Looking for more ridiculously handsome affordable watches? Start here, here, and here.
Watch buffs are as guilty as anybody of fetishizing the ultra-expensive, ultra-beautiful, ultra-limited, and ultra-hyped. We can’t help it—we love a limited-edition, white gold Rolex Daytona with an exotic dial as much (okay, a little bit more) than the next guy. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned covering this beat, it’s that price isn’t the be-all and end-all of collecting. At least it shouldn’t be: look at how much cool stuff is out there for a mere few-hundred bucks—and sometimes quite less.
We’d never discourage you from saving up for the grail ticker of your dreams, but we get equally as excited about the prospect of a cool new MoonSwatch, or even a knockabout Casio for $50. Luckily for all of us, this year provided an insane mix of cool and compelling timepieces that don’t demand a second mortgage. From a limited-edition, hand-wound Timex to a modular quartz banger from a slept-on Scottish watch company, the best affordable watches of 2024 are proof positive that, rarefied world of haute horlogerie aside, watch collecting isn’t all about astronomical price tags. See you suckers in ‘25.
Unimatic Modello Due U2-RA Watch
Italian microbrand Unimatic’s brutalist U2 tool watch looks like the sort of thing Dieter Rams might wear on a commando mission. (And we mean that as a distinct compliment.) This cool black DLC version, with its scientific dial featuring an open minute and hour track as well as skeletonized hands, is almost painfully hip. Powered by an automatic Seiko movement and paired to a black calf leather strap, it’s a perfect watch for the design-conscious wearer.
Seiko 5 Sports SSK023 GMT Watch
Love the idea of a mechanical GMT watch on a steel bracelet but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg to get it? Then the SSK023 has your name on it. Clocking in at 39.4mm and featuring a fixed 24-hour bezel, a steel multi-link bracelet, and a black dial with a highly legible, independently adjustable orange GMT hand, it’s powered by Seiko’s own automatic 4R34 movement with a 41-hour power reserve.
Omega x Swatch Mission to Earthphase MoonSwatch
Of the myriad MoonSwatches we’ve experienced since the ultra-hyped collection debuted nearly three years ago, the new Mission to Earthphase is easily one of our favorites. Housed in a gray bioceramic case, its matching, textured gray dial features both a double-moonphase indicator as well as a cool “Earthphase” indicator, which displays the Blue Planet as seen on the surface of the Moon. If you can’t go all “Buzz Aldrin” yourself, it might be the next best thing.
Casio World Time AE1200WHUB-8AV Watch
It’s nigh impossible to find better value in a complicated watch than in this $43 Casio world timer, a digital piece that displays 31 time zones and also features numerous alarms, timers, stopwatches, and more. This fresh colorway, which boasts a dark gray exterior paired to a black leather strap, will fly right under the radar on the wrist of a frequent traveler, while its light-up dial and 100m of water resistance mean that you don’t have to baby it.
Timex x Worn & Wound WW75 V3 Watch
The good folks at Worn & Wound have once again combined their excellent design sensibilities with an established brand to make a killer everyday watch. The WW75 V3 Limited Edition, available in one of two striking, colorful dial colors, combines a ‘70s-inspired tonneau case with a hand-wound movement, a “waffle” texture dial, and a nylon mil-strap. Measuring 37mm, its perfect sizing makes it easy to share with a jealous significant other.
Vero Watch Company Forest Service Edition Hotshot Watch
Vero’s Forest Service Edition Hotshot is a watch for the consummate adventurer who enjoys a lively bit of color in his timepieces. Designed to brave the outdoors, its steel case has a bright yellow Cerakote coating and its bi-color dial includes an inner, rotating timing bezel controlled by the 9 o’clock crown. The unique Seiko Kinetic movement inside, meanwhile, has a special six-month power reserve indicator feature controlled by a button at 2 o’clock.
Brew Super Metric Watch
This cool chrono rejiggers Brew’s beloved Metric into an even more colorful, 1970s-inspired package. Gone is the 4:30 date window of the previous version: This one, available in four colorways, features a riot of bright hues in the outer 5-minute track, chronograph totalizers, hands, textured dial, and luminous indices. Powered by a Mec-Quartz movement, it’s easily the most fun you can have in watches for under $500.
Paulin Modul D Quartz Watch
Scottish brand Paulin’s clever Modul case allows it to be fitted with different types of movements—quartz, hand-wound, or automatic. This battery-powered version puts oft-derided quartz technology at center stage: With its tonneau-shaped 35mm case and sparse-yet-colorful dial, it proudly shows off its affordable guts via an exhibition caseback. You can even choose between Hesalite and sapphire crystal, and from several types of bracelet.
Noah x Timex Sun and Moon Watch
Noah founder Brendon Babenzien is on record for not having expected the insane buzz his initial, Cartier Tank-esque Timex collab generated. But generate it did, hence this attractive sequel that switches out the moon-and-sun display for a more standard moonphase. Even so, the second version—only available thus far as a pre-order—also sold out, meaning you’ll have to either nab the original on the aftermarket or wait for the brand to re-open orders.
Bulova Super Seville Watch
It feels like everybody and their mother is making an integrated-bracelet sports watch these days, and we ain’t complaining about it. The Bulova Super Seville, a reissue of an old 1970s silhouette, is powered by the brand’s high-precision Precisionist quartz movement. Beating at an unbelievable 262 kHz, it’s accurate to within just a few seconds per year. Thankfully, the great movement is also matched to a handsome blue dial that’s sure to impress.
Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic Watch
Citizen’s Promaster line provides some of the best value in sub-$1K dive watches, period. Measuring 42mm in a three-piece stainless steel case and a matching bracelet, it’s got a “serrated” bezel for easy grip, a black dial with applied, luminous indices and sword hands, and a useful day-date window at 3 o’clock. The crown’s 8 o’clock positioning prevents it from digging into one’s hand, while the automatic Caliber 8204 keeps faithful time under or above water.
Baltic Hermetique Bronze Watch
Parisian firm Baltic is now an old hand at turning vintage-derived inspiration into a modern horological success story. Case in point is the Hermetique Tourer Bronze: Measuring 37mm wide and just 10.8mm tall, its bronze case is fitted with a spectacular smoked blue dial with a brushed black railway minute track, luminous indices, and bronze syringe hands. With its captive crown and Tropic rubber strap, it’s a unique amalgam of tool and dress watches.
Vaer D5 Pacific Rincon Watch
Vaer’s chunky, no-crown-guards steel dive watch takes inspiration from a Californian surf break and mixes it with serious specs: 200m of water resistance, a 120-click sapphire bezel, dual interchangeable straps, and an automatic Miyota movement. Its colorful design—complete with a rad blue, red, and white minute track, a bi-color bezel insert, and even a “roulette” date wheel—set it apart from a sea of dive watches with otherwise similar features.
Tissot Powermatic 80 Gradient Watch
The Tissot PRX series of ‘70s-inspired, integrated-bracelet sports watches—we told you this was a popular category!—is one of the great sub-$1K success stories of the past five years. This cool new automatic version, however, is our new favorite: Featuring an embossed pattern, its black gradient dial fades from dark to light, offering the look of two watches for the price of one. Furthermore, its movement provides a whopping 80 hours of power reserve.
Hamilton Khaki Field Murph Watch
This downsized, white-dialed version of the famous “Murph” watch from 2014’s Interstellar doesn’t even need its Christopher Nolan collection to look like a billion bucks: With its throwback dial—the vintage-colored lume, cathedral handset, and outer 1/5th-seconds track all give it the aesthetic of a much older watch—it should pair perfectly with a more formal outfit, and the case diameter is perfect for just about any wrist.
