Best deal for a sub-400 is almost certainly Bernhardt Watch -
www.bernhardtwatch.com. I have a yellow
Corsair and a blue/orange
Globemaster. Both have ETA movements, the Globemaster a hand-modified one to add a GMT complication. They're assembled in North Carolina by a really nice guy, Fred Amos. Best customer service you've ever heard of.
Right now I'm wearing a Seiko SKX007. Same movement as the SKX031 Bruce has, the 7s26 (all Seiko movements, btw, are what you call a "manufacture" - every piece down to the lubricating oil is made by Seiko. Very few companies, nearly all high-end like Rolex and IWC, use in-house movements). It's essentially bullet-proof, both movement and case, which makes it a good watch for a working-on-the-bike day. I've also found that epoxy comes off the bracelet quite well. Bonus.
If you're not fond of the look of the dial and hands, there are guys who modify them with new dials, hands, bezel inserts, re-luming, bead-blasting... mine is modified to look like a Doxa. Like
this, but with plongeur hands.
If you're into interesting, somewhat baroque design in an ISO-spec diver, the Seiko SKX779 or 781 is the way to go. Otherwise known as the Orange Monster or Black Monster (
review). The bracelet alone is worth the cost of the watch (about $150). Extremely solid. Best of all - in the dark, it glows like Chernobyl. You can almost read by it in bed.
Best deal sub-$100 is a Seiko 5. Any Seiko 5. Seiko makes maybe 50 variations, a dozen different case styles and different dial designs. All modern ones have a clear caseback. My wife has a women's Seiko 5, polished case and black dial with arabic markers; we dispensed with the bracelet in favor of a leather strap.
I'd also take a look, if the Seiko 5 (37.5mm case diameter) is a little small on you, at the Seiko SRP* series. Comes with a 4r16 movement, a step up from the 7s26. Decorated rotor. I don't have one, wish I did, need to lighten my collection somewhat rather than buy another.
Last but not least: check out Orient, which has some very cool watches. Not distributed in the USA, but they're available through 3rd parties (
link) or on the Bay. Orient is owned by Seiko, but is a 100-year-old company in its own right. Orient movements are also a manufacture. I bought myself
this one when I got my job this fall. It's huge. It's shiny. It looks good on my wrist. Can't complain.
(There's a reason watch guys are called WIS - watch idiot savant)
