The Best Watches Under $500 in 2020

1. Michael Kors Lexington Chronograph Wrist Watch

The Lexington demonstrates that Michael Kors isn't just capable of applying their trademark high street style to wristwatches: they're also capable of producing an impressive timepiece in the process. Everything from the water ripple effect etched into the chronograph to the confident contrast of gold and black employed in the flagship version of this watch scream luxury, but it comes in comfortably under $300.

Just keep in mind that this is designed as an oversized watch. It's bound to stand out and make an impression, but colleagues are as likely to remark on its aesthetic polish as they are on its chunkier design.

2. Seiko Men’s Excelsior Solar Chronograph Watch

Looking for a watch under 500 dollars that will really justify its worth beyond just bearing a luxury name? This Seiko watch is a serious piece of work with both a three subdial chronograph and a date window built in. If you need precision timekeeping on both a macro and micro level, this watch has you covered, and it even offers stopwatch functionality for added versatility. All of this is wrapped in an incredibly rugged stainless steel case, and the face is covered by durable Hardlex mineral glass to ensure it will last even when you subject it to trying conditions.

3. Fossil Men’s Grant Chronograph Watch

The Grant is a watch so nice they had to make it 15 times. A variety of different color schemes are on offer for this Fossil watch, but the vintage design remains the same regardless of which model you choose. Big and bold Roman numerals help you identify the time with a glance, but the real centerpiece here is the chronograph built in. The three varied subdials provide you with some really complex options for tracking elapsed time, and they're simple to operate once you get a hang of the three buttons that occupy the right side of the watch.

4. Invicta Men’s 8928OB Mechanical Watch

For well under a hundred bucks, Invicta's Pro Diver can provide you with a reliable diving watch that you can count on to keep you safe even in deep waters. The smart and gorgeous design drew clear inspiration from Rolex's Submariner timepiece, and that means that you can be confident wearing it in your everyday activities. A lot of higher end diving watches tend to be rather chunky, but the Pro Diver can fit comfortably underneath a dress shirt sleeve. The mineral glass lens makes use of anti-reflective coating to provide clear results even in bright sunlight, while the Japanese automatic movement results in reliable timekeeping.

5. Hamilton H70555533 Khaki Field

If you're going to drop nearly 500 dollars on a watch, chances are that you want something you can use in a wide variety of different situations. Hamilton's field watch fills that position admirably. It's a handsome piece of work with a mostly muted design that looks just as good in the office as it will at the beach, and the calfskin band is incredibly comfortable. This is a tough watch too. The steel case ensures that it can be comfortably worn on the trail or while doing intensive crafts and labor. The numbers on the face are bright and bold and can track time in both 12 hour and 24 hour formats. The decent water resistance means it can be worn in the shower or while snorkeling, but you may want to swap out the band if you plan on keeping it immersed on a consistent basis.

6. Orient Men’s ‘Ray II’ Automatic Watch

If you want a superb dive watch that's more than just a conversation piece, you don't have to drop half a grand. The Orient Ray II is one of the most well regarded watches for divers in the know, and you can get it for less than a third of this list's budget. Orient is well known for the precision and quality of their automatic movements, and the 120 click unidirectional bezel tracks your time in reliable five minute increments that are marked off with solid and easy to hear clicks. The bezel is simple to set even in deep waters or while wearing heavy gloves, and its sturdy design means you don't have to worry about making mistakes in harsh conditions. The fact design is simple but handsome, and a the bold luminescent hands are easy to see in the dark.

7. Nixon Corporal SS A346 Watch

The Corporal may seem like a fairly simple watch on the surface, but it's a serious timepiece built to sustain high stress environments with ease. The rugged combination of stainless steel and enamel is built to take a beating, and the screw down case back is secured with spring pin lugs. The Lum dial looks bright even in the darkest circumstances. Thematically appropriate to the purpose of this watch is a look inspired by military sensibilities. It's short, brusque, and to the point. A black on black design is standard, but there are 16 different variants you can choose from.

