Casio Tough Solar AQ-S810W

If you've found the Casio G Shocks just a bit too pricey for a sports watch, then this budget hero Tough Solar presents a great alternative. At around £30 from internet retailers, this watch represents very good value and although being right near the bottom of the cost scale, is currently one of Casio's best looking watches. 

Look closely and you'll notice that the entire face of the watch is a solar panel which powers a rechargeable battery. With only a few days of charging, the watch will run for months. For economy of power, the minute hand only advances every 20 seconds and if the watch is left in the dark for a few days, the hands return to 12 o'clock and the watch enters a sleep mode to preserve power. As soon as it detects movement or light, the hands whirr right back to the correct time. Timekeeping is excellent with this model and it will lose or gain only one or two seconds per month. All the usual functions that Casio users will be used to are present with stopwatch, timer, world time, 5 alarms as well as a power indicator all on board. 

The evidence of the Tough Solar's budget nature is that the watch feels much lighter than a G Shock and the case plastics feel a little brittle. A tap on the crystal with a fingernail reveals that's it's made of plastic and not glass or sapphire. The strap also feels a lot less rubbery than those on the G Shocks and there is a plastic buckle instead of a steel one. The strap issue is easily resolved with the fitting of something more substantial, and just that small upgrade would change the feel of the watch a fair bit. Water resistance is rated at 10 bar or 100m rather than the 200m of the more pricey models. The stopwatch is also a little frustrating in that it only records up to one hour and the digital readout is a little small to read when running or swimming, making the watch suitable for outdoor lifestyles rather than for serious sports timing. 

All that said, this is a really special go-anywhere timepiece and there are very few sports watches that compare to it in this price range. You won't need to change the rechargeable battery for about 15 years and like most Casios, there's a good chance this watch will outlive its owner. 

Accurist Vintage, Clerkenwell 1946 special edition - Classic 50's-style bargain (and becoming rare)

Looking for a 'Mad Men' 50's style watch for the boardroom but don't want to break the bank? The Accurist Vintage is not a bad option.

Accurist was established in 1946 in Clerkenwell, London, the hub of London watchmaking at the time. Accurist watches were originally made entirely from Swiss manufactured parts but manufacturing was moved to the far east in recent decades. By the early 90's, the company had become the UK's largest brand in terms of value. The brand was reinforced even further when the company supplied the Greenwich Observatory with a new atomic clock in the mid-90's, which officially keeps time for the whole world. Accurist are the only watch company to ever be formally associated with with the observatory.

Accurist has a vast range of watches for all tastes but the Vintage stands out for it's classic looks and excellent value. Prices start at around £30 from internet retailers which is staggeringly cheap for this stylish model with includes a date at 3 o'clock. The quartz movement won't be anything to boast about, but that's not the point of this budget hero. There's a choice of leather strap or vintage-style NATO straps. If you like it, snap one up fast as this particular style is no longer in production and at the time of writing, is becoming harder to find due to its popularity.

The Story of Swatch

The iconic '12 Flags' model from 1984

The quartz and digital revolution of the 70's and 80's that came out of Japan hit the Swiss watchmaking industry hard. It's estimated that between 1977 & 1983, the number of people employed in the industry in Switzerland dropped from 90 000 to less than 40 000. Swatch hit back with the creation of their colourful plastic watches which were cheap to make and to buy and were the first Swiss watches to be battery powered. Not only were they cheap but they were cleverly designed too; the three-pronged hinge on the strap prevented the strap from coming off during water sports and the battery could be easily replaced by the owner. The movement was fixed to the case back, therefore simplifying the workings and reducing weight and size and replacement straps could be bought in different colours to customise the watch. The downside of the rationalised manufacturing process is that every Swatch is a sealed unit and can't be repaired if the movement fails, effectively making it a disposable watch.

