Time for a new Watch

[jp110099]

Hey everyone, I currently am wearing a Casio MTP-3036 (www.casio.com/products/Timepiece/Dress/MTP3036_Series/product/MTP3036A-1AV/) with a white face, but I am looking to upgrade even though this is a great watch. This watch is fairly old and I have no specifications on it so I was wondering if someone knew the diameter of the face and the thickness, so I can compare it to the watches I am looking at. I upgraded from the Casio G7000-1V (www.casio.com/products/Timepiece/G-Shock/G7000-1V/) because it was way too thick for my tastes. So far these are the watches I have narrowed it down to:

1. Bulova Accutron Eagle Pilot (www.bulova.com/brands/accutron/product.aspx?id=1777&coll_id=183&origin=collection)

2. Citizen Titanium Eco-Drive VO10-5992F (www.entique.com.au/product.aspx?id=7645)

3. Bulova Marine Star (www.bulova.com/brands/bulova/product.aspx?id=2205&coll_id=30&origin=collection)

4.

So basically my questions are will either of those watches keep time as well if not better than my Casio? Does the citizen have a Sapphire crystal? And finally does anyone have any suggestions about watches that I overlooked, I'm looking mainly for simple watches, nothing too fancy like the Citizen Skyhawks or too large since my wrists are pretty skinny.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to read my post

[CHIP]

First, Welcome to WWF buddy!
Second... based on my experience you really can't go wrong with Citizen, so I would tend to lean towards that one.

HOWEVER... since some of those are priced in the 400 dollars range, I would HIGHLY sugest a mechanical watch.
You can get a Swiss mechanical watch that will last two lifetimes for less that 400 dollars.
Steinhart has some great deals on their divers. They have a 38mm one which would be perfect for a smaller wrist for around 350, and it is a Swill Made watch with a bullet proof ETA movement. You can check it out at www.steinhartwatches.com

If you want to stick with one of the three that you posted, I would go with the Citizen.

[jp110099]

Thanks for the warm welcome and reply! I'm not exactly an expert but what is a mechanical watch and how do the ones I've listed differ? Thanks a lot!

P.S. I should also mention I'm looking at Hamilton, and should I be worried the Citizen isn't Sapphire Crystal?

[CHIP]

Saphire is not all that important. One of the most iconic watches of all times, the Omega Speedmaster Professional, has a plastic "crystal". (The speedmaster is the only watch authorized by NASA for used in space, and it is the only watch worn on the moon).

Mechanical watch means that there are no electronic components whatsoever. The whole thing is made up of a spring, and gears that spin at just the right speed to show you the time. It is an art, and it has a soul... as opposed to a battery watch which is disposable. Anything electronic dies. Mechanical watches can last just about forever as long as you take care of them, as there are no batteries, no integrated circuits, no quarts crystals, no transistors... etc.

Hamilton is an EXCELLENT brand. I own a Hamilton Jazzmaster, which is an absolute stunner and it can be had for less than 400 dollars.

[jp110099]

Thanks again. If I go with the mechanical do I need to wind it everyday? As of now I think I will go with the Citizen (I've always wanted a Citizen, even though I'm only 19) and maybe the Hamilton, but I did have my heart set on the Bulova for quite some time. Also, is the Citizen one I am looking at rare or is it only sold in Japan since I can't seem to find it anywhere here. Thanks a lot.

[mamas]

Hi, welcome to the forum! chip has gven you a lot of good advice. Mecahnical watches come in 2 types, automatic (which means that they are self winding) or manual wind (which means you have to wind them yourslef. Of the choices you showed i would go with bullova without diamonds.. but if you pay $800 then you are into omega / tag territory if you buy gently use dso i wouldnt go for it personally.

I think chip hit the nail on the ehad.. check out hamiltons.. they are automatic, and have some real nice sporty models. If you want a dive watch, look at seiko automatic dive watches.. can be had for around $200-300 and are absolutely bomb proof. Most of my mecahnical watches are around 50 years old and are going strong!!!.. with quartz watches (with the exception of breitling . omea and other high end manufacturers) you will end up binning them after a few years so i wouldnt spend too much on them... spending $500-$700 on a quartz bulova is throwing your money down the sink.

[Sam]

Big welcome to WWF!

Chip and Mamas have already given you great advice. There are a lot of great brands that make affordable automatic watches....Hamilton & Seiko come to mind. Some of the Seiko dive watches (SKX007 and Black Monster) are in the $100-200 range and are as tough as any watch out there.

Nothing wrong with that Citizen either....or the Bulovas. But like Mamas said, if you're getting into the $600-800 range I'd start looking at Omegas and Tags.

As far as the Citizen goes, it may be an Asia only model. I've bought quite a few Seikos and Casios off the web that aren't available in the US. Doesn't mean they are rare or more collectible....just that they aren't available in the United States.

I personally prefer Sapphire or acrylic (plastic) over mineral crystal. Sapphire is about impossible to scratch. Acrylic scratches fairly easy, but it's also easy to polish out the scratch. Mineral is a little harder to scratch than acrylic, but once it's scratched it's there for good.

[jp110099]

I am leaning towards the Citizen since it looks like a decent size, the only problem I have is I can't see it in person and I'll be very upset if it is as large as my G-Shock. The Hamiltons are very nice too but very expensive for me at the moment and it seems most of the Seikos are too flashy. Well I'll continue on my search!

[CHIP]

jp110099 said:

I am leaning towards the Citizen since it looks like a decent size, the only problem I have is I can't see it in person and I'll be very upset if it is as large as my G-Shock. The Hamiltons are very nice too but very expensive for me at the moment and it seems most of the Seikos are too flashy. Well I'll continue on my search!

the Citizen that you like is 44mm. That is going to be a VERY large watch... Easily a G-Shock size.

[jp110099]

admin said:

jp110099 said:

I am leaning towards the Citizen since it looks like a decent size, the only problem I have is I can't see it in person and I'll be very upset if it is as large as my G-Shock. The Hamiltons are very nice too but very expensive for me at the moment and it seems most of the Seikos are too flashy. Well I'll continue on my search!

the Citizen that you like is 44mm. That is going to be a VERY large watch... Easily a G-Shock size.

I'm mostly worried about the thickness and not the diameter so as long as it is thinner it shouldn't bother me. I may go to the mall tonight to try on watches of similar sizes.

[Sam]

44mm is a BIG watch....trust me...I have a few of 'em. ;D That's Panerai and Aquatimer big.

As far as Seiko goes, the stuff they sell in the US like their kinetics are kinda flashy and modern looking. Their mechanicals/automatics you can find that aren't their standard US models are nice and traditional. Like these....





Both of those are under $200 bucks and automatics.