Timex UK are adding to their Q range in the UK with the Falcon Eye model, which has been around in the US market for a year or so.
Two dial colours; blue and green, vintage 70s style battery compartment ready for a 20p piece to slot in, plus steel case, and an adjustable sliding clasp on the bracelet.
These can be fiddly to set up, but you only have to do it once and then the clasp folds down in the perfect spot.
We like that sleek, multi-link bracelet too.
Quartz movement, 70s styling, and that classic day/date layout at 3pm too. Pricey at £159 though. Alternatives in the retro quartz field include the Accurist Retro at £78, or about £90 for the bracelet version. How about a Ben Sherman Ronnie Original, which we also spotted online for £78.
What kind of watch can you get for just £6.50 these days? Yes, that includes postage.
Well the answer is quite a good one, and no shortages, no panic, just a smooth Royal Mail delivery 8 days after payment. Yes this Field watch from TPW on Ali Express shows you can get a basic timekeeper for even less than Argos money. I mean, you could spend £6 in fuel and parking just driving into town to visit a few watch shops or a local Market Hall.
OK, it’s packaged in bubble wrap, no box and the only paperwork is a tiny leaflet explaining how to pull out the crown to adjust the time. Also, there is a slight rough cast effect on the black paint adorning the case. But this lightweight quartz tells the time, has a classic black/white dial and a decent crystal too – feels like mineral glass.
The NATO strap is perfect for many wrist sizes and it has two little loops for the end of the strap, so it isn’t left hanging there. Tidy.
At 41mmm across and 11.3mm in height, this is an ideal size for most people too, not too big, not too small.
Verdict: Another budget winner from TPW and no, we aren’t on commission or an affiliate scheme – we just love top value watches. We say why pay £40 for a Sekonda, or even £20 for a Limit, when you can get bargains like this from China?
Undone sent NWC mag this Kevin Lyons chronograph to review and it has a real quality feel to it.
Often with quartz watches, the devil is in the detail and sometimes you feel a bit let down, like you bought a £150 Daniel Wellington and discovered it feels exactly like a £50 Sekonda.
But this watch comes in a rather natty pencil case style tin, which fits in with the artist theme nicely, plus a dated gurantee card and protective padding inside.
Once you have unboxed, the first impression you get from the Undone chronograph is one of weight. This is a chunky watch and it feels solid and well made, beuatifully finished in black. Although at just 46g, it’s actually about half the weight of many other chronograph watches, it feels substantial, with a very nice positive action to the chrono pushers too.
Protective seal is still on by the way.
The crystal is slightly domed and hardened K1 glass, which is heat-treated for a bit more resistance to knocks and scratches. The 316 grade steel case has a black PVD coating and an eye-catching Undone logo graphic on the back.
Inside you find the trusty Seiko VK64 meca-quartz engine, so you have no doubt about reliable time-keeping on this baby. It was set a few days ago and naturally, it’s still spot on today. This is your ideal everyday watch, unless you want to collect the set of Kev Lyons Monsters of course and tuck them away in a drawer.
But we say watches are for wearing here at NWC mag and this is a practical, durable number, with that dependable Seiko power unit.
The VK64 can be found inside all kinds of chronographs, from Vostok, Christopher Ward, Yema and many more. There is a good reason for that popularity and it’s this simple; the mechanical chrono functions just keep on working – for years. No expensive servicing, no sweat. That uber-reliability is appealing for lots of watch fans.
You can choose between six different slogans and Monsters on the dial, so we went for Always on Time because yeah, it’s an aspiration…if not always a reality.
Kevin has a distinctive style, which reminds us of the late Bob Godfrey, who created Roobarb & Custard cartoons for the BBC back in the 70s, plus Henry’s Cat. It’s visually friendly, light-hearted and ultimately captures the joy of life.
Roobarb n Custard. Great fun.
So this watch makes you feel good when you glance down and check the time. It also feels built to last like a VW Arteon or Bergeon watch tool. There’s a tachymetre scale on the bezel, so if you need to calculate that time/speed/distance thing on your next transatlantic flight, or watching British Superbikes next season, then this timepiece has it covered.
The strap is Cordura by the way, with an Undone embossed buckle.
The Undone Kevin Lyons Monsters edition costs £297 and offers something that’s striking, collectable and also makes a great tool watch for everyday use.
RZE have a cool selection of watches online, with bold stuff like the salmon coloured dial on their chronograph. You don’t see that everyday and we think more power to them.
If you fancy getting 10% off then the discount applies automatically at Checkout. Don’t know how long the 10% deal lasts.
The T43 model from Torgoen gets new blue, green and red dial/bezel colour options. The 200m dive watch has a beefy 44mm case diameter, a Swiss Ronda quartz movement inside, plus a spahhire crystal.
Screw down crown naturally. It comes as standard with a leather strap, and it’s worth noting a PU synthetic is an extra £36. Bit steep, we think you could buy a decent 20mm silicone strap from eBay for a tenner frankly.
All adds up to nice spec for the RRP, which is £209.
Skagen has released a new slimline chronograph, called the Ancher.
The case has 50% recycled content, there’s a new movement inside, plus the lugs are kinda chamfered, so you should get a smoother wrist fit. We like the black coating too. Understated and not too big at 40mm, this makes a nice everyday quartz watch.
Full chrono flyback functionality too, plus some lume on the numbers. Price is £149 and there’s optional engraving for that birthday gift experience.