Swatch prototypes from 1982

The Swatch revolution brought about a change of thinking with regards to multiple watch ownership. Swatch collecting became popular and the watch became a fashion accessory. No longer was a watch simply a once-off special gift for an 18th or 21st birthday but something to collect, an attitude which is now common among watch enthusiasts. Swatch released their models alongside the fashion industry seasons, which meant (and still means) that each swatch design is a limited edition and potentially collectible. Some of the early 80's models now sell for tens of thousands of dollars to watch collectors. 

The 'Techno-sphere' model of 1985 is another iconic and sought-after example.

Recent models have sported simple, colourful and striking designs which are similar to the original models of the mid-80's. 

Swatch's rapid success led to all sorts of exotic designs designs in the range as well as a collaboration with Mercedes Benz to create the Smart Car.

The Success of the business led to the formation of the Swatch Group which was able to buy and rescue a number of struggling watch brands including Omega, Tissot, Hamilton, Blancpain, Breguet Glasshutte Original, Certina, Tiffany & Co, Calvin Klein, Jaquet Droz and others, resulting in the Swatch group being regarded as the saviour of Swiss watchmaking. 

Despite there being such a choice of designs, the classic geometry of the original designs has remained a favourite with buyers and in recent years, Swatch have returned to producing models which are aesthetically very close the originals with simple, clean looks and plenty of colour. Technology now allows for the parts of the movement to have colour applied to them which helps highlight the intricacy of the parts.  An automatic model was released in the mid-90's but reliability was a problem. Recently, Swatch released their Sistem-51 models with a highly advanced, and very attractive automatic movement with a staggering 90-hour power reserve, more than double what most automatic movements can offer. 

For those interested in Swatch collecting, www.squiggly.com is the site to visit. Here, collectors can browse every model ever produced and old models are available to buy if they're in stock. It's also a useful resource to value an old Swatch that you might have lying around.  

Some models to avoid: in the mid-90's, Swatch produced transparent straps in various colours with elaborate designs on them. These were not printed onto the strap but laminated on with a thin film. These straps are prone to peeling and cracking with age and may not be the best models for collecting. Clear straps and cases are also prone to yellowing over time, and collectors may want to focus their buying on watches with solid colours on the cases and straps.  

Below is a brief timeline of the company's history, which includes the auction price of a 'Jellyfish', a model once owned by this writer, but which sadly broke a few decades ago. 

Bremont America's Cup Collection

Bremont are releasing two watch collections in conjunction with the America's Cup in 2015. Bremont are the official timing partner to the America's Cup as well Oracle Team USA. The above video has details of the new watches.


For those who've not heard of Bremont before, the following video gives a short history of this relatively new British brand. Although quite a young brand, they have already built up an impressive collection of industry and business awards. Based in Henley-On-Thames, Bremont recently made the bold decision to move their watchmaking from Switzerland to England, a very unusual step for any luxury watch maker. The watches are classic in their design and are of a exceptional build quality. The Bremont boutique in Mayfair London is well worth a visit for any watch enthusiast.

The full America's Cup collection is pictured below. Click here to go to the Bremont website. 

 Oracle I

Oracle II

ACI

ACII

Ventura Watches

Ever seen one of these before? The first time I spotted one was on the wrist of Nicolas Cage in the film Bangkok Dangerous where he played a high-class assassin. I immediately looked it up and found out that it was a V-Tec Sigma model. Besides the unusual shape, the feature that was immediately obvious was the rotor which is visible through the clear pane at the top of the watch, meaning that, although having a digital display, the watch is powered by a mechanical movement. The rolling scroll bar on the right hand side allows the user to scroll through features on screen.

The following video explains the details behind the design. If like me you fancy owning one, you'll be disappointed to learn that prices are around £3000 - £4000.

