Unless it's got a nice Seiko movement...

This above all others.
Excellent quality, and it is a mechanical (automatic) watch.

Seiko makes its watches, which cannot be said about a

lot of watch companies.

As mentioned, there are many styles to choose from.


At least give the Seiko 5 a serious look.

KISS

On my Christmas list this year:  $105

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EQS1JW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=15RGMCA3ALCF4&coliid=I3598603GD4ZTV

Got this in June. Perfect for me.

Lot of Seiko fans in here.  You guys have good taste!

Swiss Army Officer

Anyone have experience with this one? Supposed to have a sapphire crystal.

Heavy watch. Specs put it at 1 lbs.

I'd be a fan if the watch body came in black.

another vote for the seiko 5

I also like the orient dive watches.

Seiko 007

Amazon had the black version of that watch for $40 on Black Friday for an hour.  I FOed.

Nice, but tiny.

If you can stand the OD green version it's on sale right now for more than 50% less than that price

Seiko Diver.   a bit over $200, but well worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SKX009K2-Japanees-Automatic-Stainless/dp/B000OP1M6M

NM; not functioning compass

Seiko Kinetic SKA727 Black Dial Black Canvas Band Men's Watch.
This is one of my favorite watches.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BG05OPI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sweet, thanks!!!!

I've got one and had it for years.  The watchbands are utter garbage and they want $49.95 to replace a $3.00 band that goes
bad after about a year of normal use.

I got a Chinese replacement band for like $18.00 and it's indistinguishable from the real thing.  I hope it holds up better.

Pretty sure Amazon got that wrong.  

I'd hope.

did they get the quartz movement part wrong as well?

If I could find that exact watch with Tritium markers, instead of the shitty luminous glow in the dark stuff, I'd buy it today.

very happy with mine.  takes a lot of abuse.

Lots of watches in the price range and the thread have quartz movements.

I've got a watch case full of autos that I like, but I'm also looking in OP's price range for a more scratch resistant watch, and I haven't found anything that has a sapphire crystal AND an automatic movement for under $200.  So since I'm looking for a blue collar work watch I'm open to the idea of a quartz movement.

Solar powered, so no worrying about the battery.  ~$140 so within your budget.  Seiko is a reputable brand, and this model has a nice design.

https://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SNE107P2-Rubber-Analog-Black/dp/B005HJQY22/ref=pd_srecs_cs_241_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4JRC62QFF6N3QTAZZCG5

I've worn an skx007 for the past three years. Really great looking watch in my opinion, and an excellent value. Mine doesn't keep time worth shit, though, and I don't feel like playing watchmaker trying to regulate it.  Above all else, a watch should accurately tell time, and I just don't think the 7s26 will ever do that for me in the way that I want it to. My hunt for a new watch began about three weeks ago.

I really wanted to like the G shocks, and in particular the Rangeman, but couldn't get past the fugly. I'm not Ralph Lauren by any stretch of the imagination, but damn. Really, damn. I feel like just wearing one would automatically qualify me for the special olympics. So, after about three weeks of reading watchuseek, I've settled on the Pro Trek prw3500. Atomic, solar, 200m water rating, and ABC functions. It's not great looking by any means, but it beats a g shock, in my opinion. The lady just ordered one for me for Xmas, so time will tell. I think I'll dig it, though. I think it was only like 150, too, which is a great deal.

I already have a sieko 5 but hardly never wear it because it keeps shitty time .  I like the look and feel of the watch so I wear it on special occasions where it only has to hold the right time for a few hours .

Get yourself a universal tool for removing your watch back from Amazon. Remove the back of said watch and adjust the hair spring so your watch keeps better time.

That's a shame, because that was going to be my recommendation.

Runcible is right.  It should be the official watch of Arf.

Do NOT buy Bulova.

Citizen makes several in your price range to choose from.  Some look almost identical to that Seiko.  I've had great luck with both.  But the Citizen will likely keep better time.  The Eco-Drive system they use is pretty awesome.

Bad experience?

I've had many over the years and theyve always been pretty good.  My favorite watch is my Bulova Pecisionist.

 
Wearing one right now. I've had it for about 4 years now with no problems at all. I love it.

 
It's worth breaking the bank and pulling out an extra $6.

I've got the "related" seiko automatic in green that's $55

where?

I have to second this (no pun intended) and right now, it's on sale from amazon for under $70 for cyber Monday (have to add to cart for the 30% off to apply).

I have actually gotten into watches pretty heavily lately, I want something that is durable, will last for years without maintenance, and keep accurate time post any SHTF type scenario.  


