If you’re trying to put together a small three watch collection with a max budget of $1000 usd, you’ve come to the right place. Or perhaps you’re looking to add a watch or two to an already existing collection but don’t want to spend too much, this can also be a helpful resource for you. The watches on my hand picked list here might have been chosen with budget in mind, but they also provide excellent value, punching above their weight in terms of specs, build quality, and even brand prowess.
Interestingly each watch on our list has somewhat of a different type of movement, and they’re all from different brands – providing some nice variance and choice for what is a fairly small collection.
Bulova Devil Diver Oceanographer – $570
The Devil Diver is a watch that’s been on my radar for ages, ever since I reviewed it on the WRB way back in the summer of 2018. It’s a watch that has a whole lot going on in terms of design language and history, two aspects I really cherish in a watch at any price point. This diver is from the Bulova Archive Series, which is a special collection from Bulova that features reissues of historic watches from their past. Another really neat offering from the Archive series is the field Hack watch, which was actually a military issue watch from WWII. That’s pretty cool, but I think for just a small bump up in price the Devil Diver offers more to us watch enthusiasts on a budget.
The Devil Diver is a mighty fine looking diver with retro 70s styling from its past, most apparent being the sporty cushion case. This is one of the few automatic offerings at this price point with this style of case that isn’t a Seiko. I’d consider this watch a nice change of pace away from the Sea of Seiko watches, whom also offer value, but become redundant in look and brand story.
If you happen to be a Seiko guy or gal, a great alternative to the Devil Diver could be something from the Seiko 5 or Prospex line, perhaps something like the SPRE93. You’d be getting a similar case shape, movement, and diving function from this watch. The dial and bracelet is really where you’d find the largest differences.
Going back to the Devil Diver, the dial has a really beautiful layout on this reference, with its really neatly raised and applied markers, that are also lumed for night and under-water use. The wide semi-sword shaped hands, and lollypop seconds hand, are quite reminiscent of dive watch designs from the 70s as well. It’s quite remarkable the amount of effort Bulova went into to produce such an accurate reissue model visually, but also technically since it’s also fearing the iconic 666 feet of water resistance – with the numbering of course hinting at its “Devil Diver” nickname. This is a really great overall package that ticks the box not only as an everyday wear watch, but also a functional sporty diver. The Devil Diver is featuring a Japanese Miyota Caliber 821A automatic movement with 42 hours of power reserve, and it’s available in a nice selection of both bright and subdued dial and bezel colors.
Hamilton Khaki Field Quartz 38mm – $325
I’m a huge proponent of the Hamilton Khaki line, and when I started thinking about fitting watches into this list I knew I’d be including some variation of a Khaki Field, even if it meant skimping on one of the other two options. So if you’re wondering why we have a G-Shock featured in third place below, that’s partially why. It fits the budget but it’s also an incredible watch, we’ll get into the details after the Khaki Field.
Why is the Khaki Field such a must have? For one, it goes with almost any attire. When the Devil Diver is too sporty to wear on a special night out or any kind of a semi-formal gathering – the Khaki Field will take over duty. Out of all the watches I’ve gone hands on with within the current budget constraint of this list, Hamilton consistently comes out on top. Hamilton really knows how to work with nice quality materials, and when it comes to the case finishing and even their bracelets the metal is always brushed and polished to perfection.
The dials on the Khaki Field line are also very clean looking with excellent proportions, but they also provide a little extra character with a smaller inner dial, great font choice, and useable Arabic numerals on the outer edge marking the minutes in increments of 5 minutes. An often overlooked aspect of this watch which is a big reason why it’s solidified its place on our list, is it’s ability to look amazing an a huge variety of straps and even aftermarket bracelets. If you get a little bored of the original look, you can always add a different color or material strap down the road.
If you’re not quite into the Hamilton design language and you want to explore a few similar offerings, you could find something over at Tissot. Tissot offers a PR 100 which is a really great do-it-all kind of watch, but it lacks the military field design that so many love about the Khaki Field.
Casio G-Shock GWM5610-1 – $150
While I chose the G-Shock in order to squeeze in the two watches above, I’d still say that no proper three watch collection is really complete without some variation of G-Shock. This time I’m going to be recommending the GWM5610-1 which holds a spot in my personal collection. This is the watch I throw on when I’m in a hurry in the morning, or when I’m going to be doing any kind of strenuous activity or sport.
We’re going specifically with the GWM5610-1 because of a relatively narrow set of features that I think makes it one of the greatest G-Shock models ever made, yes even more so than the more expensive range like the Rangemaster. This is one of the very few or perhaps only G-Shock model that features motion activated backlight when in the dark as well as the must have atomic clock feature simultaneously. It’s also one of the smallest most compact models that fits really fantastic on my small 6.5 inch wrist.
Looks wise it retains that classic utilitarian G-Shock look, with a dash of old school 80s. It’s not overtly digital looking like many of the newer models have become, it retains the original look which I find more tasteful. Not only do I believe this watch is a great backup watch, or a simple easy to wear sports watch, I also think that it fills an excellent role as a bugout watch since it does not depend on any external technology which G-Shock has been implementing on some of its more expensive watches.
G-Shock really stands alone in the rugged digital watch segment, for the price there really isn’t much else that will provide any additional benefit. Although some collectors out there see no need for a digital watch in the collection and would rather stick to something more traditional, if you find yourself in that situation you could explore something from Timex – maybe the sporty M79 would tick the box for you.
Conclusion
This collectors guide on a budget is designed to narrow down some choices for you. Filling a three watch collection under $1000 leaves a ton of room for choice, this is a segment that’s really flooded with plenty of amazing offerings from established brands all the way to startups. I hope this list helps you make a more informed choice on a single watch, or with building out an entire collection.
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