Watch Buying Guides
Our experts recommendations on the best watches and watch accessories, all in one place.
Recommended Watches at Every Budget
Under $500
It’s perfectly possible to snag a respectable watch for less than a Benjamin — in fact, you can even go automatic.
Bargain watches get a bad rap, but there are plenty of dirt-cheap options with excellent design and solid build quality.
Both microbrands and bluechip companies offer great divers for five Benjamins and under.
Under $1,000
From $30 to $1,000, these are the best watches to get when you don’t want to spend a fortune.
You can get an incredible amount of watch for under a grand.
There’s a myriad of great divers you can buy for a few hundred bucks.
A great dress watch doesn't have to cost as much as a car.
Under $2,500
From divers to dress watches to pilot's watches and more, these are the best in class at the $2k mark.
From resurrected heritage brands like Doxa to blue chip companies like Longines, these are the best in sub-$2k divers.
You probably didn't know you could get serious chronos for this kind of money — even mechanical ones.
Timepieces so tough that you can easily pass them down to the next generation, battle scars and all.
Under $10,000
There are incredible values to be had at the sub-$5k mark from a wide array of brands.
Oh, so you want a fancy dive watch, eh? We got you.
There's strong value to be had for less than half the price of a Daytona.
Approaching five figures means in-house movements, exotic complications, and some of horology’s heaviest hitters.
Any Price
This comprehensive guide to chronographs covers history, important terms to know, and the best models available at nearly any price.
The best dive watches combine old-school style and genuine underwater usability.
From well under $1,000 to $20,000 and everything in between.
Buying a timepiece from a luxury brand doesn’t mean you have to sell your car.
Watch Type & Style Buying Guides
Sport Watches
This comprehensive guide to chronographs covers history, important terms to know, and the best models available at nearly any price.
The best dive watches combine old-school style and genuine underwater usability.
Whether a classic flieger or an automatic GMT, there's a pilot's watch out there for the fighter jock in everyone.
Travel & Calendar Watches
Get ready to travel — or at least track multiple time zones right from your wrist.
They allow you to see the current time in any place in the world with just a quick glance at your wrist.
Forget the Apple Watch. Complete, annual and perpetual calendar watches are the original smart watches.
Other Watch Complications
Repeater watches occupy a special place in the hearts of watch enthusiasts.
Because sometimes you want a notification that's spring-powered.
Watches that tick more than ten times a second aren’t just accurate — they’re a sight to behold.
Despite its roots in aviation and engineering, the antimagnetic watch still makes sense in everyday life.
Gold-Colored & Precious Material Watches
The gold watch has always been and remains special.
We break down some of the best watches available in various types of gold (yellow, white, red, pink and rose) and platinum.
Steel and gold "two-tone" watches provoke strong feelings, but they're making a comeback.
How about a little bling?
Light & Durable Watches
Lighter, tougher and hypoallergenic, titanium offers tons of benefits over stainless steel.
Ceramic is an increasingly popular watchmaking material for a range of desirable properties.
Carbon composites have a range of properties that work well for watchmaking. It doesn’t hurt that they also look pretty darn badass.
Believe it or not, upcycled plastic recovered from the sea is the latest trend in watchmaking materials.
Rugged & Tactical Watches
We explore what makes a watch “tactical” and pick out some of our favorites for actual use in the field.
Field watches should be reliable, legible and simple.
We break down the perfect watches available for your next outdoors adventure.
Military field watches are some of the most compelling examples in today's reissue-crazed market.
Quartz Watches
Why are quartz watches affordable? How do they work? Why are they controversial? Find out here.
Quartz watches are in many ways superior to their mechanical counterparts and deserve some respect.
The meca-quartz chronograph marries battery-based watchmaking with a "mechanical feel."
Digital & Smartwatches
Digital watches are fun, affordable and they're back with a vengeance.
Before buying a smartwatch, there are few vital things to know as well. We've also rounded up the best smartwatches to buy.
Never wind them, don't worry about battery changes — simply strap on one of these great solar-powered watches and enjoy.
Is traditional watchmaking compatible with wearable tech?
Style-Forward Watches
With dark cases and black dials, these stealthy tool watches fly under the radar.
Bronze has been used by man for over 4,000 years. Maybe it's time you used it, too.
Skeletonized watches feature dials through which you can view an often-hollowed out movement.
Just because a company started off making clothes or jewelry doesn't mean it can't also make a great timepiece.
Distinctive Dials
The classic black-on-white “panda dial” from the 1960s is making a comeback.
