eBay watch bargains

Lots of style writers comment on investment grade watches. More comment on budget watches that are often in the $100+ category but what if you want that hip Bell & Ross, Rolex or Omega and just don't have anywhere near the budget? Maybe you can't see the sense in spending thousands on a watch when a Timex or your cell phone tell time just as well. 

Enter true bargain watches, watches under $50 that still look great. If money didn't matter I'd have a collection of awesome watches and price would be my last concern. I'm an admitted watch geek. I like talk of complications, calibers and movements. I've also been known to take my watches apart and modify them. Sometimes a simple parts swap can give you the look of a watch that costs tens of times more. 

I'll save modification for another post but without the need for parts, geeky knowledge and specialist tools, here are a couple that look great that anyone who can afford a watch can lay hands on. 

The first resembles a great looking Bell & Ross Welder or Flight Deck. It's not a copy but it's an ok homage. The company, Infantry, is out of China and has made good looking budget watches specically for the customer who likes the style but doesn't want to spend $3500 on a time piece. I think I paid $9 for the one pictured. Other than not being water resistant, it's kept good time and gets compliments. 

Another is this attractive Watch by ASJ. An obvious homage to the Bell & Ross Aero family. This one came it at around $20 and claims to be water resistant to 30m. At that price I did risk showering and some pool time. So far it's held up great. 

For $10-$15 you can usually find replacement straps for these watches. I'm a fan of orange silicone and striped cloth NATO straps. In many, or most, cases, these after market bands far exceed the quality of the ones the watches ship with. 

These are just two examples of how money doesn't have to be a barrier to owning a cool looking watch. There are countless others from $15 vintage Seiko 5 automatics to $25 Timex Weekenders, both of which look great without being an homage to anything.