mySimon Watches Shopping Picks

The 22nd James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, comes out November 14th. To celebrate the movie's release, as well as 25 years at the top of the Swiss fashion watch industry, Swatch has a new collection of 22 different 007 Villains watches. There is one watch for each James Bond movie, only instead of Roger Moore, Sean Connery, et al, each watch evokes the movie's main villain. Shown here is a 3-eye chronograph watch inspired by Emilio Largo, the dastardly villain from "Thunderball." Get the first 21 James Bond movies in one DVD set.

Issey Miyake, the Japanese fashion designer who also put his name on some great-smelling men's cologne, now has a line of men's watches. Each watch was designed by a different architect, industrial designer, or contemporary artist. Shown here is our favorite, the Vakio (Finnish for "constant" or "standard"), designed by Harri Koskinen, the guy who designed the iconic block lamp. A perfect gift for frequent travelers or guys with girlfriends in different time zones.

We don't write about many "status watches" here because a) they all look the same to us, b) we can't afford them anyway, and c) in this economy, who would spend thousands of dollars on a watch? No, we prefer to call your attention to affordable watches with more interesting designs. For example: Vans watches. We had no idea the shoe company did accessories. The "Bay Blocks" '80s-looking model shown here comes in several different color combinations and costs less than $40. Wear it with the classic Vans checkerboard slip-ons.

Looking for unique and affordable graduation/Father's Day gifts? How about a Smith & Wesson dog tag watch? It comes with a carabiner to attach it to your belt loop, and a chain for wearing it as a necklace. (So it should appeal to both men and women.) Best of all, your dads and grads will be able to tell people they own a Smith & Wesson! Choose black, silver, or green. Prices start under $20. More Smith & Wesson watches. More dog tag watches.

Here's a great way to get through long, boring meetings: Look at your favorite photos on your wrist. The Brookstone photo watch is part watch and part digital photo frame. It holds 60 photos that you can display one at a time, or scroll through with the slideshow function. Getting photos onto it is easy - just drag and drop from your PC or Mac. A great gift for parents and grandparents, or anyone who wants to show off their vacation photos.

Nixon's new Groove watch might not be the best choice for the office, but it's certainly a fun alternative for evenings and weekends, or when you don't want to wear your fancy Movado to the playground with the kids. The case and bezel are made out of stainless steel, while the strap is made out of polyurethane. Choose yellow/grey, grey/pink, black/black, black/white, or purple/white. $75 from Amazon. More Nixon watches for men and women.

Nixon's new Murf watch looks so cool, Steve Jobs probably wishes he'd designed it himself. Available in several colors, the watch looks like something out of the 1970s, especially the one shown here with the wood grain effect. The large square face is half covered, but the time is displayed in the lower half on rotating hour and minute wheels. There's also an LED light so you can see the time in the dark. But be warned: We hear it's quite heavy. How retro! More Nixon watches.

Displaying the time in both analog and digital flavors (as well as the date) on its oversized face, the Vestal Montecarlo watch manages to be both retro and futuristic at the same time. Vestal uses music as inspiration for its watches; we think of this one might be a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. The Montecarlo comes in several different colors and materials. Prices start at $140. More Vestal watches.

For the guy who's going places, but isn't quite sure how to get there (and doesn't want to ask for directions): Compass cufflinks. Because as far as we know, they haven't managed to cram GPS units into cufflinks yet. Yes, these cufflinks actually have working compasses - which he can play with during long, boring office meetings, or use if he gets hopelessly lost in the satellite parking lot. See also: Cufflinks with working watches. More holiday gifts for him.

'Tis the season for holiday cocktail parties, little black dresses, and jewelry that sparkles. Like this Betsey Johnson bracelet watch. Featuring 3 rows of glittering rose-colored stones on a silvertone metal band, the watch has a modern, rectangular face with Roman numerals at 3 and 9, and it's water-resistant to 30 meters. More Betsey Johnson watches. See all Betsey Johnson clothes and accessories.

Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame - and watch it pass by - with one of these Andy Warhol watches. Produced under a license from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts (a nonprofit that promotes the visual arts), the watches "embrace Warhol's sophisticated sense of design, forward thinking concepts, and the ability to see the familiar from an unexpected perspective." And the cases they come in are almost as creative as the watches themselves. Shown here is the "Dancestep" (left) and the "Police Car." Swatch makes some fun watches too.

Take a look at Oakley's analog chronograph watch, the Detonator. Its "mad science mentality" makes it look like something a futuristic James Bond might wear. The watch features a 7-hand display, a strong 3-D internal frame, and an impact-forged stainless steel case. Although you can't use it to blow things up, the watch does measure 1/5-second intervals, elapsed time, split time, accumulated time, and dual competitor time. It comes in several color combinations (some with carbon fiber!) and a 3-year battery. More Oakley watches.

Some people like to wear watches that look like miniature airplane cockpits (e.g., the Tag Heuer Formula 1). But those of us who believe that less is more, and who don't participate in any Extreme Sports other than riding public transportation, just want simple, stylish watches that don't cost a fortune. We love these oversized Nixon Vega watches for their clean lines, bold colors, simple polycarbonate stretch bands, and double-digit price tags. Available in multiple colors ($2 from every pink one goes to Boarding for Breast Cancer).

Calling all walkers, runners, spinners, and cyclists: The accurate and easy-to-use Suunto T1 watch can help you achieve your fitness goals. The watch measures your current, average, and maximum heart rate, as well as calories burned and workout intensity, and saves all this info so you can track your progress. It's also got 3 zone training options (fat burning, cardio, and endurance training). Available in several colors. More Suunto sport watches.

If she's always in fashion but never on time, give her a Juicy Couture watch this Valentine's Day. Shown here is the "Zoe," which has a bright pink terrycloth band, hearts on the black face, and 2 charms (a J and a heart) dangling from the side. For something more personal, check out the Juicy Couture jewelry collection, which includes earrings, pendants, and the ever popular charm bracelets. More Valentine's Day gifts for her.

Marc Jacobs continues his quest for world fashion domination this fall with a new line of women's watches. The timepieces cost between $125 and $225 and range in style from preppy (hot pink or kelly green grosgrain straps) to princess (cute resin watch pendants on stainless steel chains) to punk (thick leather bands that tuck into the watch cases). We wonder if they will be as popular as Marc Jacobs shoes.

Silver tarnishes. Gold is so... '80s. And platinum's nice, if you've got wads of cash. So we're excited that Michael Kors, one of today's biggest designers of women's clothes and accessories, is taking a different - yet affordable - approach to watches, using wood, mother of pearl, and resin that looks like tortoise shells and animal horns. Check out some of these creative and unique watches. You'll find yourself wishing for more than two wrists. Shop for watches by brand, gender, style, and price.

Turn your TV on, change the channel, and even adjust the volume - all from your wrist - with this Casio universal remote watch. The watch works on most major TV brands, and comes with an 8-digit calculator, 1/100 second stopwatch, daily alarm, hourly time signal, and auto-calendar. Just think of the fun you can have on April Fool's Day. More Casio watches.

We just learned that Callaway, the golf glub company, also makes watches. The one shown here was styled after the Big Bertha II driver. Designed to provide comfort, performance, and superior style both on and off the golf course, the watches are attractive, reasonably priced, and make great gifts for golfers.