It is that time of year again: there are two paths in the wood and we get to choose whether we buy a watch for a man in your life or whether that man takes advantage of deals and buys himself one and hides it so that the timing doesn’t look suspect.* Holiday buying guides are an evergreen topic and let us reflect on how tastes and economics are changing. I haven’t posted one since 2024. This year I am focusing on the affordable and attainable. I have timed this to allow you to take advantage of AliExpress sales, if that is your thing. All of these watches have recently, or nearly recently, caught my eye. My credit card is ready, but I may not have the will to buy any or many of these, but nevertheless I thought that I would share. From least expensive to most expensive, let the 2026 Holiday season start:
Sea-Gull 6184
Do you still want to jump on the Tiffany Blue hype train? Perhaps you require a salmon dial? Skip the flimsy Casio and hop on this little number. At nearly 40mm in diameter and all dial this will wear large. It claims to be waterproof, but we know to take that with a grain of salt. Take it off to wash the dishes.
Someone can fact check me here, but I think that Rolex was the first to use the 2-4-6-8-10-12 dial configuration in the 1920’s. That style really caught on in the 1950’s and can be used to date some watches. The 1960’s saw more 3-6-9-12 configurations. I shorthand this to “10-2” and “9-3” in my own head, reading from left to right. To see a 10-2 means that this harkens back to the “watch is just a watch” utility of the mid-20th Century.
So, this is an all-rounder, from office to barbeque. It sports a sapphire crystal and is powered by the very old technology of an ST17 automatic movement. But for about $115.00 USD, it is a steal.
Seizenn Jump Hour
Seizenn is a sub-brand of Merkur and frankly, I don’t know what the distinction brings to the table. It does not appear to denote any material change in the product. I like Merkur because their designs are less derivative than many Chinese brands. I have had a few and they keep good time.
Jump hours come back into fashion every decade or so. We are living in another jump hour era. Good if you like retraining your eye to read time. The issue with jump hours is readability. I think that this passes that test.
Merkur has stuck with their preferred 38mm case width. It is only a Hardlex crystal, so points off. They don’t identify the movement, but I suspect it is another ST17 or something like it. You should be able to find it for around $120.00 USD.
Boderry Voyager Chronograph BD-M02T
When this company was named they did not consider that middle-aged men would connect “Boderry” to a memory of Bo Derek romping towards us with braids and bits a bobbin’. I can’t get it out of my head, but the image is pleasant enough. I have had bad luck with chronographs recently, but this makes me consider getting back in the mechanical chronograph game.
As designs go, it resembles a cartoon Hanhart: the hands are too blue, the lume too orange, the titanium too Ti, red pusher (natch). But it starts to grow on you. It checks many trendy boxes: titanium case (40mm), ST19 movement (like my lamented 1963), and field watch design. It may be a little chunky for me, but at around $225.00 USD, why not?
Seiko Recraft SNKP27
I sold my Seiko watches a few years back. There was nothing wrong with them, my tastes had just moved on from their styling. I miss having a reliable Seiko. I miss the “Seiko shake”.
This Recraft has been available for a few years and is always discounted. It will disappear someday and we will envy those who bought one. Sure, you only get a Hardlex crystal and the Seiko 7s26 movement is a generation old (no hand-winding or hacking), but that isn’t the be all, end all. It is a cushion case at 40mm, so it is not for the small-wristed. It will have presence. Oddly, the secondary market seems to overvalue this watch. You can get a new one for less. Everyone should have a bit of 1975 style in their collection.
Timex Waterbury Heritage Chronograph
The laziest opinion in the watch world is that “Timex is killing it recently.” They aren’t. They are doing their job. The purpose of a corporation that sells products is to make sure that their products are what the customer is looking for. Timex is flattering us by giving us what we say we want. That is not a criticism.
This is the first quartz movement on the list. That is value neutral. The drawbacks: too much text on the dial, a useless 24-hour sub-dial, etc. The merits are that it is pretty and functional and affordable (at around $310.00 USD). There are many colors and styles to choose from.
https://timex.com/products/waterbury-heritage-chronograph-39mm-fabric-strap-watch-tw2y39000
Honorable Mention: Favre Leuba Harpoon
This watch is affordable only to a segment of the watch buying populace at $2,300.00 USD. So, it is a stretch for this list.
Favre Leuba is one of the old brands, founded in 1737. Like all old brands (looking at you Breguet) there are long stretches where it was a only a dormant trademark. FL was restarted a few years ago and a month or so dropped a new Harpoon. The original Harpoon was introduced in 1966 and was a conscious attempt at a GADA watch. Sideways indices are a reflection that accuracy was notional, you weren’t timing anything with it. You were checking it at poolside to know when you had to go up and change for dinner.
I think that FL has struck the balance between modern materials and specifications and classic styling. The automatic movement is based on a La Joux -Perrett G100. The case is 37mm and only 10mm thick (chef’s kiss), but only 50 meters of water resistance.
I won’t be buying one because I have an original, but the new one is a looker.
https://www.favreleuba.com/harpoon-revival-00-20401-115-02-111#Specs
*I know that these watches can be bought by and for women, like Bo Derek (for those to young to get the reference):
