If you need the official time go to www.time.gov
Note: The pictures are clickable!
The Railroad Approved Citizen BF0050-51A
Specs:
Stainless Steel
Day/Date
Water Resistant
Mineral Crystal
Japan Quartz Movement
2 year battery
Price: Around $70
This watch is small, about 33mm by 7. It's very light and the low profile makes it slide easily under sleeves. The steel bracelet has a folding clasp and is very comfortable. The dial and hands are clearly legible in daylight. At night however, it's a different story. The lumabrite spots in the dial show up nicely, but the hands are so narrow you really cannot see them. The hands are also to short. the minute hand should extend to the minute markers and it doesn't. The second hand should also. It doesn't either. The crystal is flush with the bezel so it gets a bit of protection from scratches. Thats a good thing. It is listed as water resistant, a theory I wouldn't want to test since it has a snap on back and the crown doesn't screw down. The day and date can be difficult to read at times, they don't always line up in the window. The watch has a simple, no jewel movement that gains about 8 seconds a month. That's about what I would expect. This is a good watch for comfort, you hardly know it's there, but the poor choice of hands can get on the nerves.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stainless Steel
Day/Date
Water Resistant to 50 meters
Mineral Crystal
Japan Quartz Movement
5 year battery
Price Around $100
This watch is a bit larger than the Citizen, it's 36mm by 8mm. It is very light as well, it almost feels fake. The bracelet is also comfortable with an easy to use folding clasp. The dial and hands is where this watch really shines. Like the Citizen the numbers are clearly legible, although I like the Font on the Citizen better. The hands are the proper length so the correct time is seen at a glance. In the dark, the Lumabrite spots and hands show up perfectly. Citizen could learn from this. The hands aren't perfect though. They are chrome and under certain light, they reflect and almost disappear into the background. I think blue or black would have been a better choice. The day and date line up perfectly, and they are more legible than the Citizen as well. Another nice point of this watch is the movement. It's a simple single jewel movement but it's accuracy is terrific. I measured a gain of just 2 to 3 seconds a month! I have concerns about the crystal, it actually sticks above the bezel a bit so it's completely unprotected. Being a mineral crystal, it can be scratched fairly easily, but not easily buffed out. I wish they would use plastic or Sapphire instead. The watch claims 50 meters water resistance and the screw down back helps. The crown doesn't screw down however, but for $100 bucks you cannot ask for too much.
There you have it.
Now, for comfort the Citizen, at least to me has a slight edge, the lower profile, nicer font, and more rounded case give it a bit more style also. The Seiko has an easy edge in legibility and it's superb accuracy. Also, the extra water resistance of the Seiko is a great advantage as well. Both bands are equally easy to use, and seem to pull on the arm hairs equally too! If you're clumsy, the better protected Citizen crystal is worth considering. Personally, I think the Seiko is worth the extra 30 bucks. Pulsar, also by Seiko also has some, but I didn't have any to review.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chase Durer Special Forces 1000 UDT
Specs:
316L Stainless Steel
Chronograph/Date
Water resistant 330 meters!
Sapphire Crystal
ETA 251.262 Quartz Movement
3 year battery
Price Around $500 This watch is discontinued, replaced by an even BIGGER one.
This watch is big. 42mm by 14mm. And heavy. Over 1/3 pound! The dial is busy, with a chronograph function measuring up to 12 hours at 1/10 second. There are 7 hands plus date and tachymetre surrounded by a left turn only bezel that has a 360 deg. compass heading and the minutes marked off in fives. Believe it or not, this watch is easier to read at night since only the hour markers and numbers along with the hour and minute hand glow, thus rendering the whole view simpler. The Superluminova used to make the glow works very well. Very bright at first, it dims at about the rate your eyes adjust to the dark so it helps preserve night vision.
The movement has 27 jewels which seems like overkill on a quartz watch, but it shows ETA cares. One very nice feature of this movement is that you can change the hour hand without stopping the minutes. While only taking slightly longer for date changes, it makes changing timezones and daylight savings a snap. My watch gains a bit over 6 seconds a month which is good but it seems like it ought to be better at this price point.
I wore this watch two years straight and there is not one scratch on the sapphire crystal. That's tough stuff. In fact the only wear this watch shows is on the pointy parts of the bezel, and at the clasp. The water resistance is a remarkable 1000 feet. It's believeable too. The Crown, pushers, and back all screw down. Of course, while this watch is certainly tough, I didn't wear it while I was fixing the car or doing anything to risky. It's just the sheer price of the thing that makes one want to baby it. All isn't perfect of course. I believe the bezel should count down instead of up since you have an excellent chronograph for that. And the weight is finally what caused me to put it away. In order to keep it from bouncing on my wrist bone, or rubbing a hot spot in my wrist, I'd have to wear it very tight, then my hand would start to go to sleep. Who knew?
