I have seen this question repeat a lot over time going as far back as 10 years.
and almost every time the Seagull 1963 gets recommended or the bulova moon watch (which got more expensive recently).
Dan Henry was a frequent recommendation as well with beautiful designs but I do doubt the watchmaking aspect of brand (if I am mistaken please prove me wrong).
Is there any OTHER suggestions of a Chronograph with this budget in mind, wether mechanical or mecaquartz?
For reference, I would love a seiko Chronograph but only found quartz versions to fit my budget. also would like to get a furlan marri but it is far out of my budget.
Vintage Seiko 7A28 chronographs are great. All metal movement, 15 jewels and fully serviceable!
That new Timex Marlin Chrono looks incredible. Especially the panda version. Dare I say it looks about as good as the Heuer 60th anniversary Carrera…
Man. This looks pretty damn good for the money. If I needed to stay under 300, that looks really good.
https://timex.com/products/q-timex-chronograph-40mm-stainless-steel-bracelet-watch-tw2v42600
Straton Classic Driver or Daily Driver is $299. It has a Miyota 6s21 movement that when you run the Chronograph, the second hand runs at 4x/second so it kinda looks like a mecha quartz anyway. I’m thinking of getting one myself with my Christmas bonus
You can probably find a second-hand Victorinox Chrono Classic for under U$300. If you go a little over that (say ~U$400-500) you may be able to find a used Victorinox Dive Master 500 chrono.
Dan Henry uses a Seiko VK meca-quartz right? Seems like it should be just fine.
Citizen has plenty of Eco-Drive chronos at that price range too.
Citizen Speedmaster (quartz), if you get lucky, can be found under $300.
Second-hand quartz Certina? Or even new if you manage to find one?