Category: Garage Sale
Hello all!
I know it's been ages since I've been on this site. However, I'm looking for any suggestions or thoughts on make/model, kind, brand...etc... of a men's braille watch. I did come across several on blind mice web site..one of them was really cool! It required no batteries at all. It was done by some August guy...(can't remember brand name exactly...) but it was basically $245 on the site. I don't want to get something cheap but $245 is really steap and I'm not sure if it is to pricy given the fact that this is for my boyfriend. Any ideas or suggestions?
My biggest suggestion, if you want nice, get used to price tags like that. Nice
braille watches don't come cheap. You can get cheap braille watches, or you can
get nice braille watches. You can't get both.
That being said, I've seen the augustus watches. They're supposed to be
pretty nice, but I haven't seen any reviews of them or anything.
I have two braille watches. One is made by Seco, I think that's how its
spelled. its got a calf-skin band and a domed crystal, so its a bit more casual,
but still cost around three hundred dollars. Then I have a Silvana, which is a
swiss company. That one has a bracelet band and a flat crystal. its a bit more
professional and upscale looking. Also three hundred dollars.
I've seen antique braille watches go for around three thousand dollars though,
so three hundred isn't as bad as it could be.
A braille watch is going to be pricey, so if you're looking for a cheap gift, that won't be it. I got my first braille watch when I was six; it was a simple golden watch with a leather band. Cost around 150 dollars.
My advice to you is: if you're looking for something special for that special someone, don't be stingy with the benjamins.
Once I baught a boyfriend an iPod touch, back when they were the hottest mainstream plus blindy gadget out on the market, you know, when voiceover was first available on them. It cost around 400 bucks. Another time I baught a Bose sound system for a boyfriend's iDevice. That was around $450.
Maybe I'm just a big spender, but in my view, if someone is significant to you, they're worth more than a cheap or cheesy gift. And if you're really on a budget and you can't get something in the price range of a decent braille watch, go for something less pricy yet meaningful to the both of you. Or to him.
For instance, you can make him something. Be creative; think outside the box. Or you can get him something that's reminiscent of a memory or an inside joke between the two of you.
Years ago,
even though I was already an adult, I discovered the toy called Boppit (it was my little cousin's) and for a while, I was inexplicably addicted to that silly game. My then boyfriend noticed it, obviously, and he teased me about it good-naturedly. Then, as a joke, he got me one of those little Keychain boppits with a card attached to it that said something to the effect of, now you can always get your fix. lol. It was obviously not expensive, but we both got a good laugh at it and I thought it was very thoughtful and sweet of him to add that as one of my gifts from him that year.
Bottom line, if you're going to buy a material gift, such as a watch, tech gadget, etc. go for nice and impressive. That won't be cheap. Who the heck wants a cheap watch or colone or tech gadget from someone they're dating; after all, just as you'd rather the relationship last, you'd also want for the material gift to last and be useful, not for it to crap out on your significant other in six months.
If you're going to go for sentimental and more personal, you could make it very budget-friendly, as long as its thoughtful, creative and/or meaningful. You can even get away with creating a gift for free or for very cheap if you're crafty and thoughtful. Example: some people make coupon books for their significant other; each month or each week, you create this pseudo coupon for a treat or adventure of some sort; it could be for you both as a couple or for him alone. Some people think it's cheesy, but I think it could be cute and fun... and adventurous, as long as you aren't boring and can think outside the box.
In either case, you want your gift to evoke excitement in the recipient, and you want for it (and you) to be appreciated.
If you're going to stick with the watch, the price is probably very worth it. If you truly cant' manage that in your budget, think of something less Bang-for-the-buck and more tug-on-his-heartstrings.
i know, I know, I gave you much more advice than you've asked for, but hey. I love gift-giving when I can swing it, and I love giving advice about it as well.
So there you have it: Bernadetta's Rambling Gift Guide,, 2014.
haha.
Seiko is a good make of watch... they've been around since the late 19th
Century.
If someone were to gift me a Seiko Quartz, I wouldn't be disappointed.
I see that Amazon.com has a Men's Seiko Braille watch on for USD 145$ plus
tax... it ships for free.
http://www.amazon.com/Seiko-S23159-Braille-Strap-Watch/dp/B00021C424
To look at it from a sighted point of view, if I saw your boyfriend wearing it, I
wouldn't know that it's a Braille watch right off the bat, as a lot of regular
analog watches these days have raised markers on the face of the watch...
only after flipping the crystal open to tell time would I know for sure that he's
wearing a braille watch.
I get people asking me all the time why I wear a watch when I can't read the
time. They have no idea its a braille watch until I open the face. That is one of
the many reasons I despise talking watches, they look like talking watches.
I've got a Braille wristwatch, and nothing beats it, but would love to instead get me a Braille pocketwatch. I'm partial to that, and with enough years spent coding / using my hands on the keyboard, I'm not always interested in constriction on the wrist like that. And yes, I actually had someone redo the band and work on it for me.
A lot of times, pocketwatches look cool too, with some kind of interesting symbol or engraving.
Can't say I miss talking watches either, though I kinda liked the ones made by Sharp with the male voice. The alarm on those things amused me. "It's 6:00 AM. Please Hurry.
still looking for a watch? I have an absolutely mint condition Bradley I'd be willing to sell.
Chris
I like this post. Bernadetta I agree with you. I don't believe in being stingy with gifts. It could be that I'm a big spender as well, but if I can't afford something nice I like to be creative. My boyfriend is going blind, so I'm thinking of getting him a nice braille watch. Thank you Cody for the references.