The 15 Best Men’s Watches You Can Buy Under $500

With high-end timepieces routinely being priced at anywhere from five to seven figures, it’s frankly unsurprising that a great many collectors and enthusiasts tend to generally look down upon most of the more affordable watches on the market. And while a watch’s quality often directly correlates to its price, there does nonetheless exist a handful of accessibly-priced standouts that can be had for only a few hundred dollars — the finest of which we’ll be highlighting today in this guide to the best watches for under $500. 

Though it’s true that there are dozens of areas that one can take into consideration when purchasing a watch, the reality is that there are half a dozen factors that trump all others in terms of importance. Below, we’ve broken down the six most pivotal elements to consider when shopping for a sub-$500 watch. 

Watch Type: While you definitely won’t find any tourbillions for under the $500 mark, this price range still includes pretty much every other main genre of watch, from divers to field watches to chronographs to dress watches. We recommend beginning your horological hunt by first determining what style of watch you’re interested in, and then using that as a jumping-off point for the rest of your search. 

Case: Comprising a timepiece’s frame and movement housing, a watch’s case is of extreme importance, whether shopping for a reference that costs $500 or $500,000. More specifically, when shopping for a watch, one should focus on a case’s dimensions — both in terms of width, thickness, lug size, and how far it spans lug-to-lug — as well as the material used to craft it such as steel, carbon fiber, or titanium. Watch cases can also massively vary in style and design language — making it important to review a wide range of options to see what’s available before pulling the trigger on your purchase. It’s also worth exploring what type of crown a watch uses (such as a screw-down or push-and-pull crown), as well as a case’s waterproof rating. 

Bracelet/Band: A complete watch should be more than just a collection of parts, and should instead be a thoroughly considered and all-around cohesive design. So, while a watch’s bracelet or band can easily be swapped out, it’s still an era that’s worth factoring into your purchase. On top of the size of the band (i.e. lug size), it’s also crucial to explore the style of band or bracelet, the material used to craft it, and the type of clasp that it’s been outfitted with. 

Movement: As the heart and motor of any watch — and the element that keeps the whole thing ticking — a watch’s movement is of extreme importance. In addition to the type of movement being used — quartz, automatic, mechanical, mecaquartz, etc — it’s also worth looking into if the movement has been modified by the watch manufacturer, how large of a power reserve it has, and most importantly, how accurate it is. 

Dial: Just like a watch’s case and bracelet, the dial plays an enormous role in a model’s overall style and appearance. Though it largely boils down to one’s personal aesthetic taste, it’s nonetheless important to consider the dial’s color(s), whether it features a date window, what type of numerals/typography is used, and what type of indices and markers are being utilized — along with how those latter items are finished. 

Details & Finish: A major area that separates true luxury timepieces from their cheaper counterparts is a watch’s overall fit and finish. This includes the quality and attention to detail of a watch’s brushed and/or polished finish and whether it’s been fortified via a treatment such as a Diamond-Like Coating. Another hallmark of more premium timepieces is the use of smaller custom details such as whether or not a watch’s crown or clasp is logoed or whether it features a custom rotor design. 

There’s absolutely no shortage of timepieces currently on the market that are being sold for below the $500 mark. In an effort to hone in on the best available option for under five bills, we thoroughly scoured the space, making an initial list of selections based on the style and design, material selection, and movement type. Using these metrics, we put tougher a shortlist of what we suspected to be the best watches for under $500. This only comprises a portion of our search for the best, as after making our initial picks, we then moved on to the hands-on field-testing phase of this process. 

This hands-on experience is crucial to making our final list, as a major part of our determination boils down to the fit and finish each watch displays. This includes not only the general build quality, but also the degree of consistency of each watch’s brushed and/or polished finish. Additionally, this first-hand experience also shined a light on the level of comfort each watch offers. This testing also allowed us to personally confirm the accuracy and power reserve advertised by each manufacturer. Additionally, hands-on testing also allowed us to compare these sub-$500 watches side-by-side with more premium high-priced timepieces, as the gave us a better sense of each watch’s value and bang for your buck.

TISSOT PRX 35MM

Best Integrated Bracelet: Water resistant down to 330’, the Tissot PRX 35mm is a shrunken-down, more affordable, quartz-powered version of the Swiss brand’s popular PRX automatic model. Taking ample inspiration from 1970s timepieces, the PRX 35mm also features a case with some light Royal Oak vibes that sports a stunning integrated bracelet.