Blue-dial watches that remind us of the sea and the sky just seem to work best during the summer.
Gorgeous watches from Panerai, Oris, Seiko and more.
Difficult to craft and incredibly beautiful, enamel-dialed watches can cost a pretty penny — with one or two exceptions.
Unique Sizes & Unisex Watches
A watch should be framed by your wrist, not envelope it.
Ten mechanical watches that clock in under 9mm.
Some people just prefer a bigger watch, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that.
The year in watches is turning out strong with exciting new releases from brands big and small. Here are our faves thus far.
Vintage Watch Buying Advice
Vintage Watch Basics
Old watches represent great value, the chance to wear a piece of history and, if you’re lucky, a good investment.
Low prices are tempting, but the cost of service and repair can exceed that of the acquisition.
Serial numbers can be used to find historical and pricing information on your watch, but where are they located?
Buying watches from forgotten brands is a great way to get a lot with a little.
Affordable Vintage Watches
We got some of the foremost experts in the watch world to weigh in on vintage watches that aren’t prohibitively expensive…yet.
Collecting insight from James Lamdin, Hamilton Powell and Eric Wind.
From Air Kings to Oyster Perpetuals, these are the Rollies you can buy without taking out a HELOC.
From Speedies to Seamies (I made that up) to Railmasters and more, we have Omega watches galore.
Vintage Military Watches
We examine some of world’s most famous military watches and delve into their origins, from the Fifty Fathoms to the Milsub and more.
From inexpensive, Gulf War-era quartz to lauded 1950s, gilded chronographs, these are the best deals in military timepieces.
From the A-11 to the Panerai Radiomir to the little-known A.T.P, we explore the Second World War's horological gems.
Watches produced in Russia during the 20th century are fascinating. They're also cheap.
Watch Straps, Storage and Accessories
Watch Winders, Boxes & Pouches
If your mechanical watch collection is growing, you may want to keep your automatics ticking when they aren’t on your wrist.
Don't keep your most worn watches in your sock drawer — invest in a quality watch box instead.
Keep your beloved timepieces safe and orderly.
Watch Tools & Maintenance
Owning a timepiece demands some hands-on TLC, and you need the right tools to make that happen.
There are just a few tools that watch wearers truly require...and a few more that maybe you want.
Swap your strap in style.
Watch Straps
Not all leather watch bands are created equal, and more and more options seem to crop up every day.
We tried different NATOs from fan-favorite strap makers to see how different they can really be.
A rubber watch strap is perfect for the water or for sports, but quality and price vary widely.
The fresh side of the hide is perfect for your wrist.
Watch Brand & Model Buying Guides (Listed Alphabetically)
Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms was one of the world’ first modern dive watches, and there are more versions of it now than ever.
From the Navitimer to the Chronomat and beyond.
From the Cintrée to the Santos....and of course, the Tank.
Casio makes a rugged G-Shock in just about every color and for every type of person.
They're affordable, and you can buy them at the mall — like, any mall. What's not to love?
Hamilton makes a solid, entry-level luxury watch for every kind of person or occasion.
The International Watch Company may make the world’s most iconic pilot’s watches, but their offerings don’t stop there.
From the Legend Diver to the Spirit and beyond.
We break down the catalog of the one of the world’s foremost watchmakers, from the Seamaster to the Speedmaster and more.
We take you through the different iterations one of the world’s most famous watches, from Moonwatch to X-33 and more.
Want incredible value in a mechanical wristwatch without spending a fortune? Look at this independent Swiss brand.
A guide to and brief history of one of the most notable dive watch manufacturers in the world and its timepieces.
We break down the catalog of one of the finest watch manufacturers in the world.
Everything you need to know about Rolex's current catalog of watches, including prices, history and more.
The Rolex Datejust, in continuous production since 1945, is one of the most popular watches in the world.
From languishing on shelves to becoming the hottest watch in the world, Rolex’s Cosmograph Daytona has had a wild ride, indeed.
It's tough to beat the original, but these dive watches might scratch the itch.
Seiko offers some of the best value in watches.
Whether you're well-heeled or strapped for cash, Seiko has a cool diver for your price range.
Over 150 years of history makes for an extensive catalog of awesome timepieces.
Once subordinate to big brother Rolex, Tudor has come into its own in recent years.
“Indies,” “microbrands” — whatever you call them, these smaller, independent watch companies are making waves in the market right now.
Popular Watch Alternatives
It's tough to beat the original, but these dive watches might scratch the itch.
