The Best Automatic Watches Under $500

Watch collecting can be one of the most expensive hobbies there is. Some luxury watch brands’ catalogs consist entirely of watches that cost five or even six figures, and watches that retail for over a million dollars are by no means unheard of. But even if you stay a little closer to Earth, it’s still very easy to drop several thousand on a watch — especially if you’re shopping for automatic watches. But collecting watches, even automatics, doesn’t have to be so pricey. We’ve come up with a guide to the best automatic men’s watches under $500 to prove that you don’t need to spend a lot of cash to put together a quality stable of mechanical watches.

The dozen watches that make up our list of the best automatic men’s watches under $500 are a diverse bunch. There are dress watches, dive watches, field watches, and pilot’s watches. Their countries of origin vary from Switzerland and Japan to Singapore, Italy, France, and the U.S. of A. Some come from heritage brands that have been around forever, while others are from upstart microbrands. But they all have three things in common: They all have automatic movements, they all retail for less than $500, and they’re all worthy of holding a spot in your collection. So take a look below at the best automatic watches under $500.

Automatic Vs. Quartz

Comparing quartz movements to automatic movements is important because quartz movements are typically the ones you’ll find in the sub-$500 range. In fact, quartz almost sank the mechanical watch industry in the ’70s/’80s because of its affordability. Quartz watches run on battery power and are largely more accurate and durable than ones with automatic movements. On the other hand, automatic movements have longevity to their advantage and can sometimes tick for decades. Not to mention, there’s an understandable romanticization of these mechanical pieces due to the craft and patience that goes into them, putting them still higher in price than most quartz movements.

How We Made Our Picks

Sub-$500 automatic watches aren’t super easy to come by. Not good ones, at least. However, we see a lot of watches in this business and figured we’d compile a list of our favorites that fit these parameters. This guide had two stern requirements: that each watch be priced under $500 and that each watch had an automatic movement. Whether you’re on the lookout for dive watches, pilot’s watches, dress watches, or something else, you’ll be sure to find something that tickles your fancy here. Better yet, these timepieces are so affordable that you could potentially pick up two or more over time, guilt-free.

What To Look For in a Sub-$500 Watch

Aesthetic: Be it size, color, thickness, or design, your watch says a lot about your own style and personality, so you’ll want something that you actually like when picking your next affordable timepiece.

Brand: There are a lot of cheap watches out there, so make sure you’ve heard of (or at least we’ve heard of) the brand that makes it before purchasing. Reputable brands make reputable timepieces.

Watch Type: At the very least, you should know what type of watch you want. If you’re in the market for an everyday watch, a hiking watch, a dress watch, or something else, we’ve got most of the grounds covered here.

Timex M79 Automatic

Best Low-End Watch: Like their old slogan, Timex as a brand has kept a lickin’ but keeps on tickin.’ After decades of ups and downs, the American heritage watchmaker is now hotter than it’s been in years, and it’s all thanks to their string of well-designed vintage-themed releases. The M79 is one such watch, as it takes the brand’s blockbuster Q Timex Reissue quartz watch and transforms it into a highly attractive automatic, with bi-color bezels available in some truly classic colorways like “Batman” and “Coke.”

Orient Sun & Moon

Best Calendar Watch: For 70 years, Japanese watchmaker Orient has been known as a serious value proposition. That’s more true than ever today, as most of the brand’s watches offer in-house automatic movements for under $500. The Sun & Moon is one of their more unique offerings in the space, and it’s built a cult following over the years. A fairly complicated dress watch for the price, the Sun & Moon features day, date, and day/night complications arranged in a fun and classy layout underneath a sapphire crystal.

Dan Henry 1970

Best Racing-Inspired: Brazilian watch collector Dan Henry has one of the world’s most impressive vintage watch collections at over 1,500 pieces, and his favorite possessions serve as the inspiration for the designs in his vintage-styled namesake microbrand. For the 1970, Henry went for the dual-crown super compressor style case, reminiscent of racing-style chronographs, and funky colors that came into vogue in the Me Decade, and ended up creating one of the best divers under $500. The 1970 boasts true diver specs with 200m water resistance and an inner-rotating bezel, but also packs in more style than many divers ten times its price.

BOLDR Venture Wayfarer

Best Field Watch: While BOLDR’s regular Venture is the brand’s vision for a modern-day field watch, the Wayfarer version was created as a tribute to mid-twentieth century explorer’s watches. It adds a 24-hour subdial, a feature favored by spelunkers and miners back in the day so they could better keep track of the time without having access to the sun. The Wayfarer also features everything you’d expect from a Venture, including the same 38mm titanium case, AR-coated sapphire crystal, and 200m water resistance.

