I've always liked watches, but I've never knew too much about them. All I knew was that some are big and clunky, while others are more elegant and small. Always went off looks. My first watch was the gold Timex for Mickey watch they sold in Disney World when I was in elementary school. Of course, I lost it. In the late 90s my father showed me his extensive collection of g-shocks he'd been collecting since the 80s. That was the first time I really fell in love with a watch (besides the ones with the calculator kids had in middle school.) I didn't end up buying my own g-shock until years later - currently, own two of them. Later I owned two nixon 51-30s as a part of some big face watch tread and hardly ever wore them. Gave one away to my business partner. In 2012 I received a used Breitling Chronomat as a gift. I thought I was the man - it had diamonds in the Bezel and everything. Unfortunately, it was stolen and I haven't really worn a watch since. Recently, I decided to buy a new watch. After a bunch of research, I realized I have been admiring watches for the wrong reasons all these years. I didn't even know what made a watch great or the true value of a time piece. Im going to get a budget Seiko or Omega, customize some pieces for fun and slowly start building a new watch collection. I might even go thrifting and see what I come up with. I've been reading through some of the forum posts and I really appreciate you guys' love for collecting watches. Looking forward to expanding my knowledge. - Wavy
You want an affordable, iconic and robust watch...A Seiko Diver SKX007 is my recommendation. Cheers~!
Ouh...and did I say, that watch is highly customisable as well. Might just be the sort of watch you're looking for.