When it comes to budget dress watches, there are several that keep popping up on the multitude of horology blogs and forums. Here are the four watches that made my list:

• Seiko SARB065, aka Cocktail Time
• Hamilton Intra Matic 38mm
• Tissot Visodate
• Christopher Ward C5 Automatic Mark II

All four of these watches were well within my price range, but there was a problem with two of them. The Seiko and the Christopher Ward can only be ordered online, therefore, I wouldn’t be able to actually try them on to see if I liked them. While I’m no stranger to buying a watch without seeing it in person (I bought both of my Seiko dive watches that way), it’s always better to see how they look and feel on your wrist.

For several weeks I kept going over the choices in my head (talk about your first world problems!), but then one day I decided to visit the Orient USA website and noticed that they recently released a new version of their Bambino, a vintage style dress watch that is highly regarded by true watch geeks and has a retail price of $260, which is considerably less than the watches on my wish list. Thanks to solid reviews, a super reasonable retail price that was made even more reasonable thanks to a 30% discount, and Bauhaus-like style, the latest version of the Orient Bambino won me over immediately, and within a day of seeing it on the web, I had one on order.

In just under a week, the watch arrived on my doorstep, and once I opened up the packaging, the watch did not disappoint. I absolutely love the way that this watch looks and feels on my wrist. The domed crystal, deep blue finish of the face, minimalist hour and minute markers, and light weight all combine to create a watch that is super comfortable for all-day wear. And if all that weren’t enough, its in-house automatic movement has been incredibly accurate over the past month, i.e. +/- 15 seconds per week.

While I am incredibly pleased with my purchase, I do have a quibble or two..

• The strap that came with the watch wasn’t very good (stiff and kind of boring looking when compared to the quality of the watch itself), so I replaced it with a Vollmer mesh bracelet that I picked up at Long Island Watch for around $40. Adding the polished stainless steel bracelet was well worth the money because it makes the watch look much more expensive than it really is. The only issue with swapping out the watch band was due to the 21mm lug width on the Bambino which really limits your replacement strap options. The Vollmer mesh bracelet is 20mm which leaves a small gap on either end of the bracelet where it’s attached to the lugs.
• A sapphire crystal would have been nice for better scratch resistance, but given the price of the watch, the crystal that came with the watch is perfectly adequate.
• The movement can’t be hacked or hand wound. Again, given the price of the watch and it’s out of the box accuracy, this isn’t a big deal, but it is worth mentioning.

Quibbles aside, if you’re looking for an affordable dress watch with excellent build quality/accuracy, good looks, and supreme wearability, I highly recommend the Orient Bambino. I’ve had this watch for just over a month and find myself wearing it just about every day.

The post Looking at the Orient Blue Bambino appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

First and foremost, even as an active duty Marine, I have always worn watches that invoke style and class, and while my collection is varied in manufacturers, there has been a similarity in the styling that have come to define my style. It’s one of the few accessories that I wear outside my KIA bracelets, and they definitely bring more attention than the latter. It’s a small piece of my style that is always there, always worn, and brings a sense of completion to my outfit and the activity at hand.

Recently an invitation direct from Pulsar asking me to give them a second look, to dive deep into their new watch lines for the fall season, inviting me to find the watch that fits my styling. As I perused their new collection, I was amazed by the new styles, the designs that were classy, timeless, and very bespoke for both women and men. And then there is was, within the business section of their line, the perfect watch. Among any of the other watches they make stood out this modern interpretation of the classic multi-hand, multi-dial design. A mixture of deep brown leather in the strap, paired with the polished case, anthracite face, and gold numbers and hands, it was truly a modern classic, even if the term is a bit contradictory. None the less, here was a new watch mixing up the common norms, stepping outside the box of the classic interpretation.

A mixture of metal and leather, with different tones and textures, packaged together in a day-to-night package that reminded me of the old watches my grandfather had worn. His every day watch was recently handed down to me, and it was the one he wore at work and out on the down, and while I do not wear it, it sits protected and displayed alongside the rest of my collection as a way to honor that part of him. And similar to that old watch, this Pulsar fit into that everyday and night watch, the one for work and heading out for a night on the town as well, and I couldn’t wait to wear it.

Now I often rotate through my collection of watches, wearing a different one every day as they often become conversation pieces, but after putting this watch on for the first time, I stopped. I constantly wanted to show it off, to talk about it to everyone. I have worn this watch more consecutive days than I can remember doing so with any other in my collection. Its not just a watch that looks good, but feels solid, with great quality. The band is not too thick and doesn’t get uncomfortable throughout the day, and the face is extremely easy to read even at a glance because of the use of gold hands on the anthracite face. I can wear it all day with no fatigue or discomfort, which is something I can’t say for others in my collection.

So what is it about a watch that defines so much of me? Well, I have never been able to put my finger on the direct point that it become such a common accessory for me. My father wears a nice watch every day for work, and I always admired how it just fit his personality. As I grew into my own, I wanted to also find that piece that helped define my style, and the watch was always where I ended. And since those moments, I have sought to build the rest of my styling around the simple, classically styled watches that have always attracted me.  And for the first time, I found a watch that fits all that I have sought.

This watch hasn’t just just fit into my collection; it become an additional piece to the puzzle of my definition. This, and the others in the collection from Pulsar, have impressed me more than I could have imagined, and I know it will not be the only model from their collection that I will be proud to own.

Every day, there’s a new rhythm, a new adventure. You dance to the beat of your own drum. You capture and share moments, with your family and your friends. PULSAR is a quality companion that is right there with you – every day, and for tomorrow, with modern styles that stand the test of time. That’s Life. In real time.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pulsar. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post How My Watch Style Defines Me appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

It was the Le Tour that initially caught my eye with its bright yellow band commemorating the Tour de France. However, a friend found the bright yellow band to be too much with my black jacket, but I didn’t mind that splash of color. The next night I easily swapped out the band for a blue and white striped one which, I do admit, made me feel classier than the bright yellow Le Tour band. The cool thing about Gown & Oars watches is that the different styles are dictated by the bands only.

From the casual nylon or rubber to the dressier leather or Milanese mesh bands they all feature the same 40mm dial. The dial features a white face with steel markers in five minute intervals and polished aluminum hands keeping the time. The whole face is housed in polished steel bezel with sapphire crystal glass protecting it.

No matter what look you choose the Gown & Oars watch will inevitably have a preppy look about it and rightfully so hailing from Cambridge, England. While that look may not be for everyone it has me feeling like a proper lad no matter where I am, day or night.

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