The 20 Best Men’s Watches Under $2,000

Although it is true that watch collecting can be a very expensive hobby, it’s a lie that you can’t find a good quality watch without spending a ton of money. The fact is, there are loads of great affordable watches out there from mid-tier luxury brands, acclaimed microbrands, and even some of the most iconic watchmakers in the world — you just need to know where to look. So to help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the best men’s watches under $2,000.

Now, it deserves to be said that for most people, $2,000 is a lot of money to spend on a watch. Heck, you may be more comfortable building out an entire ten-watch collection of $200 watches with that kind of budget. But if you are looking to get your hands on a seriously high-quality timepiece, then you’re going to be laying out a good chunk of that $2K. That’s why almost all of the watches on our list are over the $1,000 mark, and many are close to approaching that $2,000 ceiling — plus an exception or two that’s priced just a tad over the $2K mark. We’re only showing you the best of the best so that when you decide to plunk down two Gs on a timepiece, you’ll be confident that you made the right decision. So take a look below to see our picks for the best men’s watches under $2,000.

What To Look For In A $2,000 Watch

There are numerous factors that should be taken into account when shopping for a watch at around the $2,000 price point — the most crucial of which we’ll be shining a light on directly below. 

Case: Considering that the case is the component that actually constitutes the watch itself, it’s hard to overstate the importance of this area. Also serving as the element that houses both the movement and dial, watch cases can hugely vary in terms of size, appearance, shape, and construction — the most common of which are steel and titanium case constructions. When examine a watch’s case, you’ll want to look at its dimensions — including the case width, lug width, lug-to-lug, and case thickness — as well as whether it’s been brushed or polished. Additionally, it’s also crucial to look at secondary elements on watch cases such as the crown, case-back, and bezel. 

Dial: A watch’s dial plays a monumental role in its overall look, usability, and utility. When looking at a watch’s dial, you’ll want to pay close attention to the hand-set, types of indices or markers being used, the type of lume that’s being utilized, and whether or not it’s equipped with a date window or any sub-dials. A decent number of watches on this list are also offered with multiple dial color options. 

Bracelet Or Band: Though they can easily be swapped out, the reality is that high-end watches are typically penned from the ground up as a cohesive whole that very much includes the timepiece’s strap, band, or bracelet. As such, it’s very much worth looking into the type of strap, band, or bracelet that comes on a watch, the materials used to make these items, and their buckle, hardware, and micro-adjustment capabilities. With timepieces at the roughly $2,000 price point, it’s also fairly common to see these items sold with more than one included strap, bracelet, or band. 

Movement: As the heart of the watch and the element that keeps the thing ticking, movements are also of extreme importance. When reviewing this aspect of a watch, you’ll want to check on the type of movement being used, whether it’s an off-the-shelf movement or if it was developed in-house, it’s power reserve, beat rate, dimensions, and number of jewels. Luxury watches also tend to feature markedly more premium automatic and mechanical movements — another area that hugely distinguishes them from their cheaper counterparts. 

Build Quality & Finish: High-end watches boast highly-calculated designs that see watchmakers meticulously poring over every surface of the watch in an effort to ensure even the most minor of details have been perfectly crafted and executed. As one of the main areas that often separates luxury timepieces from more value-focused watches on the market, it’s absolutely imperative to closely review the build quality and fit and finish of any watch that you’re considering. 

Brand, History, & Lineage: There are plenty of great micro brands and other newer watch companies out there that we’d normally consider when buying a new watch, however, when purchasing a watch as an investment, it’s almost always safest to buy from an older, well-established brand. Modern iterations of age-old timepieces with a robust history and linage typically hold their value quite well, and are at least usually somewhat predicable in terms of their market value — and future value projections. 

Value: While pretty much any watch purchased for around two grand will be a high-quality timepiece, the overall level of value and bang for your buck can actually vary pretty significantly from watch to watch, in terms of the movement used, level of build quality, and material selection. 

