Watch collecting can be a very, very expensive hobby. Many of the top luxury brands have retail prices that average over $10,000 per watch, and that’s before getting into super-premium brands like Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet … and don’t even get me started on brands like Richard Mille, which start around $200,000.
The point is, looking at so many desirable watches that are woefully out of your price range can become depressing in a hurry. So to inject some fun back into the hobby, I’m rounding up all of the best affordable new watches released this year, and I’ll be updating it throughout 2024. But just what is an affordable watch?
Affordability is relative, and the word means different things to many people. For some, $500 is unfathomably expensive for a watch. For others, $5,000 is a bargain. For this guide, I’ve capped the price at $2,000, which I think is a limit that most watch enthusiasts would classify as affordable.
March
CitizenCitizen Series8 890
Following up on the success of the budget-priced Tsuyosa, Citizen expanded its integrated sports watch offerings with the far more premium Series8 890. Combining dive watch functionality with Genta-inspired aesthetics, the watch features an octagonal external bezel, a rotating internal dive bezel, an intricately textured dial and a vertically-brushed H-link bracelet. Powering the sharp-edged watch is an in-house, anti-magnetic automatic movement.
SwatchOmega x Swatch Bioceramic MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase
A special edition MoonSwatch released to honor the second anniversary of the original, the Mission to the Moonphase is the first Swatch ever to combine a chronograph with a moonphase complication. More importantly to collectors, the watch also features the Peanuts character Snoopy, recalling the highly sought-after Omega Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” editions.
CasioG-Shock 2100 Series Full Metal Blue
This model is perhaps the closest we’ve seen the “CasiOak” get to its AP Royal Oak inspiration. This variation of the octagonal G-Shock not only features the full-metal case and bracelet that were first introduced in 2022, but also introduces a striking blue dial to the line, emulating the most iconic Royal Oak references.
TimexTimex Q Timex Falcon Eye Chronograph
Timex’s most dedicated foray into the luxury sports watch genre boasts expensive looks at a bargain price thanks to its deep blue, Côtes de Genève-finished dial and flat-link integrated-style bracelet.
Brew Metric Titanium
Brew’s popular meca-quartz Metric chronograph gets a high-end material makeover thanks to a case and material made from Grade 4 titanium, the strongest form of pure titanium.
SeikoSeiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch SPB453
A 2024 update to Seiko’s popular 2020 line of 1965-inspired dive watches, the SPB453 and its stablemates the SPB451 and SPB455 have smaller, thinner cases, higher water resistance and an increased power reserve over their predecessors.
TimexTimex Marlin Moonphase
While most watches in Timex’s 1960s-inspired Marlin line feature mechanical movements, the brand went in a different direction for the Marlin Moonphase. Here, a quartz movement powers a triple calendar and moonphase, allowing the dressy, high-end complications to be had for a bargain price.
Nodus x RavenNodus x Raven TrailTrekker
A collab between two American microbrands, the TrailTrekker features a mix of DLC and Cerakote coatings for added durability and is powered by an automatic traveler-style GMT movment.
MidoMido Ocean Star GMT Special Edition
Following up on its 2022 collab with Hodinkee, Mido released its own non-limited, 40mm GMT version of the Ocean Star GMT. It’s powered by the same 80-hour, traveler GMT ETA movement as the Hodinkee version but features different styling cues, a striking blue color, and it comes on a more traditional bracelet.
TimexTimex Q Timex Reissue 1971 Velocity
Timex continues to mine its 1970s past to great effect via its popular Q line. The Velocity is a modern reissue of a very sporty 1971 Timex, complete with a timing bezel and a motorsports-inspired checkered flag motif on the dial to go along with the bold burnt-orange seconds hand.
YemaYema Flygraf Flieger French Air Force
Developed in collaboration with the French Air and Space Force, this pilot’s watch is a modern interpretation of the classic Flieger watches of the 1940s. With a titanium case and an in-house automatic movement, the watch offers a lot of value for the money — but that perfectly incorporated date window might be our favorite feature.
