Seiko is my go-to recommendation for entry level watches. They look nice, are reliable and affordable, and can be worn for a variety of occasions. A Seiko 5 automatic can run anywhere from $150-$300, well within your budget.

The cool thing about Seiko is that they can easily be modified to fit your style. There are also tons of people out there who build custom watches using Seiko parts, even to the point of looking like the higher end luxury brands but still within your budget. If you’re interested in something like that, PM me and I’ll send you a few suggestions of custom watch mod makers I recommend.

Good luck!

https://preview.redd.it/x49ddd9mm62c1.jpeg?width=2281&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b43fe4872412d8314c521319e07184eaa0c06a62

Ol’ reliable, my Timex Ironman. I did a lot of the cooking and needed several timers at once.

A matching pair of Oris big crown pointer dates. My son is almost 5 and loves looking at watches with me. Oris is a family name for us, and I have it in my mind that I’d get each of us a matching Oris watch for his 18th birthday/graduation something like that. If they remade the 7400b two tone model in something bigger like a 38-40mm, that would be the dream.