OP, your thread and question intrigued me, so I did some more research to sate my own curiosity. Until you'd asked about it, I really hadn't thought there might be manufacture watches that are indeed generally affordable. I knew of the Seiko I mentioned, but that was it.
I found the site below which was enlightening, not enough to make me regret some of my more recent buys, but enough to make me think again about what I'd like to buy next. Most surprising is the first comment toward the bottom of this webpage.
http://www.watchprojects.com/essays/...cture-watches/
All the best.