Spinnaker Bradner

Best Dive Watch: As one of the larger microbrands, Spinnaker has a pretty robust catalog of watches. But the Bradner is easily one of its most popular, if not unique, as it wonderfully blends vintage and modern dive watch aesthetics to create something new. Placing the bidirectional rotating bezel underneath the three-dimensional sapphire crystal to surround the sand-textured dial with applied Arabic indices, the watch also sports a very modern 42mm case size. The Bradner is quite unlike any other dive watch on the market, especially considering its open caseback which displays the NH35 TMI Automatic movement, making it especially desirable at its low price point.

Baltic HMS 002

Best Vintage-Inspired: Given the level of finishing and attention to detail seen on this dress watch from French microbrand Baltic, it’s hard to believe this piece is priced below $500. And yet, somehow, it is. The 1940s-inspired HMS 002 features a stepped sector dial with dual contrasting finishing, along with a generously domed hesalite crystal for a true vintage look and feel. Ticking away inside is the Miyota 821A, which helps keeps the case appropriately thin at just 12mm including the bubble-like crystal.

Laco Augsburg

Best Pilot’s Watch: Laco is one of the five manufacturers who made the original Flieger pilot’s watches during WWII, and since the other four are Stowa, Wempe, IWC, and A. Lange & Söhne, the German brand is in some good company. You can still get an authentic Flieger today from Laco for a lot less than you’d expect, as the Augsburg features the classic Type A layout and distinct handset. The pilot’s watch is available in 39mm or 42mm case sizes with blue or black dials, giving you ample opportunity to own a true historical timepiece for under $500.

Tissot V8 Swissmatic

Best Swiss Watch: It’s nearly impossible to find a Swiss-made automatic from a heritage brand for under $500, but Tissot has managed to do that here thanks to their modular Swissmatic movement. The movement boasts a healthy 72-hour power reserve, and the fact that it’s stuffed inside a good-looking and versatile automotive-themed three-hander with a sapphire crystal and 100m water resistance makes the V8 Swissmatic one heck of a bargain.

Seiko Presage Cocktail Time “Black Cat Martini”

Best Dress Watch: The original Seiko Cocktail Time remains a budget classic, but the brand’s more recent Presage models continue to impress with their added complications and daring style. The Black Cat Martini’s mocha/violet-colored, radial-striped sunburst dial includes a deep-set small seconds counter at six o’clock along with a massive power reserve indicator that’s tracked by a yellow arrow-tipped hand. It’s a ton of style combined with some classy complications for not a lot of money.

Unimatic U2 Classic

Best Minimalist: Italian brand Unimatic has one of the most identifiable design languages of any microbrand with their minimalist and utilitarian style, and it’s executed wonderfully on this unique and beautiful field watch. The U2 Classic, also known as the Modello Due, features a vintage military-style dial in black that’s offset with bright white Super-LumiNova C1 indices and hands for high readability. The oblong case gives way to a massively-thick domed sapphire crystal, which helps this robust field watch achieve an impressive water resistance of 300m.

Seiko 5 Sports SRPK33K

Best Summer Watch: Yep, another Seiko. Truth be told, Seiko dominates at this price level, and this guide could arguably consist of a dozen Seikos and few would complain. Bringing back the aesthetic of the much-missed SKX range, the seafoam green-colored 5 Sports ref. SRPK33K is an ’80s-inspired Seiko design will serve you well all summer long with a fun colorway that works well at the beach or a backyard barbecue. With a classic 38mm stainless steel case that looks like it would cost much more than it does, this piece gets you 100m of water resistance and sports a day-date function on the dial.

Lorier Falcon III

Best Overall: Like Unimatic, five-year-old New York-based microbrand Lorier has wasted no time in firmly carving out their own design language. For the Falcon, they shrunk down the formula that began with their Neptune diver and turned it into a conservative, vintage-styled everyday watch that’s reminiscent of the original Rolex Explorer. A waffle dial, arrow hands, 36mm case size, and domed Hesalite crystal bring vintage style, while blue-glowing BGW-9 Super-LumiNova, an exquisitely-brushed, fully-articulating flat link bracelet, and super-thin Miyota 90S5 movement add a luxurious modern touch.

The Best Automatic Watches Under $1,000

If your budget is a bit larger than $500, you should check out our guide to the best automatic watches under $1,000.