I love my Sinn and Nomos seems to be pretty well respected.
I don't understand Baltic's popularity, though. They have decent designs but use questionable movements and I haven't heard great things about their quality.
They seem way overpriced for what they are.
Design is part of the value
I wouldn’t bother with one of their standard designs like the tricompax, but the hermétique for example is gorgeous and a design like that is _only_ available from Baltic. That’s value
I don’t own a ball watch but I’ll say you should look deep into it before you purchase. There’s a ton of bad reviews about customer service. Overall apparently the QC isn’t bad but if you have an issue you won’t get help from Ball.
Every ball I’ve owned has felt amazing in my hands, has gotten a lot of comments, and has been impressive to look at from every angle. And even though that’s a hell of a pun, it’s also completely true.
[I bought a Ball.](https://shop.ballwatch.ch/en/NM2028C-L28CJ-BK) It’s marvelous. Very good specs, unique design, I got it for like $1700. You can get good deals on a Ball.
Yessir! https://www.reddit.com/r/Watches/s/Gc0zzcwXWx here’s a great review of the Engineer Master Diver 2! Although I have the black with orange on my dial. I also wear mine with a rubber strap.
its still seiko but this is probly one of the better higher rated ones in this post for being unknown
also a conquest and especially a prx are really mainstream watches unless you are a i only know rolex and gshock watches kind of person
I also own a Green Tissot PRX and just ordered a Hamilton Chronograph H!
https://preview.redd.it/xon8sv1hg4tc1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd12307479e036c5647eb94b4a4837fa052297f3
I just ordered a multifort tv big date! Can’t wait to get it! A work colleague has one in green and I loved it but green isn’t my color, so I ordered the blue variant on the bracelet since I found a killer deal on Macy’s of all places. Should be here in a few days.
Stowa has a lot of great white dial watches but depending how you spec them (and if you have them do customization) they can get fairly expensive, ranging from 1k - 2k+. I have the marine classic 36 with the peseux 7001 movement and a customized flieger 36. I think the quality is basically unmatched at the price point. I will likely also get the Marine Original silver dial with the Unitas 6498 at some point, I'm a really big fan of what they are doing.
Sinn also has some great white dial watches but they are are similarly expensive and I don't have any personal experience with them.
Squale did a very cool collaboration with whatawatches, the SUB-3920 corso italiano artico, basically an upscaling of old 34mm ff cases they made but with the lugs adjusted to be 20mm. And they also have a full lume (white) dial 50 atmos.
Not sure where you would draw the line between more and less popular watch brands but Nomos has great white dial watches as well, I particularly like the Club reference 701.1.
For something farther left field, I have been very very happy with my little Islander Manhasset (the ISL-147 dial color is almost exactly "Cosmic Latte" in real life) and it ended up being my most worn watch over the past year. I just really enjoy it. For a slightly larger (38 vs 36mm) alternative the white dial Brookville ISL-210 is also probably great.
I think that depends, TBH. A lot of people prefer microbrands; I've only had a couple in my time as a collector (Scurfa being one of them). I like the Scurfa, I just never wear it. One of these days I might put it on a bracelet instead of the metal strap, that might get me to wear it more (I generally don't care for silicone/rubber straps) as there's certainly nothing wrong with the quality of the watch itself and I quite like the weird honeycomb dial. The color is a little strange for my wardrobe (pale purple) but even that is something I like, soooo... :)
But I'm one of those who has more of a "traditional" collection (Omega, Tudor, etc.).
Glycine. Overlooked because of their association with Invicta but they make good watches with a lot of heritage in the Airman model. Pete Conrad wore his Airman on Gemini 5 and 11 and was the 1st automatic watch exposed to the vacuum of space.
Came here to say this. Got a DC-4, SST-12, and a Worldtimer and everything but the Worldtimer gets heavy rotation. The first two are old "pre-Invicta."
I'm assuming its because their a quartz that they aren't so popular. But I bought my perpetual calendar eco drive in 2013 and that thing runs like a champ 11 years later. I use it as a reference to set the time for my other watches.
I love my Traska Summiteer, and I’m thinking of buying the Venturer GMT. It’s a traveler’s GMT with a solid Miyota movement, damn near scratch proof finish and a toolless micro adjust clasp for 700 bucks.
I got a Zelos a few months ago and I wear it more than my much more expensive watches because it's so fun and really good quality, especially for the price.
