10 Best Bets for $75 or Less – Swiss Watches, Rugged Sweaters, & More

Seventy Five dollars. That’s a lot of money. It’ll get you a couple pairs of Levi’s, a nice dinner out, or a couple months at your local gym. Seventy Five dollars. It is a lot of money, especially if you spend it right. Ten picks follow, all for $75 or under, and some of them are much, much less.

 

Bonobos North Country Wool Blend Shawl – $58 FINAL ($118)

Another slim, more polished, spot on alternative to wearing a bulky hoodie. Still casual though, and should go great with jeans or cords. 40% Acrylic, 30% Wool,  20% Nylon, 10% Alpaca should be warm with some texture. Available in their standard or slim fit (which is 1″ slimmer through the chest and waist than their standard fit). Perfect for guys who don’t like all that extra fabric wobble around their mid section. Final sale, but it ships for free. Sit tight and you might be able to get it for $40.60 during the next extra 30% off code. UPDATE: Word from reader Eric K. is that these sweaters pill like crazy. So… might be a pass if pilling drives you nuts.

 

Clockwork Synergy Heavy 5-Ring Nato Strap – $17.49

Full disclosure: only stumbled across these guys because they recently asked about advertising (they haven’t bought anything at post time). Went over to their site, saw a band I liked, and decided to give em’ a shot. And… it’s impressive. Along with the heavier feel (those rounded rings don’t flop about, there’s a good tension to them) you have a choice of five different hardware colors. Stainless steel, yellow gold tone, rose gold tone, bronze tone, and the PVD black shown above. Shipping is free, and I got my order in two days. More from Worn & Wound on these guys over here. About the watch: Sadly, it’s the out of production Seiko SNZJ. More on the watch here.

 

J. Crew Dot Print Button Down – $32.50 FINAL w/ SHOPSALE ($79.50)

It’s a hidden button down, with those buttons under attaching to the underside of the collar points, instead of going all the way through to the top… but a button down it still is. Not sure how to wear it? It’s really not that hard. And a simple dot-print like this isn’t too fashion forward in the least. Cut in their slimmer fit.

 

UNIQLO Wool Blend Sportcoat – $49.90 ($99.90)

NOT the sportcoat of the year (we’ll get there). But still decent, especially at this price. It’ll be a bit of a project, since most will need some tailoring done, and the sleeves run crazy long (as well as have functioning button cuffs). But they come in a few different/interesting colors and patterns, and the back is totally unlined. Size shown above is a large.

 

GAP Rugged Leather Belt – $34.95

The kind of belt that looks best with jeans and a t-shirt, or jeans and a crew neck sweater. Great looking, brass-tone buckle on this one. The color is listed as “dark brown,” but in the description they say it’s burgundy? Currently excluded from today’s 40% off code since it’s a leather accessory, but belts do go up for codes every now and then.

 

‘Raising Sand’ by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Streams Free on Prime

Really nothing short of a gorgeous album for the darkest time of the year. Came out in 2007. A terrific staying-in, date night soundtrack. Streams free if you have prime, $5.99 gets you the mp3 album, and if you want the CD, that’ll run you $11.99.

 

H&M Cotton Cable Sweater – $19.99 ($39.99)

Cotton instead of wool, so that in part helps reduce the price. Crew neck. Casual without being schlumpy. A cable knit sweater in this winter-white is a classic bit of masculine style. Easy to dress up or down. Dirt cheap.

 

J. Crew Cashmere Plaid Scarf – $39.99 FINAL w/ SHOPSALE ($98)

Red buffalo plaid. 100% cashmere. A scarf that’d look equally at home with a charcoal topcoat as it would with a navy blue bomber. A pattern that obviously brings some color, and will never go out of style.

 

Wenger 71001 Swiss Made Chronograph – $64.44

A rugged, swiss made watch at a steal of a price. Perfect for the winter doldrums. Brown suede strap, green dial, and a Sapphire coated crystal. 42mm in diameter. Sword style hands. Quartz of course. One warning: Some buyers have had issues with the strap, and in your hands, it’s not super soft. A little stiff. Update: WHOA… hang on. Something is up with Amazon. as of mid-day on Monday 1/18, the price on this thing has skyrocketed to $316?!? It’s nice and all, but it is NOT a three hundred dollar watch. Something odd is going on here.

 

J Crew Factory Chino Blazer –$64.99 FINAL w/ EXTRA50

As cheap as these things have gone for, but they are final sale. So no returns. Dynamite though, especially at this price. Perfect mid-weight chino fabric that walks the line between being relaxed and polished. Perfect button stance. Just half lined in the back. Simple to alter, non-functioning buttons at the sleeve cuffs. Won the “dappy.” Anchored the $1500 wardrobe. A four season sportcoat that’s easy to wear now with jeans or cords. Full review here.

For other Best Bets under $75 from previous months, click here.