Where I live, many people buy a "winter car" for use during the harsh winter months. They leave their nicer cars in the garage, away from winter's harshness: road salt, possible accidents, and low temperatures. The same principle applies to watches: save your nicer pieces for special occasions, and wear "beaters" daily or whenever they might get damaged.
Reliable, durable, and inexpensive - these are the main criteria we focus on when choosing a beater watch. We decided to limit this list to $100, but still found plenty of great watches to choose from; take a look to find the perfect beater watch.
Vostok: Komandirskie Military Russian Watch
Our first watch not only perfectly matches the definition of a "beater," but it also has a history. First released in 1965, the "Komandirskie" (meaning "commander" in Russian) is a military-style watch created by Vostok, the official watch supplier of the Soviet Union's defense department. These watches are designed to withstand rough handling and keep ticking - exactly what you want from a beater watch. The fact that these watches are now sold for about $60 makes them an exceptional bargain.
The Komandirskie case has undergone various design changes over the years, and the current version features a polished bezel with six intermittent triple hash marks. The stainless steel case measures 40 millimeters in width and 12 millimeters in thickness, with a grand Russian imperial eagle engraved on the case back, which is certainly not your ordinary Japanese or Swiss logo.
The Komandirskie dial has a straightforward design with a few Soviet embellishments. The black dial features simple white Arabic numeral hour markers, except for the red star at the 12 o'clock position and a small simple date window instead of the number "3." Below the red star is an imposing tank aiming at 10:30, earning this variant the nickname "tank dial." The hour and minute hands, along with the hour markers, are adorned with small luminous spots.
Vostok watches use an in-house hand-wound movement with 17 jewels. Once fully wound, the watch should run for about 36 hours before needing a new wind, but to ensure reliability, wind it daily. Naturally, the movement includes a shockproof balance.
Seiko SNK805
Another military design model, the SNK805 from Seiko, is a green automatic from the famous line of high-quality and affordable automatic Seiko 5 watches. At less than $100, these watches represent another fantastic value.
The watch case is water-resistant to 30 meters, which may not meet some people's standards, as it is not suitable for swimming. At 35 millimeters wide and 11 millimeters thick, it’s a relatively small watch, meaning it should be light and unobtrusive for the wearer, which is very important when choosing a watch for everyday wear. The case back has a large display window, allowing you to observe the automatic mechanism in action.
The SNK805 comes with a green nylon strap, which generally receives mixed reviews from owners. The quality and craftsmanship of this strap seem to not match the quality of the watch itself, so these Seiko may be a great candidate for a strap swap to a NATO strap. The 18-millimeter strap has a traditional buckle closure.
Mineral glass protects the dark olive-green dial, designed in an aviator style. Minutes are displayed as large, outer numbers, while smaller hour markers are positioned inside the line separating these two numbers. At the 60-minute mark, there is an arrow pointing up - a common feature in pilot's watches. Wonderfully bright lume fills the inner surfaces of the hour and minute hands, the ball at the end of the second hand, and the dots above each hour marker. This watch can be used at night, which is an important characteristic for a beater watch.
Like most Seiko 5 models, the SNK805 uses the time-tested automatic 7S26 movement. The only complication in this model is the day and date function. With 21 jewels built into its design, the 7S26 is known as an extremely reliable and accurate movement, given its price.
Timex Weekender
The Timex Weekender is the cheapest watch on our list. Priced at under $50 in most variations, it's a great-looking unisex watch that's so cheap you won't worry about scrapes and bumps from daily use. And don't be fooled by the name "Weekender" - it's the perfect everyday watch.
The polished silver-tone case embodies a simple design with a round fixed bezel and a small crown at the "3 o'clock" position. At 38 millimeters wide and 9 millimeters thick, this watch should suit both men and women, unless you're aiming for a dainty or oversized dial. Like the Seiko, this Timex is water-resistant to 30 meters, so if it gets splashed, it could lead to damage, which is a potential deal-breaker for some buyers.
Like the case, the dial in cream, black, or white is very simple in design, with no day or date functions. In fact, the only real embellishment on the dial is the 24-hour numbers located inside the large 12-hour Arabic numerals. The Weekender uses Timex's ubiquitous Indiglo technology to illuminate the entire dial in the dark, making it incredibly easy to read in the darkness. Three simple hands measure hours, minutes, and seconds; there's nothing fancy here, just a nice, modest design. In fact, the dial is so clean and elegant in its simplicity that most observers unfamiliar with this watch would surely think it costs several times more than it actually does.
Timex offers the Weekender with straps in various colors and designs to suit any taste. As you'd expect at this price, the watch uses a quartz movement powered by a battery.
Casio DW5600E-1V G-Shock Classic
The first Casio G-Shock watches hit the market in 1983 and were designed to be as rugged as they looked. The G-Shock series gained huge popularity among people looking for the most rugged watches at a reasonable price. Casio has developed literally hundreds of models, some of which look like they're worn by a futuristic robot soldier. However, the classic G-Shock remains true to the original design while adding a bit of toughness. Overall, it's perhaps one of the best options for price and durability on the market, making it a great option for everyday wear.
At Watch Review Blog, we don't often review watches with digital displays, but the G-Shock's 80s-style display fits perfectly with the old-school square case. The day is displayed in the upper left corner, and the date in the upper right corner (usually - more on this later). Using the silver "mode" button in the lower left corner of the case, you can switch between some of the quartz movement's functions powered by a battery. In addition to the standard time display, there is a timer and stopwatch function. Note that when using the timer and stopwatch functions, the date disappears from its place in the upper right corner, and the current time is displayed in its place. The Indiglo-style backlight is controlled by the lower right button.
Water-resistant to 200 meters, this G-Shock can work perfectly as a diving watch as well as a cheap beater. The 45-millimeter resin case and 15-millimeter thickness are quite large, but the small dial window makes it appear less bulky when it's on the wrist. The bezel and the black screen surrounding the dial have plenty of text: from the brand and model to the functions of each of the 4 buttons and the watch's specifications. All this gives the G-Shock what I call a "retro-sporty" look.
Stuhrling 395.33B11 Aquadiver Regatta
The Aquadiver Regatta from Stuhrling is a multifunctional diving watch offered at a very reasonable price. Speaking of price, you might notice that Stuhrling lists an MSRP of $595: I'm not sure why they've set such a high price, but rest assured that most retailers offer these watches for just under $100, so these watches meet our criteria for this list.
The 42-millimeter stainless steel case is water-resistant to 200 meters. A nice feature, rarely found in this price range, is the screw-down crown, which prevents the crown from being accidentally pulled out underwater. The white-on-black unidirectional bezel matches the dial's color scheme and allows you to track time in 10-minute intervals, with the first 15 minutes marked by additional hashes to emphasize traditional decompression intervals.
The black dial is covered by Krysterna Crystal - a material more scratch-resistant than mineral and more shatter-resistant than sapphire. A large and legible modern-style font is used for the hour markers at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, while index markers are used for the remaining hour markers. All hour markers, as well as the hour and minute hands, are filled with lume, making these watches just as easy to read at night as during the day, at least as long as the lume remains glowing. A small round date window is hidden between the "4" and "5" hour markers, so inconspicuous that it escaped my attention when I first looked at the dial.
Despite being an American company, Stuhrling uses a Swiss quartz movement in the Aquadiver, proudly stated on the dial at the 6 o'clock marker. The Aquadiver comes with a 22-millimeter stainless steel bracelet with a fold-over clasp.