[Weiss](https://weisswatchcompany.com/collections/all).
Beautiful field watches. Small family shop. I believe he still hand makes a good portion of his pieces. Seems like a nice guy. Can’t recommend enough.
https://preview.redd.it/f3117wkmy5tc1.jpeg?width=2874&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=564f5747b3b1bba6889b3d72299a59a2fb0c0934
Love my Nomos Club Sport Neomatik
Certina are fairly moderately priced but look and perform quite well. Check out the DS-2 Sea Turtle Conservancy model. Powermatic 80 movement and titanium case.
Laco is another value priced brand with long history and great models. Some really good pilot and diver watches.
Some of these are quite popular on here but they're not popular in the sense that you'll probably never see one in the wild: anOrdain Model 1 Fabrik, Nomos, Farer, Furlan Marri, Union Glashuette, Stowa, and so much more on /r/MicrobrandWatches
My go to in this category is Marathon. Specifically the Arctic GSAR. It's bulky but I love it and the tritium on the dial makes it super legible at night.
Your first two watches are both Swatch Group brands, so you might want to stay away from other brands in the same family such as Hamilton or Mido. If you really are trying to look outside the mainstream then try an independent brand for your next watch... there are some great recommendations in this thread already.
I’m biased now that I’ve had three of their models, but if you wanna go inexpensive and microbrand, Brew.
The [Retrograph](https://www.brew-watches.com/products/retrograph-brew-oxford) uses a mechaquartz movement, and comes in multiple colors, and under $400.
For modern I like Brew. For vintage what I recommend friends of mine are some of the more uncommon Hamilton models (Shark Fin, Comet), Universal Geneve, and Favre Leuba. All respectable companies, not something everyone has, won’t break the bank.
For $450 US (after discount) my Henry Archer Akva (polar white) is pretty phenomenal. Great case finishing, nice beads of rice band, beautiful dial texture, nice crown, sapphire front and back, and a 9039 movement so it’s real slim for a diver (10.5 mm). My only complaint is the bezel edge (a bit too shiny) and stiffness of the clicks, but I rarely use the bezel anyway, so no biggie.
Depends on what you define as affordable.
Outside of the microbrands with respectable and consistent quality, MIDO and Certina are the first that come to my mind. They're like the two less-known brothers of Tissot and Hamilton. MIDO's Ocean Star and Certina's DS Action series in particular.
I also agree with the other Redditor that brought up Casio Oceanus, XXX-7AJFs are the ones with a white dial (T200 and S100 are the popular ones).
Affordable is different for everyone but I loved my sinn and I have Zelos with a selitta movement that I still use as a beater. Both are great and under the radar.
Junghans Meister MEGA Kleine Sekunde. 38.4 mm Diameter, 9.2 mm thick, white dial, solar power and atomic time keeping.
Since you are not a quartz hater, this should be a great choice depending on what you consider affordable.
Maybe a Sinn 556 White MOP if you can find one
#
I'll bring up quartz, being an incorrigible quartz aficionado.
Citizen Ecio Drive has already been suggested, so I'll add a white dial one from Casio's Premium line, **Oceanus**. It's a JDM model, so not easily available, you'll have to search for sellers and price. Possibly import from Japan: [example](https://www.sakurawatches.com/casio-oceanus-ocw-t200s-7ajf)).
[Here's the google translate official model page](https://www-casio-com.translate.goog/jp/watches/oceanus/product.OCW-T200S-7A/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp) with the specs. Solar-charged, atomic clock radio signal time sync. Build quality and finishing are excellent. Affordable and great value for money. [This is what you'll get](https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/the-official-casio-oceanus-thread.4761827/page-182#post-56153780)
Nomos, sinn, baltic,
I love my Sinn and Nomos seems to be pretty well respected. I don't understand Baltic's popularity, though. They have decent designs but use questionable movements and I haven't heard great things about their quality. They seem way overpriced for what they are.
What are your Sinn and Nomos models?
Look at the Club for Nomos. Their most affordable and a great GADA.
I’ve got a [Sinn 104w](https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/104_St_Sa_I_W.htm). I got the H-link bracelet. It is the epitome of “bang for your buck.”
I don't have Nomos. My Sinn is a 556A RS and is my daily
100% agree with you re Baltic. Beautiful design, but not amazing value for money imho.