Still, this is one watch that seems to say Mack Bolin every time I see it. You know, it's just bad ass.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Citizen Stiletto watch #AR0010-02A
Specs:
Stainless Steel
Shows the time only, thinness has a price.
Water resistant
Sapphire Crystal
Eco-Drive Quartz
Solar Powered
Price Around $150 This watch is discontinued, replaced by an even thinner one!
If you like your watches seen and not felt, this is a good choice. Very light and thin with a thin leather band, you'll hardly know it's there. This watch is only just over 5mm thick and 33mm across. If you buy it's replacement, you lose the second hand and drop to 4mm! Citizen claims these are the thinnest solar powered watches you can buy. The movement isn't just very thin, less than 3mm, but very small, the solar panel isn't between it and the dial, but actually surrounds it, like a doughnut.
Don't dunk it in water though, it's slim size means basically only splash resistance, no screw down crown, and only a snap on back. The Sapphire crystal, a terrific feature at this price, helps to ensure a scratch free view of the dial. I might add that it is one nice dial, bright white with very black indicators and hands. It's easy to read, with no clutter. Light is this watches' friend. It's where it gets it's power, and the only way you can see it. Nothing glows. It is a dress watch. It is estimated the rechargeable cell should last 15 to 25 years. Accurate to about 8 seconds a month, I've been very happy with this one.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Casio G-Shock DW-5600E
Specs:
Reinforced Resin Case
Day/Date/Month
Alarms/Stopwatch/
Timer/etc.
Water Resistant 200 meters
Seriously Shock Resistant
Mineral Glass Crystal
Quartz Module/LCD
Battery 2 to 3 years.
Price Around $40
Chances are you've all seen one. This watch has been a favorite of soldiers, police, and anybody else who needs a watch that just works, whatever you're doing. With no moving parts, and a module encased in rubber, inside a hard plastic case, protected by yet another plastic shell, these watches are about as close to indestructible as you can get. All this while remaining very light on the wrist. The use of mineral glass can be debated, sapphire would be preferred, but I'm told sapphire is more brittle than glass, thus more likely to shatter on impact. I'm more inclined to believe it keeps cost down.
The beauty of these watches is that you don't have to think about them. You buy one new, you abuse it a bit, after awhile you realize it's fine. You can do whatever you'd do if you weren't wearing a watch. Water is no problem, neither is engine oil, "don't ask", You can even use the buttons while submerged. This model is the bottom of the line, and it's as tough as the rest. One chief complaint about the DW-5600E is that it keeps lousy time. Often true. this one gained 25 seconds a month. I've heard of them gaining as much as 2 minutes a month. Not acceptable for a quartz watch.
One little known secret about this particular model. The rate is Adjustable. Seriously, you have to remove the back, like you'd do to change the battery, and just above the all clear contact there is a screw. Takes a tiny flat tip, turn it clockwise to slow it down, and counter-clockwise to speed it up. After a few tries, I got mine down to a gain of just under 1 second a month! Not to shabby. Here's a somewhat lousy pic. The blurry arrow at the top points to the correct screw...
With plastic cases, these watches are going to show wear. They'll get shiny as the plastic wears, the bands will get brittle and need replacing, the glass will get scratched, but they will still likely survive better than you. At least until the year 2039, when this models' calendar reaches the end of it's programming!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOSTOK Komandirskie Submarine Military Watch
Specs:
Chrome Case/Steel Back
Date
Shock Resistant
Water Resistant 50 meters
Plastic Crystal
17 Jewel Manual Wind
Approx 36 hours running
Price Around $50
Vostok Watch factory in Russia has been making watches since 1942. This particular watch was made shortly before the fall of Communism. They still make basically this same watch today. It is low priced, but very solid. This one isn't shown with the original band. Size wise it's about 38mm by 9mm. A good guy's sized watch, without being overdone. It is a bit hefty. Lot's of metal here. The back has a very ingenious screw down method that doesn't damage the seal. You can see it in the picture. The crown also screws down. This is one of the pleasures of this watch. The crown is very big and easy to get a grip on. You can quickly unscrew and wind it then screw it back down with no fuss. It's a good thing since it's not an auto wind. The upside here is that it keeps the watch relatively thin. The auto wind version is several mm thicker.