With the vast majority of the timepieces currently on the market being priced at below two grand, there’s absolutely no shortage of available options when shopping with this price cap. For this reason — and for the sake of this article — we’ve opted to limit our selections to references priced in the $1,500 to $2,000 ballpark, with only one or two exceptions. This price point grants access to a wealth of high-end watches from revered luxury brands that can be purchased without spending a fortune — making these watches great choices for anyone looking to start a collection. 

Additionally, in order to make our selections, we began by first making a list of the seven main types of watches that we wanted represented in this guide such as field watches, chronographs, GMTs, divers, etc. With these seven main categories chosen, we then selected three top picks for each. From there, each category’s trio of timepieces was thoroughly scrutinized in our in-house testing process. This hands-on experience with each reference ultimately enabled us to narrow this shortlist of three down to one best-of pick from each category. With a myriad of admittedly very close runner-ups, we’ve also opted to highlight some of our favorite timepieces that didn’t make the cut as the best, but are nonetheless still worth featuring. 

By spending an extensive period actually wearing and testing each watch, we were not only able to glean a real-world sense of how these watches look and feel on-wrist, as well as how they perform day-to-day (and whether or not their advertised accuracy ratings and power reserves hold true in practice). More importantly, this hands-on testing also let us closely examine the fit and finish of each watch — a wildly important element that massively separates high-end luxury watches from their cheaper counterparts. What’s more, we were also able to compare the level of comfort and overall finish of each timepiece side-by-side, revealing how each and every reference stacks up against the competition. 

Some of the main areas we took into account when making these selections included reviewing each watch’s material selection, build quality, style and design, bracelet or band, movement type, accuracy, and power reserve.The heritage, lineage, and history of each watch and the respective brand that makes it was also considered, as well the level of value and bang for your buck afforded by each timepiece. These criteria were collectively used in order for us to make or final picks, and generate the curated list of the best sub-$2,000 watches below. 

Sinn 556i

Best Everyday Watch: Needing to lend itself to a wide variety of environments and wardrobes, a quality everyday watch — or “GADA watch” — requires a case size no larger than 40mm, a metal bracelet, at least 100 meters of water resistance, and decent lume — all of which are traits that are present on the Sinn 556i. Drawing light inspiration from Sinn’s pilot’s watches and cockpit clocks, the 556i is constructed around a satin-finished stainless steel case. Encompassed via a fixed bezel with a matching satin finish, the watch’s black dial is juxtaposed by a white hand-set, perimeter indices, and a date window at 3 o’clock. The indices and hour and minute hands have also been coated in light green-glowing lume.

Both sides of the case are capped off with AR-coated Sapphire crystal glass, with one covering the GADA watch’s glossy black dial and the other putting the watch’s movement on display via a screw-fastened exhibition case back. Low pressure resistant and impervious to practically water down to 200 meters, the case measures 38.5mm in diameter, boasts a 20mm lug width, and a thickness of 11mm. Paired with the case is one of Sinn’s standard H-link bracelets. Powering the watch is an SW200-1 movement — a self-winding automatic item that boasts 26 jewels, a seconds stop function, and 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour. 

Check out our in-depth Sinn 556i review here.

Doxa Sub 300T Professional

Best Dive Watch: If there’s one thing that Doxa knows, it’s dive watches. The Swiss brand’s iconic bright-orange professional-spec divers have been exploring the depths for over half a century, but most of their collection goes for luxury prices. But not the entry-priced Sub 300T Professional. Despite costing less than the rest of the brand’s catalog, this is a true professional Doxa and not some budget compromise. Crafted from 316L stainless steel, the watch features a 42.5mm case that boasts a unidirectional rotating bezel and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.

Paired with one of Doxa’s ‘beads of rice’ stainless steel bracelets, the case also boasts a screw-down crown that affords the Sub 300T Pro an impressive water-resistance rating of 1,200 meters. Offered in several different color options, the watch’s dial features a basic three-hand setup supplemented via a date window at 3 o’clock. Keeping the watch ticking is a COSC-certified self-winding automatic movement that offers a 38-hour power reserve. All of the timepiece’s dive-related markings have also been hit with Super-LumiNova luminescent coating.

