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When thinking about purchasing a good, reliable watch, the first brands that pop to mind are usually expensive, overhyped luxury watch brands. Like with cars, though, the quality and features offered by a watch brand stop increasing with the purchase price and at some point, you are just feeding the hype.
If you want to start a watch collection, before burning your budget on one or two luxury automatic watches, under $500 might be the budgetary sweet spot.
Finding the Right Automatic Watch Under $500
Nowadays, you can find good reliable watches for under $500 and even under $100 that offer features that, 30 years ago, you could only find among luxury watches, like a water resistance of 10 to 30 bar, scratch-resistant sapphire glass, titanium or bronze cases, Swiss or Japanese automatic movements, tritium or luminova illumination, and, of course, a high-quality appearance and design.
Sure, a luxury watch from a well-known Swiss brand can also be an investment. However, if you are just looking for a beautiful everyday timepiece to start a watch collection, there are plenty of brands out there to choose from.
Here is a curated selection of 10 best under 500 watches from watch microbrands or less popular watch brands, by categories, in descending order by price:
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MWC 1999-2001
Features
- Caliber: Miyota 8315 with 60 Hour Power Reserve
- Function: Time date
- Water resistance: 300 meters / 1000 feet / 30 ATM
- Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional
- Crown: Screw-down
- Case material: Stainless / Stainless Black Non-Reflective PVD
- Case diameter: 45 mm
- Lug to Lug: 46.5mm
- Weight: 89.5g
- Crystal: Flat sapphire lens with AR coating
- Luminous Paint Type: Luminova
Price: $459
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Boldr Safari Series
Features
- Caliber: Seiko NH35A, 24 jewels, hacking seconds
- Function: Time
- Water resistance: 200 meters / 660 feet / 20 ATM
- Bezel: Fixed
- Crown: Screw-down
- Case material: 316L Stainless Steel
- Case diameter: 40 mm
- Lug size: 20mm
- Lug to lug: 48mm
- Crystal: Flat sapphire lens with AR coating
- Case Back: Sapphire exhibition caseback with animal artwork (randomized)
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Price: $305 – $ 450 depending on model version
Timex Expedition North Titanium
Features
- Caliber: Seiko TMI NH35A/ NH39
- Function: Time
- Water resistance: 100 meters / 330 feet / 10 ATM
- Bezel: Sterile
- Crown: Screw-down
- Case material: 316L Stainless Steel
- Case diameter: 40 mm
- Case height: 15 mm
- Crystal: ultra-domed plexi crystal LEXAN Polycarbonate
Price: $350
PILOT WATCH BASIC AUGSBURG 42
Features
- Caliber: Miyota 8315 with 60 Hour Power Reserve
- Function: Time date
- Water resistance: 300 meters / 1000 feet / 30 ATM
- Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional
- Crown: Screw-down
- Case material: Stainless / Stainless Black Non-Reflective PVD
- Case diameter: 45 mm
- Lug to Lug: 46.5mm
- Weight: 89.5g
- Crystal: Flat sapphire lens with AR coating
- Luminous Paint Type: Luminova
Price: $359
Undone Basecamp
Features
- Caliber: Miyota 8315 with 60 Hour Power Reserve
- Function: Time date
- Water resistance: 300 meters / 1000 feet / 30 ATM
- Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional
- Crown: Screw-down
- Case material: Stainless / Stainless Black Non-Reflective PVD
- Case diameter: 45 mm
- Lug to Lug: 46.5mm
- Weight: 89.5g
- Crystal: Flat sapphire lens with AR coating
- Luminous Paint Type: Luminova
Price: $350
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Seiko 5 Sports SKX
Features
- Caliber: 4R34 calibre
- Function: Time date
- Water resistance: 100 meters / 330 feet / 10 ATM
- Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional
- Crown: Screw-down
- Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional
- Crown: Screw-down
- Case material: Stainless Steel
- Case diameter: 42.5mm
- Crystal: Hardlex
Price: $350
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Spinnaker Dumas
Features
- Caliber: Miyota 8315 with 60 Hour Power Reserve
- Function: Time date
- Water resistance: 300 meters / 1000 feet / 30 ATM
- Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional
- Crown: Screw-down
- Case material: Stainless / Stainless Black Non-Reflective PVD
- Case diameter: 45 mm
- Lug to Lug: 46.5mm
- Weight: 89.5g
- Crystal: Flat sapphire lens with AR coating
- Luminous Paint Type: Luminova
Price: $350
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Vostok Amphibia 710 series, “Scuba Dude”
Features
- Caliber: VOSTOK 2415.01, 31 jewels, shockproof, power reserve 31 hours
- Function: Time date
- Water resistance: 200 meters / 660 feet / 20 ATM
- Bezel: stainless steel, freely adjustable
- Crown: screw-down
- Case Material: Stainless Steel
- Case size: 41 x 44mm
- Lug size: 22mm
- Crystal: domed plastic
