Best Watches
Under $500 you can have a certified dive watch, a mechanical GMT, a Swiss quartz sports watch or the best-looking dress dial in the industry. This is the most competitive price bracket in watchmaking.
Updated August 25, 2026 · 6 watches
Best for
Best all-rounder
Swiss build quality, sapphire, 100 m and a 10.4 mm case. The most versatile watch under $500 by a clear margin.
Best for
Best dive watch
ISO 6425 certification, 200 m and a cushion case that keeps lug-to-lug at 47.7 mm despite a 45 mm diameter.
Best for
Best dress watch
A pressed sunburst dial under a box crystal in an 11.8 mm case. Nothing at the price looks this expensive.
Best for
Best travel watch
A mechanical 24-hour GMT complication for $425, which no competitor currently matches.
Best for
Best value
At $235 it leaves $265 for a strap collection and still out-specifies most of this list.
Best for
Best design for the money
The integrated bracelet look, executed properly, at $300.
At this price a watch has to be good at something specific rather than merely inoffensive. Every entry here is the best answer to a particular question rather than a general recommendation.
Selection Time is reader-supported. If you buy through a link on this page we may earn a commission. This never affects our scores or what we recommend.
The Tissot PRX Quartz is the strongest argument that it is: Swiss assembly, sapphire and finishing above the Japanese competition. Below $400 the Japanese brands generally offer more specification per dollar.
