Tested: The 9 Best Men’s Watches Under $200

The watch is one of man’s most iconic peripherals, adorning the wrist of many a prolific individual. Not only is the watch a sign of status, but it’s also a testament to the life-long pursuit of fashionable enlightenment. It shows the world that, aside from being punctual, stylish, and cultured, you’re also an avid proponent of functional lineage. But, not every watch has to be a sign of status or an accomplice to your statement of style; sometimes, a watch just needs to be… a watch.

Cryptic language aside, we’re trying to implant the idea that, while high-end watches might be a tasteful choice for the status-oriented guy, there are plenty of affordable options that are equally as enticing. Not only do you get to show off your own unique style, but you also get to save a few bucks in the long run, allowing you to spend your hard-earned cash on the things that matter most, like food, or shelter. Below, we’ve compiled a handful of our favorite watches. And the best part? They’re all under $200. So stop looking at that ultra-expensive Rolex, and dive right into our guide, in which we tested the best men’s watches for the frugal buyer.

How We Tested

Now, more than ever, watches can be anything from a status symbol to a style accessory to a mere utilitarian means for telling the time. And as we’ve settled into a new era for the industry, especially with the advent of TikTok influencers and blogs showcasing all that’s out there for us to purchase, it’s become really difficult to figure out where to start when searching for our own timepiece. Whether you are looking for an entry-level watch to get you into the hobby or are simply a fan of collecting time-tellers that can perfectly combine form and function without breaking the bank, it’s important to survey the landscape first.

That’s what we did for the following guide in anticipation of testing an assortment of sub-$200 watches. We first looked at the usual suspects: the Seikos and Citizens and Timexes. We also headed over to our favorite microbrands, many of which pride themselves on affordability and practicality. From there, we made a shortlist where we looked at aesthetics, size, watch type, movement, and overall value. We then acquired the samples necessary for our testing, with our tester wearing each watch for some time on his wrist, looking at the aforementioned criteria while getting a feel for the wrist presence, comfort, and feel of each piece. After a couple of weeks, we settled on the following list.

Wrist Size: As you’ll notice, each watch looks different on each person. The tester in our photographs has a wrist size just shy of 8 inches, so keep that in mind when making any purchasing decisions.

Price Note: We focused specifically on watches between the $100-$200 range as we have specific guides for watches under $100, and even watches under $300 if you’re looking to expand outside the budget, but still keep things affordable.

What to Look for in a Sub-$200 Watch

Watch Type: Sub-$200 watches will undoubtedly open up your options a bit compared to sub-$100 watches. However, you’ll still be limited in watch type a bit. Look for field watches and maybe even some divers.

Movement: Raising your ceiling to $200 gives you plenty of more mechanical options. However, quartz watches are nothing to be ashamed of and can give you more accuracy and longevity. Quartz will also make afford you a longer stretch in other departments such as case, strap, and design.

Size: Luckily, you can still find watches of any size in this price range, although most will be 40mm or under. Case size is typically a personal preference and a matter of comfort and the size of your own wrist.

Water Resistance: Don’t look for too many 100m or 200m watches in this price range. Most options will be in the 30m or 50m territory. However, these limits are more than enough for casual swimming and even some diving.

What’s a Sleeper Watch?

In a hobby whose enthusiasts often pride themselves in obtaining brag-worthy timepieces, it may be difficult to find watches that are good simply because they’re good. A sleeper watch is one that aren’t ubiquitously known across the spectrum; models that give you more than you thought they would – be it longevity, durability, precision, or the like. Sleeper watches may also just look incredibly beautiful and be easy to acquire, yet few people are in on the secret. You will certainly see a few sleepers on this list.

The Benefits of Quartz

When perusing the lower end of the watch spectrum, you’ll inevitably come across a ton of quartz watches. What does this mean? Well, back in the 1970s, watchmakers discovered that battery-powered watches were more affordable to make than traditional mechanical movements. All of a sudden, you saw a lot of new brands cropping up, perfecting the art of quartz watches for a new generation. This meant not only the advent of digital timepieces but the evolution of analog as well.

Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, tons of heritage brands went out of business. This is known as the Quartz Crisis. Luckily, megabrands like Swatch purchased a lot of the floundering watchmakers, bringing them out of the gutter –– most of which are still around today.

While quartz watches may have a stigma to some mechanical purists, we have a soft spot for them. Aside from their affordability, quartz movements last much longer than mechanical ones –– several years or longer on a single battery –– and tell more accurate time than hand-wound movements. Fortunately, there’s room nowadays for both to thrive and have a place in our hearts, and on our wrists.