Weiss Standard Issue Field Watch

Best Military/Field Watch: Drawing inspiration from Cameron Weiss’ adventures on land and sea, the Weiss Watch Company Standard Issue Field Watch is an elegant military-themed timepiece that’s produced by hand in Los Angeles using over 100 Swiss parts. Powered by a Weiss Watch Company Caliber 1005 mechanical movement, the watch is constructed around a hand-polished surgical-grade 316L stainless steel case.

Manually wound, the watch’s movement boasts a 42-hour power reserve, Incabloc shock protection, and beats at 21,600 BPH. Sitting beneath a double-domed and beveled sapphire crystal with a multi layer anti-reflective coating is a hand-painted naval brass dial that’s offered in four color choices. Fitted with a sweeping seconds hand at 6 o’clock, the dial also features a black oxide-treated hand-set and premium luminescent Super-Luminova BGW9 paint. Shipping out with a hand-stitched leather-lined textile strap, the case measures 38mm in width, 9.2mm thick, and features a lug-to-lug measurement of 46.2mm. 

Tissot PRX Chronograph

Best Chronograph: For our favorite sub-$2,000 chrono model, we’ve selected Tissot’s neo-retro PRX Chronograph. Weighing less than 6.5oz, the Tissot PRX Chronograph sports a 42mm tonneau-shaped 316L stainless steel case that’s modeled directly after one of Tissot’s chronograph references from 1978. The case and bracelet’s full brushed finish is complemented via a heavily-polished fixed bezel, crown, and pushers. Paired with an interchangeable quick-release single-link stainless steel bracelet, this Swiss-made timepiece is also water resistant down to 100 meters.

Measuring 14.5mm thick, the case also features a knurled T-logoed crown and polished square pushers. The timepiece’s “reverse panda” chronograph dial also sports baton-style hour and minute hands coated in Super-Luminova and a date window set between 4 and 5 o’clock. Juxtaposing the black and white dial is a gold-finished hand-set and matching gold indices and chrono window hands. At the heart of the watch is a Swiss-made 27-jewel VALJOUX A05.H31 automatic movement with a skeleton oscillating mass caliber and a 60-hour power reserve — a movement that can also be viewed through the chronograph’s exhibition case back. 

Check out our in-depth Tissot PRX Automatic Chronograph here.

Oris Big Crown ProPilot Date 41mm

Best Pilot’s Watch: Moving on to our pick for the best pilot’s watch for below two grand we have the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Date 41mm. Starting with its case, the watch boasts a 41mm multi-piece stainless steel housing with a screw-down crown and a domed sapphire crystal that’s been hit with an AR coating. For the watch’s motor, the company has bestowed the timepiece with its own 26-jewel Oris 751 automatic movement — which is based on the Sellita SW 220-1 and equipped with a 38-hour power reserve. In true pilot’s watch fashion, the dial is incredibly easy to read even upon a quick glance. What’s more, the dial also sports Super-Luminova BG W9-painted hands and numerals, as well as an enlarged date window.

On the opposite side of the timepiece is an exhibition case back that puts the watch’s self-winding movement on full display. A textured, lightly-turbine-inspired fixed bezel, a crown with a matching motif, and a satin-finished three-row bracelet with polished center links complete this attractive package. Lastly, alongside an Oris logo, the watch’s strap or bracelet’s clasp also sports the word “LIFT” embossed into the metal — a subtle but nonetheless cool nod to planes and aviation and one that’s particularly fitting on a pilot’s watch.  

Christopher Ward C65 Aquitaine GMT

Best GMT Watch: With the company only dating back to 2004, one might not expect Christopher Ward to be a go-to choice for those interested in a solid vintage-inspired timepiece, though the Berkshire brand’s retro-themed items are unquestionably some of the best on the market. The Christopher Ward C65 Aquitaine GMT is an attractive-looking diver-style GMT watch that sees its 1950s-inspired case fitted with Sellita’s new top-tier SW330-2 caliber automatic movement. Measuring in at only 4.1mm thick, the SW330-2 is a 25-jewel movement that beats at 28,800 per hour and affords a power reserve of up to 56 hours. Most notably, however, is the fact that this movement allows the watch’s central GMT hand to be independently adjusted.

