all day, then try for a dive watch.
So on and so forth. There’s a watch for every job and every occasion. You just have to go out and look.
Fashionable
Convenience is probably the biggest part when it comes to choosing your watch but no matter what you choose, the watch needs to be fashionable. It doesn’t matter if it’s a work watch or a dress watch, you need to learn how to make it fashionable. Simply put, you need to learn how to style the piece.
Styling your piece comes down to what you wear and what type of watch you’re wearing. For example, a dress watch goes perfectly with a suit but might look a little faulty whenever you wear it with track pants and a t-shirt.
But a fashionable watch also has to meet several of its own requirements. For one, it can’t stand out too much. A good watch is meant to catch your eye but nothing more than that. A watch that tries to get the attention of others is a watch that is never worth buying.
In today’s fashion world, a watch that is considered fashionable is usually anywhere from 35mm-40mm in length, uses mostly neutral tones, and focuses more on the dial’s design than anything else.
There are hundreds of affordable starter watches out there that fit these requirements. However, if you don’t have a preference, then I’d recommend checking out Seiko, Timex, and Orient.
Well-Fitting
The final component to a great starter watch is how it fits and this ultimately comes down to your wrist size. Each wrist size has its own watch measurements. A 6-inch wrist can work with a 38mm watch dial while a 7.5-inch wrist can work with a 45mm watch dial.
If the watch dial is too big, then your wrist will feel clunky and the watch itself will have a negative flair. If the watch dial is too small, then the entire purpose of a watch–besides keeping time–is now gone.
To find a well-fitting watch, you can either go the rigorous route by measuring your wrist and finding the perfect watch via your wrist size or you can settle for a watch with a diameter between 36-42mm.
The 36-42mm watches are considered to be the best range of watches when it comes to fit. 36mm is just perfect when you’re looking for a low-key watch and 42mm is the threshold for sizing before the watch itself starts to look too big on your wrist.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a good fashion sense or if your watch is a $10 pick-me-up from your local thrift store. As long as its well-fitting, your wrist game will instantly be ten times better.
What’s the Best Movement? Quartz, Mechanical, or Automatic?
When it comes to starter watches, you want to get the most reliable movement. This is what the watch uses to function and operate. There are three types of movement: quartz, mechanical, and automatic.
Each type of movement has its benefits. Quartz movement is easier to maintain because the movement depends on an electronic oscillator, regulated by a quartz crystal.
The crystal oscillator creates a signal with a very precise frequency, making this movement the most accurate out of the movements. Quartz movement is also the easiest to maintain because quartz movement only requires you to set the time and replace the battery every few years.
In my opinion, automatic movement is the most interesting out of them all because the watch winds itself through the wearer’s movements. Therefore, no batteries are needed.
Mechanical movement is driven by a mainspring that needs to be hand-wound periodically or through some automatic winding mechanism.
Out of these three, I find automatic movement to be the most interesting because through this movement, the seconds hand possesses a continuous sweeping motion that can hypnotize your eye if you look at it for too long.
But while automatic movement is certainly the most aesthetically pleasing, quartz movement is probably the most dependable. Of course, this is up for controversy because quartz movement is utilized in a lot of cheap watches while more expensive watches like to use automatic movement.
This implies that automatic movement is superior to quartz movement in more ways than one. However, that doesn’t mean you should rule out quartz or mechanical movement for your watch. Both are very good at keeping a watch functional.
Best Starter Watches For Price and Quality
Now that you know what goes into a great starter watch, it’s time to find a piece that might be right for you. I’ll be taking into account convenience, the style of the piece, and how well-fitting the watch is.
Dress Watch: Seiko Presage SSA346J1
If you’re looking for a watch that is for looks, then you want to invest in a dress watch. They stand out in all the perfect ways.
Dress watches aren’t too flashy but they can catch everyone’s eye once you walk into the room. The movement of a good dress watch is almost always top-tier if you know where to buy from.
High-quality dress watches will usually possess a self-winding Automatic movement. This means that your seconds hand will have a beautiful sweeping motion rather than a standard tick.
If you’re looking at getting a dress watch, then I highly recommend checking out the Seiko Presage SSA346J1.
The watch possesses a standard Automatic movement with a manual winding capacity. The power reserve lasts for up to 41 hours, and the Seiko Presage SSA346J1 has a stop seconds hand function. That way, you can change between timezones much easier than other watches.
In the top-right area of the watch, the Seiko Presage shows your power reserve so that you know when your watch’s mainspring needs to be wound up again.
When it comes to the aesthetics of the watch, the Seiko Presage uses a rose gold casing and a tinted champagne dial, making for a wonderful color combination.
The dial markers are beautifully carved out with the minute and seconds hand being built just as carefully as the rest of the features. Let me tell you. At $650, you’re getting an array of features that you can’t even find in some watches worth $1,000+.