I bought an atomic solar G shock first, it is durable, keeps perfect time, and with the rechargable solar battery will last at least 10+ years.  However, it is very bulky, and I began to have doubts as to how well it would fare if there was an EMP or solar flare.  By all accounts I have read, digital watches would likely be toast, but analogs are mostly shielded in metal (faraday cage), and their small springs and components are too small to absorb enough electricity to short them out.  Analog watches and their quartz movements are typically a lot more accurate than digital as well, and who knows how long that GPS signal to sync your atomic digital watch will last post SHTF?  

Like you, I was also interested in wanting a watch that could double as a compass, and when I discovered that you can use an analog watch to very accurately double as a compass, that was the key factor that pushed them over the top for me!  It doesn't hurt that they are a lot nicer looking than digital watches either!  Some digital watches can act as a compass, but they can be very finicky, and like I said, I will always trust mechanical over digital as far as pure reliability goes.


SHTF Analog Watch Criteria

1. Durability - If a watch can't stand up to some abuse, what good is it right?  That doesn't mean that you shouldn't protect and care for your watch like you would any other piece of vital equipment, but if you are caught in hard times, it shouldn't fall apart.  I lump water resistance in here as well, because usually, the greater the watches' water resistance the more durable it is.  And just an FYI, when a watch says in meters how water resistant it is, that is NOT the depth with which you can swim with it, but the "atmospheric pressure" it can take.  IE, the minimum water resistance you should do light swimming with is a watch rated for 50 meters (the cheap Seiko 5 everyone is recommending is good only for 30).

2. Battery Life - After a SHTF scenario, you are unlikely to have access to a lot of luxuries, watch repair is likely to be one of them.  For this reason, I wanted a watch that would last as long as possible in the field maintenance free.  Most watches batteries will only last between 2 -3 years.  If a battery dies on your watch, you are SOL!  Say you buy a watch, it had been sitting in the warehouse since it was manufactured for 6 months to a year, you then own it for a year, SHTF happens, before you know it, your watch dies unexpectedly!  See how short 2 - 3 years is when viewed in that context?

For this reason, I really am a fan of lithium and solar powered batteries.  Lithium batteries will last upwards of 10 years without having to be replaced.  Solar chargeable batteries, like the citizen echo drive, will last upwards of 20+ years (citizen claims after 20 years, the battery will still have 80% of its useful life)!  How is that for battery life?  You effectively, never have to worry about your battery again!

3. Watch Movement -   If a watch can't keep good time, what good is it?  After all, isn't that its main function?  At first I was very interested in looking at automatics, like the SEIKO 5, because they are totally mechanical.  However, the more I researched them, the less attractive they became.  For one, they are more fragile movements than quartz (battery powered).  Shocks, etc are more likely to disrupt them.  They are typically less water resistant, and if any moisture does get into the mechanism, it will quickly kill it.  If you are not constantly wearing them they will quickly die, they can not sit for more than a day or two tops before needing to be rewound.  Lastly, is accuracy.  Because of the complication of the automatic movement, it is notoriously much less accurate than a quartz movement (unless you're spending BIG bucks).  A quartz watch might gain or loose 2 - 5 seconds a month.  An automatic will generally gain or loose more than 10 times that!  Reports of people loosing 10+ seconds a day is not uncommon even!    

4. Readability - This one can be attributed to mostly personal preference, but I am going to list it here anyway because I believe it to be important.  The easier and quicker one can read a watch and tell the time, the better IMHO.  For this reason, I don't like busy dials, I like plain simple faces, with three clearly defined hands (hour, minute, second).  I like clearly defined index marks, and I also like (very important to me) arabic numerals over dots and dashes for the hour indexes.  In fact, I will not consider a watch that does not have arabic numberals.  Real numbers are just easier and much quicker to read than dashes and dots.  Not every index has to have a number, but at least half (say all the even numbers) should be for me find it acceptable.  I don't want to stare at my watch longer than I have to in order to get the time.  Digital watches are superior in this area, but a good analog with large clear numbers is not too far behind.  Larger clearer numbers also are more visible in low light conditions as the white lettering is more reflective (and also holds more lume).    


Watches that Fit all of the Above Criteria (in your price range)

There are some nice watches that fit all of the criteria above.  One of them I already quoted, the above Citizens.  Citizen also has some other very nice models, but that is their basic field watch.  Almost all of them have their rechargeable solar battery (echo drive) movement.  I'd say their best watch in terms of our criteria is their Royal Marine Commando field watch.  Has a case machined from one piece of solid titanium, thick sapphire crystal, kevlar band, and 300 meter water resistance.  It is simple, sharp looking, and easy to read the time.  It is also totally anti-magnetic.  However, it retails for ~$300 USD (way outside your budget), and sells primarily outside the states.  There are some online companies that will sell and ship to the states though.