G-Shock Move GBD200RD-4 

Considering that it makes some of the most durable timepieces on the planet — in fact, it was founded on those tenets — it makes sense that G-SHOCK has a line of sports-oriented fitness trackers. Thinner than previous iterations, the MOVE GBD-200 series has the appeal of a retro G-SHOCK but with some modern tech to boot. Linking easily to your smartphone, the watch is capable of measuring your running pace, tracking your steps, time your laps, and count burned calories. The data is stored on the phone app so you can keep track of your goals.

Built around the design ethos of the 5000, the GBD-200 Move is just the beginning for G-SHOCK in the smartwatch category. However, the Move has already impressed with its intuitive functions while retaining the classic G-SHOCK feel. Durable and water resistant up to 200m, the hybrid smartwatch could be a lot bulkier at 45.9mm in diameter but the resin-based case allows it to be much lighter. It comes in several colors, including the red one above, and will run for years thanks to a multi-year battery and solar supplementation.

Seiko ‘Tank’ SWR049 

While Seiko watches are almost never outrageously expensive, it’s admittedly hard to find them in the $200 and under range. However, every once in a while you’ll strike gold — er, steel. If you don’t want to pay thousands of dollars for Cartier’s iconic Tank but love the rectangular design, you won’t have to splurge much with this SWR049 from Seiko, part of its Essentials Collection. Running on an in-house movement and a practical 30m of water resistance, this watch is a fantastic dress option as well. And there’s even a solar-powered version (SUP880) if you’re into that.

As similar as this is to the Cartier icon, the Seiko quartz piece doesn’t aim for pastiche at all. Solidly executed, this watch stretches 28.4mm across with a 38.2mm lug-to-lug size. Sporting Roman numerals as hour markers, the white dial appears underneath Seiko’s own Hardlex crystal. What you don’t appreciate as much in the photos are the sword-shaped handset, which look even more eloquent in person. Offering three years of battery life, it’s powered by the Caliber 4N30 movement.

Bertucci A-2T

You’ll see a handful of field watches on this guide, simply because they are considered one of the paradigms when it comes to affordability in the industry. Titanium watches, on the other hand, are not known for such things and can be quite pricey when it comes down to it. That’s why it’s so surprising that Bertucci’s A-2T clocks in well under the $200 mark, and also gives you 200m of water resistance, classic dial styling with a 24-hour track, and an R-Type hardened mineral crystal.

The A-2T is part of the company’s “Original Classics” line, and as such, it sports one of the most sought-after designs in the industry. This well-made field watch features a 40mm sandblasted matte finish, a lightweight titanium construction, and a patented two-ply nylon band that references the genre’s most prolific variants. Our main gripe may be with the cleanliness of the dial text, which puts “Titanium” and “200m” side by side rather than stacking them. However, if you’re looking for a watch that’s capable, affordable, and still looks the part, the 12122 A-2T might be one of the best options on the market today.

Vaer S5 Tradition

If you read this whole guide, you’ll surely see a good deal of field watches, but we must implore you to check out this one from one of our favorite California-based watchmakers. Less than a decade old, Vaer was born out of a desire to bring well-built analog watches to a world obsessed with either fast fashion or ultra-luxury. Incorporating American materials and a blend of global and domestic assembly, Vaer has a nice catalog, with its S5 Tradition standing out as the model that best epitomizes the brand when it comes to its core tenets of both form and function.

Housed in a 40mm case made of 316L stainless steel, which wears great thanks to a 48mm lug-to-lug size (if that’s still too large, there’s a 36mm version as well). We love the full-brushed case, with the exception of a thin strip at the base of the fixed bezel, as well as the 100m of water resistance, which makes this a great swimming companion. Despite the “extensive USA sourcing” that’s part of Vaer’s core tenets, the movement of the S5 is the Japanese-made Miyota 2035 automatic. However, this shouldn’t be a deal breaker since that’s essentially the cheapest automatic on this list. The traditional dial certainly takes inspiration from the classics, but that’s also seen as a hat-tip from a brand who knows it has to look at history to make some of its own.

Timex x Todd Snyder MK-1 Sky King

Another king of the affordable watch space is Timex, who began its history in the United States in 1854 and has since made it their business to provide great pieces at even better prices. And while there are a lot of fantastic choices for this guide, we went with the latest collaboration they did with American menswear brand Todd Snyder. With a 42mm stainless steel case in all black, the MK-1 Sky King finds middle ground between a modestly-sized field watch and a larger pilot’s chronograph.