This is a very affordable starter dress watch. Sure, you can lower and opt for a timepiece that’s only $150, but you won’t find the Automatic movement, the bespoke design, or the premium features that this Seiko Presage possesses.
If you don’t want to go the Seiko route, then take a look at some Swiss dress watches. Some Swiss watch brands like Tissot and Hamilton make great affordable Swiss timepieces that are under $500.
Dive Watch: Seiko SKX007
If you’re frequently near water, then a diver watch is definitely the way to go. Diver watches are not only water-proof. They can also function under high pressure.
Dive watches have some features that make them stand out. Their hands and markers are luminous. They’re made of silicon, and they possess a bezel that allows them to track their time.
Most dive watches come with a polyurethane or bracelet strap. If you see what you think might be a dive watch with a leather strap, then you ‘re probably looking at a pilot watch. Both watch types have a lot in common.
Most dive watches can withstand underwater pressures of anywhere from 150 meters to 400 meters. The bezel is great for timing and thanks to the silicon makeup of the watch, dive watches are shock-resistant.
A great starter for a dive watch would definitely be the Seiko SKX007 hands down. This Seiko classic is considered the go-to timepiece for those who spend a lot of time in the water because like the Seiko Presage, you’re getting more value than you pay.
The SKX007 is a watch that should be worth $850+. However, you can get it for around $350 which is a beautiful deal if you ask me.
On the SKX007, you have self-winding Automatic movement, a 44-48 hour power reserve, powerfully luminous markers, and a smoothly finished bezel.
These are just some of the many features that you’ll have the pleasure of experiencing if you purchase an SKX007.
Field Watch: Timex Expedition Field Chronograph
If you want a mix of both, then try for a casual watch. The purpose of a casual watch is to wear it wherever life calls you to go. The convenience of a casual watch comes from its hybrid composition of aspects from both diver and dress watches.
A good starter for a casual watch would be the Timex Expedition Field Chronograph Men’s Watch. For starters, it looks great on a polyurethane strap, a NATO strap, and a leather strap. A bracelet wouldn’t fit the style as much but with the Timex Expedition fitting three out of the four main watchband options, it’s still a great option.
Furthermore, its chronograph dial and date window give you full access to the time throughout the day down to the very second and it is water-resistant up to 330 feet.
There are many other great options out there for casual watches that are sub-$500 but it’s really hard to pass up Timex’s affordable price tag and wide range of benefits when you buy their Expedition Field Chronograph Men’s Watch.
Digital Watch: Timex Classic Digital Watch
The Timex Classic Digital watch has a wide range of features that the other starter watches I’ve listed don’t have. For one, this watch has a digital display rather than an analog display.
The watch has a timer that is controlled by the crown on the side of the watch. When it’s dark, the digital display will light up thanks to Timex’s patented Indiglo technology.
Like the Timex Expedition, this digital timepiece can withstand the rigorous nature of the outdoors. The band is made up of stainless steel and is held together by a 34mm resin case.
If you want your first watch to be a watch that is subtle and simple but at the same time, very handy, then I highly recommend you check out Timex’s digital watch. It’ll do wonders for you, no matter where you go.
Pilot Watch: Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T
Pilot watches have always held a special place in my heart because of their looks and functionality. Pilots are as robust and durable as dive and field watches. However, they also have the complexity and design of dress watches.
Citizen’s Promaster Skyhawk A-T is the perfect example of this. The watch has a digital backlight, countdown timer, calendar, and is also water-resistant for up to 200m.
Perhaps its coolest technical feature is that it doesn’t run on a battery or any type of winding movement. Instead, the watch can be powered by light, making it a sustainable piece you can take with you forever.
Aesthetic-wise, the Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T uses an interesting color combination of yellow and blue which they manage to pull off perfectly.
Aside from the stainless steel casing and sapphire crystal, the Promaster Skyhawk A-T uses yellow stitching to accentuate the dark blue leather strap. Normally, I would say that yellow and blue don’t go well together, but this watch changed my mind.
They also manage to pull off the yellow-blue combination on the watch dial itself. You can see while they emphasize the blue dial, they relax the colors with a bold yellow that’s strategically placed in different areas.
Overall, this watch has many great features that help it stand out as a pilot watch. From its bold yellow-and-blue aesthetics to its technical prowess, the Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T will help you take on the world and look stylish at the same time.
Conclusion
If you haven’t bought a watch yet, then we highly recommend that you do so. One common misconception is that you have to spend big bucks in order to get a good watch but that couldn’t be more false.
A good watch can be picked up at any price range and an affordable starter watch can be a better companion than your typical Rolex if you use it well. Furthermore, a higher price tag doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s convenient, fashionable, and well-fitting.
Sometimes, a higher price tag means that you’re willing to pay more for an “exclusive” piece when, in reality, an affordable starter watch can serve every purpose you would ever need.