There is a blue model but it’s already sold out.
What we like about this watch is that it has that super clean, minimalist Junghans/Glashutte sort of flavour without the 1K plus price tag.
There’s also an Ancher automatic model at £249, witha skeleton dial. Kinda nice.
Let’s suppose for a minute that you like Skagen watches, millions of people do. But you hate paying £150 for a basic quartz watch that has a caseback so impossible to remove, even Timpsons expert openers leave three or four scratches when its battery change time.
Or you might like Nomos Glashutte models, like the post-modernist Orion Neomatik, with its hushed grey dial tones and wafer-thin hands. But again, you dislike the Nomos price tag of about £1800.
Beautifully understated, but nearly two grand. Not everyone wants to spend that on a watch.
There is a cheaper way to look uber-modern and stylish, albeit with a quartz movement for just a fiver – including postage. Seriously.
We found a brand in China called Top Of the World and bought this grey-green dial model which cost just £4.75, yes under a fiver.
Good old AliExpress brought this one up when we searched quartz gents watches by price and you have to admit that it delivers. Packed in a curious flip-up bubble of plastic, there’s no box or papers. Just a basic leaflet telling you how to set the hands.
It was set to the correct UK time when it arrived, which is a nice touch by the brand, not many Swiss companies would bother to set the new watch to the right time. Measuring just 41mm across, with a superslim bezel this is the perfect fit for many people. It’s not too high either at 10.6mm.
You get a PU fake leather strap, so it ticks the vegan box if you like to make sure that no leather is in your life. On the wrist the PU actually feels really soft and comfortable.
The dial has got that Junghans Max Bill kind of look, although the numbers are slightly smaller. It’s utilitarian, basic and none the worse for that, in fact the entire design reminded me of a rev counter from a mid-70s Honda CB400/550/750, minus the fabled red zone – which always used to fade in the sunlight.
Save the planet, keep paperwork down to a minimum.
Those ultra skinny hands stand out nicely and you can get the time with a glance. No superlume for night time of course, but you know…it’s a fiver. Some artisan cafes are charging that for a bowl of organic apple porridge.
VERDICT:
This beats Argos, Amazon or eBay when it comes to cheap prices and a decent spec. It arrived in just under a week too, so five stars for value. Nope, we aren’t on commission, we just like a bargain.
Casio has released another addition to the classic 80s case style G-Shock range. This Rainbow coloured case adds a vivid look and ticks that Pride box if you wish to make a statement.
Alarm function, mineral crystal, resin band and super lightweight. All the good stuff you expect from Casio.
Torgoen are bringing back one of their popular models, the striking Kingfisher. Vivid blue, with a Swiss quartz movement inside the 44mm case. Big imposing watch for a not unreasonable £217.
Here’s the PR word from Torgoen;
Like many of the Torgoen watches, the T10 is inspired by the clean look of altimeters and other cockpit instruments, which are ergonomically designed to facilitate reading both in daylight or in the dark, with large digits and bold hands, this sturdy yet elegant watch leaves quite an impression. It is guaranteed to draw compliments.
The movement is manufactured by Ronda, a renowned movement manufacturer, in Switzerland. With a 44mm diameter, solid high grade stainless steel case and and a Silicon strap with heavy duty solid stainless steel buckle, this elegant watch has a notable presence.
Movement: Ronda 515S.2
The movement of the watch was designed and made by Ronda, a prominent Swiss movement manufacturer. Ronda’s movements can be found in many of the world’s most famous brands and are considered to be highly reliable and robust.
The 515S.2 incorporates torques which are meant to withstand the heavy hands of the T10 Series watches. Specifications: 29.4mm in size, battery life of 24 months, 3 hands and a calendar, powerful stepping motor, repairable metal parts, power saving mechanism with pulled out stem (which reduces power consumption of approximately 70%) and one jewel.
By that we mean how little will you spend for an everyday quartz watch that tells the time and looks half decent?
We say about £20. There are some basic Casio models that retail for around £15 and of course Amazon and Ali Express are packed with 15 quid watches with oddball names and basic packaging.
But Time Products in the UK, who sell Accurist and Sekonda, have an even cheaper brand called Limit in their portfolio. It’s an old Swiss brand, famously the maker of good automatics and mechanical models back in the 50s and 60s, but then like many Swiss brands, the quartz attack from Japan in the 80s finished them off.
We love this Limit digital with its Wire Guard logo and chunky design. Yep, it’s £30 but watch out for regular Limit deals and offers online. Nice digital display plus a backlight button for checking the time if you wake up in the night.
Let’s be honest a water resistance of 100m at this price level is pretty fair. Most fashion watches have just 50m, some less. The orange digital model at the top of ther page has a reasonable spec and we think it looks kinda sporty too.
You can’t really fault this red digital, with an alarm, stop watch and a plastic strap. So yeah you can swim in it. £25 is alright we think and although we aren’t saying disposable watches are a good thing, you ain’t gonna shed a tear when the strap splits and that’s the end of the watch.
It’s easy to get snobby about watches, but if you work in a rough job and your watch gets damaged, or you want to buy a teenager a watch and you just know they will hammer it to destruction, then brands like Limit offer the working person a chance to buy something with a guarantee that looks modern, and tells the time, for the sort of money that MPs spend on coffee n a vegan snack bar.
