These Are the Watches You Should Be Getting Your Dad

A good-looking timepiece is a staple for man’s wardrobe and familiarizing yourself with which ones to get your dad is essential to satisfy his watch bug. But giving your father something mechanical, timeless, and stylish shouldn’t cost an arm and a limb.

Pieces like the Seiko 5 SNXS79 have gained cult followings for following design principles of much more luxurious and expensive watches such as the Rolex Day Date for a fraction of the price.

The Seiko 5 collection gets its name from the five key features found on all the pieces in the collection; namely: an automatic movement, day and date display at the three o’clock position, water resistance, a recessed crown at the four o' clock position, and a durable case and bracelet.

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Other players in the watch industry like Orient, Tissot, and Frederique Constant have quietly put out bang for your buck deals and pieces that look the part without breaking the bank.

Below are a few watches and watch types to consider when picking something out for your dad. These picks have been  whittled down to three categories of what we think every dad should have in their collection.

Dress Watch Picks: Orient Bambino, Frederique Constant Classic 

To start off we are looking at a classy watch with an automatic movement since nothing says established family man like a serviceable dress watch. The next one we will look at is the Orient Bambino, a watch that epitomizes Japanese craftsmanship and timeless style. The watch gives off the nostalgic flair of a vintage Omega Seamaster without the need to scour the secondhand market for one in a serviceable condition.

The Frederique Constant Classic is from a Swiss watchmaker with a rich history of making quality and understated luxury dress watches. Make no mistake that while the Classic is a Quartz-operated watch, which many watch snobs love to hate on, value for money for this piece is off the charts with its beautiful  textured dial and leather strap.

Chronograph/Steel Bracelet Watch Picks: Tissot PRX Chronograph, Seiko Speedtimer

The world-famous Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Chronograph variant is our next pick for classy watches to gift dad. The PRX from Tissot has been well-beloved for quite a while due to its elegant bracelet and has changed the watch world. A reliable chronograph timepiece is a must for every man’s watch rotation as it shows both a sporty and classy design ethos.

A well-beloved and very affordable steel bracelet bearing watch is the aforementioned Seiko 5 SNXS79, which has been dubbed the "$100 Rolex." With design aesthethics reminiscent to a Rolex Day Date or Explorer 1, the Seiko piece is one that is being sought after on most secondhand markets due to it skyrocketing in popularity The fully-automatic piece has since been phased out by Seiko, leaving only the gold variant being readily available. You can try your luck on the secondhand market but be wary of inflated prices.

Our last pick is the beautiful Seiko SSC813 Speedtimer with the panda dial, which is a chronograph watch you can’t go wrong with. This comes from a legendary Japanese watch pioneer that supplies automatic movements for the upper echelon of mechanical watches. The classic Speedtimer has been renewed for Seiko’s Prospex collection and boasts a robust stainless steel construction and bracelet, including a solar power movement.

Rugged Tool Watch Picks: Casio G-Shock GAE-2100WE-3A

Your dad can’t say no to a classic Casio G-Shock, which even the most snobbish of watch collectors and horologists see value in. The nearly indestructible nature of these watches is a no-brainer for dads considering their undeniable durability and functionality.This particular model of the G-Shock has been widely dubbed as the “Casioak” due to its silhouette from watches from different worlds and prices such as the Audemar Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus.

The watch also features a second digital time window as well as minimalist luminous hour markers. Picking up the all black variant or even customizing the watch with a NATO strap and you can call it a day on satisfying your dad’s watch bug.