12 of the Best Men’s Watches Under $1,000
12 of the Best Men’s Watches Under $1,000
Luxury watches can cost upwards of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, but you don’t have to spend your life savings to purchase a good quality watch. We’ve compiled 12 watches that are all priced under $1000, and some of these watches are even under $500.
In this list of the best men's watches under $1000, you’ll find dress watches, sport watches, pilot watches, chronographs, and more. You’ll notice that quite a few of these watches are everyday watches that can be paired with jeans and a t-shirt, a dressy date night outfit, or a business casual work outfit.
Quite a few of these watches offer a wide variety of straps, bracelets, dial designs, and dial colors. We’ve chosen the variation that appeals to us, but you’ll need to visit the brand’s website and choose the watch combination that best matches your style.
Another important consideration: We’ve provided the retail price for these watches. If you’re looking to save some money, you may be able to buy these watches from an online retailer for less.
So, read on to see our picks for the best watches under $1,000. If you think we're missing a watch, let us know in the comments below!
Table of Contents
- Autodromo Stradale Automatic
- Bulova Special Edition Moon Chronograph Watch
- Frederique Constant Classics Index
- Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto
- Junghans Max Bill Automatic
- Movado Ultra Slim
- Seiko Prospex Solar Stainless Steel Dive Watch
- Shinola Runwell Chrono
- Sinn 556 I
- Tissot Heritage Visodate
- Tissot PRC 200 Chronograph
- Victorinox Swiss Army AirBoss Mechanical
- 4 Bonus Watches
Autodromo Stradale Automatic
The Autodromo Stradale collection draws inspiration from the dashboard instruments found in the 1950s and 1960s Italian sports berlinettas. The multi-layered dial offers a unique 3-dimensional effect, and buyers can choose between a black dial with a burgundy strap, a cream dial with a brown strap, and a white dial with a black strap. The watch comes with a vintage-inspired map that is hand stamped with your purchase date. This watch is definitely one of the best watches under 1,000 dollars.
Price: $875
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Miyota 9015 automatic movement
Water resistance: 5 bar
Strap: Leather
Caseback: Sapphire crystal
Features: Date window at 3 o'clock
Bulova Special Edition Moon Chronograph Watch
On August 2, 1971, Apollo 15 landed on the moon with the mission commander and his Bulova moon pilot chronograph that was customized for lunar conditions. This was the first of forty six times that Bulova partnered with NASA. Today, Bulova celebrates this history with their Special Edition Moon Chronograph Watch. This watch replicates the original timepiece, but it's been updated with the brand's high-performance quartz movement.
Price: $550
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 45mm
Thickness: 13.5mm
Movement: High-performance quartz with a frequency of 262 kHz
Water resistance: 5 bar
Caseback: Sapphire crystal
Features: Chronograph, Date window, Tachymeter scale
Frederique Constant Classics Index
There's a reason why the Frederique Constant Classics Index is a part of the brand's Classic collection. The watch's clean dial, understated colors, and professional leather strap ensure that this watch can be worn for business meetings or formal dinners. However, the Frederique Constant Classics Index can also be worn as a more casual everyday watch.
Price: $950
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 40mm
Movement: FC-303 Automatic Movement
Water resistance: 5 bar
Strap: Leather
Features: Date window
Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto
As the name suggests, the Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto offers a titanium case, meaning that the watch is hypo-allergenic, durable, lightweight, and dent- and corrosion-resistant. This automatic watch was made for men who are active and adventurous.
Price: $995
Case: Titanium
Diameter: 42mm
Movement: Automatic Caliber H-10
Water resistance: 10 bar
Strap: Canvas
Caseback: Sapphire crystal
Features: Date window at 3 o'clock, 24-hour watch
Junghans Max Bill Automatic
With its clean dial, classic colors, and easy-to-read Arabic numerals, the Junghans Max Bill Automatic is an everyday watch. Buyers can choose between a wide variety of options, including a silver dial, a black leather strap, a milanaise bracelet, or indices instead of numerals.
Price: $985
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 38mm
Depth: 10mm
Movement: Automatic movement caliber J800.1
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Water resistance: 3 bar
Strap: Leather
Glass: Hard plexiglass with coating for enhanced scratch resistance
Movado Ultra Slim
The Movado Ultra Slim is a minimalist watch that is ideal for formal events and business meetings. The stainless steel dial is finished with yellow gold PVD to give this watch its classic look. Gold and black is a combination that never goes out of style.
