BACK TO SCHOOL TIME

My great grandfather was a horologist … someone who makes and repairs clocks and watches for those who aren't familiar with the term.  He had a workshop in his house filled with the tools and parts needed for the trade.  My family would visit my grandparents' home in rural upstate New York during the summers and I've been fascinated by watches ever since.

Yes every phone has a clock on it and we carry those with us everywhere nowadays, but there just isn't anything like having a quality watch on your wrist. Excuse the pun but there is a timeless quality to wearing a wrist watch. It is the ultimate fashion accessory for us guys and I still find them useful to wear.  Especially in situations when it is not appropriate or convenient to be using a phone which for me may be while I am in court for work or running a route across town for a workout.

It is back to school time for my kids which means the lazy days of summer are over and there is a lot more going on. Dropping and picking up the kids from school … our district doesn't have busses and it is a two mile walk from our home. Lots of extra curricular activities going on too! Soccer practices and matches, swimming lessons, and so on. So it is really important not to lose track of time.

I also transition from stay at home dad during the summer time to picking up my regular caseloads of client work when the kids return to school.  So I appreciate watches that look good with the outfits worn for work that are also functional to help me with my professional and parenting responsibilities. This analog watch from AMITRON fits just what I am looking for in a time piece with a look that goes well with either a suit or office casual.  Plus its three subdials provide some useful features as well as enhance the aesthetic appearance of the watch.

Having to pay the orthodontist bills for my kids and other household expenses doesn't leave me the discretionary income to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a watch.  So I really appreciate how Armitron has a lineup of good looking watches that are durable and provide some great features with prices ranging between $25 and $200. You really can get some impressive watches from Armitron for under $100 that are in a price range that is affordable for the average dad.

This 42mm watch that Armitron provided me to try out which has a gold-tone stainless steel case with matte white dial and three subdials retails for $85. It includes a real leather black wristband. The subdials show the day of the week, date of the month, and military time. The watch's sturdy construction also makes it water resistant to a depth of 165 feet. Though with that quality leather wristband you aren't going to want to be swimming wearing this watch but that water resistance highlights the workmanship put behind Armitron watches.

I like this watch! But for those who may like the design but want something a bit different Armitron also has two alternate variations of this same watch. One has a gun metal matte for the dial with a dark brown leather wristband. The other has a tan leather wristband with a black matte for the dial. All three look really sharp in my opinion.

When you have some time, head over to Armitron.com to take a look at the wonderful selection of watches they have available.  I own a variety of Armitron watches and you will see me wearing them all the time. The brand has absolutely earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

GRAYTON AUTOMATIC WATCHES

** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review **

Grayton Automatic Watches have earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval

As a wedding present, my wife gave me a kinetic wrist watch because she knew I really was craving a really nice timepiece.  Kinetic energy from the natural body motions of your wrist generates electricity for a self-recharging battery that powers these type of watches.  I wore this watch almost everyday for more than a decade and it worked great -- the date and time were always accurate and never had to change the battery.  Then one day the watch just died.

I took it to a jeweler to see what was wrong.  Turns out the life span for the batteries on a kinetic watch aren't indefinite and need to be replaced about every 8 to 10 years.  Oh yeah, and the replacement battery would cost me more than my wife originally bought the watch for.  As I was pondering whether to repair my kinetic watch, Grayton Automatic Watches approached me about trying one of their products instead.  They promised me an excellent watch that I would NEVER have to change a battery to power it ... EVER.

Grayton provided me with a complimentary watch and I can honestly say it has performed impeccably with keeping accurate time.  This is particularly impressive because my new watch isn't powered by a battery but rather through the movement of the gears inside of it.  Just wind up the side switch a few times each morning and you won't lose a tick off the clock's pace.  I occasionally check the time against other electronic clocks during the day and my Grayton Automatic Watch is as accurate as when the date and time were first set on it.

You'd think this type of craftsmanship in today's day and age would cost you thousands of dollars to obtain but these watches for their quality are very affordable priced between $200 - $300 dollars.  Amazingly with all the gears moving about inside these watches are very quiet.  I have to hold mine right up to my ear to hear a subtle tick tock of its clock.  It has a very sturdy casing to it yet is very light to wear.  The watches have a classic vintage look of days gone by to them which I find very appealing.

Because electronics and batteries aren't involved with the inner workings of these watches as long as you take care of and treat them right they can last through a lifetime and possibly even be passed down from generation to generation.  One of these watches could be considered a family heirloom one day.  That makes them an especially great gift idea for an anniversary, birthday, Fathers Day, wedding or other special occasion.  These watches come very nicely packaged which is another advantage to providing one as a gift.  Though I've enjoyed mine so much have to say you may actually want to get one just for yourself.

Grayton Automatic Watches come in Men's, Women's and Unisex sizes.  With my 5' 5" frame I have small wrists and prefer medium-sized wrist watches.  Grayton's Unisex variations are designed for women who want a slightly larger fit and men who want a more moderately sized watch that doesn't look feminine.  The Grayton Unisex watch with a silver case and blue dial is a perfect fit for me!

The one negative I can refer to about my experience is that Grayton has an overabundance of gold colored cases when I was more interested in a silver version.  Of the silver ones they had those tended to come equipped with a fabric wrist strap instead of leather or metal ones.  I find fabric is too casual limiting occasions when you can wear it and inferior quality to leather.  Take a look at my wearing the watch with my suit.  It really doesn't go well for wearing to work or a special occasion where you need to dress up which unfortunately really impacts my opportunities to wear this great watch.  Grayton's website doesn't allow consumers to mix and match a wrist strap with a watch and rather forces you to choose from the pairing they've selected for you which is a shame.  You can purchase an additional strap you like along with your watch but it costs more and you have the pain of switching it out yourself.

All in all though the watches themselves are exceptional and very affordably priced allowing them to be obtainable for the average family.  And while I wasn't particularly happy about the watch I wanted only being available with a fabric strap, I did find the canvas to be more comfortable and durable than ones I've worn in the past.  Plus you never have to buy new batteries for one of these watches from Grayton!  Based upon how much I've enjoy my Grayton Automatic Watch, they've definitely earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

For more information or to check out their selection of watches, please visit grayton-watches.com