Want a great budget
I always advise collectors not to write off budget
Swatch watches may be affordable, but they’ve got some fun designs. Meanwhile, Orient and Seiko are known to flex their creative muscle to build budget mechanicals.
We’ve got a mixed bag of greats here, from fashion
Let’s get to it!
The Best Budget Watches for Men (15 of our faves)
- Timex Expedition T49961 Scout
- Swatch Twice Again
- Nixon Time Teller
- Casio Edifice EFR-570DB-1BVCR
- Skagen Sundby Titanium
- Timex Weekender Chronograph 40
- Casio AE-1200WH-1AVCF World Timer
- Orient TriStar Automatic
- Seiko 5 SNK789
- MVMT Voyager
- Victorinox Swiss Army Alliance 249152
- Casio DW5600BBM-1
- Bulova Classic 96B104
- Invicta Men's Pro Diver Quartz Watch
- Seiko SNK807
Timex serves up one of the most perfect outdoor watches in the sub-50 category with the Expedition Scout. Its case looks almost matte, and is robust and masculine, pairing excellently with a leather or canvas strap. The face is a classic but cool military style with the 24-hour center track and Timex’s Indiglo electroluminescent panel.
With the Twice Again, Swatch takes its trademark playful collectibility and repackages it into a contemporary timepiece that stands on its own. It's minimal, unfailingly hip, and versatile enough for non-Swatch collectors. On top of that, its simple and clean design makes it appropriate for smart-casual occasions too.
A popular American brand, the Nixon Time Teller levels-up the fashion watch game. This monochromatic timepiece is so elegant, clean, and refined, that it looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. With its 38mm diameter, 10mm thin case, this elegant watch fits most wrists and serves up the classic dress sleeve peek.
This high-functioning gadget is for you athletic gents out there. Its busy chronograph face features a stopwatch and date display, a stylish blue and gray color palette, and a frenetic aesthetic like a racing watch. Overall, this 43mm tool is a handsome balance of sporty and techy.
For this modern timepiece, Skagen’s trademark Danish aesthetic, minimal yet fun, is built into a durable titanium case. This also gives it a unique subtle shine, for those of you who prefer a matte aesthetic. The silhouette is smooth and stylish, with the leather band seamlessly blending into the case — which at 37mm, will suit most wrists!
Sophisticated but fun, Timex’s Weekender Chronograph has just enough going on without being overly busy. It’s a classic aviator-style chrono, with a slanted date at the 4 o’clock marker, and long thin lugs with matching hardware for a utilitarian aesthetic. This legible chronograph is versatile enough for any casual outfit.
This budget-buy looks like a 60s spy watch from a vintage action movie. As such, you can definitely pull it off with a tailored suit as well as the more expected casual situations. Its nostalgic digital face comes with world time from 48 cites and 31 time zones, and the watch battery boasts a 10-year life.
Most agree that the Orient TriStar is as good as a classic automatic sport can get at this price-point, though it’s an excellent timepiece on its own. It boasts an elegantly traditional face enhanced by luminous silver-toned hands and a polished bezel, brushed lugs, and polished sides. The TriStar runs on the simple automatic workhorse, caliber F4902, which features a quickset for the day and the date, and 40 hours of power.
The SNK789 is a sleeker classic sport watch than the TriStar. It has an athletic but surprisingly regal look thanks to its applied indices, shiny bezel, and close case-to-strap ratio that makes it wear like a bracelet. It runs on Seiko’s in-house 7S26 caliber, which is an efficient automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve.
The MVMT Voyager is equal parts modern art and sophisticated design. There’s not a lot of elements on it, but what’s there is creatively placed, like its stenciled subdials, the branded hardware beneath the face, and the slick matte construction. It’s powered by an accurate quartz movement built by trusty Miyota.
Sporty and impressively spec’d (as one would expect from Victorinox), the Swiss Army Alliance 249152 is an ultimate tool watch of sorts. The well-applied chronograph dial features gold accents, which ups the luxe factor as well as its readability, as does the high-gloss tachymeter dial. It’s the kind of durable sport watch that can pair with straps of any material, from high-end leather to nylon.
This quintessential Casio core watch is more function-forward and less quirky than the World Timer. It has the same basic shape, but features a simple digital face, plus shock-resistance, 200m of water resistance, and an electro-luminescent backlight. If you’re looking for a tough-guy beater, this blue-accented black resin piece is for you.
Refined and elegant, this Bulova is the perfect timeless dress watch. It runs on a slim 3-hand quartz movement, allowing it an elegant 37mm diameter and 5.9mm thin case. A true formal timepiece, its silver dial is complemented by a croc-embossed calfskin leather band.
If you’re looking for a classic dive watch and are on a budget, you won’t find a better Submariner homage for under $60 than this Invicta. It even has the unidirectional bezel, cyclops date, and the iconic Mercedes hand. Of course, this tool watch has 200m of water resistance.
From Seiko’s entry-level mechanical subline, Seiko 5, the SNK807 is the blue rendition of the popular military-inspired SNK80x family. It keeps its utilitarian aesthetic, but the bright blue dial adds a modern, slightly sleeker spin. I actually think that the red tip of the second hand stands out more against its fellow primary color.
Bang for your Buck
Whether you’re looking for an accurate quartz or a fascinating automatic, you’d be surprised how much you can find in the sub-100 category!
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