Part of Tissot’s T-Classic Collection, the PRX 35mm features a 9.6mm-thick, tonneau-shaped 35mm 316L stainless steel case with 11mm lugs, a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, and a quick-release steel bracelet with a push-button butterfly clasp. At the heart of the watch is a three-jewel ETA F05.115 Swiss quartz movement that runs off of a Renata 371 battery. 

Seiko 5 Sports SKX GMT

Best GMT: A modern timepiece drawing heavy inspiration from the Japanese brand’s SKX Series, the Seiko 5 Sports SKX GMT is an attractive 42.5mm travel-focused GMT watch that comes loaded with features that are typically reserved for markedly pricier timepieces. Waterproof to 330’, the watch sports a magnified date window, luminous hands and markers, a screw-down transparent case back, an offset crown at 4 o’clock, and a blue dial complemented via a black and blue 24-hour GMT bezel.

Crafted from stainless steel, the case also comes paired with a matching steel five-row bracelet with a locking tri-fold push button release clasp. Keeping the 5 Sports SKX GMT ticking is a Caliber 4R34 automatic GMT movement with manual winding capabilities, 24 jewels, a 41-hour power reserve, and 21,600 vibrations per hour. 

Lorier Neptune

Best Dive Watch: Made by a New York City-based microbrand, the Lorier Neptune is an attractive — yet affordable — modern dive watch that punches well above its weight, with a 39mm marine-grade 316L stainless steel case and dial that both draw inspiration from the Rolex dive watch famously worn by Sean Connery-era James Bond.

Water-resistant to 660’, the Neptune is further elevated via a 120-click unidirectional bezel, a dome Hesalite crystal, Superluminova BGW9 lume, a Japanese-made Miyota 90S5 automatic movement, and a 316L marine-grade stainless steel bracelet with fully-articulating solid links and a push-button clasp with three micro adjustment slots. 

Zodiac Grandrally Quartz

Best Chronograph: The Zodiac Grandrally Quartz is a high-end timepiece that’s able to be sold at a surprisingly accessible price thanks to the use of a more economical quartz chronograph movement. Representing Zodiac’s only sub-$500 timepiece, this motorsport-themed watch boasts a 41mm stainless steel case that comes mated to a black leather strap with red accent stitching and a prong strap buckle.

This watch is also offered with an available three-link steel bracelet for an additional $100. Additionally, Zodiac also produces the Grandrally Quartz in four additional references, including a fully-blacked-out version of the watch. 

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical

Best Field Watch: Easily one of, if not the single biggest horological icon currently being sold for around the $500 mark, the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical is a classically-styled, military-inspired timepiece that’s produced by a bonafide Swiss luxury brand. Paired with a classic NATO band with genuine leather accents, the Khaki Field Mechanical is pieced together around a 38mm matte-finished stainless steel case that houses a black dial with luminescent numerals under a three-hand display.

This field watch is powered by an H-50 mechanical movement — with an impressive 80-hour power reserve — that was developed exclusively for Hamilton’s range of hand-winding watches and is offered with or without a date window. 

Read our full Hamilton Khaki Field Watch review here.

Citizen Promaster Nighthawk

Benefitting from proprietary Eco-Drive technology that allows it to never need a new battery, the Citizen Promaster Nighthawk is a rugged yet refined pilot’s watch that looks on par with many of the more expensive aviation-focused timepieces on the market. Crafted around a 42mm stainless steel case, the Promaster Nighthawk features a dual-time display with a date window at three o’clock and a pilot’s slide rule inner chapter ring that’s operated via a crown at 8 o’clock.

Orient Kamasu

Constructed around a 41.8mm stainless steel case housing an automatic Orient F6922 hand-winding, hacking movement, the Orient Kamasu is something of the quintessential starter automatic dive watch for any aspiring collector on a budget. Waterproof to 660’, this Japanese dive watch also boasts a sapphire crystal and a 22mm lug width — the latter of which makes it incredibly easy to source aftermarket bracelets and bands. 

Omega x Swatch Bioceramic Moonswatch

Unquestionably the most talked-about watch release this year, the Omega x Swatch Bioceramic Moonswatch is an accurate — and markedly more affordable — replica of Omega’s iconic Speedmaster Moonwatch — the first ever watch worn on the moon. This Omega x Swatch collab retains the Moonwatch’s original case dimensions and chrono dial layout while gaining a quartz chronograph movement and a Bioceramic case construction — an amalgamation of two-thirds ceramic and one-third castor oil-derived material.