We absolutely love this MK-1 Sky King — Todd Snyder’s first chronograph — and at just under $180 no less. With slight influence from World War II-era pilot’s watches, it displays a mid-century wartime styling with a blacked-out case and dial, contrasted beautifully with white and orange accents. The dial itself features a left-oriented triple-register layout, which is activated with quartz-powered pushers, so there’s no tactical clunk when pressed like a mechanical watch would have. Likewise, there’s only 50m of water resistance, if you don’t mind the extra restriction.

Q Timex Reissue Dégradé 38mm

A few years back, Timex debuted its Q Timex Reissue line, reprising one of the brand’s first quartz models from the late ‘70s to much acclaim. You’ve likely seen us cover the Pepsi-bezeled GMT version a lot on this site, but one that tends to get overlooked, despite being arguably the most beautiful in the series, is the Dégradé variant. More of a dress watch than an everyday wearer like the GMT, this 38mm timepiece is instantly recognizable for its namesake facets on the interior of the domed acrylic crystal, which refract light and provide a unique visual experience when looking at the dial.

It was hard to tell the full beauty of the watch from pictures, but luckily we were able to get hands-on with the timepiece for this guide. And believe us when we say, it was well worth it. Transforming the violet-black base color of the dial to more of a light olive green, the Dégradé facets really play with the light, as intended. Of course, not everyone will dig this admittedly-polarizing feature. The crystal’s faceted lines do create unorthodox lines, including one that perpendicularly intersects with the date window, oddly enough. Unlike the tightly woven steel bracelet on the standard Q Timex Reissue, the Dégradé features a steel Jubilee bracelet which blends vertical brushing and high polish finishing. If you’re looking for something casual yet dressy, and undeniably unique, this timepiece is worth considering.

Orient Bambino Version 3

If any of the watches on this list could pass for a several-thousand-dollar timepiece, it’s probably Orient’s Bambino. Version 3 of the Japanese watchmaker’s flagship dress watch is as exquisite as they come for just $200. Ticking by on an in-house automatic — yes, mechanical — movement, the timepiece boasts an accessible 40.5mm case size with compact, proportionally short lugs (46.8mm) and a highly domed crystal.

As perfect as this will pass as a dress piece, we absolutely love how flexible it is, capable of doing double duty with the right casual fit, not to mention the versatile and simple dark gray dial and deceptively sporty leather strap, also made by Orient. In person, we’re able to see first-hand how well-executed the dial actually is. Minimalist in nature, it features straight cardinal markers, a beautiful sunburst texture, and immaculately-printed text. If dark gray isn’t your style, the Bambino is available in other colors as well, like green, blue, and white.

Citizen Garrison 

Like Casio’s G-SHOCK, Citizen is another example of why the Japanese industry has simply perfected the craft of affordable watchmaking without losing much in the way of quality or performance. Most brands have a de facto field watch and Citizen’s is the Garrison. It benefits from the company’s powerful Eco-Drive movements, which use the light from the sun or any other light source to keep it ticking. Housed in a 42mm stainless steel case, the watch has 100m of water resistance and features a shatter- and scratch-resistant mineral crystal.

If you’re looking for a vintage-style military watch, the Garrison is a solid option. Featuring Citizen’s signature build quality, the timepiece wears surprisingly well, even on smaller wrists with a compact lug-to-lug and overall thickness. From a visual standpoint, the Garrison hosts a classic field watch aesthetic with bright white Arabic numerals, a 24-hour track, and a clean date window. Citizen’s watches always have a long-lasting lume, and this model is no different. It’s adorned with a heritage-style genuine leather strap which feels well-made and -finished, if not on par with the price point.

Casio Edifice ECB900MP-1A 

Just about 25 years old, the Edifice line from Casio was intended to blend modern technology with dynamic designs. And just like most of the Japanese giant’s other timepieces, the Edifice carries a pretty low price tag. With its gauge-like dial, tachymeter bezel, and bright hypercar-esque accent colors, the ECB900MP-1A model specifically evokes modern motorsports with its styling. The watch also connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth to help you maximize the watch’s functions.

At first glance, you may be overwhelmed with all that’s going on with the dial. Although it gives you the time in analog form, powered by Casio’s Tough Solar, the digital readouts provide you with things like world time, a stopwatch, timer, alarms, and a full calendar. There’s also another analog gauge that tells you your speed — a pretty unique feature on racing watches in general and one that requires a bit of GPS to measure your distance with the phone app. At 48mm in diameter, the Edifice may be a bit large for almost any wrist but it certainly feels somewhat smaller than that thanks to its resin case and 32mm dial.

Tested: The Best Watches to Buy Under $100

If under $200 is still too much for your budget, head over to our guide to the best watches you can buy under $100.