Every budding watch connoisseur knows the importance of getting affordable timepieces that do more than what you pay for. While Swiss-made watches of the highest quality are the first watch goals for enthusiast collectors, starting with budget brands can be a fun way to make your decision skills sharper. But, regardless of the price of your watch, be it expensive or affordable what matters more is how you take care of your watch. Do you even know how to clean a watch. Well, browse on the SpotTheWatch as they host quick guides and reviews on your timepieces. In this article, we’ve listed down some fairly affordable starter watch brands you need to check out:
Casio
Casio is one of the few Japanese brands that has captured the hearts of watch connoisseurs worldwide because of its solar-powered timepieces. Casio is undoubtedly the king of solar-powered movements, other than, of course, it’s contemporary Citizen. Casio is not just a watch company, it’s also an electronics company with interests in calculators, keyboards, and other electrical devices.
Casio popularized digital movements after Seiko introduced the quartz movement. Remember those rectangular digital wristwatches you had as a child? Well, those are some of the brand’s successful products. Today, the brand is revered for the G-Shock line of watches, which is dubbed as some of the world’s toughest watches. To start a collection, get the best G-Shock watch you can find, and you’re good to go on an adventure.
Also read: 3 Of The Best Japanese Watches You Can Buy
Casio also has the Edifice line, which is focused on the dressier watches. These watches are also solar-powered, with traditional complications like chronographs, day-date, and second-time zone, among others. The watches under the Edifice line have a tough-guy vibe to it as well: carbon fiber dials, 100-meter water-resistance, and top-of-the-line anti-shock features.
Seiko
In a world where automatic watches fetch astronomical prices, Seiko has been a saving grace for people to experience the wonder of mechanical movement without sacrificing a kidney or two. Let’s be honest, Swiss watch brands price their watches ridiculously, and while some are deserved, most of the time, it’s just your money that they’re after.
If you want an excellent starter automatic watch, the Seiko 5 series from the company is a great place to start. The new Seiko 5 Sports line is prized more steeply, but you can still find the less than $100 watches from the brand with a great automatic movement. The SNKL23, for example, is a steal through and through. It looks and feels like a premium mechanical watch!
On the quartz end of the spectrum, Seiko always had the upper hand among its contemporaries. It’s the brand that introduced the movement years ago, and the Prospex line, as well as the Astron, are two super quartz movement watches with unbelievable accuracy in telling time that’s unprecedented! Grand Seiko, Seiko’s luxury arm, is among the best in the field of luxury watchmakers as well, and they don’t price as nearly as expensive when compared with their Swiss counterparts!
Hamilton
Hamilton has proven time and again that it’s one of the best Swiss watch brands with its pretty solid lineup and fairly approachable pricing. It’s one of the few Swiss watchmakers cracking the affordable luxury market, with timepieces that are not only quality, but they can also go head to head with other top-of-the-line mechanical watches on the planet. Getting a Hamilton means you’ll have a Swiss-made watch in your collection, and that alone is enough reason to buy one!
The Khaki King is the company’s most popular watch and one of its oldest. Getting a Khaki King is not only a great choice, but it’s also a great everyday driver watch that can take the usual wear and tear of normal use. The Jazzmaster collection is also an excellent line, with more contemporary choices for younger audiences. Another great collection from the brand is the Broadway line, which consists of modern watches for young adults.
Also read: Time is Gold: 5 Simple Tips to Lengthen Your Rolex’s Life
Takeaway
Affordable watch brands are few and far between, especially for automatic watches. That’s why if you are serious about watch collecting, you need to invest in brands that you know make quality timepieces! The brands listed above are all of those and more, and getting a watch from these brands will surely make you happy!
