The Best Automatic Watches You Can Buy Under $1,000

Within some corners of the watch industry, there is a perception that you can’t get a quality automatic timepiece without spending luxury-level prices. But nothing could be further from the truth. Fifty years removed from the onset of the quartz crisis and smack dab in the middle of the current Apple Watch takeover, there are still loads of great automatic watches you can find for under $1,000 — as long as you know where to look. And that’s where we come in. We’ve rounded up our favorite microbrands, entry-level luxury Swiss watchmakers, and a reliable standby out of Japan to bring you the best automatic watches under $1,000.

Automatic Vs. Quartz

It’s worth comparing automatic to quartz movements for the purpose of this article because the latter is typically associated with affordable watches. The Quartz Crisis in the ’70s and throughout the ’80s is important to note because it was the cheapness of the timepieces that nearly eliminated the automatic and mechanical watch industry. Quartz movements, which are run on battery power, are more accurate and durable than their automatic counterparts. However, automatic watches can theoretically tick for decades and have a sort of craft in their mechanics that batteries just won’t. This is why, even at a budget level, automatics will largely still be pricier than quartz timepieces.

Why Are Some Watches Cheaper?

Many associate luxury watches with quality, and that may be simply due to the fact that often more research and development goes into producing those watches and, most importantly, their movements. On the other hand, some brands may want to focus more on the case and dial aesthetics and performance over that of the movement and may outsource their movements to brands that specialize in making them, such as Sellita, ETA, and Miyota. Many times a watchmaker may even slightly modify these outsourced movements to fit their own watches, while other times the movements are used relatively untouched. This helps drive down costs that would be spent on making a movement in-house.

How We Made Our Picks

For this guide, we had but two requirements: All watches had to have an automatic movement, and they had to be priced between $500 and $1,000 (we have a separate guide to automatic watches under $500). With those parameters in place, we got to work hunting down the best the industry has to offer and came up with more than a dozen gems. From divers and pilot’s watches to trendy integrated bracelet sports watches and classic everyday timepieces, from vintage-inspired to the ultra-modern, we left no stone unturned in our pursuit of the best affordable autos. Any one of these timepieces would make a great addition to your collection, and they’re all cheap enough that you could even pick up a couple without feeling guilty.

What To Look For in a Sub-$1,000 Watch

Aesthetic: Ultimately, you’ll want something that you like to look at on your wrist. Whether it be color, size, bulk, or design language, a watch is an extension of your own style and personality.

Brand: Quality watches come from quality brands. When looking at sub-$1,000 options, pay attention to reputable brands. In the watch world, many of these companies are reputable for a reason.

Watch Type: Be it a GMT, adventure field watch, or dress watch, we’ve done our best to delineate between the different types of sub-$1,000 watches below. If there’s a gap in your watch selection that needs to be filled, the $1,000-or-less range is a good place to start.

Baltic Aquascaphe

Best Low-End Watch Under $1,000: Paris-based Baltic has quickly become one of the highest-regarded and best-known microbrands in the world, and they even contributed a watch to the illustrious Only Watch charity event in 2021 alongside uber-luxury brands like F.P. Journe and MB&F. And Baltic owes a good chunk of their success to the Aquascaphe. The diver is almost certainly the brand’s most popular model, with its sapphire bezel insert, original sandwich dial, and tropic rubber strap (or beads of rice bracelet) giving off pitch-perfect vintage-style vibes.

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80

Best Integrated Bracelet: One of the most successful watch releases of 2021 was Tissot’s PRX, a well-finished integrated bracelet ‘70s throwback that brought Gerald Genta style to the masses. But because it was powered by a simple quartz movement, many watch enthusiasts held off on buying one. Now Tissot has released an automatic version of the PRX with the same stunning retro case and bracelet, a new premium (and Royal Oak-adjacent) waffle dial, and a Powermatic 80 movement with 80 hours of power reserve. And since it still costs around $700, you literally have no excuse for not buying one.

Halios Fairwind

Best Microbrand Watch: We now return to the realm of microbrands for what may be the most-lauded microbrand of them all. Vancouver-based Halios makes some of the hardest-to-obtain watches in the industry, and the Fairwind is their latest and greatest diver. Arguably the best dive watch one can buy for under a grand, the Fairwind is noteworthy not just for its attractive angular design and trademark quality construction, but for its incredible bracelet. The Fairwind’s bracelet is an impeccably finished, fully articulating, flat link number with an innovative quick-adjust mechanism that functions by pushing a button on the clasp.