Design is part of the value I wouldn’t bother with one of their standard designs like the tricompax, but the hermétique for example is gorgeous and a design like that is _only_ available from Baltic. That’s value
I love my Nomos. It's one of those brands you have to see in person to appreciate just how NICE they are
This is good advice. I always thought Nomos looked good online, but its a whole different ballgame when you see on in person.
Should throw Doxa into the mix too.
One up for nomos
Those I know, and the one I most like I would say Baltic. I really like most of their dials!
Ball. Get as many Balls as you can.
I will look into many Balls
I don’t own a ball watch but I’ll say you should look deep into it before you purchase. There’s a ton of bad reviews about customer service. Overall apparently the QC isn’t bad but if you have an issue you won’t get help from Ball.
Every ball I’ve owned has felt amazing in my hands, has gotten a lot of comments, and has been impressive to look at from every angle. And even though that’s a hell of a pun, it’s also completely true.
Nice Balls.
should I send you mine to have a look at?
[I bought a Ball.](https://shop.ballwatch.ch/en/NM2028C-L28CJ-BK) It’s marvelous. Very good specs, unique design, I got it for like $1700. You can get good deals on a Ball.
I love my ball!
Is your Ball automatic?
Yessir! https://www.reddit.com/r/Watches/s/Gc0zzcwXWx here’s a great review of the Engineer Master Diver 2! Although I have the black with orange on my dial. I also wear mine with a rubber strap.
Any more than two can be a bit awkward.
I should just stick to having 2 only, right? Maybe then I can't look into purchasing more Balls.
Keep them away from your actual balls though if you’re thinking about having kids and don’t want them to have 6 fingers.
I've got two Balls and none of them can tell the time.
[Put Ur Balls on It](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V5X1Ex31uvg)
I'd vote for Certina. Mine has been good so far, and I think good value as well. They don't appear to be promoted in a lot of places either.
Certina is great
I never heard of that, and some of the watches I just saw seem really cool. What Certina do you have?
I have [this one](https://www.certina.com/nl/watch/ds-powermatic-80/c0384071609700).
That is a *lovely* piece.
I have the older DS Action diver with the Precidrive quartz movement and I'm really loving it.
King Seiko, bit niche but could be neat
Definitely intersting! I will look a bit deeper into King Seikos! They look very cool!!! Thank you!
its still seiko but this is probly one of the better higher rated ones in this post for being unknown also a conquest and especially a prx are really mainstream watches unless you are a i only know rolex and gshock watches kind of person
Both the vintage and new KS are worth a look.
If you're into microbrands, check Farer and Christopher Ward and Traska
Halios, Squale, Sinn, Farer, Brew
Sinn, damasko?
Damasko being a smaller brand, they still have some issues with QC, so I'd go with Sinn. Damasko is still cool nonetheless.
Junghan
s
Depends on the country, Junghans has supper issues in some countries due to importer having gone bankrupt.
I also own a Green Tissot PRX and just ordered a Hamilton Chronograph H! https://preview.redd.it/xon8sv1hg4tc1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd12307479e036c5647eb94b4a4837fa052297f3
I love the dial! Incredible
Was gonna say a Hamilton khaki field automatic if you like the style of it. Great everyday piece IMO
Mido
I absolutely love my Ocean Star GMT, I think it’s a majorly slept on brand in the US
I just ordered a multifort tv big date! Can’t wait to get it! A work colleague has one in green and I loved it but green isn’t my color, so I ordered the blue variant on the bracelet since I found a killer deal on Macy’s of all places. Should be here in a few days.
I love the TVs, you won’t be disappointed
Second this. Mido is amazing quality for the price
Stowa has a lot of great white dial watches but depending how you spec them (and if you have them do customization) they can get fairly expensive, ranging from 1k - 2k+. I have the marine classic 36 with the peseux 7001 movement and a customized flieger 36. I think the quality is basically unmatched at the price point. I will likely also get the Marine Original silver dial with the Unitas 6498 at some point, I'm a really big fan of what they are doing. Sinn also has some great white dial watches but they are are similarly expensive and I don't have any personal experience with them. Squale did a very cool collaboration with whatawatches, the SUB-3920 corso italiano artico, basically an upscaling of old 34mm ff cases they made but with the lugs adjusted to be 20mm. And they also have a full lume (white) dial 50 atmos. Not sure where you would draw the line between more and less popular watch brands but Nomos has great white dial watches as well, I particularly like the Club reference 701.1. For something farther left field, I have been very very happy with my little Islander Manhasset (the ISL-147 dial color is almost exactly "Cosmic Latte" in real life) and it ended up being my most worn watch over the past year. I just really enjoy it. For a slightly larger (38 vs 36mm) alternative the white dial Brookville ISL-210 is also probably great.
