Bulova 96B104 Strap Silver Watch

I was looking for a leather strap watch with a basic, classy look. This watch fits that description 100%. It goes great with anything from formal to business casual dress. It is very compact and light, which can be a pro or con depending on the person.

If you have large hands or wrists, the case or strap width may be too small for you, I highly suggest going out to try the watch on to see if it is. The watch is VERY light, which I am not sure if I consider a pro or con. While I do like the fact that it almost feels like I'm not wearing a watch, the case does not naturally fall to the center of my wrist like heavier watches do, nor can I wiggle my hand to make it, I have to manually adjust it with my other hand. The watch tends to fall somewhat in-between my wrist bone (I think it's called the ulna?) and my hand, which gets a little annoying. On the other hand (no pun intended), this may not be a case weight issue but a strap issue, because I have a small wrist and am using either the third or second to the last hole on the strap, which causes the clasp to be off-centered with my wrist when the case is centered. Maybe I can try a shorter strap to see if that fixes my issues.

This watch has a minimalistic dial and a polished all stainless steel case which shines over the light incidence. In spite of this classic style, this watch is good to wear with sport shirt or even dressy. It looks like an 1970's Omega Genève Dynamic automatic 1010 or 1020 caliber movement watch on the same model, but this 96B104 with japanese quartz becomes very reliability watch and accurately time. Good to wear in raining days, because I don't need to worry about the small splash of raindrops of water. Very lightweight for daily wear, 37 mm outer diameter and 7 mm thickness is enough to fit on my 170 mm wrist length. This Bulova is my best buy that I ever made. 

This Bulova 96B104 Strap Silver Watch is beautiful, solidly built, lightweight, thin and right-sized. Only actual photographs on the Internet show its beauty. One needs to see it in person to to appreciate its true beauty. It's comparable to Baumw & Mercier's MOA08686 Classica Date & the IWC356504, two of the world's most beautiful (and most expensive) watches. It weights only 4.5 grams and it's thin & comfortable. I've been looking at this watch with interst on the Internet for several years but all pictures always seemed to suggest it's rather fragile. NO Way; It's SOLID! I saw it in a jewelry store and I was blown away with its beauty! I'm a watch collector hobbiest and have purchased MANY wrist watches over the years. My other watches are in their display cases because I'm wearing this beauty. I highly recommend this Bulova beauty. Its only fault is its band does not come close to the watch's quality, which is no problem because I'm alergic to leather bands and have to replace each leather band with an expansion band.

Fossil CH2565 Chronograph Leather Watch

I would be giving this a 5 star review if it was not for one flaw. It is a little bit of a struggle to put this watch on with the band being so small. I do not consider myself to have a large wrist but the band is on the second to last hole when I put it on. It does not illuminate but the hour and minute hand does glow. And best of all, it does not snag the hare on my wrist while I am wearing it. This is a very nice looking watch and it is very comfortable to wear. Just make the band half an inch longer and you have yourself a winner.

I would highly recommend this watch. It has a great casual look and I've gotten alot of compliments on it. I love the wood grain accents, which contrast nicely with the silver watch face. I was also impressed by the luminescence on the dials themselves. They are very bright which makes it super easy to see the time in the dark. There is a very high quality feel to this watch and the leather seems like it is thick enough to hold up well. Looks and feels like it cost a lot more. Again I would definitely recommend this watch. I personally couldn't be happier. 

Overall this Fossil CH2565 Chronograph Leather Watch was a great purchase. The fit is just fine - I have normal sized wrists and I have plenty of space left on the band. I've gotten several compliments on this watch, and a friend of mine bought it because he liked it so much. One downside is that it is a litte clunky - definitely a "full-sized" watch, so unless you buy custom dress shirts, you might have a problem wearing long sleeve cuffs with this watch on. However, its not truly a dress watch, so one could argue it's not meant to be worn in formal occasions - I've found that it blends right in for both casual and formal environments. Great buy- five stars.

Armitron 408188GMG Chronograph Black Digital

I LOVE this Armitron 408188GMG Chronograph Black Digital watch. I tend to prefer analog watches, but I love this digital watch. I love the orange accents on the gunmetal-ish face. I love the features it has (dual time, alarm clock, backlight, stopwatch, countdown timer). I love the size and weight of it. I love that it's cheap enough that I don't have to be paranoid about scratching it. My $400 kinetic Seiko is watching me with judgmental eye, gathering dust as I type this.

What I DON'T love is how this watch comes with no instructions. It's not super complicated to figure out, but some of the basic things:
-MODE switches between clock, stopwatch, alarm, countdown timer, clock #2 (completely separate time)
-ADJ button shows month/date (when in clock mode), starts/stops stopwatch (stopwatch mode), turns alarm sound on/off (alarm mode), stars/stops countdown timer (countdown timer), and nothing in clock #2.
-SET, when held down, resets the stopwatch (stopwatch mode), or enters you into set mode.

SET MODE
When you're either trying to set your clock time, countdown timer, or alarm, you first need to hold down SET until part of the display starts to flash. Once it flashes, press the ADJ button until you have correctly set it, then hit the MODE button to move to the next adjustment. Once you have set everything, hit SET.

