Retro Watches Don't Have To Be Old Or Expensive

Watches are beautiful machines that can last a lifetime if well cared for. Many of the world’s best timepieces come from Switzerland, but remember that even a lowly $19 Casio calculator watch keeps almost perfect time and should last a decade or more.

My advice? Keep it cheap. It’s possible to find brand new mechanical watches with jeweled mechanisms for under $100 (like the brilliant Seiko 5 series). Several Russian companies also make decent mechanical timepieces based on vintage Swiss designs, although quality can vary considerably.

Digital watches are a dime a dozen these days. Drop by a low-end department store and you’ll find dozens of choices for less than $20. But don’t forget that 30 years ago digital displays were new and exciting. People marveled at tiny glowing LED digits. There has been a recent resurgence of affordable LED watches, probably driven by a realization that they can now be produced for next to nothing. I suspect this trend will soon flow into low-end department stores as well, so don’t bother spending lots. Just wait a few months and you might be able to pick up a new LED watch for next to nothing at a post-Christmas blowout sale.