8. Seiko SSC667 Men’s RECRAFT Series Watch

Seiko's watches are exceptional, and their devotion to high-quality builds ensures that you'll get what you pay for even if that means opting for a watch that costs a few hundred bucks. Case in point is the RECRAFT. Seiko's take on the classic field watch comes with three chronograph subdials.

These allow you to track 60 minutes in 1/5 increments, access a 24 hour indicator, and even split your time tracking for athletic activities. In lieu of a traditional battery, this watch uses a solar cell so you won't have to worry about regularly winding your watch or replacing the battery.

9. MVMT Chronograph Analog Watch

MVMT makes watches that look like nothing else on the market, and they manage to do so while staying significantly beneath our $500 ceiling. Their chrono watches are probably the most minimalist options on the market, eschewing any flourishes to their monochrome faces except for the necessary hands, brand logo, and simple 5 minute markers.

That said, there's a lot of variety on offer here. 10 different variants are available, and there's a surprising amount of diversity in what MVMT is able to accomplish with such a simple design. In all of the cases, it's a choice that really allows the chronograph subdials to take center stage without crowding out the surface.

10. Victorinox Swiss Army Chronograph Watch

Chronograph watches by their very nature are often overly cluttered. The smart design of the Chrono Classic manages to subvert this. The three sub-dials provide you with all the information you need without cutting off the larger timekeeping face, and there's even room for a tachymeter built around the face's outer rim. That it manages to do so without seeming overly large is an impressive show of craftsmanship. The reflective and flat design to the sub-dials also makes them easier to read than if they were more conventionally raised. The sapphire crystal surface is treated with an anti-reflective coating and is also scratch resistant.

11. Orient ‘2nd Gen Bambino Version III Dress Watch

Version three of the Bambino is a big change for Orient, so you may want to give it a look even if you're familiar with their earlier models. This is a dress watch through and through, and it sports a modern design that's minimalist and distinct from the antique inspiration that once defined the Bambino's aesthetic. The simple sunburst dial is exceedingly attractive, and traditional numbering around the face has been abandoned in favor of basic tick marks. It's an impressive looking watch for barely a hundred dollars, and it regularly tops the list of best formal watches. And despite the domed mineral glass surface, it's a slim timepiece that packs a lot of craftsmanship into a small amount of space.

12. Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Timekeeping Watch

The Eco-Drive is one of the stronger innovations in the wristwatch industry. Citizen's trademark brand of watches rely on solar technology rather than traditional batteries to create a more efficient method for timekeeping. But the AT4010-50E is more than just a gimmick on a cheap watch. This model includes a chronograph that includes a perpetual calendar, the ability to track elapsed time, and indicators for the time zone you're in. And you can always count on it to be accurate. It emits low frequency radio waves to sync up with Colorado's atomic clock. The result is a watch that measures inaccuracies in hundreds of years rather than in days.

13. Stuhrling Original Luxury Dress Skeleton Watch

It can be easy to forget it, but creating a timepiece is an incredibly delicate act of craftsmanship. Skeleton watches like this model by Sturhling put that craftsmanship front and center. The black skeleton dial exposes all of the inner workings so you can see how it works on a fundamental level, and the automatic movement operates to a high level of precision. The Krysterna crystal diamond window is shatter resistant, and the silver markers have a nice, beautiful sheen. This isn't a watch meant to be worn in deep waters, but it's resistant enough to work in the shower or while swimming.

14. Citizen BM8180-03E Men’s Eco-Drive Watch

There aren't many outdoor watches that are quite as resilient as Citizen's Eco-Drive series. The Eco-Drive battery can be charged by both artificial and natural light, so you won't have to worry about replacing it for years, and the luminescent arms that circle its face are bright and vibrant even in the darkest conditions. The bright and clearly designed numbering offers the sort of practicality you'd want from an outdoor watch, but it's attractive enough to be able to wear in social situations without having to worry about embarrassment. The military design is attractive, and it's a smaller watch that should fit comfortably on most wrists.