Click here to visit the Ventura website



Marc & Sons

Marc & Sons may be a brand that you've not heard of before as they are relatively new in the market but are worth having a look at. This German company make very reasonable watches which are based heavily on popular designs from Rolex, Omega and others. Watch snobs should look away now as Marc & Sons have received a fair amount of negative publicity for setting themselves up as an internet retailer selling direct to the public to keep costs down. Watches start at under EUR300 which represents a massive saving over their rivals, and by all accounts the watches are of a very high quality. For anyone looking for a very good looking, affordable mechanical watch in the traditional Rolex mould, this could well be an option.

Tag Heuer F1 GMT

Looking for a good quality TAG Heuer at the lower end of the price range? The F1 GMT is a great option. The F1 range has been TAG Heuer's entry-level range for a few decades, but with the plastic bezels, bright colour schemes and quartz movements, they've always felt and looked a little cheap compared to the other models. That's all changed with the addition of this model which has TAG's own Calibre 7 automatic movement, the same one that's found in the Carrera Twin-Time which is almost double the price. There is a lot of historic Heuer design DNA in this watch with the cushion case design replicating the Heuer Autavia of the 70s and 80s. Unfortunately the F1 doesn't share the same clear case back as its Carrera cousin so you won't be able to see and show off the automatic movement, but that's the only sign of cost-cutting on this model.

Being a GMT watch, it has a 24 hour hand which can be used along with the rotating bezel to show a different time zone. GMT watches were originally designed for pilots flying internationally and offered the functionality of being able to set the time of their destination if it was in a different time zone.

Good deals can be found online from about £1200 but if you're prepared to wait, second hand prices for these should be about two thirds of that within a few years.

Vostok Amphibian 200m

Here's something for anyone looking for something a little different, it's a Vostok Amphibian. As the name suggests, they're Russian watches with all the text on the face and on the case back written in Russian. The company has a history of making watches for the military and it's reflected in the no-nonsense designs. These aren't theme watches, they're the real thing and the style looks like something from the 70s, in fact the designs are so dated they're actually back in style. The Amphibians are waterproof to 200m, have a screw-down crown and have an automatic movement. The faces are available in a variety of colours.

They're available to buy on Ebay in the UK and can be picked up for around £40 which is great value for an automatic. The metal bracelets are flimsy and feel cheap, but like this one pictured, that can easily be solved with a quality replacement. The Milanese mesh strap shown suited it perfectly and also added to the weight.

Seiko Kinetic 200m Divers

The first watch which I'm featuring is the Seiko Kinetic 200m Divers. I've owned the watch for four months and have loved every minute of wearing it. It was bought from an online retailer Yorkshire Watches for £196 which was the best price I could find, and very reasonable. Their service was fantastic and I ended up buying another watch from them a few weeks later. These watches are readily available at high street jewellers or online and are well worth a look at if you fancy an affordable divers watch.

The build quality is superb, Seiko haven't spared a penny in making this robust offering. The rubber strap (steel bracelet is also available) is of the finest quality and is comfortable compared to most other similar straps. The watch is reassuringly heavy but you might want to actually try one on in store first to see if the weigh suits you. The bezel is also of a very high quality and glides around smoothly on the ratchet. Luminescence is very impressive with the hands and hour markers glowing nice and green through the night.

The watch, like all other Seiko Kinetics, runs off power that's generated by your wrist movement. A rotor at the back of the movement charges a rechargeable battery which when fully charged, allows the watch to run for 4 to 6 months. A great feature is the power reserve indicator. This is activated by pressing the button at 2 o'clock. The battery charge is then indicated by the second hand.

The model I own has the black face and bezel but is also available with a 'Pepsi' bezel and blue face.



Introduction to the blog

The purpose of this blog is to cater for guys just like myself who are interested in watches. My name is Mark Shepherd and I live in London, I'm not a watch collector but I have a collection of watches ranging from Swatches and cheap Casios up to more expensive makes. I buy and sell watches as a hobby from just a few pounds up to a few hundred pounds. Just like most other watch fans, I love looking at luxury watches but I also have an appreciation for inexpensive timepieces that are often overlooked and which do a great job for a fraction of the price.