The 9 Best Watches Under $500 of 2023
Whether you have an interest in precision, or fashion, or is it just the pure collector’s compulsion, watch collecting has never been so in vogue—complete with insane prices for the best-known brands. For those of us who don’t have the opportunity to throw down tens of thousands of dollars on a Rolex or the latest Richard Mille, there are still quality watches available, especially for under $500, like our overall pick, the Seiko 5 Sports SKX watch. It’s a high-quality, stainless-steel automatic that’s water resistant up to 100 meters.
These days, however, there are a variety of well-priced watch brands masquerading as quality timepieces, when they’re really just cheap fashion accessories that will break down too-soon after purchase. If you’ve already been down this road, have no shame, we all want a good looking, quality watch that doesn’t break the bank.
What Makes for a Good Watch Under $500?
Everyone has their own sense of style and design, so simply judging a watch by taste is in the eye of the beholder or judge. When it comes to a high-quality watch made for an affordable price, there are a few things you should be looking for: watch movement, watch material, water resistance, and finish.
Watch Movement
Watch movements are basically the engine that makes the whole thing run. Without going into too much detail, they go from relatively simple to extremely complicated and that is often reflected in a watch’s price point. In most quality affordable timepieces, you’ll find a quartz movement or a certified mechanical movement (COSC)—though most handmade mechanical movement watches will cost you a minimum of $10,000.
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Despite the somewhat unreasonable negative energy around them, quartz movements tend to be more accurate and more affordable, since they require fewer moving parts. Seiko (the original), Miyota, and Ronda have all made movements that have proven themselves over time.
Watch Material
While platinum, gold, ceramic, and titanium watches are great, you’re unlikely to find one for under $500, so you should generally be looking for stainless steel, which will be unaffected by moisture. There are three different levels of stainless steel that can be used, of which 316L and 904L are higher quality. There is also 304 steel commonly found in inexpensive watches.
Water Resistance
Few things are as damaging to a watch as water, so waterproofing is necessity. Some watches are made to go deep underwater, like dive watches, and are water resistant for a hundred meters-plus. Others are made for a night on the town, but even those should still be able to stand up if a sudden rainstorm hits. Overall, better-sealed watches are an advantage in many situations and give peace of mind.
Finish
In the end, a watch should look and feel good on your wrist, and that’s what separates the affordable from the cheap. There shouldn’t be any loose screws or odd bumps and it should be nicely polished without any scratches. While there are plenty of watches available, we’ve listed below brands that have proven themselves over time.
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Why You Should Trust Me
I’ve been collecting watches for nearly as long as I’ve been able to tell time. Around the age of 10, I started disassembling pocket watches to see what makes them tick. Today, I feel naked if I accidentally leave the house without a watch on my wrist—so I’ll go back and get one. (Is it horology or is it OCD? Only my shrink knows for sure.) Currently my cache includes a variety of vintage and contemporary pieces from micro brands to G-Shock. Most days I wear an Explorer II (Ref. 226570) but my grandmother’s Mickey Mouse watch will always be my favorite.
Best Overall Watch Under $500: Seiko 5 GMT 
Seiko 5 GMT watch
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Seiko has a long history in the watch world and was responsible for the creation of the world’s first commercial quartz wristwatch in 1969. Still, it’s the Seiko 5 Sports—originally launched in 1968—collection of mechanical watches that interests us. The collection was relaunched in 2019, and recently introduced a trio of GMT caliber offerings. They all have automatic movements, are made from stainless steel, and are water resistant up to 100 meters.
- CASE: Stainless steel
- MOVEMENT: Caliber 4R34
- DIAL: Orange
- SIZE: 42.5mm
- STRAP: Stainless-steel bracelet
Best Automatic Watch Under $500: Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic 
Citizen Promaster Dive Automatic watch
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Originally a Swiss-Japanese company (now Japanese), Citizen’s history stretches back to the early 20th century, and its watches deserve more recognition. They’re affordable, use innovative technology, and need minimal maintenance thanks to high build quality. The Promaster Dive Automatic dives (sorry) into the history of the original version that was released in 1989. It has an automatic movement (no battery required), is water resistant up to 200 meters, and is made from stainless steel.