For example, if you want to set the countdown timer for 1 hour and 20 minutes: Hold down SET until it flashes. Hit ADJ once to set 1 hour. Hit MODE to switch to minutes. Hit ADJ 20 times to set it to 20 minutes. Then hit SET to finalize and exit out of set mode. Then once you want to start the timer, hit ADJ.

Hopefully this helps. If not, then sorry to waste your time. I love this watch though. I have never owned Armitron watches before, but they will be my first search when this watch eventually dies.

Casio G100 1BV G Shock Classic Ana Digi

I bought this Casio G100 1BV G Shock Classic Ana Digi to wear as a little "beater" for when Im working in the yard and doing things outdoors. I am a bit of a watch buff and have an extensive collection of Citizen and Seiko time peices. After looking at G-Shock watches, I chose this Casio; it is a nice watch and it serves its purpose.

The watch is not too large but not small either, the band is comfortable, the bezel does move in either direction, and the day/date are easy to set. I consider the watch to be light-weight, I do not notice it on my wrist, but I have also been wearing heavy watches for more than a decade so I may be biased.

Contrary to other reviews, the hour and minute hands are luminous, and so are the hour indicators (12,1,2, etc.) The tip of the second hand is also luminous. I had to shine a light on the watch face to get the luminous elements to "charge" up right out of the box, but the elements I indicated do read well in the dark without ancillary light.

For the price, this is a nice little watch that tells the time, should tolerate reasonable abuse without problems, and is produced by a reliable manufacturer. Buy it!

This is an awesome watch! for the price and capability I don't know why you wouldn't buy it as an extra casual watch to wear around the house and with friends. It is not to big or too small on your wrist. Has a cool legible font for the numbers and you can set day of the week/day of the month which comes in handy a lot. It is comfortable to wear and holds up to almost everything.

Now to the cons. This is what caused me to rate it at only 4 stars instead of the 5 it deserved. It scratches easily.... the glass covering the clock part of my watch is full of scratches. Thankfully tough, you can not see it when you directly look at it, but in the right light it shows up easily. I don't think anyone else notices the scratches but it is a flaw that could have been so easily fixed in the building process by putting in some better glass.

Some personal complaints that probably won't apply to many others is that because my wrists aren't the largest, I keep the lock part of the wrist band on the third hole. This causes the excess wrist band to come up almost to the watch. I'm thinking about cutting off the extra.

That being said, it is still a great watch. It keeps time well and that's the most you can ask from a watch. Being cool and stylish is just a bonus.

Stuhrling Original 395 33U16 Aquadiver Professional

I bought this Stuhrling Men Watches a month ago and when it arrived I was quite impressed. It has good weight to it, meaning the metal quality is good. I've had other watches that were very light and broke within weeks. It's also constructed well. There is very little movement in the band that is not intended. The links move as they are supposed to. I am a Dish Machine Operator (dishwasher) right now, so I bought this watch for its water resistance. For one month it has been sprayed with hot water off and on for 8 hours a day, five days a week. There is no condensation whatsoever on the interior of the glass. I also like the fact that it comes with a year warranty. It looks very nice, and the dial around the face of the watch is good for timing things in the oven! hehe! The only thing that I don't like is the little magnifying glass over the date. It makes the face of the watch only slightly more difficult to clean than other watches. A very minor inconvenience.

I currently own the 8926 Automatic and was so impressed with it's appearance that I purchased six of these for the groomsmen in my wedding. I went with the quartz version because the guys like the look, but would probably not like having to set the watch after not wearing it for a couple days. Also, the price is a great deal. The only major difference between the 8932 and 8926, other than one being an automatic, is the size. I did notice quite a difference in size when they're next to each other, but alone, the size is fine.

Overall an excellent product. The only issue is the date and time settings. The instructions created confusion by indicating to set the date you need to pull out the crown to the first position and the clock will stop. I tried pulling out the crown and it would not budge. After some choice words to the watch - I tried to unscrew the crown and it popped out. Tried to find a crown position where the clock stops. Only stops at the second position to set the time. After more choice words directed to the watch - pushed the crown in to the 1st position and turned the crown counter clock wise and the date changes. This process took about 15 - 25 frustrating minutes. I found out about the unscrewing of the crown buried in the section that covers all Invicta products. Bottom line - if the instructions were more specific and correct - the process would have taken 2 minutes and I bet this watch's rating would jump a full star. Hopefully this info eases other purchasers pain in the future.

Invicta Diver Collection Coin Edge Automatic

Purchasing the Invicta Diver Collection Coin Edge Automatic for a family member Christmas present - I've come away very much impressed. The 8932 apparently shares the case, crystal mineral glass watchface, screwdown crown and elegent lightweight stainless steel bracelet with it's more expensive automatic movement 8926 sibling. Matter of factly - it is hard to tell the difference between this watch and Invicta's $300+ 9937 Swiss ETA powered automatic diver without close inspection.