Equipped with an anti-shock system, the movement also sports a twin-flag engraving over a Elaboré ‘Colimaçoné’ finish on the rotor. Spanning 41mm across, the brushed and polished “Light-catcher” stainless steel case also comes fitted with an embossed screw-down crown and a bi-directional stainless steel bezel with a sapphire insert with luminous triangle and numbers. Sitting beneath an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, the watch’s matte-finished Orca black dial has been complemented via diamond-polished hands and indices, and a date window at 6 o’clock. Compared to its predecessor, this dive-ready four-hander also boasts brighter Super-LumiNova Grade X1 BL lume and a new tapered marine-grade stainless steel bracelet outfitted with a ‘Christopher Ward’ engraving, a micro-adjustable ratchet clasp, dual screw links, and a quick-release system.

NOMOS Glashütte Ludwig Reference 235

Best Dress Watch: A brilliant display in Bauhaus-style minimalism, the NOMOS Glashütte Ludwig Reference 235 takes our pick for the best sub-$2,000 dress watch. Made in Germany, the watch is powered by NOMOS’ hand-wound Alpha Caliber motor — a 17-jewel automatic movement with a 43-hour power reserve. The entire watch is constructed around a polished three-piece 37.5mm stainless steel case that’s water-resistant down to 30 meters. Also impressive is the fact that the watch’s case measures less than 7mm in thickness, making it the skinniest-cased watch on this list — and by a substantial margin.

The white enamel dial is an impressive display, with its elegant Roman numerals, railway minute track, sweeping seconds hand at 6 o’clock, and temperature-blued thread hands — the latter of which adds a bit of modern flair to an otherwise largely classic design. The watch comes paired with a 19mm strap crafted from American Horween Shell Cordovan black leather. While it’s admittedly not the most versatile choice, the NOMOS Glashütte Ludwig Reference 235 is undoubtedly one of the best-looking — and best-crafted — dress watches for at or around the $2,000 mark — with some references in this range costing slightly over two grand, and some coming in at just below that amount.

Halios Universa

It may sound like hyperbole, but Halios is in many ways the “Rolex of Microbrands.” The Vancouver-based outfit’s watches are of the highest quality, they’re extremely hard to get, and they have a highly dedicated fanbase. That explains why their latest watch, priced at just $735, is hanging out in a list of far more expensive watches. The Universa could cost $1,500 and no one would bat an eye thanks to its flawless finishing, attractive design, hand-wound Sellita SW210-1 movement, and showstopping bracelet with a push-button quick-adjustment clasp.

Longines Conquest

Backed by a five-year warranty, the Longines Conquest is a relatively affordable everyday watch with an overall fit and finish that can go toe-to-toe with luxury GADA timepieces costing three-times what the Conquest does. The watch features a simple yet attractive 43mm stainless steel case, a knurled crown protected by a set of pusher-esque guards, and a matching stainless steel H-link bracelet equipped with a triple safety folding clasp and a push-piece opening mechanism. Weighing 7.22oz, the watch also boasts a screw-down case back, a 300-meter water-resistant rating, a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with several layers of anti-reflective coating, and a black lacquered-polished dial with painted Arabic numerals and indexes, silvered-polished hands, and a generous helping of Swiss Super-LumiNova lume paint. Keeping the timepiece ticking is a self-winding mechanical movement that beats at 25’200 VPH and packs a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. 

Mido Ocean Star Tribute

As Mido’s modern dive watch, the Ocean Star is one of the brand’s flagship models, and they are readily available for less than $2,000. But for our selection, we went with the Tribute version, which was released in 2019 to honor the Ocean Star’s 75th anniversary and pays homage to the models of the 1960s. The vintage-style diver offers funky fun styling to go with Mido’s trusted quality and features a box sapphire crystal, a fantastic optional beads of rice-inspired bracelet, and an ETA 2836-2-based movement with 80 hours of power on tap.