William WoodWilliam Wood Fire Exit Watch
William Wood, which takes inspiration from firefighters for its watches, had a lot of fun with this unconventional release. In place of a traditional date wheel, the watch displays a fire exit sign man performing a different task for each day of the week. The watch is also color-matched to British fire exit signs and is mounted on a strap made from recycled fire hoses.
Todd Snyder x TimexTodd Snyder x Timex MK-1 Amalfi
Inspired by the original Timex Camper field watch of the 1980s, this Todd Snyder collab goes back even further with its styling to craft a stunning mid-century-inspired dress watch.
BalticBaltic Hermétique Glacier
A limited edition of Baltic’s ultra-classy Hermétique field watch, the Glacier edition — available in both white and black — features an undulating, textured dial inspired by glacial ice.
FratelloRZE × Fratello Resolute Pro Contour
Titanium tool watch maker RZE linked up with Dutch watch publication Fratello for this inspired take on its Resolute Pro. Like all RZE watches, it’s crafted from titanium with a proprietary anti-scratch coating called UltraHex, but the topography-like dial made from forged carbon is exclusive to this edition.
CertinaCertina DS Action GMT Powermatic 80
An update to Certina’s previous Powermatic 80-powered GMT, this version — which comes in Pepsi and two-tone variants in addition to the black and green — features a smaller and more wearable case size, a more traditional GMT design and an external sapphire bezel.
LuminoxLuminox Atacama Field 1960 Series
Inspired by the field watches of the mid-century but modernized for today’s expectations, this rugged field watch features an oversized case crafted from Luminox’s lightweight but tough Carbonox material, always-on tritium gas tube luminescence and a sand-textured dial inspired by its eponymous desert.
TimexTimex x NN.07 “Original Tick Tock”
For Timex’s second collab with fashion brand NN.07, the two companies looked to encourage people to get off of social media and get outside with an adventurous watch — i.e., more tick tock, less TikTok. Using the Timex Expedition North Field Post 36mm as a base, this limited edition includes a stainless steel bracelet and opts for a more minimalist dial, with the 7 index and seconds hand in blue as a reference to NN.07.
SeikoSeiko Presage Classic Series SPB467
A refined piece from Seiko’s Presage Classic series, the SPB467 features a salmon-colored (technically araigaki), textured dial inspired by silk. This is paired with a dressy seven-link bracelet that’s somewhat akin to a Jubilee with its contrasting mix of satin-brushed and mirror-polished finishing.
February
Nomos GlashütteNomos Club Campus 38 Endless Blue
One of several bright and intriguing colors in Nomos’s entry-level Club Campus line, the Endless Blue variant matches a fetching Tiffany Blue-esque dial with lumed numeral indices outlined in lavender and a bright-orange small seconds hand.
TissotTissot PR516 Mechanical
A modern reissue of a Tissot chronograph from 1970, the PR516 is a rare, Swiss-made, hand-wound chronograph for under $2,000. It combines retro styling with impressive water resistance, a dual-function (and dual-color) tachymeter/pulsometer bezel and pleasantly restrained dimensions of 41mm across and 13.7mm thick.
Jack MasonJack Mason Ellum Manual Wind
Jack Mason’s ongoing transformation from fashion brand to enthusiast favorite continued with the release of the Ellum Manual Wind, a completely reborn dress watch model from the Texas-based brand. With an intricate woven linen dial, a nicely finished hand-wound Swiss movement and a thickness of just 9mm, the retro Ellum offers a shocking amount of style and value.
CasioCasio Casiotron TRN-50
To celebrate its 50th year in 2024, Casio released this limited-edition, upgraded reissue of its very first watch. The reborn Casiotron features some high-end, G-Shock-esque features, including Tough Solar power, Multi-band 6 atomic timekeeping and smartphone connectivity.
Tornek-RayvilleTornek-Rayville Type 7B “Blakjak”
Tornek-Rayville’s reimagining of an obscure military-issue watch from the mid-’90s swaps the original’s quartz movement for an automatic, trades the tritium lume for Super-LumiNova and upgrades the mineral crystal to sapphire, but otherwise maintains its ancestor’s utilitarian design and bulletproof build.
