I hear you. Functionally they seem to be everything you'd want in an outdoors watch, but I can't get over their size & aesthetics.

Too chunky for me. Too big for your wrist is fixable -- any jewelry or watch repair place at the mall can do this in minutes.

I'm a pretty modern guy for the most part. I'm really into modern polymer guns (I have six HKs including a USC carbine), I collect LED lights and I'm heavily into digital audio and video. But for some weird reason I can't stand digital watches. Maybe it's my age or whatever but if I see the time displayed numerically it doesn't register with my brain like it does seeing hour and minute hands. I admit this is weird but I'll wear analog watches as long as I'm alive and they're still made.

You know, when I think about it a watch is an anachronism nowadays. IRL I'm one of the only people I know that still wears one. I feel naked without it but my brother that's nearly the same age as me hasn't worn one in ten years. Since everyone has a cell phone and nearly every computer and electronic gadget seems to display the time it feels like watches are getting almost uncommon now.

It is possible to buy mechanical, hand wind, watches without having to pay thousands of dollars.
Like my Smiths from England. A copy of the military watches from the 50´s/60´s. Mine cost about 300 british pounds and that included postage fee.

That´s a nice simple watch. I got a copy of a WWII aviator´s watch. Those watches had the movement of a pocket watch for better accuracy. I paid around 100€ for mine.



However when it came some assembly was required:

Don't worry, Phaedrus; I'll be the other guy with a wristwatch (only it will be digital)...

All this watch talk again has me looking for another watch.

I also like the titanium Series of Citizen Eco-drive Solar Watch. This looks the business being a toughened up Commando Watch. Now if it only had a Tritium Dials and watch face like my Luminox!

http://www.citizenshop.co.uk/index.php/r...bn0110-06e.html

Here's one of mine built like a tank.




Another auto that I find myself wearing just as a beater:

I'm one of the few left in my office that still wears a wristwatch. There's a couple of high end dress watches, a G-Shock, and my Timex. Everybody else relies on their cell phones. I personally finds it annoying to have to dig it out whenever I want to check the time or date.

I prefer analog watches, but to be fair, I could wear one of those oversized sport watches if I could attach it to my belt.

Cheapness is relative. For a few hundred dollars you can get something with sufficient quality, that is still massively cheaper than a Rolex. The 200M WR refers to static pressure, as Paul810 said. A solar watch doesn't need new batteries every few years.

I recently bought an automatic watch, partly to see what they were like, partly because I wanted a slide-rule dial, and partly because my Casio isn't very dressy. I was disappointed. From what I've read, it needs a few hundred dollars spent on maintenance every few years else the workings will wear out and the oil congeal. If civilisation collapses, I suspect my digital watch will keep better time for longer than my automatic.

I have one with a plastic strap - which I much prefer. I love it. Being solar and atomic it's an excellent time-piece, and I also use most of the gadgets.