Seiko Prospex ‘1968 Mechanical Diver’s Modern Re-Interpretation’ Limited Edition

A modern interpretation of Seiko’s famed 1968 reference 6159 that’s been treated to a black and orange redux, the Seiko Prospex ‘1968 Mechanical Diver’s Modern Re-Interpretation’ Limited Edition comes loaded with 200 meters of water resistance, a unidirectional-rotating dive bezel with an accented orange LumiBrite frame, a curved sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating, a date window at three o’clock, a screw-down caseback, a brown, polyester NATO-style strap with black hardware, a matte black dial with applied, LumiBrite-filled wedge indices, and a matching, modified sword hand-set with an orange minute hand. The watch is powered by an automatic Seiko caliber 6R35 movement with a 70-hour power reserve.

Farer Lander IV

British-based microbrand Farer has only been around for a handful of years, but they already have a clear flagship watch, and this is it. Now in its third iteration, the Farer Lander IV GMT watch is hopelessly attractive thanks to its one-of-a-kind triple-step sea green sunray dial. No other dial on Earth looks quite like this one — it is an absolute stunner in any light. And only Farer, with their knack for working magic with colors, could manage to pair such a flamboyant dial with bright orange and red hands and have it come out looking this good. Fitted with an accent-finished crown, a 3 o’clock date window, and a leather strap, this four-hander is also surprisingly versatile, blending into a wide variety of settings and pairing wonderfully with all manner of outfits. And, while it might not look it, because of the watch’s 100-meter water resistance rating, the Lander IV is also capable of some light dive duties.

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf GMT

While there are a number of worthwhile mechanical GMTs to be had under $2,000, finding one with actual heritage behind it is next to impossible. But heritage is one thing that Zodiac has in spades. The brand first released their Aerospace GMT back in the early 1960s when they fitted a 24-hour bezel and four-hand GMT movement into their Sea Wolf diver. This watch is the modern descendent of those mid-century travel buddies, and it looks almost exactly as it did during air travel’s golden age, but has of course been updated with modern materials and a contemporary movement.

Hamilton Khaki Aviation Khaki X-Wind Auto Chrono

Finding a Swiss made mechanical chronograph for under $2,000 is exceedingly difficult, and finding one that’s also an icon is downright impossible. Or else, it would be were it not for this Hamilton. The X Wind Chrono is a beloved pilot’s chronograph that goes far beyond what one would expect to find for this kind of money. In addition to the extremely useful chronograph function, the X Wind also features the first-ever drift angle calculator to appear on a watch, which helps pilots accurately calculate how crosswinds will affect their flight. And you thought they called it X Wind because it sounds cool (it does sound cool).

Frédérique Constant Runabout Automatic FC-303RMB5B6

While Frédérique Constant’s watches are typically priced well above the $2,000 mark, the Geneva-based horologist does offer a few sub-$2K timepieces such as the Runabout Automatic FC-303RMB5B6 — a dressy but still everyday-wearable Swiss-made automatic. Powered by a 26-jewel FC-303 caliber automatic movement with a 38-hour power reserve, the watch features a polished two-piece 42mm stainless steel case fitted with an exhibition case back, a scratch-resistant convex sapphire crystal, and a dark grey-blue calf skin leather strap with light blue accent stitching. In addition to a light blue second hand and a date window at 6 o’clock, the watch’s black sunray finish dial also sports applied silver Arabic indices and silver-finished hour and minute hands — both of which are filled with white luminous paint.

MONTA Atlas

A Swiss-made timepiece from a St. Louis-based American micro-brand, the MONTA Atlas is a well-designed GMT watch that’s conducive to both travel and everyday use alike. Water resistant down to 150 meters, the watch is crafted around a 38.5mm 316L stainless steel case and kept ticking via a MONTA Caliber M-23 self-winding, mechanical movement that packs a bidirectional rotor and a 42-hour power reserve. Manufactured, assembled, and tested in Switzerland, the watch boasts an extra hand that allows it to track a second time zone, as well as a framed date window, rhodium-plated diamond-cut sword hands, and mirror polishing on its applied indices. What’s more, the watch is paired with a steel bracelet with a quick-adjust clasp with three slots for micro adjustment — an exceptionally comfortable item with what was easily one of the best clasps that we’ve ever tested.

