Wondering whether you should buy a Nixon watch?
Hold up. We want to give you the facts about Nixon. To help you decide whether Nixon is a good watch brand…or not.
Nixon make cool and on-trend quartz watches. Their quartz movements don’t impress us, but some of their watch styles are pretty nice.
If you like the look of their watches then check out the latest Nixon watches now. Just don’t expect them to last as long as a Casio.
We’ve given you our best Nixon watches pick at the end of this blog post.
But keep scrolling to discover more about the Nixon watch brand…
Nixon Watch Review
- Is Nixon A Good Watch Brand?
- Brand Story Of Nixon
- Is Nixon A Fashion Watch Brand?
- Reputation Of Nixon
- Are Nixon Watches Good Quality?
- How Much Do Nixon Watches Cost?
- Are Nixon Watches Swiss Made?
- Where Are Nixon Watches Made?
- Who Owns The Nixon Watch Company?
- Pros vs Cons
- Best Nixon Watches
- Nixon Warranty
- Where Should I Buy A Nixon Watch?
- Alternatives To Nixon
Is Nixon A Good Watch Brand?
Watch geeks, like us, consider Nixon an okay watch brand.
Their quality isn’t too bad, but it definitely isn’t the best. They’re best known for their stylish quartz watches. These watches look cool, but might only last a couple of years.
Their digital, and surf watches, are some of their best that they have to offer. We linked which Nixon watches are our favorite later on in the post.
But for us there are much better watch brands out there. That beat Nixon in terms of quality and in price. Like Seiko, Casio, or G-Shock.
Jump straight to the end of this blog post where we give you the best alternative watch brands to Nixon.
However, Nixon is still a good watch brand to some. As they have a very loyal following today. Mainly among the younger crowd. This brand does best among late teens and young adults.
Brand Story Of Nixon
Nixon is a lifestyle accessory brand that started in Encinitas, California in 1998.
The brand was founded by Chad DiNenna and Andy Laats. The brand has grown immensely from the beginning. Now Nixon products are sold in stores in over 90 countries.
The founders wanted to have a diverse team to help bring their brand to life. With surfers, skaters, and musicians among the team.
They even have world champion surfer John John Florence on board.
Nixon has a diverse range of products on offer today. From watches, to wallets, bags, and clothing too.
They are now making efforts to make parts of their collections more sustainable. By using recycled materials to make their products. Check out their recycled oceans plastics travel gear collection for this.
Or their High Tide Digital Watch made from recycled ocean plastics.
Is Nixon A Fashion Watch Brand?
Nixon is a fashion watch brand. They make what watch collectors call “fashion watches”.
A fashion watch brand is a watchmaker who isn’t considered a serious watchmaker. A watch brand focused solely on making watches.
Instead a fashion watch brand is usually a fashion brand who decides to release a watch collection. They often cut costs on the movement, strap, and materials. Using generic quartz movements instead of mechanical ones.
Reputation Of Nixon
Nixon is guilty of being a fashion watch brand. This label gives them a poor reputation among watch enthusiasts.
This is because most of their watches use quartz watches, and are made in China.
Quartz movements are reliable but they’re also very cheap to produce. They also have been criticized for using cheaper materials for their bands and cases.
Overall Nixon just isn’t respected as a serious watchmaker within the watch community.
BUT, Nixon has released an automatic watch collection too. Called the Nixon 5th Element recently. Making them gain a few points in our eyes.
Plus Nixon watches are very popular today. They’re a cool brand, with plenty of brand ambassadors in the skateboarding and surfing communities. Skateboarding pros like Zion Wright and Zach Miller are both ambassadors for Nixon.
Unsurprisingly Nixon has plenty of sports watches marketed to surfers, skateboarders, and adventurers.
There are people who love Nixon watches. And we have to admit we like some of their watches too. We linked our top Nixon watch picks at the end of this blog post.
What Is A Fashion Watch Brand?
A fashion watch brand is one that isn’t considered a serious watchmaker. Many watch collectors tend to avoid these brands. As they feel they only offer watches that are stylish but have no substance.
Fashion watch brands often make quartz watches only. Their watches also tend not to last that long. Maybe a year or two.
Plus fashion watches are very often overpriced. You can get a higher quality watch for the same price from respected affordable brands.
Brands like MVMT and Daniel Wellington are notorious fashion watch brands. Who get a lot of hate in the watch enthusiast community.
Nixon is a fashion watch brand that gets a fair amount of bad press too, but still isn’t considered too bad compared to others.
Are Nixon Watches Good Quality?
Nixon watches are of okay quality. You get what you pay for. They offer cool looking watches with generic quartz movements.
Quartz is a great movement for accuracy and Nixon watches can reliably keep time. So you shouldn’t have any worries there.
However, there have been quality control complaints from some customers. Who have said that their Nixon watch stopped working after a year or two.
For durability, Nixon just isn’t the best at that price point. If you need a watch that is tougher and still affordable. We would recommend Casio and G-Shock instead.
How Much Do Nixon Watches Cost?
The majority of Nixon watches cost in the low to mid $$$ range.
You can easily find a Nixon watch to buy that costs between $100 and $200 dollars. Like their popular Time Teller gold watch. Usually costing in and around this price.
Are Nixon Watches Swiss Made?
No Nixon watches are not Swiss made. Most of their watches are made using Swiss or Japanese parts.
Where Are Nixon Watches Made?
While they market themselves as a Californian lifestyle brand. Nixon watches are not made in the USA. Instead the majority of Nixon watches are made in China.
Who Owns The Nixon Watch Company?
Nixon is now owned by Billabong and Trilantic Capital Partners. Each of these companies own a 48.5% stake in the Nixon company.