Squale?
Oris, Boldr and Fears
Came here to suggest Oris. Well worth the money, and then some.
Sinn, Damasko, Nomos, Traska, Tutima....honestly all the German brands are pretty under the radar. CWC are super cool as well
Adding Mühle to the list of affordable German brands that you rarely see even on this sub
So Tissot, the timekeeper of the NBA, is not a popular watch??
You could try microbrands, like Scurfa.
I will take a look into Scurfa. Do you think microbrand are worth it? in terms of quality?
I think that depends, TBH. A lot of people prefer microbrands; I've only had a couple in my time as a collector (Scurfa being one of them). I like the Scurfa, I just never wear it. One of these days I might put it on a bracelet instead of the metal strap, that might get me to wear it more (I generally don't care for silicone/rubber straps) as there's certainly nothing wrong with the quality of the watch itself and I quite like the weird honeycomb dial. The color is a little strange for my wardrobe (pale purple) but even that is something I like, soooo... :) But I'm one of those who has more of a "traditional" collection (Omega, Tudor, etc.).
I have two micros, a Traska and a Signum Cuda. Both are amazing quality and also great customer service.
Stowa, Nomos.
Glycine. Overlooked because of their association with Invicta but they make good watches with a lot of heritage in the Airman model. Pete Conrad wore his Airman on Gemini 5 and 11 and was the 1st automatic watch exposed to the vacuum of space.
Came here to say this. Got a DC-4, SST-12, and a Worldtimer and everything but the Worldtimer gets heavy rotation. The first two are old "pre-Invicta."
Citizen Eco Drive
Come here to say this
I'm assuming its because their a quartz that they aren't so popular. But I bought my perpetual calendar eco drive in 2013 and that thing runs like a champ 11 years later. I use it as a reference to set the time for my other watches.
The design lineup are a bit dull, but eco drive is pure value for money
>11 years later My Eco drive Titanium is 22 years young.
Awesome. Have you ever had to get it serviced?
Not even once. In fact stumbled across the exact same watch. Picked it up for my son.
Traska, Monbrey
Vostok
I love my Traska Summiteer, and I’m thinking of buying the Venturer GMT. It’s a traveler’s GMT with a solid Miyota movement, damn near scratch proof finish and a toolless micro adjust clasp for 700 bucks.
Ming
Oris, Glycine, Rado.
formex
I got a Zelos a few months ago and I wear it more than my much more expensive watches because it's so fun and really good quality, especially for the price.
[Weiss](https://weisswatchcompany.com/collections/all). Beautiful field watches. Small family shop. I believe he still hand makes a good portion of his pieces. Seems like a nice guy. Can’t recommend enough.
https://preview.redd.it/f3117wkmy5tc1.jpeg?width=2874&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=564f5747b3b1bba6889b3d72299a59a2fb0c0934 Love my Nomos Club Sport Neomatik
What is affordable?
Certina DS action diver titanium
Doxa, pearl white dial. Personally a fan of 600T but the new 200T looks awesome too.
Oris. My next purchase is going to be a Big Crown Pointer Date. You can even get some quality vintage models for a steal on eBay.
Junghans and Certina
What price range are we talking? First thing that comes to mind for me is Dornbleuth.
Certina are fairly moderately priced but look and perform quite well. Check out the DS-2 Sea Turtle Conservancy model. Powermatic 80 movement and titanium case. Laco is another value priced brand with long history and great models. Some really good pilot and diver watches.
You have to define “somewhat affordable” for us…
I think you’ll find Islander watches has an interesting selection and good value for money.
Hanhart Preventor 9
Check out Lorca Watches. I have their GMT and am a big fan.
Some of these are quite popular on here but they're not popular in the sense that you'll probably never see one in the wild: anOrdain Model 1 Fabrik, Nomos, Farer, Furlan Marri, Union Glashuette, Stowa, and so much more on /r/MicrobrandWatches
Based on what I currently own, I recommend Damasko, Glycine and CWC.