Unimatic Modello Uno GMT U1S-T-GMT In Titanium

Manufactured in Italy, the UNIMATIC Modello Uno GMT U1S-T-GMT In Titanium is a lightweight diver-style GMT watch with a minimalistic matte black dial contrasted via an orange-tipped 24-hour hand, a date window at 6 o’clock, a bi-directional-rotating bezel with a black aluminum 24-hour insert, and a 41.5mm titanium case with a brushed finish. A liberal amount of Super-LumiNova also adorns the watch’s hand-set and indices. At the heart of the watch lies a Swiss-made automatic calibre ETA 2893 movement with 21 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve. Water resistant down to 300 meters, the watch comes inside an included Pelican-style hard-case plus ships with both a grey, two-piece TPU rubber strap and a black leather strap with matching titanium hardware.

Tudor 1926

Currently the most affordable offering from Rolex’s sister brand, the Tudor 1926 is a simple yet beautifully-constructed watch that’s as well-finished as it is versatile, with the 1926 lending itself to all manner of settings and wardrobes. Waterproof to 100 meters, the watch is comprised of a 36mm polished stainless steel case that’s been outfitted with a smooth, polished steel bezel, a Tudor-logoed screw-down crown, and (for this particular reference) a stainless steel seven-row bracelet with satin-brushed external links, polished center links, and a folding clasp and a safety catch. Powering the Tudor is a self-winding mechanical Calibre T601 movement with a 38-hour power reserve. Touted by the Swiss brand as a horological love-letter to the spirit of fine-watchmaking, this luxury timepiece also sports a dial that’s been bestowed with a 3 o’clock date window and rhodium-plated hour markers and hands. Backed by a transferable half-decade-long warranty, this watch is offered in a huge variety of different case sizes, finishes, and dial options.

TAG Heuer Formula 1 Automatic

First released in 1986, TAG Heuer Formula 1 is an iconic luxury watch from another legendary Swiss brand. The watch’s 43mm stainless steel cases sports alternating brushed and polished finishes all applied by hand. Measuring 12mm thick and boasting a 21.5mm lug measurement, the case also features a screw-down steel crown that earns the watch a water resistance rating of 200 meters. Paired with a three-row stainless steel bracelet with a brushed steel folding clasp, the case houses a Calibre 6 Automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve. Encompassed by a rotating bezel, the watch’s dial consists of an Opaline-finished item with applied indices, a 3 o’clock date window, and a sweeping permanent second indicator at 6 o’clock.

Rado Captain Cook

As a member of the mammoth Swatch Group that also includes watch brands like Omega, Longines, Hamilton, and Tissot, mid-priced Rado sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. But that’s happening a lot less these days thanks to this watch. Released in 2017 as a recreation of the 1962 watch of the same name, the Captain Cook has since reinvigorated the brand. Seen here in a mid-century appropriate 37mm case size, the retro diver adds some sly modernity thanks to its generously domed sapphire crystal, concave ceramic bezel, and 80-hour-power reserve movement.

Pre-Owned Omega Speedmaster

OK, before you get too excited, you’re not getting an Omega Moonwatch for under two grand. But there are plenty of non-Moonwatch Speedys out there that regularly trade in the $1,500 to $2,000 range. These will largely consist of automatic Speedmasters from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and ‘00s, and there are a ton of cool references to choose from like Speedmaster Dates, Triple Calendars, and various special editions. If you get lucky, you might even find a ref. 3510.50 — the original Speedy Reduced that boasts classic Moonwatch styling and a hesalite crystal. It’s a great chance to own a piece from one of the world’s most iconic series of watches.

The Best Watches You Can Buy Under $1,000

Don’t have two grand to shell out on a new timepiece but still want a luxury watch? Then be sure to head over to our guide to the best watches under $1,000 for a curated selection of models and references that won’t break the bank.