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The legendary Seiko 5 SNK80X series provides some of the cheapest mechanical watches on the market. For less than $100 you get a great military-style field watch with one of the following dial colors:

• Black (SNK809)
• Blue (SNK807)
• Khaki (SNK805)
• Beige (SNK803)

The watch is protected by a lens made of hardlex. These timepieces are rugged, functional and very easy to read thanks to their eye-catching design. They are powered by the Seiko 7S26 automatic movement featuring a day-date complication with 41 hours of power reserve. It can be admired through the transparent case back.

Although it is less famous in Europe than Seiko or Citizen, Orient is nevertheless a very impressive watch manufacturer offering amazing watches for the money.

The Orient Bambino is an affordable dress watch that can be bought in the $150 range. Orient is one of the rare affordable watch manufacturers developing their own in-house movements.

Diver watches tend to have large and thick cases in order to cope with the water pressure during diving activities. The SKX013 is a very much welcomed exception to that. It is simply one of the best dive watches below 40mm in diameter. It's ideally suited for smaller wrists.

This Seiko model has a 38mm diameter. It's a tough tool watch that can definitely follow in the depths of the ocean. The lug to lug distance of 44mm makes it idea an ideal dive watch for small wrists. The thickness of the watch is 13.1mm, which for a diver is within the expected range. The lug width is 20mm, making it easy to customize the strap of this watch. It is one of the best dive watches for small wrists that you will find.

It's also a very affordable dive watch and is in the same price range as its bigger brother: the SKX007. A perfect daily beater that has its own style.

The SKX007/SKX009 is a very respectable diving watch that many people have in their collection. It is very affordable and easily found around $250 on eBay. It is very solid and is comfortable to wear.

The water resistance is 200m. It sports the Seiko 7S26 automatic movement which is a reliable workhorse and offers 40 hours of power reserve. Although this movement does not have handwinding and hacking capabilities, unlike the 4R36.

The first automatic chronograph in space is the 6139 from Seiko, which was worn in 1973 by the American astronaut William R. Pogue, the pilot of Skylab 4. Pogue spent 84 days on the Skylab Orbital workshop and returned in February 1974.

While training, Pogue needed a chronograph, but the Omega Speedmasters would be provided only near the date of the launch, so he bought himself a Seiko 6139-6002 in order time his exercises and tests.

The Seiko 7A28 is an iconic watch because it represents the first quartz powered analog chronograph ever produced. The 7A28 was introduced in 1983 and can be found in 42 different variations of which some were produced for the army (South African Air Force and UK's MoD).

In the 1980s, the Swiss industry was suffering from the quartz crisis. On the other hand Seiko was being very successful during that period and raised the bar very high by issuing this model. The 7A28 movement is not like today's cheap modular and plastic quartz movement, it is a well-engineered, good looking 15 jewel metal caliber that was built to be serviced like a normal mechanical movement.

The 556A from the German brand Sinn is a great watch that can be considered as an affordable alternative to the Rolex Explorer. Its 316L steel case is 38.5mm wide and 11mm thick and it has a black dial.

The 556A has a 20mm lug width and comes with a high quality stainless steel bracelet. We love those dimensions, it is definitely designed with the same spirit as the Explorer, it is classic and will not go out of fashion. The Sinn 556A is marked "A" for Arabic numbers. There is also the Sinn 556i which has baton indices and a date window at 3 o'clock.

Sinn's inspiration for the design of this watch is the historic Sinn NaBo clocks long manufactured for use in cockpits as a navigational tool. Even today Sinn continues to produce these clocks which are used in both civilian and military aircraft, as well as specialty cars.