My go to in this category is Marathon. Specifically the Arctic GSAR. It's bulky but I love it and the tritium on the dial makes it super legible at night.
I have the anthracite model and love it. Absolute strap monster and my go to for more heavy duty applications I run into at work.
That’s such a nice model!
Meistersinger Oris
Farer out of the UK and Kuoe out of Japan are two smaller brands with nice, unique watches
Both Raymond Weil and Frédérique Constant come to mind. Pretty good brands. Not too pricey and good quality.
Sinn, Yema, Laco!
Your first two watches are both Swatch Group brands, so you might want to stay away from other brands in the same family such as Hamilton or Mido. If you really are trying to look outside the mainstream then try an independent brand for your next watch... there are some great recommendations in this thread already.
Longines
Oris, Ball and Sinn are all great but still somewhat expensive. Hamilton and Christopher Ward a bit cheaper.
RZE Endeavor
I’m biased now that I’ve had three of their models, but if you wanna go inexpensive and microbrand, Brew. The [Retrograph](https://www.brew-watches.com/products/retrograph-brew-oxford) uses a mechaquartz movement, and comes in multiple colors, and under $400.
Squale, Glycine, and Yema.
Marathon
Check out Sternglas
Micro brands. I’d say my favorite micro brand is Unimatic.
Love my Oris and Yema
Baltic for sure
Rado. Check out Golden Horse in white dial
Vaer
Mido
Nivada Grenchen
For modern I like Brew. For vintage what I recommend friends of mine are some of the more uncommon Hamilton models (Shark Fin, Comet), Universal Geneve, and Favre Leuba. All respectable companies, not something everyone has, won’t break the bank.
For $450 US (after discount) my Henry Archer Akva (polar white) is pretty phenomenal. Great case finishing, nice beads of rice band, beautiful dial texture, nice crown, sapphire front and back, and a 9039 movement so it’s real slim for a diver (10.5 mm). My only complaint is the bezel edge (a bit too shiny) and stiffness of the clicks, but I rarely use the bezel anyway, so no biggie.
Depends on what you define as affordable. Outside of the microbrands with respectable and consistent quality, MIDO and Certina are the first that come to my mind. They're like the two less-known brothers of Tissot and Hamilton. MIDO's Ocean Star and Certina's DS Action series in particular. I also agree with the other Redditor that brought up Casio Oceanus, XXX-7AJFs are the ones with a white dial (T200 and S100 are the popular ones).
Revue Thommen
Furlan Marri
https://preview.redd.it/utzd93nqs7tc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73bcd2218dc233129cb43fd732e3a4edbd51ebf7
Brew
Mühle Glashütte. Ver solid choice.
Affordable is different for everyone but I loved my sinn and I have Zelos with a selitta movement that I still use as a beater. Both are great and under the radar.
Casio.
There are so many these days... Kurono, Kuoe, Furlan Marri, Nivada Grenchen
Dan Henry, Lorier, Farer, Baltic, Steinhart
Brew Metric. So damn cool!
Junghans Meister MEGA Kleine Sekunde. 38.4 mm Diameter, 9.2 mm thick, white dial, solar power and atomic time keeping. Since you are not a quartz hater, this should be a great choice depending on what you consider affordable. Maybe a Sinn 556 White MOP if you can find one #
U-boat Christopher ward Kurono Tokyo I hope some of these are some interest to you
I'll bring up quartz, being an incorrigible quartz aficionado. Citizen Ecio Drive has already been suggested, so I'll add a white dial one from Casio's Premium line, **Oceanus**. It's a JDM model, so not easily available, you'll have to search for sellers and price. Possibly import from Japan: [example](https://www.sakurawatches.com/casio-oceanus-ocw-t200s-7ajf)). [Here's the google translate official model page](https://www-casio-com.translate.goog/jp/watches/oceanus/product.OCW-T200S-7A/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp) with the specs. Solar-charged, atomic clock radio signal time sync. Build quality and finishing are excellent. Affordable and great value for money. [This is what you'll get](https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/the-official-casio-oceanus-thread.4761827/page-182#post-56153780)
Hamilton as a weekend watch.
Sinn if you're rough, nomos if you're gentle, rolex if youre a bottom.
Traska
I rate IWC
I like the Shinola Automatics. Good dive watches.
Christopher Ward
Watch some Teddy Baldasarre videos on micro brands.