Billabong is one of the world’s leading surf clothing brands. They obviously have a keen interest in Nixon’s surf watch collections.
While Trilantic Capital Partners is a huge global private equity company.
The remaining 3% of the Nixon company is owned by the Nixon management. Including the founders; Chad DiNenna and Andy Laats.
Pros vs Cons
Quick breakdown of the top pros vs cons of the Nixon watch brand.
| Pros Of Nixon Watches | Cons Of Nixon Watches |
| Stylish Watches Nixon watches look good. They have capitalized on the popular minimalist trend. E.g. Sentry Watch Plus they make cool looking sports watches and surf watches too. E.g. Regulus Watch | Fashion Watch Brand Nixon is a fashion watch brand. And fashion watch brands receive a lot of negativity within the watch collecting community. Many collectors avoid them, and stick to more respected brands instead. Check out our top 10 affordable watch brands list for alternatives to Nixon. |
| Cool Digital & Surf Watches Nixon has a decent selection of digital and surf watches. Like their Base Tide surf watch. | Mostly Quartz Watches There isn’t much difference between Nixon watches when it comes to their movement. This brand makes mainly generic quartz watches. Which is disappointing. One exception is their 5th Element Automatic Watch! |
| Affordable Nixon is an affordable watch brand, with prices ranging in the low to mid $$$. | Overpriced You can consider Nixon watches overpriced for what you get, in terms of durability and materials used. |
| Only Made from Swiss & Japanese Parts Nixon build their watches only using watch parts from Switzerland and Japan. | Might Not Last… Nixon watches have received complaints of only lasting 1 or 2 years. |
Best Nixon Watches
Nixon has a huge selection of watches. Here are our top picks of the best Nixon watches.
1. Nixon Base Tide
| Movement | Quartz |
| Case Diameter | 42mm |
| Case Thickness | 13.5mm |
| Water Resistance | 100m (330ft) |
The Nixon Base Tide is a great looking surf watch.
We love the Jellyfish versions, but they also come in a wide range of other colors to pick from.
The best thing about this watch is how comfortable it is. It is a lightweight watch that is easy to wear everyday. Whether out surfing or on land.
This watch also comes equipped with global tide times. So you can keep track of high tide and low tide with this little timepiece.
2. Nixon Regulus
| Movement | Quartz |
| Case Diameter | 46mm |
| Case Thickness | 16mm |
| Water Resistance | 100m (330ft) |
The Nixon Regulus is a really cool looking digital watch. We particularly love their gun metal version.
These watches were built to look like a watch that could be worn by the special forces.
However, these watches are big, at 46mm case width. So it wouldn’t really suit a smaller wrist.
These watches come with a few handy features, like; x3 alarms, a stopwatch function, and stealth mode (i.e. silent mode).
Plus it’s a pretty durable timepiece. With a 5 year quartz battery life too. So of all the Nixon watches, this watch is definitely one of the best for durability.
3. Nixon Sentry
| Movement | Quartz |
| Case Diameter | 42mm |
| Case Thickness | 11mm |
| Water Resistance | 100m (330ft) |
The Nixon Sentry is one of their most popular Nixon watches. Thanks to its minimalist aesthetic.
This watch comes in lots of different versions. With a range of dial and strap color combinations.
It’s an elegant looking dress watch. With a date window too. It is affordable, however, we think you can find a better option for the money. E.g. Orient Bambino.
The main issue seems to be the leather band not lasting very long. So you’ll probably need to replace it sooner if you wear it a lot.
Nixon Warranty
Nixon has a two year warranty on their watches for any defects in materials or workmanship. You must have bought the watch from an authorized Nixon dealer. As the warranty does not cover watches sold by unauthorized dealers or resellers.
Also Nixon do not offer free repairs. As well as that, the warranty does not cover “normal wear and tear or batteries*, crystal, watch case, strap, bracelet, loss or theft”.
You can read the warranty in full here.
Where Should I Buy A Nixon Watch?
You can buy Nixon watches direct through their website.
Or you can often find great discounts and deals on the Nixon Amazon store.
Alternatives To Nixon
If you’ve decided that Nixon might not be for you. Then here are our top alternatives to Nixon.
Best Alternative For Surf Watches
G-Shock is a great alternative to Nixon. If you’re after a more durable ocean tide times surf watch.
The G-Shock G-Lide GBX100 is one of our favorite surf watches out now. We especially love the teal version.
This watch comes with heaps of shock resistance, with a stainless steel bezel. It’s also a very comfortable watch to wear as well.
These watches come pre-programmed with over 3,300 tide times, and they are super easy to read thanks to their LCD display.
This watch was one our top picks for the best watches for surfers.
Best Alternative For Digital Watches
For a great affordable digital alternative to Nixon. You can’t go wrong with Casio.
Casio is one of our all time favorite affordable brands. They offer a huge selection of digital watches. The majority are cheaper than Nixon watches.
From their cool retro calculator watches, to their 1980s digital timepieces.
It’s difficult for us to recommend just one Casio watch. There are just so many great Casio watches to choose from.
Dive into the Casio watch collection and see for yourself.
Best Alternative For Minimalist Watches
The Orient Bambino is hands down one of the best affordable mechanical watches out today.
Their Orient Bambino Version III is a great choice if you’re after that minimalist dial. It definitely beats the Nixon Sentry easily in terms of quality.
Plus an Orient Bambino costs less than a lot of Nixon watches!
The Bambino comes with an automatic movement from Orient. So it will wind as you wear it. This type of movement isn’t as accurate as a quartz, but it sure is a lot more interesting.
If you wear an Orient Bambino you’ll get noticed by watch enthusiasts. As brands like Orient get a lot more respect and love in the watch community compared to fashion brands like Nixon.
