The best solar watches
A solar watch charges a rechargeable cell through the dial, so it runs for years without a battery change and keeps going for months in a drawer. Citizen's Eco-Drive and Casio's Tough Solar are the best-known systems.
Keep it somewhere it gets some daylight, and it will outlast most quartz watches by a long way.
Our picks
The solar CasiOak: the slim octagonal G-Shock, charged by light, for about $165.
- Lug-to-lug
- 48.5 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.75"–8" wrists
- Specs
- 45.4 mm case · 11.9 mm thick · solar · 200 m
A 37 mm Eco-Drive field watch with a 42.5 mm lug-to-lug, for under $300.
- Lug-to-lug
- 42.5 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6"–7" wrists
- Specs
- 37 mm case · 9.5 mm thick · solar · 100 m
The premium square G-Shock with a screw-down steel case back, solar and radio-synced.
- Lug-to-lug
- 48.9 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.75"–8.25" wrists
- Specs
- 42.8 mm case · 13.5 mm thick · solar · 200 m
A solar 200 m dive watch for under $500.
- Lug-to-lug
- 48 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.75"–8" wrists
- Specs
- 44 mm case · 11.5 mm thick · solar · 200 m
A 40 mm Eco-Drive pilot's chronograph with a slide-rule bezel.
- Lug-to-lug
- —
- Fit
- Lug-to-lug not yet measured
- Specs
- 40 mm case · solar · 200 m
A Swiss solar watch, 9.2 mm thick, for under $600.
- Lug-to-lug
- —
- Fit
- Lug-to-lug not yet measured
- Specs
- 39 mm case · 9.2 mm thick · solar · 100 m
A solar chronograph in a 39 mm case with a 45.5 mm lug-to-lug.
- Lug-to-lug
- 45.5 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.5"–7.5" wrists
- Specs
- 39 mm case · 13.3 mm thick · solar · 100 m
The full-metal square G-Shock: steel case and bracelet, solar and Bluetooth.
- Lug-to-lug
- 49.3 mm
- Fit
- Fits 7"–8.25" wrists
- Specs
- 43.2 mm case · 13 mm thick · solar · 200 m
Everything else that qualifies
How we picked
We considered every current solar-powered watch in the almanac. “Fits” is the range of wrist sizes where the watch grades as an ideal fit on our lug-to-lug model. Prices are US retail and change often.