Double Time: The Affordable Two Watch Collection – Under $350

About The Series: Double Time is for guys who like watches, but don’t necessarily want a big collection. What we’re going for here are two watches, at different affordable budgets, which as a team can fill just about any style need in every-day life. A casual watch and a dress watch. Those are basically the parameters. 

 

Orient Bambino V3 “Bauhaus” Automatic – $170ish

Looks substantially more expensive than its accessible price point. Simplicity. Class. Lots of clean space. Domed crystal. In-house, automatic movement. Maybe the best looking affordable dress watch on the market. Available in the not quite white, gentle silver dial shown above, as well as black, blue, and a sneaky handsome dark gray option. There’s just one small problem (for some). It’s 41mm. Which will fit most wrists just fine, but for those with slimmer wrists or those who prefer more classically sized dress watches, it runs a little big. Also, the strap width is a rare/odd 21mm, which can make sourcing after market straps a little difficult. But the matte brown leather band it comes on looks great, feels good, and wears just fine. Full review here.

 

Orient Ray Automatic – $180ish

A versatile, do everything diver. The 41mm case diameter wears a touch smaller, so it looks as good with a suit and tie as it does with swim trunks and sunglasses. In-house automatic movement. Bezel has nice, snappy action. Water resistance is 200m and the crown securely screws down. Date AND Day window is a nice bonus. While the bracelet does have some polished inset bits between the center track and outer links, it’s subtle enough to still wear casually. It’s not overly gleamy. Some other watch bracelets with polished links can carry too much shine, and the end result is something that looks like gaudy jewelry. And that can look funny… especially when worn with a t-shirt and jeans. Not here though. The Orient Ray can be dressed way up, or dressed way down. It does it all.

 

Total Cost: $350ish

Got a wristwatch duo you’d like to recommend for Double Time? Send those in to joe@dappered.com. 

Want to see the entire series? Head here for the growing archive of our Double Time posts. For those keeping track at home, this is now our second “round” of double time. First we did the hundreds ($100, $200, $300, etc…) This time we’ll be doing $150 and under, $250, $350, etc.