Bang for your buck though, you can't beat the above linked to Citizen field watch for $70 shipped, will do 95% of what a watch 3 times as much will.


Momentum Steelix Field Watch


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EU53PTO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=268YEE9XJPBRX&coliid=I21LMNHPYIH3VG&th=1

Great watch, currently also on sale for cyber Monday at 30% off, making it ~ $70 total.  This watch is a littler bigger and bulkier than the citizen field watch, but is a bit more durable.  It has a screw down crown which gives it better 200 meter water resistance vs. 100 for the citizen's field.  The trade off is battery life, this watch has a 5 year battery life which is the minimum I would consider for SHTF use.  5 years is still a very good life, as it is twice as long as the normal watch life, and very respectable.  The batteries are cheap and easy to change too.  Momentum has a LOT of other good models, most of which are in your price range.  Check them out and see which one catches your fancy.  Their ULTIMATE bombproof durable watch is also on sale at 30% off, putting it right at the end of your price range of $200.  However, it is a BEAST, if not a bit bulky for every day field use perhaps.  

Timex Expedition Rugged Field Watch  


http://www.timex.com/expedition-rugged-field/T492719J.html

You may look at the name Timex and laugh, but they do make some low price respectable watches.  This watch is their BEST analog field watch hands down.  It is their only analog watch which they rate specifically as "shock proof".  With its beefy construction, you know its durable.  It also has a lithium battery with a 10 year life, and 100 meter water resistant.  The one unique feature this watch has over all of the others is it has their "indigo" feature, which lights up the whole watch face with a push of a button, just like a digital!  With a lithium batter, you don't have to worry that using that feature will kill your battery early, either.  It is currently on sale for cyber Monday at $45 shipped, the cheapest price wise of the list!  You can't go wrong!
 

How to Use your Analog Watch as a Compass


This is very important, and in my opinion is THE deciding factor in the analog vs. digital debate, esp if you don't care about EMP.  With any analog watch, you can find your direction, just like a compass.  This is how you do it.

At noon, wherever the sun is, is directly south.  Just walk towards the sun at 12 o clock noon, and you will head directly south. From sunrise to noon, you point your hour hand at the sun, half way between where the sun is, and where your 12 o clock marking on the watch is, is south.  From noon to sun set, you do the same trick, but you will be using the right side of your watch.  Say, for instance, it is 3pm, you point your hour hand at the sun, half way between the 3 marking and the 12 marking on your watch is where south is.

Now you can figure our your direction, anywhere you are!  

Very nice write up.

Seiko Monster. I have a high end watch, but I still find myself wearing my Monster

Thanks.  I have been watching that eco drive for a little while.  It is smaller than I normally like, but I couldn't pass at that price!

My most favorite watch...MUCH more accurate than a Rolex or a TAG.  And I can bang it into things without worry.

Retails for $300 +/-

I bought one from DVOR for $140. The band lasted about two years and the replacement was $55

Seiko monster

This.

On sale for 169 currently

The Swiss Army watch I owned had the crown become disconnected from the movement inside, so that I could not set the time correctly.

The local watch repair opened the unit, and declared it unrepairable.  After seeing the complete POS guts of the thing, full of plastic gears, I agreed with their assessment.

No more Swiss Army watches for me.

$10 off code is in the banner.

http://www.jacobtime.com/osc/Seiko-5-Military-Green-Canvas-Automatic-Mens-Watch-SNK805-p-34562.html?osCsid=97bd91b4d8a44e810073ef77710d25e2

Awesome...maybe I should get a second

No, it can't tell you the direction at night, or if sudden fog rolls in, but in all honesty, if the direction you are going is that important to you, you are going to establish that early and keep track of it.  Not going to wait till nighttime, or the fog rolls in to do it.  I know there are exceptions, but generally there is ample time to plot that out.

The other fool proof way is to keep a compass on you at all times.  For those special emergencies.  ;)

https://www.amazon.com/Bertucci-11041-Field-Resin-Dash-Striped/dp/B015GZK10W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480476352&sr=8-1&keywords=bertucci+dx3+field+watch

I picked up one of these a few weeks ago.  I haven't heard much about them, but I had a gift card to a shop that sells them.  I like it so far.