It is my humble opinion that Invicta is the leader of the affordable price dive watch market - including such giants as Seiko and Citizen - OK maybe even Casio. Invicta does not have the brand name awareness of the public and large commercial outlets to display their wonderful dive watches. Once you've purchased an Invicta Pro-Diver series watch - you will be a fan. The fit, finish, overall quality and design make this watch a model you should consider as a price range leader.

Case: The 316L brushed stainless steel case at 40mm (43mm with crown) once considered a large watch - is now an "average" size for dive watches. The stainless steel watchback might be annoying for those with nickel metal skin allergies - the mineral glass display or "exhibition" watch backs of the 8926 and 9937 being preferred by many divers. Mineral glass is not as scratch resistant as sapphire crystal as found in the 9937 - which can only be imprinted by diamond - but is "good enough" for average wear and certainly keeps the watch very affordable. A date "cyclops" or window is found at the 3 o'clock position. The watch is rated and tested to 200m (660 ft) - that which qualifies it as a "Professional Diver".

Bezel: The black bezel is a very scratch resistant, uni-directional (120 clicks to the hour) scalloped edge (like the Omega Seamaster) diving tool. A "coin edge" (like the Rolex Submariner) bezel is preferred by many divers - being less slippery to manipulate when wet.

Bracelet: Invicta's ss bracelet - with polished center links - is an industry standard - best compared to a Rolex Oyster bracelet for the Submariner series. It utilizes a foldover deployment clasp without a wetsuit deployment clasp as found on more expensive dive watch bracelets. Held together by pins - it is important to throughly rinse the bracelet after immersion in salt water.

Movement: The 8932 uses a quartz "asian" sourced movement. These will normally keep time +/- 15 second per week and are actually much more accurate than the more expensive Invicta 8926 Citizen/Miyota 8215 - 21 jewel automatic movements that can be a minute or more off each week. The 9937 uses a Swiss ETA 2824-2 25 jewel automatic movement reflected in it's $300+ price tag...Watch battery life varies as per movement source and battery quality. Most batteries should last 3-5 years according to Invicta users I know.

Conclusion: I am a big fan of Invicta dive watches. For the money, Invicta Pro-Diver series watches are an industry leader. Sourced among many different asian assemblers - the fit, finish and quality may vary somewhat from batch to batch - but the overall reputation among watch collectors of the Invicta Pro-Diver series is very high!

Why not 5 stars? My personal preferences are automatic movement watches - not quartz. The stainless steel back can irritate the skin of allergic individuals. Mineral glass crystal - used to hold the price - is prone to scuffing and minor scratching. Sapphire is too expensive for this category of watch. As a diver - I prefer a "sawtooth" or "coin" edged bezel to the scalloped bezel currently offered by Invicta. The bracelet offers no wetsuit deployment clasp - a feature absent in all Invicta divers thru the 9937 series. Some or none of these should prevent you from considering this watch or it's 8926 fraternal twin as your next dive watch.

Amazon and it's sellers do a good job to deliver the Invicta goods. All models come with a one year warranty - Invicta offering a 5 year warranty extension for a modest fee. I am the owner of 7 Invicta dive and chronometer watches. You can learn more about Invicta and other affordable watches sold by Amazon at InvictaTalk.com.

Mulco Unisex MW5 93503 093 Bluemarine Movement

I've had this Mulco Women Watches for about 3 or so years. For reference, I'm a college student, which means I've been fairly rough on this watch. It stays on my wrist when I'm moving in and moving out. I've also been wearing this watch pretty much every day without fail.

After about 3 years of wear, it has some scratches and small chips in the watch face (rather annoying). I have no problem reading the time, but the scratches are most definitely there. The metal band has gotten really worn in a "I'm not really studying your watch, but can tell your watch has seen some better days" type of way. Point of this part of the review, is that the watch will see wear if you wear it. I haven't done anything to make it shinier or anything like taking it in to a jeweler's, but it's nothing that a simple visit wouldn't fix. Final note, this watch has seen its share of water (tap, pool, ocean), but no water damage whatsoever.

That being said, despite its fairly minor aesthetic flaws, it's been a reliable watch. Hasn't failed me on the time. Don't have to worry about batteries. Never an issue of "making sure my watch gets enough light." It will get light. Unless you live in a bat cave, eternally. I would go with an Eco Drive again. It's extremely effortless, which is why this watch gets 4 stars.

True, it's a little annoying that the calendar day is off on the non 31 day months, and the day sometimes gets off (switches over at noon instead of midnight) if you switch time zones and need to adjust the time. But all in all, these are really really minor details, and just come with having a watch that spells out the day of the week and the day of the month for you. (It's really nice having the day of the week and the day of the month on your wrist if you are as forgetful as I am.)

The image here shows a darker blue-gray face - in reality it's simply gray, but that doesn't detract from it in any aesthetic way. That's actually why I picked this one, for the unique gray face. And if you are wondering about how you would ever replace the uniquely shaped band if it becomes worn looking from much use (like my last Fossil watch) - Citizen watches come with a five year limited warranty and all the Citizen Worldwide Service Centers are listed in the accompanying instruction booklet - emailing them or sending it in for a replacement band would probably be the only way to get the exact same Citizen band if it's possible.