RZE Valour 38

Offering incredible value considering its construction, finish and price, the RZE Valour 38 field watch is a modern titanium timepiece that’s been fortified via a proprietary ULTRAHex coating that keeps the watch looking new for years. Sold with a Tarpaulin mini travel pouch and a NATO band with titanium hardware, this watch also boasts an SII NH38A automatic movement, a 330’ water rating, a Super-AR-coated sapphire crystal, and a printed dial with Japan Superlume. RZE also produces a matching ULTRAHex-coated titanium bracelet specifically for the Valour 38 for an additional $120 — keeping its total price below the $500 mark.

The James Brand x Timex Expedition North Field Post

Born out of a collaboration between the iconic American watchmaker and the PDX-based boutique EDC outfit, The James Brand x Timex Expedition North Field Post is another contemporary take on a military-inspired field watch that’s constructed around a titanium housing. Limited to only 1,000 individually-numbered units, the Expedition North Field Post comes outfitted with a  21-jewel, Miyota 8215 Japanese automatic movement, a 660’ water resistance rating, Super-LumiNova C3 lume, an AR-coated sapphire crystal, and a titanium hardware-equipped nylon strap with tonal stitching that’s crafted from tide Ocean Material fabric. 

Laco Augsburg

The Laco Augsburg is a highly-authentic classic Flieger pilot’s watch that’s produced by one of the five German horological brands originally tasked with making them. Powered by an automatic hacking movement, the watch is designed around a 42mm matte-finished stainless steel case that’s been complemented via a brown calf leather strap accented with metal rivets. A black dial with Super-LumiNova C3-filled hands and dial markers round out this classically-styled timepiece. 

Unimatic UC2

Part of the Milan brand’s new permanent Unimatic Classic Series, the Unimatic UC2 is a uniquely-designed field watch that features a 38.5mm brushed 316L stainless steel case housing a black matte dial with an off-white closed second rail and dial trims and Super-LumiNova C3 pale green lume. Powered by an automatic Calibre Seiko NH35A hacking movement that ticks at 21,600 BPH and boast bi-directional winding, this individually numbered watch is water resistant down to 1,000′ and is sold with a two-piece nylon strap and an ultra-rugged Pelican-style crushproof case. 

Brew Metric

A playful, idiosyncratic, and neo-retro interpretation of a men’s chronograph watch made by a beloved microbrand, the Brew Metric boasts a 36mm (x 41.5mm) case and a tapered, brushed and polished 20mm bracelet that are both crafted from 316L stainless steel. Water resistant down to 164’, the Brew Metric sports a text-free dial design with a date window, recessed sub-dials, and Super-Luminova-coated hands and hour markers — all resting beneath a sapphire crystal. Featuring a svelte case thickness of 10.75mm, the Metric also comes equipped with a VK68 Meca-Quartz chronograph movement. 

Nodus Sector Field

Designed and assembled in Los Angeles, the Nodus Sector Field Watch is a thoroughly modern and elevated take on a military-style timepiece. The Sector Field has been bestowed with a 38mm 316L surgical-grade stainless steel case with a screw-down crown, plus a flat step bezel, thick-printed, blue-glowing Super-LumiNova T-C1 X1 lume, and a flat-top sapphire crystal with a domed underside and a blue anti-reflective interior coating. Equipped with a 20mm-18mm taper, the watch’s bracelet also sports quick-release spring-bars and a button-release clasp with micro-adjustment points. 

Luminox Original Navy SEAL

The most rugged watch on this list — and by a substantial margin — the Luminox Original Navy SEAL was engineered specifically to meet the needs of America’s most elite fighting force. Boasting a water resistance rating of 660’ while weighing just 1.7oz, the Original Navy SEAL watch boasts a Swiss quartz movement, a hardwearing rubber band, a protected, double security gasket crown, and a uni-directional rotating bezel, screw-on case back, and 43mm main case made from CARBONOX — a proprietary powdered carbon fiber construction that’s six times lighter than steel and three times lighter than titanium. 

The Best Men’s Watches Under $1,000

Want to check out an additional array of stellar timepieces that offer fantastic style and performance at a reasonable price? Then be sure to head over to our guide to the best men’s watches under $1,000 for a curated selection of quality timepieces that can all be had for less than a grand.