The simple 17 jewel movement is undecorated, so having no window in the back isn't a loss. Undecorated however, doesn't mean cheap. The design is very robust, and while the watch is rated at a lousy -20 to +60 seconds daily, it can be considerably more accurate. I have this one adjusted to a rate of -2 to -3 seconds daily on the wrist. A variation of just 1 second is not bad for any mechanical. It does considerably better than my Seiko divers with it's 7S26 Automatic movement. It's rate can very over 10 seconds a day!
Comfort wise the design could have been better. It's bottom edges are a bit sharp and can sometimes dig into the arm, the crown sometimes leaves a mark as well. The crystal is raised and exposed, but since it's plastic, if you scratch it you can usually buff it out with no trouble. The dial and hands aren't going to win any style awards, but they are easy to read. The bezel turns both directions with no clicks. The luminous part on this watch doesn't glow anymore, but when it did it was very easy to read in the dark. I imagine it's just as good it doesn't glow anymore, they used some pretty radioactive stuff back then. All in all, if you are on a tight budget, but want a good mechanical, these watches shouldn't be overlooked.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A quick review of my old Rolex DateJust
I recieved this watch from my dad when I was 14. He picked it up in Hong Kong in 1966. I was just 2. Dad was in the infantry during the Korean and Vietnam wars. This watch has seen considerable abuse. I wore it a solid 20 years before putting it into semi-retirement. It's 100 meters water resistant using their famous Oyster case and Twinlock crown. It has a Swiss in house automatic COSC certified movement.
While he only paid $200 for it back then, one would have to pay over $6000 to replace it now. Rolex still doesn't seem to have any trouble selling them. My experience with this one has given me nothing but respect for the brand. It's always been accurate, with a variation of no more than 1 to 2 seconds a day. It still looks new, although the crystal has been replaced several times. This one has a plastic crystal so it isn't too expensive. The Crown has been replaced twice. Last time it cost $90. I imagine it will be much more now. In an odd turn, the Crown goes bad because it's Gold, and gold is soft, so the threads wear out. If it had been a much cheaper steel crown it would have lasted considerably longer! The case is 316L stainless. Rolex uses a better steel now. They also have switched to Sapphire crystals.
Incidently, the watch is currently being serviced, something I try to do every 10 years. It will cost more to service it than it cost to BUY any of the other watches I have reviewed so far. That is a fac
tor to consider.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The pictures are clickable!
The Railroad Approved Citizen BF0050-51A
Specs:
Stainless Steel
Day/Date
Water Resistant
Mineral Crystal
Japan Quartz Movement
2 year battery
Price: Around $70
This watch is small, about 33mm by 7. It's very light and the low profile makes it slide easily under sleeves. The steel bracelet has a folding clasp and is very comfortable. The dial and hands are clearly legible in daylight. At night however, it's a different story. The lumabrite spots in the dial show up nicely, but the hands are so narrow you really cannot see them. The hands are also to short. the minute hand should extend to the minute markers and it doesn't. The second hand should also. It doesn't either. The crystal is flush with the bezel so it gets a bit of protection from scratches. Thats a good thing. It is listed as water resistant, a theory I wouldn't want to test since it has a snap on back and the crown doesn't screw down. The day and date can be difficult to read at times, they don't always line up in the window. The watch has a simple, no jewel movement that gains about 8 seconds a month. That's about what I would expect. This is a good watch for comfort, you hardly know it's there, but the poor choice of hands can get on the nerves.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Railroad Approved Seiko Seiko SGG531
Specs:
Stainless Steel
Day/Date
Water Resistant to 50 meters
Mineral Crystal
Japan Quartz Movement
5 year battery
Price Around $100
This watch is a bit larger than the Citizen, it's 36mm by 8mm. It is very light as well, it almost feels fake. The bracelet is also comfortable with an easy to use folding clasp. The dial and hands is where this watch really shines. Like the Citizen the numbers are clearly legible, although I like the Font on the Citizen better. The hands are the proper length so the correct time is seen at a glance. In the dark, the Lumabrite spots and hands show up perfectly. Citizen could learn from this. The hands aren't perfect though. They are chrome and under certain light, they reflect and almost disappear into the background. I think blue or black would have been a better choice. The day and date line up perfectly, and they are more legible than the Citizen as well. Another nice point of this watch is the movement. It's a simple single jewel movement but it's accuracy is terrific. I measured a gain of just 2 to 3 seconds a month! I have concerns about the crystal, it actually sticks above the bezel a bit so it's completely unprotected. Being a mineral crystal, it can be scratched fairly easily, but not easily buffed out. I wish they would use plastic or Sapphire instead. The watch claims 50 meters water resistance and the screw down back helps. The crown doesn't screw down however, but for $100 bucks you cannot ask for too much.