Lorier Hyperion II

Best GMT: By now, you shouldn’t be surprised to see so many microbrands on a list such as this. With small batch numbers, microbrands are able to dial into what their buyers want in a watch and are able to really maximize their value. Take New York-based Lorier’s Hyperion, for instance. Here we have a GMT watch powered by a Miyota automatic movement for well under $1,000. It has an original vintage-inspired design that can stop traffic, a plexiglass Pepsi bezel for serious retro cred, and Lorier’s signature design language and cult-favorite bracelet. If you’re on the hunt for a GMT watch under a grand, this is the one to get — if you can get ahold of one, that is.

Victorinox I.N.O.X. Mechanical

Best Tough Watch: Built by the same brand that makes the ubiquitous Swiss Army Knife, the quartz Victorinox I.N.O.X. is one of the toughest watches in the world. This version classes things up a bit by trading in just a hair of that utility for a heightened sense of luxury. The Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1 movement is visible through the exhibition caseback, the chunky stainless steel case sports some excellent contrasting finishing, the guilloche patterned dial is meant to invoke the handle of a Swiss Army Knife, and the watch is available on a first-of-its-kind wooden strap.

Squale 1521

Most Capable Diver: A maker of dive watch cases since the 1960s (including for Blancpain, once upon a time), Squale already has an illustrious horological history. But they aren’t resting on their laurels. The brand has churned out many fun new models in recent years, including the now-iconic 1521 with its ocean blue sunray dial. A modern classic, the watch is basically summer on your wrist, with a classic case that will never go out of style and 500m water resistance to sweeten the pot.

Mido Multifort Patrimony

Best Dress Watch: A member of the Swatch Group conglomerate, Swiss heritage brand Mido frequently gets lost in the shuffle with better-known stablemates Omega, Longines, Hamilton, Tissot, and Rado. But you shouldn’t sleep on Mido, as the 103-year-old brand makes some seriously high-quality pieces. The Multifort Patrimony is one of them. A modern take on pre-mid-century styles, this handsome dress-style watch offers up an interesting blend of styling cues with its syringe hands, pulsometer scale, box crystal, and beautifully curved lugs. It’s totally unique and would be at home in any collection.

Farer Bradfield

Best Pilot’s Watch: If you know your watch brands, then you should be able to spot a Farer from across the room. In just a few short years, the British microbrand has established a consistent and highly recognizable design language built around fun and unexpected color combinations. And one of the best examples of that is this unorthodox pilot’s watch. The Bradfield’s white dial features a stepped inner minute ring infilled with sky blue Super-LumiNova, alpha hands in creamy yellow, and applied navy Arabic numerals outlined by that same sky blue lume.

Doxa Sub 200

Best Summer Watch: There are summer watches and there are summer watches. This is the latter. Say hello to Doxa. One of the most iconic dive watch brands ever (noted undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau was a big fan), Doxa returned to the U.S. market just this year after years away. So it’s time to get reacquainted, and the best way to do that is with their entry-level diver. The Sub 200 offers all of the robust reliability and pro-level diving specs you’d expect from Doxa, as well as the brand’s trademark retina-burning colorways. From orange to yellow to this gorgeous aqua blue, every option is a winner.

Certina DS PH200M

Best Vintage Reissue: Like Doxa, Certina is a Swiss heritage brand that returned to U.S. shores this year after many years away. And boy, are we happy to see them. Another underrated Swatch Group member, Certina offers loads of killer watches at bargain prices, but none are better than this outstanding diver. A reissue of one of the brand’s divers from the ‘60s, the modern-day DS PH200M has been updated with a striking domed and engraved ceramic bezel that you won’t see anywhere else, along with an 80-hour Powermatic movement that’s visible through a sapphire caseback.

Hamilton Khaki Field Murph

Best Movie Watch: There have been loads of iconic movie watches over the years, from Steve McQueen’s Heuer Monaco in Le Mans to James Bond’s many Omega Seamasters. But none are quite like the Murph. Originally made by Hamilton specifically for the 2014 sci-fi film Interstellar, the movie prop plays a significant role in the film’s climax. Consistent badgering by fans led Hamilton to finally make a production recreation of the watch in 2019, and it’s been a brand mainstay ever since. The versatile vintage-inspired field watch even has a special Easter egg for fans of the film, with the word “Eureka” printed in Morse code in lacquer on the seconds hand.

Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Date

Best Overall: Seiko’s luxury offshoot Grand Seiko certainly doesn’t have any watches under $1,000 — or under $2,000, for that matter. But Seiko offers a bit of Grand Seiko style with their premium Presage Sharp Edged series. This watch features a highly-intricate Japanese Asanoha patterned dial, sapphire crystals on the front and back, GS-style hands and indices with Lumibrite, a sharp-angled and expertly-finished case and bracelet, and the 6R35 caliber movement with its 70 hours of power reserve. The Sharp Edged Date makes for an excellent everyday watch that incorporates a touch of the Grand Seiko experience.

The Best Automatic Watches Under $500

If $1,000 is still too much for your budget, then check out some picks from our guide to the best automatic watches under $500.