The best watches under $500
Under $500 is where most people buy their first good watch, and where the choice is widest: Japanese automatics, solar quartz, and some of the toughest watches ever made.
Every pick below lists its lug-to-lug and the wrist sizes it suits, because at this price you are usually buying online without trying it on.
Our picks
The modern descendant of the SKX diver: automatic, a 46 mm lug-to-lug that suits most wrists, and endlessly customizable.
- Lug-to-lug
- 46 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.5"–7.75" wrists
- Specs
- 42.5 mm case · 13.4 mm thick · automatic, 41 h reserve · 100 m
The octagonal G-Shock nicknamed the CasiOak: shock resistant, 200 m water resistant and thin for a G-Shock.
- Lug-to-lug
- 48.5 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.75"–8" wrists
- Specs
- 45.4 mm case · 11.8 mm thick · quartz · 200 m
A domed-crystal automatic dress watch with a 44 mm lug-to-lug, small enough for almost any wrist.
- Lug-to-lug
- 44 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.25"–7.25" wrists
- Specs
- 38.4 mm case · 12.5 mm thick · automatic, 40 h reserve · 30 m
A 24-hour GMT hand for a second time zone on an automatic Seiko for under $500, in the SKX-style case.
- Lug-to-lug
- 46 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.5"–7.75" wrists
- Specs
- 42.5 mm case · 13.6 mm thick · automatic, 41 h reserve · 100 m
Solar-powered Eco-Drive, so no battery changes, in a 200 m dive case.
- Lug-to-lug
- 48 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.75"–8" wrists
- Specs
- 44 mm case · 11.5 mm thick · solar · 200 m
A faithful reissue of a 1979 quartz diver with a 38 mm case and a 45 mm lug-to-lug.
- Lug-to-lug
- 45 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.25"–7.5" wrists
- Specs
- 38 mm case · 11.5 mm thick · 50 m
A textured dial that photographs like a watch three times the price, on an automatic movement.
- Lug-to-lug
- 47.2 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.5"–7.75" wrists
- Specs
- 40.5 mm case · 11.8 mm thick · automatic, 41 h reserve · 50 m
The Duro: 200 m water resistance and a rotating bezel for well under $100.
- Lug-to-lug
- 48.5 mm
- Fit
- Fits 6.75"–8" wrists
- Specs
- 44.2 mm case · 12.1 mm thick · quartz · 200 m
Everything else that qualifies
| Watch | Case | Lug-to-lug | Thick | Fits | Retail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casio F-91W | 35.2 mm | 38.2 mm | 8.5 mm | 5.5"–6.25" | $30 |
| Casio A168 | 36.3 mm | 38.6 mm | 9.6 mm | 5.5"–6.5" | $30 |
| Casio W-800H | 36.8 mm | 44.2 mm | 13.4 mm | 6.25"–7.25" | $40 |
| Casio AE-1200WH | 42.1 mm | 45 mm | 12.5 mm | 6.25"–7.5" | $40 |
| Casio A700W | 35.5 mm | 37.4 mm | 6 mm | 5.5"–6.25" | $46 |
| Timex Weekender 38mm | 38 mm | 45 mm | 9 mm | 6.25"–7.5" | $77 |
| Timex Expedition Scout 40mm | 40 mm | 48 mm | 11 mm | 6.75"–8" | $95 |
| Casio G-Shock DW-5600E | 42.8 mm | 48.9 mm | 13.4 mm | 6.75"–8.25" | $100 |
| Casio G-Shock DW-6900 | 50 mm | 53.2 mm | 18.7 mm | 7.5"–8.5" | $100 |
| Casio G-Shock GA-B2100 | 45.4 mm | 48.5 mm | 11.9 mm | 6.75"–8" | $165 |
| Casio Edifice Slim EFR-S108D | 39.9 mm | 44.8 mm | 7.8 mm | 6.25"–7.5" | $170 |
| Timex Marlin 1965 Reissue Hand-Wound 34mm | 34 mm | — | 10 mm | — | $259 |
| Timex Q Timex GMT 38mm | 38 mm | — | 12.5 mm | — | $269 |
| Orient Mako II | 41.5 mm | 47 mm | 13 mm | 6.5"–7.75" | $285 |
| Orient Ray II | 41.5 mm | 47 mm | 13 mm | 6.5"–7.75" | $290 |
| Citizen Eco-Drive Chandler (Garrison) | 37 mm | — | — | — | $295 |
| Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm | 40 mm | 48 mm | 13 mm | 6.75"–8" | $299 |
| Swatch Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon | 42 mm | 47.3 mm | 13.3 mm | 6.75"–8" | $300 |
| Seiko 5 Sports Field Sports Style 36mm | 36.4 mm | 44.4 mm | 12.5 mm | 6.25"–7.5" | $315 |
| Seiko 5 Sports Field Sports Style | 39.4 mm | 48.1 mm | 13.2 mm | 6.75"–8" | $315 |
| Dan Henry 1970 Automatic Diver 40mm | 40 mm | 45.7 mm | 14.8 mm | 6.5"–7.5" | $320 |
| Casio G-Shock GW-5000U | 42.8 mm | 48.9 mm | 13.5 mm | 6.75"–8.25" | $330 |
| Spinnaker Bradner Automatic | 42 mm | 50 mm | 14 mm | 7"–8.25" | $370 |
| Orient AA08 Diver | 41.8 mm | 46.8 mm | 12.8 mm | 6.5"–7.75" | $390 |
| Islander Greenport 39mm | 39 mm | 47 mm | 13.5 mm | 6.5"–7.75" | $395 |
| Seiko 5 Sports SNXS Series | 37.4 mm | 44.7 mm | 12.5 mm | 6.25"–7.5" | $415 |
| Islander Northport Automatic Dive Watch | 40.5 mm | 47 mm | 12.5 mm | 6.5"–7.75" | $449 |
| Tissot PRX 40mm Quartz | 40 mm | — | 10.4 mm | — | $450 |
| Seiko Presage Cocktail Time 38.5mm | 38.5 mm | 45.4 mm | 11.8 mm | 6.5"–7.5" | $450 |
| Seiko Presage Cocktail Time | 40.5 mm | — | 11.8 mm | — | $475 |
| Brew Metric Chronograph Retro Dial | 36 mm | 41.5 mm | 10.8 mm | 6"–7" | $475 |
| Bulova Hack Watch 38mm | 38 mm | — | — | — | $495 |
| Citizen Tsuyosa Automatic | 40 mm | 49.5 mm | 11.7 mm | 7"–8.25" | $495 |
How we picked
We considered every current watch in the almanac with a US retail price under $500, favoring proven movements, honest water resistance and a lug-to-lug that fits average wrists. “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.