I'm usually a small watch kind of guy. Vintage Omegas and razor-thin Tanks are the stuff of my horological dreams, but a few years ago a co-worker convinced me to slip on her 41mm IWC Portuguese and I was sold immediately.
The price kept it out of my grasp though, and I stuck to more minuscule (and affordable) quartz watches. Luckily I found Parnis. The Chinese company is an under-the-radar favorite, offering mechanical watches of decent quality that mimic the stylings of Swiss favorites. And most for under $100.
I'd recommend steering clear of the Rolex imitations (a little too obvious), but the IWC, Breitling, and Panerai inspired pieces are unique enough to avoid looking like you're trying to pull one over on anybody. I'll warn you though, the straps they come with aren't of the same ilk, so grab a NATO strap of your own to further personalize your new watch.
Sure, it's not even close to the IWC, but at less than the price of the real thing's deployment clasp it's a great way to calm that insatiable craving... for now at least.
Read More http://www.gq.com/style/blogs/the-gq-eye/2012/04/charm-on-the-cheap-the-parnis-watch.html#ixzz1rE2pOxlo