Price: $695
Case: Stainless steel with yellow gold PVD finishing
Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Swiss quartz movement
Water resistance: 3 bar
Strap: Leather
Features: Signature Movado dot and stick indices
Seiko Prospex Solar Stainless Steel Dive Watch
Featuring a 20-bar water resistance, a screw-down crown, LumiBrite hands and markers, and a unidirectional rotating elapsed timing bezel, the Seiko Prospex Solar Stainless Steel Dive Watch is ISO approved for scuba diving. This watch is powered by light energy, and it can last for 6 months once fully charged.
Price: $425
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 43mm
Depth: 12mm
Movement: Solar-powered Caliber V175
Water resistance: 20 bar
Strap: Stainless steel
Features: Chronograph with a split-time measurement function that measures up to 60 minutes in 1/5 second increments. Date indicator, 24-hour indicator, screw-down crown, lumiBrite hands and markers, and a unidirectional rotating elapsed timing bezel
Shinola Runwell Chrono
The Shinola Runwell Chrono is made in Detroit and comes with a lifetime guarantee. This watch in particular offers a brown leather strap, a midnight blue dial, silver sub-dials, and super-luminova hands and indices.
Price: $750
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 41mm
Movement: Argonite 5021 quartz movement
Water resistance: 10 bar
Strap: Leather
Features: Chronograph, date window, end-of-life technology, screw-down crown
Sinn 556 I
This watch is slightly over our $1,000 limit, but we couldn't help but include it in this list. Because of its performance, durability, and classic design, the Sinn 556 I is one of the brand's best-selling watches of all time. The dial on this watch features indices instead of numerals, and at 3 o'clock you'll find a date window. This watch offers a 20-bar water resistance, which is unusual for an automatic watch at this price point.
Price: $1,080
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 38.5mm
Depth: 11mm
Movement: Automatic ETA 2824-2 mechanical movement
Water resistance: 20 bar
Strap: Leather
Caseback: Sapphire crystal
Features: Date window
Tissot Heritage Visodate
With a vintage and modern design, this Tissot Heritage Visodate is a classic pick for an everyday watch. The dial features dauphine hands, applied indices, and a day-date feature at 3 o’clock. Powering this Swiss-made watch is the automatic ETA 2836-2 movement.
Price: $650
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 40mm
Depth: 11.6mm
Movement: Mechanical ETA 2836-2
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Water Resistance: 3 bar
Caseback: Sapphire
Strap: Black leather
Features: Day-date, curved dial that mirrors the sapphire glass
Tissot PRC 200 Chronograph
The Tissot PRC 200 Chronograph is a Swiss-made watch with a sporty yet classic look and feel. The bezel has been reduced from previous versions, which enhances readability since the dial has been enlarged. As for the chronograph, it includes 30-minute and 6-hour counters as well as a 60-second central chronograph hand.
Price: $995
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 44mm
Depth: 16.3
Movement: Swiss automatic 13 1/4 caliber
Power Reserve: 45 hours
Water Resistance: 20 bar
Caseback: Sapphire
Strap: Stainless steel
Features: Chronograph, date window, superluminova applied to the indices and hands
Victorinox Swiss Army AirBoss Mechanical
The Victorinox Swiss Army AirBoss Mechanical is powered by a Swiss-made automatic movement with a 38-hour power reserve. Buyers can view this mechanical movement through the sapphire crystal caseback. This pilot's watch features a date window, 24-hour military time, and the standard 12-hour time. Its classic design pays homage to the pilot watches of the past.
Price: $950
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 42mm
Movement: Swiss automatic movement
Water Resistance: 10 bar
Caseback: Sapphire
Strap: Leather
Features: Military time, date window, screw-in caseback, grinded finish
4 Bonus Watches
We've included four quality watches that are popular with watch aficionados; however, the retail prices for these watches are just above 1,000 dollars. Instead of ignoring them completely, we've decided to include the watches in this bonus section. If you're interested in expanding your thousand-dollar budget, then these watches would be a great place to start.
Longines Hydroconquest : Prices start at $1,275
Alpina Startimer Pilot Chronograph : Prices start at $1,150
TAG Heuer Formula 1 : Prices start at $1,200
Oris Big Crown ProPilot : Prices start at $1,750
These are simply the best watches under $1000, but if you're looking for a bit more luxury, check out 15 of the Best Watches Under $10,000
