I collect watches. I'm not sure why, and I really don't care. There are lots of ways to tell time, and it isn't hard to find a clock.
I have several watches, and my favorite are automatic watches. They used to call them self-winding. Most watches today are quartz watches. They run on power from a battery. The second hand ticks along one second at a time. I find that lurching second hand to be a distraction, and I think it takes away from the beauty of the watch.
Besides... I cuss like a sailor when I look at my watch and see that the battery stopped. Sometimes it's fun to cuss, but I like to know what time I started and what time I finished. I can't do that if my damn watch battery died.
So, I started collecting watches. I have about 16 that I use quite a bit. Sometimes I change watches a couple of times a day, just because I feel like it. Yeah, that sounds like an addiction. That's okay. At least I know what time I started...
I bought several Seiko 5 automatic watches. Seiko makes good watches in all price ranges. I like mine a lot. I recommend them.
While lurking around eBay--shopping while my unsuspecting wife sleeps--I happened to see Orient watches pop up quite a bit. I was leery when I spotted them. They look interesting, but I thought at first they were another Chinese brand that might or might not work.
Orient watches are NOT, repeat, NOT Chinese.
They are, in fact, Japanese. They're aren't many stores in the USA that carry them. If you want one, you'll probably have to buy it online.
You won't be disappointed. They're good watches. They keep excellent time, they are very well made, and you get a lot of bang for your buck. I have three of them now, and I'm waiting for the one in the picture to arrive. I get the ones that come on a leather strap, and the quality of the strap is top notch. I've read bad things about the metal bracelets some of them come on, but can assure you that the leather strap is high quality.
The quality is so impressive that Seiko bought a controlling interest in the company, but was smart enough to let Orient keep doing what it does best--make affordable, quality automatic watches.
And now for my one and only disclaimer: I don't work for Orient, don't know anyone who works for Orient, and am not being compensated in any way whatsoever for writing this.
I don't recommend buying the watches from Orient's site. They are priced significantly lower from other sellers on eBay--most of whom offer warranties. I paid $149 for the watch in the picture, about $100 less than manufacturer's suggested retail price.
