Seiko 5 in Black – $79.96
or Green – $86.00
| Seiko SNDA65 Chronograph – $199.00
J. Crew is starting to push it. Yes they hit on something with their madly popular military inspired Timex. Yes it’s kinda cool to swap that NATO strap in and out whenever you please. And yes it’s nice to have a go to, bang it up because it’s not too expensive weekend watch, that looks great with everything from a t-shirt and jeans to chinos and an unstructured blazer.
But the J. Crew marketing machine has set the price on that Timex way too high. $150.00? It’s as plain as can be. And now they’re trying to sell us on a leather band model. Still made by Timex. And not for $150… for $195.00. It gets even more insane: They claim this new croc-embossed leather band Timex 1600 was inspired by Presidents JFK, FDR, and their “brand of unflappable cool.”
Pardon my French… but come the f*ck on.
If you want a military style watch that can handle a nato strap, try the SEIKO 5
And just plain steer clear of that Timex 1600. Even if you do think FDR was one happenin’ cat.
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Now this (SNDA65), Joe, is a watch that I would justify the extra money for, as it looks fantastic, and Seiko is renowned for quite good quality, as far as I know. I’ve actually had my eye on the SNDA65 for a few months now. Going to be pulling the trigger this summer I think. I would wear this watch (or any of these as the case may be) far more proudly and frequently than any of those TX watches. Rugged and filled with features, yet still easy to read, and minimalist. And good job on calling J.Crew out on their ridiculously overpriced watches. Keep it up, buddy.
Yea, these are pretty nice watches. I recently bought the last model (not newest) of Citizen’s fabric band watch, featured on here a few months ago or something. It is around the same price as these ($80) and looks pretty nice. The only thing I don’t like about it is I should have checked the dimensions before buying. It seems a bit small compared to my other watches and the band is skinny as well. I’m thinking the 2 cheaper seiko’s you mentioned are probably around the same size, and if so I personally would go for the more expensive “beefier” $199 one.
These are all pretty nice though, great picks! (Yes, the J.Crew one is unnecessarily expensive and seemingly ambiguously priced.. a straight $150? who does that? even $149.99 would seem more appropriate or something :))
@Ben: Thanks for the kind words. I think the SNDA65 is one great looking watch. The other two are highly similar to the J. Crew Military that’s… a little too pricey. But let’s be honest, J. Crew doesn’t get a whole lot wrong, so they get to stumble every now and then. But with all that said, I’m still personally a huge fan of the TX T3C52 730 Chrono.
@Bryan: Did you buy this citizen? Case Diameter is always something to take a look at and that one is 37mm, which is on the slimmer side of medium. A highly similar chronograph version
is a bit bigger at 41, but if you ask me, I think their newest canvas strap watch: the BM8475 is by far the better looking of the three. 42mm is perfect too.
Joe, yep that is the one. And yea I naively didn’t look at the diameter. I mean I still like it, just feels a bit weird. While I like their newest canvas strap watch that you linked, I passed it up because I wasn’t crazy about the green dial… just doesn’t have the versatility of the very dark blue (almost black) of the one I got. Also, the price was right.
I do also like that chrono version.
37 mm isn’t that small. Especially when it’s a canvas strap. I think you’re good Bryan, that’s a great looking watch and you get the citizen quality at a super-low price.
Joe, I can’t believe you didn’t note this Seiko have an automatic movement vs the Timex’s quartz movement.
I have researching this seiko watch for a really long time. I think I will buy one if I run into a pile of money.
Some things to beware of:
Ebay: there are tons of fakes of the Seiko 5 automatics on eBay as well as other websites.
Seiko can only verify the authenticity of the watch at their headquarters, so you have to send the watch in.
I personnaly have the jcrew timex and i love it. Although I do agree 150 is a little pricy I got it as a gift. If you are looking for a similar watch and love timex for their classic american vibe. Why not just get this one (http://cgi.ebay.com/Timex-MENS-EXPEDITION-METAL-FIELD-WATCH-T40051-/120525325109?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Wristwatches&hash=item1c0fde8335) I picked one up for my girl friend and but a jcrew nato strap on and you can barely tell the difference. For $36 its hard to beat. I like that Seiko SNDA65 tho, thats a nice watch. Nice job as always Joe!!
@Chris: Thanks! No insults intended to any J. Crew Timex owners. I think they’re great looking watches, just a little out of my price range. Now that leather band timex that they’re pushing? That’s just ridiculous. It’s almost like they saw how successful the military inspired one was, and thought: “Hmm… let’s see how many of THESE we can sell.”
@kin: Yep, good catch. Automatic vs. Quartz… another point of differentiation. Thanks for the advice on the authenticity issues. Amazon seems (seems, I’ve never had any issue) to keep the gray market watches at bay. Especially if they’re the direct seller, or, they’re fulfilling another seller. Just my experience.
@Joe: Agreed on J.Crew’s overall excellence. Just wish they’d open stores here in Canada!
Also, is the SNDA65 an automatic? Everything I’ve pulled up has cited it as quartz movement… or am I missing something in this discussion?
Cheers,
Ben
@Ben: I don’t think the SNDA65 is automatic. But the Seiko 5 is. If you’re looking for an automatic, I’ve heard really good things about Orient watches. Even did a feature on them awhile back.
I think if I were going to fool with an automatic watch, it would have to be a ridiculously expensive one that I can’t afford right now and that would definitely never appear on Dappered (other than in articles like this one). For $80, quartz will do just fine.
TheMeInTeam: You should check out Seiko Spring Drive automatic movement. This watch doesn’t feature it but it is way more smoother than a rolex.
Ah thanks Joe, I see now. And those Orient are very attractive too and you’re right– Amazon reveals a lot of positive things about them. Thanks for the suggestion!
Cheers,
Ben
too funny. I’m with you on the JCrew attempt to push. Keep up the good work!
I’m sorry, but NONE of these have the style of the JCrew Timex. It is expensive for what you are getting, but looks so much better than any of these. The Timex looks like a vintage military watch…..these look like they’re from sears