Top 10 Affordable Watches In Ben’s Watch Club History!
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Remarkably, we’re approaching the second anniversary of Ben’s Watch Club. Therefore, I figured we’d celebrate by taking a look back at some of the highlights, in case you’re new around here.
Today, I’ll be running through my picks for the top 10 best watches that I’ve reviewed on this blog so far. Then, next time, we’ll go over the 10 worst watches that I’ve ripped apart over the years.
I’m not going to put these in any particular order, due to some of them being very stylistically different, though all are linked throughout this post. We’ll limit it to 2 watches per brand too, to ensure this isn’t just a top 10 Casio list!
Boldr Venture
Twelve months ago, I was contacted by a brand that I’d seen poking about online. That brand was Boldr and the watch they wanted to send me was their Venture automatic field watch. When I first read their email, I didn’t expect much but boy was I wrong!
Straight after unboxing, I realised I was in for a treat. Not only was it incredibly light and comfortable, thanks to the titanium construction, but the case was finished to a great standard too, with a blasted matte surface that was precisely cut and a great match for the field watch aesthetic.
The Venture delivered in the functionality department too, with the grippiest screw-down crown I’ve come across to date and a reliable 200m of water resistance, to keep you covered when at the beach or pool.
I tested two colours and both were very legible, especially at night thanks to the strong luminescence. Not only was the dial quite handsome, but the watch also packed in other features that I was hoping for. One being the scratchproof sapphire crystal, the other being a solid automatic movement. Indeed, within was a Seiko NH35A automatic movement, which helped round out a very compelling £220 watch. Even the packaging was excellent; the travel pouch being a functional alternative to the throw-away boxes that house most wrist watches these days.
My only real gripe with the watch was the NATO strap, which didn’t lack in quality but did boost the on-wrist depth of this already chunky watch.
Nevertheless, if you whack one of these on a two-piece instead, I’d be surprised if you were disappointed with the Boldr.
Lorus Field Watch
If you don’t quite have the budget for one of those, it might be worth considering the next watch on this list. This is the dirt-cheap Lorus field watch, which hit the blog back in February 2020, right as COVID hit the UK.
The value of this little budget beater well and truly blew my socks off. For under £40, this one came with specifications that demolished the competition, with mineral crystal, a full titanium case and a generous 100m of water resistance.
This is a traditionally small field watch, sitting at just 36mm across and 8mm in thickness and instantly it sat on the wrist like a dream. The watch looked much better in person than in the stock images and on reflection, I wasn’t complimentary enough about its appearance. In hindsight, this Lorus easily adapts to a huge variety of straps and looks cool with virtually any colour you can think of.
Despite being rather simple, I was impressed with the neatness and clarity of the inked Arabics and text, considering how cheap the watch was retailing for at the time. The cream dial also contributed to this being a real looker, though you’ll want to opt for an alternative to the rudimentary stock band to get the full experience with this piece.
I can’t think of many better ways that I’ve spent £40 over the years so the Lorus had to make the list. Currently, supply seems to be limited, so don’t pay over the odds for one or you may sacrifice the cheerful charm.
Casio A700
Let’s head from classic field watches to classic digital ones now, with the Casio A700. I nearly went with the W-86 here, but the A700 just about edged it.
I first covered this watch back in July 2020 and its formula for success was pretty simple. It takes the blueprint from previous successful Casio models and packs those perks into a slimmer, sleeker package with a better backlight system.
At the time of the review, this was the thinnest watch I’d ever come across, at a mere 6mm, making it sit incredibly flush to the arm.
The grey-silver colour palette looked surprisingly dressy, making this a genuine candidate for a versatile, multipurpose piece. While the watch was more expensive than some of the other cheap digitals, it did come with a much better default bracelet and a neater cut case.
Later I also looked at the alternative version of this watch, with a darker colourway and a stylish, albeit inferior folded link bracelet. To date, the A700 is still my favourite digital in either of its forms, though I wish they would upgrade the water-resistance in a future revision.
Casio Lineage
The second and final Casio that makes this Top 10 is the titanium Casio Lineage watch that I reviewed much more recently. An honourable mention goes to the Casio EFV-110D, which I’ve also been enjoying, but I’ve found that this more expensive radio-controlled model has essentially taken its place in my small collection.
While the dated packaging and basic case finishing were an initial concern, fortunately, the M100TSE more than made up for it in other areas. I was a sucker for the dial, with its grey sunburst exuding iridescent hues in sunlight – something that I struggled to accurately convey online. In person, this one looks very special for a Casio. In addition, I liked the raw functionality of the watch, despite me rarely using any of the features whilst in lockdown. The way the hands sync themselves to an atomic clock is near-magical and the ability to just charge this via sunlight was a nice touch too.
The lightweight construction has made this one of my go-to watches since, though I may swap the bracelet out for a two-piece strap at some point as it’s not the best.
Depth Charge Dive Watch
Perhaps you’re looking for a mechanical option to throw on instead?
Well, the watch that surprised me the most on this list is probably the Depth Charge diver from UK retailer Watch Shop. This watch was featured in the dive watch roundup in February 2021 and may need a dedicated review at some point, as this one punched well above its price tag.
For just over £100, this one has sapphire crystal, a Seiko NH35 movement and full stainless steel construction, alongside a very decent bracelet and a full 200m of water resistance.
It not only looked good on paper but in person too! This one offered up a differentiation from the traditional submariner design with an array of diverse markers and a chunky arrow hand that gave this Depth Charge a rather unique look. I’m not normally one to opt for brighter colours, but the green variant was a real looker without being garish.