FarerFarer Roché II
Farer’s updated version of its best-in-class worldtimer sees a number of upgrades over its predecessor. The movement now comes from Sellita and is customized specifically for Farer, with a 50 power reserve and blue custom rotor. The hands are now more contemporary and the date window has been cleaned up. And the crazy lume? Just as crazy as ever.
BalticBaltic Prismic
Coming somewhere between a dress watch and a sports watch is Baltic’s difficult-to-classify Prismic. But whatever type of watch it is, one thing is for certain: It’s beautiful. The Prismic comes on a fitted stainless steel mesh strap and has a five-part case made of stainless steel and Grade 5 titanium. But the star of the show is the dial, which features multiple finishing styles and geometric patterns.
G-ShockG-Shock x Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body Mudman GW9500TLC-1
A collab between G-Shock and Toyota Land Cruiser’s Dakar Rally team, this limited edition Mudman is as rough and ready as ever — think a mud-resistant shell and a built-in compass, altimeter/barometer and thermometer — but takes things up a notch with some stylistic references to Toyota’s off-road legend.
UnimaticUnimatic Modello Cinque
After first releasing a version of the Modello Cinque as a limited edition collab with Massena Lab, Unimatic released the 36mm dive-capable field watch on its own in two colorways. But, in typical Unimatic fashion, both are still limited editions.
TissotTissot PRX Powermatic 80 Damian Lillard Special Edition
If there were ever an NBA player who deserved a signature watch, it’s sharpshooter Damian Lillard thanks to his patented “Dame Time” celebrations where he points to his wrist after hitting a clutch shot. This collab with the league’s official timekeeper pairs a black dial patterned with Lillard’s jersey number “0” with the gold PVD version of the 40mm PRX Powermatic 80, and also features an image of Dame mid-celebration on the caseback.
HodinkeeG-Shock Ref. 5600 by Ben Clymer for Hodinkee
The third in a G-Shock/Hodinkee collaboration that saw watches customized by rockers John Mayer and Ed Sheeran, this version was helmed by Hodinkee founder Ben Clymer and features shout-outs to both Hodinkee and Casio.
January
TimexTimex Marlin Jet Automatic
The Marlin Jet isn’t a reissue of a vintage Timex like other Marlins. Instead, it draws broad inspiration from mid-century space-age design and incorporates some interesting design quirks as a result. Most notably is the large hesalite crystal that encapsulates the entire bezel, making for a visually interesting case — especially for the price.
Christopher WardChristopher Ward The Twelve (Ti) 36
Christopher Ward’s The Twelve in titanium was already arguably the best watch in the Genta-inspired integrated bracelet sports watch style under $2,000 (or even $3,000), but some fans of the brand wanted a smaller case than the standard 40mm offering. So in typical CW fashion, the brand released this 36mm version, a unisex stunner that maintains the original’s overall design and COSC-certified movement.
BulovaBulova Lunar Pilot Meteorite
Bulova’s Lunar Pilot is based on a 1971 prototype from the brand that actually went to the moon, making it a great budget alternative to the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch from both a stylistic and historical perspective. This 43.5mm premium version includes upgrades in the form of a lightweight titanium case and a dial made from a slab of meteorite.
CitizenCitizen Promaster Air GMT
Citizen knows it has a winner on its hands with its in-house Miyota 9075/9054 “true” GMT movements, which is why the Japanese brand keeps coming out with more and more watches using the bargain-priced premium engine. The Promaster Air GMT combines Citizen’s trademark knack for creating big, functional pilot’s watches with the 9054 (the el to create a do-it-all flyer … slide-rule bezel included.
HuckberryTimex x Huckberry Titanium Automatic Field Watch
A good-looking, easy-wearing field watch with a lightweight titanium case, a bulletproof automatic movement from Miyota and a dive watch-esque 200m water resistance? All for under $400? This may be the best collab Timex and Huckberry have ever come up with.