There you have it.Now, for comfort the Citizen, at least to me has a slight edge, the lower profile, nicer font, and more rounded case give it a bit more style also. The Seiko has an easy edge in legibility and it's superb accuracy. Also, the extra water resistance of the Seiko is a great advantage as well. Both bands are equally easy to use, and seem to pull on the arm hairs equally too! If you're clumsy, the better protected Citizen crystal is worth considering. Personally, I think the Seiko is worth the extra 30 bucks. Pulsar, also by Seiko also has some, but I didn't have any to review.
Time for something different....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chase Durer Special Forces 1000 UDT
Specs:
316L Stainless Steel
Chronograph/Date
Water resistant 330 meters!
Sapphire Crystal
ETA 251.262 Quartz Movement
3 year battery
Price Around $500 This watch is discontinued, replaced by an even BIGGER one.
This watch is big. 42mm by 14mm. And heavy. Over 1/3 pound! The dial is busy, with a chronograph function measuring up to 12 hours at 1/10 second. There are 7 hands plus date and tachymetre surrounded by a left turn only bezel that has a 360 deg. compass heading and the minutes marked off in fives. Believe it or not, this watch is easier to read at night since only the hour markers and numbers along with the hour and minute hand glow, thus rendering the whole view simpler. The Superluminova used to make the glow works very well. Very bright at first, it dims at about the rate your eyes adjust to the dark so it helps preserve night vision.
The movement has 27 jewels which seems like overkill on a quartz watch, but it shows ETA cares. One very nice feature of this movement is that you can change the hour hand without stopping the minutes. While only taking slightly longer for date changes, it makes changing timezones and daylight savings a snap. My watch gains a bit over 6 seconds a month which is good but it seems like it ought to be better at this price point.
I wore this watch two years straight and there is not one scratch on the sapphire crystal. That's tough stuff. In fact the only wear this watch shows is on the pointy parts of the bezel, and at the clasp. The water resistance is a remarkable 1000 feet. It's believeable too. The Crown, pushers, and back all screw down. Of course, while this watch is certainly tough, I didn't wear it while I was fixing the car or doing anything to risky. It's just the sheer price of the thing that makes one want to baby it. All isn't perfect of course. I believe the bezel should count down instead of up since you have an excellent chronograph for that. And the weight is finally what caused me to put it away. In order to keep it from bouncing on my wrist bone, or rubbing a hot spot in my wrist, I'd have to wear it very tight, then my hand would start to go to sleep. Who knew?
Still, this is one watch that seems to say Mack Bolin every time I see it. You know, it's just bad ass.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Citizen Stiletto watch #AR0010-02A
Specs:
Stainless Steel
Shows the time only, thinness has a price.
Water resistant
Sapphire Crystal
Eco-Drive Quartz
Solar Powered
Price Around $150 This watch is discontinued, replaced by an even thinner one!
If you like your watches seen and not felt, this is a good choice. Very light and thin with a thin leather band, you'll hardly know it's there. This watch is only just over 5mm thick and 33mm across. If you buy it's replacement, you lose the second hand and drop to 4mm! Citizen claims these are the thinnest solar powered watches you can buy. The movement isn't just very thin, less than 3mm, but very small, the solar panel isn't between it and the dial, but actually surrounds it, like a doughnut.
Don't dunk it in water though, it's slim size means basically only splash resistance, no screw down crown, and only a snap on back. The Sapphire crystal, a terrific feature at this price, helps to ensure a scratch free view of the dial. I might add that it is one nice dial, bright white with very black indicators and hands. It's easy to read, with no clutter. Light is this watches' friend. It's where it gets it's power, and the only way you can see it. Nothing glows. It is a dress watch. It is estimated the rechargeable cell should last 15 to 25 years. Accurate to about 8 seconds a month, I've been very happy with this one.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Casio G-Shock DW-5600E
Specs:
Reinforced Resin Case
Day/Date/Month
Alarms/Stopwatch/
Timer/etc.
Water Resistant 200 meters
Seriously Shock Resistant
Mineral Glass Crystal
Quartz Module/LCD
Battery 2 to 3 years.
Price Around $40
Chances are you've all seen one. This watch has been a favorite of soldiers, police, and anybody else who needs a watch that just works, whatever you're doing. With no moving parts, and a module encased in rubber, inside a hard plastic case, protected by yet another plastic shell, these watches are about as close to indestructible as you can get. All this while remaining very light on the wrist. The use of mineral glass can be debated, sapphire would be preferred, but I'm told sapphire is more brittle than glass, thus more likely to shatter on impact. I'm more inclined to believe it keeps cost down.