The case finishing was pretty good, the bezel action was decent and the luminescence was excellent; making it an easy fit for this list.
It’s a shame about the sizing on this model, as it was a little big for me. If they released a 38mm version, I’d have snapped it up in a heartbeat, but for many of you reading, this could be just the ticket. My only real criticism was the flawed clasp mechanism, but aside from that, this was a great find.
Seiko SNK361
Alternatively, should you want something more dressy, a Seiko 5 may be in order. I’ve reviewed many over the lifespan of this blog, though the one that always sticks in my mind is the underappreciated SNK361.
I first came across this one late 2020 when planning my post about the best-looking Seiko 5 watches. I’d seen some user-generated photos that looked much better than the terrible stock images, so I decided to get one to see whether this would make the cut. Sure enough, it arrived and within seconds I could tell I’d made the right call.
The dial looked much better than expected, with an array of interesting microscopic ‘5s’ covering the surface. Not only was that level of detailing impressive, but the case, handset and markers certainly gave off a touch of that Rolex Oyster Perpetual vibe, without being a full-on pretentious copy.
It came with reasonable luminescence and a rather standard mineral crystal though did pack a Seiko automatic movement for a decent price. I doubt you’ll find many classier offerings at the same price as the SNK361, which is currently retailing for under $100 on Jomashop at the time of publishing. That’s important, given that many similar Seiko models are shooting up in price at the moment, making this one my pick of the bunch.
Avi-8
While on the topic of ‘under the radar’, there’s one company that soars above its competition. Avi-8 is about the only brand that has received positive reviews for heavily themed affordable watches on this blog. There are some tragic options that you’ll see on the ‘worst watches’ list, but the Flyboy Engineer wasn’t one of them.
To me, this piece further improved on the Spitfire Type 300 that appeared on the blog a few months prior. This Flyboy had a more understated look, with some minor references to aircraft that seamlessly blended in with the Flieger design. Outside of the theming, I think this was just a generally attractive watch, with a matte textured dial and a blue-black gradient that contrasted nicely with the bold white numbers and logo.
Despite being too large for me, I was impressed with the level of construction and finishing, with the solid link bracelet being a particular highlight. Within was the ever-popular Seiko NH35 automatic movement, a workhorse that serves its purpose well enough.
As someone not fond of the Pilot watch style, the Flyboy and it's theming gave me some fun for sure. They gave me a discount code of ‘BENJA15’ which will give 15% off full priced items. At £190 for this watch it is great value, should it be to your taste.
Orient Bambino/FAG03001D0
Next comes one of the oldest watches found on this website, followed by one of the newest. Indeed, I’m cheating here and sort of squeezing two into the same slot as they very much fit the same mould; it just depends on your wrist size.
Way back in September 2019, I reviewed the famous Orient Bambino, a watch that is well known for offering some serious value. The Version 3 that I reviewed had a minimalist, contemporary look, but maintained the heavily domed crystal and strong sunburst effect that made this watch so recognisable. Undoubtedly, the watch looked more expensive than the price tag, with the slim well-finished case hiding an in-house automatic movement.
While that watch was nice, it was a touch large for a dress watch at 40.5mm. Therefore, I thought it wise to seek out an alternative that had a chance of fitting my wrist. This led to the discovery of the Orient FAG03001 a month ago. While the codename might be a bit…strange, the watch itself was a real banger! At 38.5mm, it was sized very nicely and it came in at a much lower cost than the elusive 36mm Bambino, which was being sold at ridiculously marked-up prices.
While it lacked some character compared to its forebearer, this open-heart model still had an amazing blue dial and boasted upgrades to the crystal and water resistance. It also came with standard 20mm lugs, making it easier to switch straps and the F6T22 movement was visible through both sides of the watch.
Either option could serve well as a budget dressy option, it really depends on your wrist size and visual preferences.
Vostok Fifty Fathoms
Here’s a very weird watch that I covered back in mid-2020, the unusual Vostok Komandirskie 030787. Which I dubbed the ‘Fifty Fathoms’, although it did lack some of the fit and finish of other watches on this list.
Nevertheless, if there was ever a watch I would trust in a nuclear scenario, this would be it. This budget Russian beast felt bombproof in the hands and had an indescribable charm to it that I’m yet to see with other brands.
Despite some of the compromises, such as the stiff bracelet and the awkward bezel action, I felt like I had still gotten a lot for the £95 I paid for the watch. It looked good too, with an unusual take on the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms diver design that wouldn’t have looked amiss on a watch at double its price tag.
Maen Hudson
A last-minute addition to this list comes in the form of the Maen Hudson 38 MK3 dive watch that I took a look at in March just gone.
Unlike the majority of divers, this model came in with a modest case size of 38mm; making it a viable candidate for smaller wrists. Thankfully, the watch wasn’t solely reliant on this selling point, or the Swiss-made stamp on the dial. For £350, this one housed a handsome vintage-inspired dial, with an attractive sandblasted texture and a sparing usage of text. There were applied indices throughout, as well as a rather unique handset that seamlessly blended traditional syringe and baton hands.
The case finishing was excellent, as was the shape, which hugged the wrist very well. Very few corners were cut, as this also boasted a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, along with a well-decorated STP1-11 movement and a solid 200m of water resistance.
While there were a couple of minor QC issues, I couldn’t believe how close in quality this was to the far more expensive Ginault Ocean Rover and it blew most affordable dive watches out of the water.
For once, a Kickstarter-founded brand not out to scam people! Marvellous!