The best watches under $500 are proof that just because you can spend five figures on a first-rate timepiece, you certainly don’t have to. Skeptical? Let’s unpack. If you’re anything like us, your FYP is well-stocked with grails from Rolex, Cartier, and the handful of other brands preferred by the world’s most discerning collectors. Fair enough.
Many of those watches, however, are distinguished by gold cases, diamond-studded bezels, and movements painstakingly created by highly-trained specialists in Swiss mountaintop ateliers, all of which contributes to their lofty prices. But if you’re willing to compromise on any (or, more realistically) all of these characteristics, there’s a whole world of affordable timekeeping at your fingertips.
From classic dive and field watches to svelte office-ready tickers, you might be surprised at just how much clout a $500 budget can cover. Don’t believe us? Take a look at the elite selections below. If you can’t find something here that puts a smile on your face, you might not be looking hard enough.
Looking for Something Specific?
The Best Dress Watches Under $500
Despite the universal appeal of diver’s watches, chronographs, and other sporty timepieces, there’s really only one kind of watch that looks right with a suit. Steeped in tradition, free of countdown bezels, tachymeter scales, and robust water-resistance specs, these stately tickers are to sports watches what a pair of English-made leather Oxfords are to your Adidas Sambas.
The Best Diver’s Watches Under $500
You’re probably not going to wear this watch to spearfish for grouper off Key West, and that’s totally OK. Ever since diver’s watches first came on the scene in the 1950s, their sporty looks, rugged designs, and connotations of hairy-chested adventure have helped them appeal to a broad swath of people, most of whom have never donned a wetsuit or fins. That said, if you want a timepiece for your next beach vacation, any of these will be up for a dip in the surf (and will look great with a polo, too.)
The Best Field Watches Under $500
You can think of a field watch like a great pair of boots: overbuilt, tough as nails, and the perfect complement to your favorite jeans-and-button-up-shirt combo. Created for use by infantrymen in WWII, the humble field watch’s ruggedness and utilitarian design has helped it rise through the ranks to become a menswear go-to. It may not be the fanciest watch you own, but it’ll probably be the one you reach for more than any other.
The Best Chronograph Watches Under $500
Before the digital age, chronographs (the name for watches with a built-in stopwatch timer function) were an essential tool for everything from in-air navigation to timing horse races. You probably won’t be using your watch to time laps at Saratoga, but 2025’s best sub-$500 chronographs retain every bit of their sporty appeal nonetheless.
The Best Digital Watches Under $500
If there’s any segment perfectly equipped to deliver value, it’s the digital watch. Without the complicated mechanics of a traditional watch (or even a set of hands) to drive up the price of assembly, digital watches have always been on the more affordable side of the equation. That doesn’t, however, mean they’re in any way inferior to their mechanical brethren, as the stylish selects below ably prove.
The Best Minimalist Watches Under $500
When you get right down to it, what is a watch but a set of hands, a dial, and something to attach it to your wrist? In the tradition of great minimalist objects from Bauhaus architecture to the humble white tee, the best minimalist watches are a study in removing everything nonessential and embracing the beauty of simple functionality. Fortunately for your bank balance, these selects combine deftly pared-down looks with prices to match.
What to Look for in a Great $500 Watch
The higher you rise up the price chain for just about any sophisticated object, the more incremental your gains become, and watches are no different.
At $500, however, you can expect to get much more for your money than at the entry-level. In terms of brands, you’ll have your choice of major players like Timex and Seiko, along with respectable indies like Unimatic and Lorier. Materials-wise, precious metals are off the table, but stainless steel (even 316l surgical grade) is still very much in play, as is sapphire glass, which is more scratch-proof than cheaper acrylic crystal.
If you care about what’s going on inside your watch, most options in the sub-$500 range are quartz (i.e. battery-powered), with an increasing number of solar-powered options as well. You’ll also find a good few solid choices with automatic or manual-wind mechanical movements, which are generally considered more desirable than their battery-powered brethren.
Read the full article here
