Examining Three of My Favourite Timepieces for Under $100 USD

Seiko 5 SNK805 Men’s Automatic Watch ($100 USD)

Wearing my Seiko 5 SNK805 men’s automatic watch while hiking in Costa Rica recently

The Seiko Sportsmatic 5 was the first watch in the Seiko 5 collection, released in 1963, and was renowned for its durability and practicality – it was automatic, water resistant, featured a day-date display, and three hands. It also featured Seiko’s 'Magic Lever'.

The Seiko 5 collection has grown remarkably since then. However, all of the pieces have maintained five attributes aimed at improving their functionality as a sports watches: water resistance, automatic winding, a day/date display, a sports-intended case/bracelet, and a recessed crown at 4.

The Seiko 5 SNK805 is inspired by military field watches. It features a self-winding movement with an analog display, luminous accents, a durable nylon strap, and day/date functions. It also has 30-meter water-resistance, good for hand washes in theory. It stays true to the main five attributes of a Seiko 5 sport watch – 59 years later.

Timex Easy Reader Gen1 40mm ($80 USD)

The Timex Easy Reader® Gen1 40mm / Credit: Timex

Timex has always been known for their functional, affordable, and reliable timepieces. In 1977, Timex debuted its Easy Reader, a watch meant to be cheap, simple, and extremely legible.

For over 40 years, this basic watch has quickly become a workhorse collection for Timex, selling over 100,000 million pieces.

In 1977, after Timex applied to trademark the name ‘Easy Reader’, they started a national advertising campaign with the slogan “The NEW watch with the BIG numbers”. Based on their units sold, it looks like it has paid off.

Casio A158W-1 Classic Men's Digital Stainless Steel Bracelet Watch ($25 USD)

Casio Men's A158W-1 Classic Digital Stainless Steel Bracelet Watch

The Casio digital watch is one of the most timeless timepieces to have ever been created, and they’re seeing a massive resurgence in popularity right now.

It comes with a tried-and-true retro style that will always remain in fashion. It features a daily alarm, hourly time signal, and auto calendar. It is a modern piece with the ability to transport you right back into the 1980s.

Now while all of these are modern examples of watches under $100, they all have roots that go back years. The original Seiko 5 was released in 1963, the original Timex easy reader debuted in 1977, and the first Casio digital watch appeared in 1974. The brands behind these pieces have done a great job at keeping the original of these timepieces, while also keeping the models alive.

By: Eric Mulder

Read more:

Peter. “The First Casio Digital Watch.” Digital Watch Central, https://digitalwatchcentral.com/the-first-casio-digital-watch/.
“Celebrate the rich legacy of TIMEX with their new Given for Generations Campaign.
APN News, January 24th, 2022, https://www.apnnews.com/celebrate-the-rich-legacy-of-timex-with-their-new-given-for-generations-campaign/.