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The Best Chronograph Watches Under $2,000

You probably didn’t know you could get serious chronos for this kind of money — even mechanical ones.

a group of watches Nordstrom, Hamilton, Farer

By Zen Love and Johnny Brayson

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There’s good news for anyone who admires chronograph watches but doesn’t have multiple thousands to spend: You can get an excellent mechanical chrono for under two grand. Even better? You’ve got options — exciting options.

Products in the Guide

In the past few years, a new crop of chronos has arisen that’s lowered the cost of getting that somehow captivating complication on your wrist, but decent mechanical chronograph watches under $2k are, in fact, still rare. Small and independent brands don’t often push into mechanical chronograph pricing territory and typically stuck to simpler, time-only options. However, it now seems that more brands have discovered that it’s the value proposition that makes the sale more so than the outright price.

We get it: $2,000 is still a serious chunk of change. If you simply need or want time-recording functionality, of course, you can get it from quartz watches that cost in the triple digits — or from your smartphone. But if mechanical and automatic chronographs intrigue you, the following examples are about the best you’re going to get — and they show that this price level is where the value’s at.

To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.

  • Diameter: 42mm
  • Movement: Valjoux A05.H31 automatic chronograph
  • Water Resistance: 100m

Tissot’s PRX line is a smart buy at any price point, from its entry-level quartz watches to its Powermatic 80 three-handers up to this chronograph, which sits at the very top of the line. Taking the PRX’s throwback integrated bracelet style and mixing it with a panda chronograph layout, the PRX Chrono is a seriously good-looking watch with impressive finishing, a robust build and a quality movement with 60 hours of power reserve.

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  • Diameter: 44mm
  • Movement: Hamilton H-21 automatic chronograph (modified Valjoux 7750)
  • Water Resistance: 100m

A modern classic from Hamilton, the X-Wind has been a Hollywood favorite, showing up in Casino Royale, Independence Day: Resurgence and Jack Ryan. But outside of its movie star qualities, this is a purpose-built pilot’s watch — and a quirky one at that. The timekeeping crown and chronograph pushers are all on the left side of the case, while the right side features two crowns that are used to calculate cross-winds by manipulating the watch’s two inner bezels, making it the first-ever wristwatch to incorporate a drift angle calculator.

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  • Diameter: 40mm
  • Movement: ETA 7750 automatic chronograph
  • Water Resistance: Splash resistant

The Max Bill range from German watchmaker Junghans is a longtime icon of the famous Bauhaus school of design, and the Chronoscope represents it particularly well. Available in multiple versions featuring black or white dials and a couple of design variations, each is equally compelling and a great example of the design philosophy of functional minimalism.

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  • Diameter: 38mm
  • Movement: Sellita SW510 M BH B mechanical chronograph
  • Water Resistance: 100m

Vintage watch fans were excited to see the once-defunct brand Nivada return from the Quartz Crisis abyss with one of its most famous models: the Chronoking. They weren’t disappointed, either, as the watch offers a faithful modern rendering of the vintage design. The size makes it feel straight out of the ’60s as well, and the brand has done a great job with thoughtful touches and details.

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  • Diameter: 40mm
  • Movement: Sellita SW510 M B mechanical chronograph
  • Water Resistance: 50m

Every watch made by motorsports-themed microbrand Autodromo is gorgeous, but its Group B line has stolen hearts like nothing else in the brand’s collection. Named for and inspired by the dangerous 1980s rally class, the Group B watches combine throwback style with innovative construction (like a bi-metal steel and titanium case) to capture the spirit of the bygone racing era. For the first Group B chronograph, Autodromo teamed up with Hodinkee for this limited run of funky and colorful racing watches.

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  • Diameter: 41mm
  • Movement: Sellita SW510M b mechanical chronograph
  • Water Resistance: 100m

British microbrand Farer’s colorful proclivities manifest in the Chronograph Sport collection — a range of unique-looking models with a motorsports theme and lightweight titanium cases. The Bernina is one of the brand’s most popular models and offers a striking design combining a cream-colored dial with bright red and blue accents along with a white ceramic bezel with a red and blue tachymetric scale. All the models in the collection feature a hand-wound Swiss movement visible through a sapphire caseback.

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  • Diameter: 39.5mm
  • Movement: Sellita SW510-M mechanical chronograph
  • Water Resistance: 50m

Independent French brand Baltic seems to get better with each subsequent release, but it will be awfully hard to top the Triocompax chronograph. Debuting in 2022 (and selling out of its first one almost immediately), the watch comes in either a panda (pictured) or reverse panda layout and channels some of the most sought-after vintage chronographs in the world — namely the Rolex Daytona Paul Newman. Note that these watches are priced in euros, so the conversation rate will ultimately affect how much you pay, but it should always remain below two grand.

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  • Diameter: 41mm
  • Movement: Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph
  • Water Resistance: 200m

Like its sister company Limes, Archimede offers a German approach to tool watches at quite reasonable prices. It also stands out on this list of sub-$2,000 chronographs by not having the vibe of something specifically from the 1970s or earlier. The Outdoor Chronograph has a unique look and offers a pragmatic feel and legible design with an in-house-made case, and its 200m of water resistance is quite rare in its class.

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