The beauty of these watches is that you don't have to think about them. You buy one new, you abuse it a bit, after awhile you realize it's fine. You can do whatever you'd do if you weren't wearing a watch. Water is no problem, neither is engine oil, "don't ask", You can even use the buttons while submerged. This model is the bottom of the line, and it's as tough as the rest. One chief complaint about the DW-5600E is that it keeps lousy time. Often true. this one gained 25 seconds a month. I've heard of them gaining as much as 2 minutes a month. Not acceptable for a quartz watch.
One little known secret about this particular model. The rate is Adjustable. Seriously, you have to remove the back, like you'd do to change the battery, and just above the all clear contact there is a screw. Takes a tiny flat tip, turn it clockwise to slow it down, and counter-clockwise to speed it up. After a few tries, I got mine down to a gain of just under 1 second a month! Not to shabby. Here's a somewhat lousy pic. The blurry arrow at the top points to the correct screw...
With plastic cases, these watches are going to show wear. They'll get shiny as the plastic wears, the bands will get brittle and need replacing, the glass will get scratched, but they will still likely survive better than you. At least until the year 2039, when this models' calendar reaches the end of it's programming!
VOSTOK Komandirskie Submarine Military Watch
Specs:
Chrome Case/Steel Back
Date
Shock Resistant
Water Resistant 50 meters
Plastic Crystal
17 Jewel Manual Wind
Approx 36 hours running
Price Around $50
Vostok Watch factory in Russia has been making watches since 1942. This particular watch was made shortly before the fall of Communism. They still make basically this same watch today. It is low priced, but very solid. This one isn't shown with the original band. Size wise it's about 38mm by 9mm. A good guy's sized watch, without being overdone. It is a bit hefty. Lot's of metal here. The back has a very ingenious screw down method that doesn't damage the seal. You can see it in the picture. The crown also screws down. This is one of the pleasures of this watch. The crown is very big and easy to get a grip on. You can quickly unscrew and wind it then screw it back down with no fuss. It's a good thing since it's not an auto wind. The upside here is that it keeps the watch relatively thin. The auto wind version is several mm thicker.
The simple 17 jewel movement is undecorated, so having no window in the back isn't a loss. Undecorated however, doesn't mean cheap. The design is very robust, and while the watch is rated at a lousy -20 to +60 seconds daily, it can be considerably more accurate. I have this one adjusted to a rate of -2 to -3 seconds daily on the wrist. A variation of just 1 second is not bad for any mechanical. It does considerably better than my Seiko divers with it's 7S26 Automatic movement. It's rate can very over 10 seconds a day!
Comfort wise the design could have been better. It's bottom edges are a bit sharp and can sometimes dig into the arm, the crown sometimes leaves a mark as well. The crystal is raised and exposed, but since it's plastic, if you scratch it you can usually buff it out with no trouble. The dial and hands aren't going to win any style awards, but they are easy to read. The bezel turns both directions with no clicks. The luminous part on this watch doesn't glow anymore, but when it did it was very easy to read in the dark. I imagine it's just as good it doesn't glow anymore, they used some pretty radioactive stuff back then. All in all, if you are on a tight budget, but want a good mechanical, these watches shouldn't be overlooked.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A quick review of my old Rolex DateJust
I recieved this watch from my dad when I was 14. He picked it up in Hong Kong in 1966. I was just 2. Dad was in the infantry during the Korean and Vietnam wars. This watch has seen considerable abuse. I wore it a solid 20 years before putting it into semi-retirement. It's 100 meters water resistant using their famous Oyster case and Twinlock crown. It has a Swiss in house automatic COSC certified movement.
While he only paid $200 for it back then, one would have to pay over $6000 to replace it now. Rolex still doesn't seem to have any trouble selling them. My experience with this one has given me nothing but respect for the brand. It's always been accurate, with a variation of no more than 1 to 2 seconds a day. It still looks new, although the crystal has been replaced several times. This one has a plastic crystal so it isn't too expensive. The Crown has been replaced twice. Last time it cost $90. I imagine it will be much more now. In an odd turn, the Crown goes bad because it's Gold, and gold is soft, so the threads wear out. If it had been a much cheaper steel crown it would have lasted considerably longer! The case is 316L stainless. Rolex uses a better steel now. They also have switched to Sapphire crystals.
Incidently, the watch is currently being serviced, something I try to do every 10 years. It will cost more to service it than it cost to BUY any of the other watches I have reviewed so far. That is a fac
tor to consider.
