Best Affordable Watches in 2021

Watches exist as both a fashion accessory and a way to tell time, but some consumers are under the impression that getting the best of both worlds means having to drop a decent chunk of change. That’s simply not the case. There are a ton of great watches at value prices if you know where to look. But there are a ton of watches on the market period, and trying to find the diamonds in the rough can be an incredibly laborious task.

Fortunately, you have HotRate on your side. Whether you’re looking for form, function, or a combination of the two, you should be able to find a watch on this best-of list. And we’ll even provide you with advice to be more discerning throughout the entire shopping process.

TL;DR - 10 Best Affordable Watches:

• Timex Unisex Weekender 38mm Watch
• Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch
• Casio Men’s ‘G-Shock’ Quartz Resin Sport Watch
• SUUNTO Core All Black Military Sports Watch
• Invicta Men’s 8926OB Pro Diver Automatic Watch
• Citizen Watches BN0151-09L Promaster Diver
• Nixon Time Teller Water Resistant Watch
• Seiko 5 Black Dial Men’s Watch
• Swatch Irony Black Dial Men’s Watch
• Withings Steel – Activity & Sleep Watch

1. Timex Unisex Weekender 38mm Watch

For the More Minimalism-Minded

Timex offers a great watch design for men and women with the Weekender. This watch is available in a wide variety of different color schemes, but all of them sport a minimalism-inspired design, stripped-down aesthetic, and the ability to easily swap out the band for more options to mix up your style. It even makes use of Timex's trademark Indiglo design so you can read it just as easily in the dark as in the light of day. And the scratch-resistant screen means you can use this watch for years to come.

2. Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch

A Budget-Friendly Smartwatch

The Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch doesn't have the best price on our list, but it does have one of the best prices for a smartwatch. For less than $150, you can get a fully functional and feature-rich smartwatch that runs on Samsung's dependable Tizen operating system. And while it may take on the look of an advanced but traditional sports watch, you can count on it to offer you everything from full fitness tracking to the ability to play music or make payments from your iPhone or Android.

3. Casio Men’s ‘G-Shock’ Quartz Resin Sport Watch

The Benchmark in Rugged Design

The G-Shock has earned the appreciation of everyone from outdoor adventurers to celebrities for its rugged design. If you want the toughest watch around and don't want to spend much, you can get this watch for under $50. This digital watch strips down the G-Shock design to its basics - providing a pretty simplistic digital face but also providing you with an accurate stopwatch and a variety of different timing modes to choose from. It also includes a date window.

4. SUUNTO Core All Black Military Sports Watch

Utility for All Your Adventure Needs

The Suunto Core may not be a smartwatch, but it is a watch designed to suit all of your outdoor adventure needs. The price tag of a little over a hundred dollars is a real deal when you consider the ruggedness and utility on display here. An altimeter, barometer, and compass are all packed in, so you can chart your course into the unknown easily, and it can even clue you in as to when sunrise and sunset are coming in 400 different locations.

5. Invicta Men’s 8926OB Pro Diver Automatic Watch

A Bold and Classy Design

Invicta makes some of the best dive watches in the world, and they're offering their renowned quality for a price of under a hundred bucks. The design sensibilities on this automatic movement watch are classic: combining a steel link bracelet with a bold black and white color scheme. It's a watch that will look great on your wrist, but it also comes with all the key dive watch capabilities, along with a well above average level of water resistance and a unidirectional rotating bezel.

6. Citizen Watches BN0151-09L Promaster Diver

One of the best selling points of a Citizen watch is the fact that it runs on the Eco-Drive system. As one of the first and easily one of the best solar batteries on the market, that alone is enough to justify buying this watch, but there's also a lot of quality on display here across the board. Big bold white Arabic numerals are accented by a gradient blue face that looks completely in step with the classic sensibilities of a traditional dive watch, and the index markers are bright and bold for easy reading underwater.

7. Nixon Time Teller Water Resistant Watch

Nixon is one of those watch brands that have a solid reputation among collectors even if they haven't broken big in the public consciousness. And despite a price tag of just over $100, this watch looks slick. The smaller design of both the case and the band make this a perfect watch for women, and the steel design is sturdy while still being comfortable. It's a contemporary design that will look great in private and professional settings.

8. Seiko 5 Black Dial Men’s Watch

There's a reason why dive watches are so popular. The combination of classic looks, sturdy design sensibilities, and a range of features makes them a great choice for both serious and casual users, and the Seiko 5 delivers all of those fundamentals without having you break the bank. This watch sports an automatic movement that can work even for snorkeling and scuba diving, and it offers the day and date in addition to traditional timekeeping. It may be one of the simpler-looking dive watch models, but it gets the job done well.

9. Swatch Irony Black Dial Men’s Watch

Swatch is known for the affordability of their watch models rather than their elegance, so it's somewhat ironic that the Irony model watch offers both with ease. The combination of gray and white wave patterns with a rose gold finish plays well to trends in the designs of women's timepiece models, and that's further bolstered by the inclusion of a date window present at 3 o'clock. And its smaller size and more elegant design ensure that this watch will work as great at a casual house party as it will in the office.

10. Withings Steel – Activity & Sleep Watch

The Withings is a cool-looking timepiece, and easily one of the best deals at under $150. That's because it's fully equipped with smartwatch features. This hybrid design makes use of a smartly minimalistic chronograph that can track a number of metrics and a stripped-down design that looks more classically stylish than the chunkier and more toy-like sensibilities that many smartwatch manufacturers go with. The fact that metrics are available on your phone rather than through the watch interface allows for a cleaner and more muted face design, but it also results in a battery life of nearly a year.

Affordable Watches Buyer’s Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Best Value Watch?

The best watch brands when you’re looking for cheap watches is probably Casio. While they’re not the most feature-rich or attractive watches around, Casio brand watches offer great value for the price, and they’re incredibly durable. Look for a watch from the G-Shock line if you’d like to get a timepiece that’s more durable.

What is a Good Affordable Watch?

This ultimately comes down to what you’re looking for. Affordable dress watches are going to be priced quite differently from a cheap Casio watch, and smartwatches are going to have their own price barrier still. We suggest you think about what you like and then find a suitable option from our list. We’ve tried to cover the whole gamut of watch options to provide you with a wide variety of watches and brands.

What is a Good Inexpensive Men’s Watch?

The list above offers some of the best and most inexpensive watches in a variety of categories, but the Weekender would be our favorite in terms of all-around value. This watch design for men comes in at right around $30 and offers reliable performance and bold numbers that are accented by Timex’s Indiglo technology, and there are a ton of styles to choose from.

What are the Best Mid-Priced Watches?

Seiko and Citizen are basically a tie if you want to get something in the mid-range timepiece market. Each brand produces watches that keep time well and give you a great sense of style without needing to spend a fortune. And they’re pretty universally sturdy, so you can count on them to last a good long time.

Wrapping Up

Now that you know the basics concerning cheap watches, it’s time to track down a watch you like and get it. We hope you find a timepiece you’ll like here, but if there’s nothing to your tastes, you can probably find something elsewhere on our site. We have tons of watch guides for every taste, so feel free to dig deeper if you’d like to get something a little different.