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Under $500

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When it comes to smart watches, there is no denying the amount of weight the name the Apple Watch carries in the segment (even if there is some question as to how well it is selling). For me, wearing a second device (or something that completely displaces a standard watch) is just about a non-starter. When you get into things that add a phone connection to the strap (like we saw on this TokyoFlash), then the argument becomes a lot more compelling. I have a feeling that we will see more of this sort of combination, and the Javelin Dayrunner is one of the latest to come to my attention.

Last December, I took a look at a new automotive inspired watch from Ferro Watches, the inaugural offering from the brand on Kickstarter. The watch was funded, and from the looks of the comments on the campaign, delivery is ongoing to very positive reviews. Now the brand is back on Kickstarter with their second watch, a more involved design, and one that takes its inspiration from aviation. I wonder if they will do a trifecta of transportation watches with a locomotive inspiration (Planes, Trains and Automobiles) or nautical inspiration (in the air, on land and sea). Regardless of where they go next, this watch, the Ferro Watches Airborne, and the last one, are making me a fan of the brand.

A while back I took a look at the Mr Jones Watches Sun and Moon Miyamoto, which was a limited edition watch to honor the creator of the Super Mario games. At that point, we had covered more than a few Mr Jones Watches, but neither Patrick nor myself had been able to check out one in person. Well, a few emails later, a Mr Jones Watches Sun and Moon Miyamoto, now part of the regular collection, was on its way for me to check out. The bottom line: it is fun, well finished, and colorful.

Overbuilt dive watches are not very rare. Inexpensive dive watches, even ones with automatic movements are not super hard to come across. But an overbuilt diver for less than $250 (currently on sale), those are not all that common. But this is what we find with the Deep Blue Sun Diver 1K dive watch. Patrick has looked at a couple of Deep Blue watches previously, but all have been north of $500.

Christoper Ward C8 01 Christopher Ward is one of our favorite brands here at WWR. They produce high quality watches, sell direct, and are generally priced fairly. They are also vary their designs, so there is something to fit most everyone’s taste, and they cover different sizes. Of late, we have featured their diving watches, a number of auto-inspired watches, and dress watches, but we haven’t done an aviation inspired watch in a while. I love my C11 (I own one of these), but the new Christopher Ward C8 Flyer Collection goes away from the instrument style case and back to the more traditional round case.

In the course of writing about affordable watches here at WWR, we very often come across new brands, and we write about a good number of them. Sometimes those freshman outings are not the greatest. The issues we see can often be overlooked given the price points that things come in at, and we call out what we see as oversights in a model. While not totally uncommon, it is more rare that we continue to be in contact with a brand, and see a marked contrast (and improvement) in what is being offered. That is precisely what we have here today with the Obris Morgan Explorer II.

Projects Watches is not a brand that seems to rest on its laurels. Sure, they have re-issues from their back catalog (like the Newark Museum Watch), but they also are creating new designs. We have featured a few different ones over the last year, and their latest takes a love of geometry and pushes it to the stars. That watch, designed by Alessio Romano, is the Projects Watches Ora Major.

Chronographs are one of the more popular complications for watches, though their actual usefulness can be debatable. I have one chrono which I wear quite often, though I use the chronograph function fairly infrequently when it is on. As a timing device, I find that a rotating bezel is usually good enough to time when I put the meat in the smoker, when I need to get back to the parking meter, or how long I have until the laundry is done (have I missed anything?). But if you want a chronograph to actually time things, the bullhead arrangement, where the pushers are located at top of the watch, is a useful arrangement. Which brings me to the CJR Watches Velocita currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. CJR was nice enough to lend me their two prototypes for a hands on review before the funding period ends on August 20.

When I looked at the design of the new Wingman chronograph for sale on Kickstarter, I was taken with the simplicity of the design, and it looked like it was comfortable to wear. When I read the “story” behind the watch, I re-read the same thing I read over and over again with crowd funded watches, countless hours spent designing a quality watch that would be affordable, yadda, yadda, yadda. Then I got to the t-shirt they are selling. “…we only had 2 requirements: Have a simple design; Make it ridiculously comfortable.” To me, this should have been the guiding principle behind the Wingman Watches Aviation designs, because that is what I see when I look at the watch.