15. Tissot T-Classic Tradition Silver Dial

Tissot is known for two things: the highly accomplished skill that goes into their craftsmanship and the substantive price tag you can usually expect to pay. The T-Classic bucks the latter while maintaining the former, and that makes it one of the best top watches within our price range. This dress watch maintains the look of vintage watches with subtle updates that lend it a timelessly contemporary feel. By relying on battery power than opting for automatic movement, the T-Classic manages to keep the price down, but it offers respectably reliable performance, a decent amount of water resistance, and a scratch resistant surface. Since this is a dress watch, none of the advanced features you'd expect from a more outdoors-oriented watches are are present, but it will look good with a wide variety of outfits, and you won't have to pay a premium for the privilege.

16. Seiko Men’s SKX009K2 Diver’s Watch

With its ISO 6425 certification, you can be assured that the Seiko SKX009K2 will suit you well when you go diving or engage in other water sports. But the first thing you'll probably notice is the unique design which sports bright shades of both red and blue around the bezel. The Hardlex crystal that constitutes its surface is significantly more scratch resistant than more traditional mineral glass, and the band has a fold-over clasp that can keep it secured comfortably to your wrist. The unidirectional bezel can be easily controlled when above water, but it becomes a bit more difficult to turn when in deep waters, a safety precaution that tends to separate high-end dive watches from more stylistically inspired models.

17. Bulova Men’s 96A135 BVA-SERIES

A good automatic watch can last several generations without any notable loss in performance, and the solid craftsmanship of the BVA-SERIES 120 is what makes it an easy choice for a list of the best automatic watches under 500 dollars. But it pairs that reliability with a truly stunning design that allows you a glimpse into its precise inner workings. Bulova is one of the biggest names in the luxury watch market, and they've really pulled out all the stops in the aesthetic design of this dress watch. The two sub-dials allow you to peek into the guts of this watch without affecting readability, and the calfskin leather band is comfortable, soft, and highly adjustable. The domed covering is made of sturdy and resistant mineral glass.

18. Orient Men’s ‘Sun and Moon Version 3

A lot of watches come with inset sub-dials for added utility, but few of them look as good as those built into the Sun and Moon watch. The Sun & Moon indicator probably won't have a major impact on your ability to tell time, but it's a beautiful addition that rotates throughout the day and gradually reveals more of the gorgeous sun/moon cycle art etched in. More useful (though a bit more understated) is the inclusion of dedicated sub-dials for the date and day of the week. The precision required to operate all four metrics in tandem with one another is painstaking, and that's what makes the price point for this watch truly stunning. The sapphire crystal surface makes the casing incredibly resilient, while the power reserve can last a good forty hours.

19. Fossil Men’s Gen 4 Explorist HR

Fossil has had four generations to take the already great Explorist and improve on the fundamentals. The result is one of the better non-Apple smartwatches on the market today. Built off of Google's wearOS platform, the Explorist offers a clean and streamlined touchscreen interface that puts all the relevant information in an easy to understand format, and it doesn't even need to be tethered to your phone.

The GPS and music storage capabilities allow you to ditch your smartphone when you decide to go on a long hike or venture out on a run. Heart rate monitoring is conveniently automated.

20. Seiko SKX007K Analogue Watch

The SKX007K has been in continuous production for over two decades with only minor redesigns to stay up with current trends, and yet it continues to be consistently regarded as one of the better watches under 500 dollars. If you're looking for an alternative diving watch to the Submariner that combines most of the usability at a fraction of the price, the SKX007K should top your list. It's also one of the best mechanical watches for new collectors and those who simply want a durable option they can wear underwater. The dial covering itself is crafted from Seiko's Hardlex materials, one of the best options if you're worried about scratches or cracks, while the case is crafted from sturdy stainless steel. The unidirectional bezel is one of the best in the business, supporting 120 clicks and ticking steadily along with practically no give.