- CASE: Stainless steel
- MOVEMENT: 8204 automatic
- DIAL: Black
- SIZE: 44mm
- STRAP: Polyurethane
Best Everyday Watch Under $500: Timex Navi XL Automatic 
Timex Navi XL Automatic watch
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With its vintage design and large face, this Timex diver can easily become your everyday watch. It features an automatic movement that can store up-to 40 hours of energy, meaning as long as you’re moving it’ll keep ticking. It’s made from stainless steel and is water resistant up to 100 meters.
- CASE: Stainless steel
- MOVEMENT: 02N automatic
- DIAL: Black, green
- SIZE: 41mm
- STRAP: Leather
Best Dive Watch Under $500: Dan Henry 1970 Automatic Diver 
Dan Henry 1970 Automatic Diver watch
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Dan Henry came from the mind of a watch collector who decided he wanted to recreate his favorite vintage timepieces and make them available to the masses. The 1970 Automatic Diver is our favorite of the brand’s beautiful, classic designs at affordable pieces. It comes in four colors and two sizes. It’s stainless steel, waterproof up to 200 meters, and features an automatic Seiko Caliber NH35 movement.
- CASE: Stainless steel
- MOVEMENT: Seiko Caliber NH35 automatic
- DIAL: Matte black, blue
- SIZE: 44mm
- STRAP: Rubber
More Watches Under $500 We Love
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You probably hear less about Fossil than you used to, but they still make quality, affordable watches that are designed in Switzerland (and produced in China). If you’re looking for an all-black piece, take a look at this Machine Stainless Steel chronograph. It has a quartz chronograph movement and is water resistant to 50 meters.
- CASE: Stainless steel
- MOVEMENT: Quartz chronograph
- DIAL: Black
- SIZE: 45mm
- STRAP: Leather, silicone
Best ‘Omega’ Under $500: Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Mission To… 
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Generally underrated, Swatch watches deserve more respect for their surprisingly high quality and dependability, on top of their affordability. Omega watches, meanwhile, are some of the world’s finest—after all, James Bond has been known to wear them from time to time. The Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch features 11 watches tied to and color-coded with the heavenly bodies in our solar system, all with bioceramic cases, quartz movements, and are water resistant to 30 meters.
Best Customizable Watch Under $500: Undone Basecamp Cali Green Automatic 
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Hong Kong-based Undone makes surprisingly high-quality watches with a large amount of custom options. This classic 1930s Cali design (half Roman numerals, half Arabic numbers) may not be everyone’s favorite, but if you’re a fan of it and customization—you’re quickly able to change this watch from green to all black or blue with a couple clicks before hitting “purchase”—this may be the watch for you. It features a Japanese TMI NH35A/ NH39 automatic winding mechanism, is made from 316L stainless steel, and is water resistant up to 100 meters.
- CASE: Stainless steel
- MOVEMENT: TMI NH35A/NH39 automatic
- DIAL: Black, green
- SIZE: 43mm
- STRAP: Leather
Best Digital Watch Under $500: Casio G-Shock GAB2100FC 
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There’s a reason the Casio G-Shock has a cult following; they’re awesome. They’ve been around for 40 years at this point and people simply love them—one of the individuals behind one of the internet’s biggest watch blogs just wrote a book with the brand. The GA-B2100 features a variety of colors as well as functions, like Smartphone Link and Tough Solar charging, and also uses the Carbon Core Guard structure to preserve a similar fit on the wrist as the original model. It’s water resistant up to 200 meters.
- CASE: Carbon/resin
- MOVEMENT: Solar charging
- DIAL: Black, white, green
- SIZE: 45.4mm
- STRAP: Resin
