101 Best Men's Watches For Every Price Range in 2024

What are the best men's watches you can buy today? As with listing the "best" cars, wines, cookware, or mobile devices, answers will of course vary widely based on personal tastes, practical needs, and budgets. Whether your inclination runs to elegant and dressy timepieces that will impress your coworkers in the boardroom, or if you prefer a tougher, stylish-yet-practical watch that you can wear to the beach or the racetrack, or even if you're someone looking to fly your tech-nerd flag in your wrist, our massive compilation of the 101 best men's watches — incorporating brands and models nominated by various TB team members and covering numerous styles, price points, and categories — has you covered in just about every popular category. To keep it helpful, we arrange every category in ascending order of price.

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Our current compilation of the 101 Best Watches includes longstanding classics as well as watches released within the last year. Check back in for regular updates and/or additions to the list.

CLASSIC CHRONOGRAPHS

Bulova Lunar Pilot

Price: $525, Case Size: 46mm, Thickness: 13.5mm, Lug-to-Lug: 52mm, Water Resistance: 50m, Movement: Quartz Bulova 262kHz, Crystal: Sapphire

The Bulova Lunar Pilot is an homage to the Bulova chronograph worn by U.S. astronaut Dave Scott on the Moon during the Apollo 15 mission. Visually, the new Lunar Pilot is a faithful recreation, retaining the curvy case shape and distinctive elongated pushers of the original. The dial is mostly similar too ― except for the addition of a date window at 4:30 and the label “262 kHz” at 6 o’clock within the running seconds subdial. Some enthusiasts will turn up their nose at this piece because it has a quartz movement, but Bulova’s high-performance quartz movement buzzes away at 262Hz, which is 8 times the frequency of typical quartz movements, and has an accuracy of +/-5 seconds per month. In 2023, Bulova released new models in the Lunar Pilot collection with smaller case dimensions that more closely evoke the original 1970s watch; you can read about the entire collection here.

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer

Price: $675, Case Size: 39mm, Thickness: 13.3mm, Lug-to-Lug: 45.5mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Seiko Solar Caliber V192

The original Seiko Speedtimer, released in 1969, was among the world’s first self-winding chronograph watches, equipped with the legendary Caliber 6139. When Seiko revived the Speedtimer, as part of its sport-oriented Prospex collection, it decided to eschew the automatic mechanical movement in favor a new, high-tech, solar-powered one, Caliber V192, which enhances reliability and runs up to six months on a single charge from any light source. The motorsport-inspired tachymeter scale is etched into the stationary bezel, and the dial’s intuitive design uses red detailing for the central seconds hand and the elapsed minutes hand on the 6 o’clock subdial at 6 o’clock for easy reading of the chronograph displays. The date window is nestled unobtrusively between the indexes at 4 and 5 o’clock, helping to enhance the overall legibility of the sunray-finished dial.

Tissot Telemeter 1938

Price: $1,950, Case size: 42mm, Thickness: 13.9mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Automatic ETA Valjoux A05.231

Hitting the market in Fall 2022, the Telemeter 1938 channels the retro charm of its namesake year with its two-register chronograph dial with subdials framed by railroad track scales and a concentrically oriented, spiraling scales: a telemeter scale that can be used in conjunction with the built-in stopwatch to measure the wearer’s distance from a visible, audible event like a lightning strike, and a tachymeter scale to measure speeds over a set distance. Also evoking the 1938 original, which Tissot built to time ski races, are the sword-shaped hands and period-appropriate Arabic numerals. The new automatic movement inside, the ETA Valjoux A05.231, stores 68 hours of power and includes an antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring to increase precision. Read our review of the watch here.

Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono

Price: $2,195, Case Size: 40mm, Thickness: 14.3mm, Lug-to-Lug: 49mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Movement: Automatic ETA 7753, Crystal: Sapphire

Hamilton’s retro-styled Intra-Matic Auto Chrono pairs a midcentury design inspiration with modern case dimensions and a Valjoux 7753 base caliber. With its panda-dial format, prominent pump pushers, and capable water resistance, it is tough to beat the Intra-Matic Auto Chrono in this range as a versatile daily-wear chronograph. 

Frederique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture

Price: $4,295 (Blue) and $4,595 (Chocolate), Case Size: 42mm, Case Height: 15.5mm, Strap Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50m, Movement: FC-760

The Frederique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture, released in 2017, evokes classic chronographs of the 1930s and also represents phenomenal value with its in-house movement equipped with flyback functionality. Recent iterations of these original designs are 42mm and feature the the FC-760 Manufacture caliber movement behind new two-tone dials, with subdials in blue or chocolate brown. 

Omega Speedmaster Professional "Moonwatch"

Price: $5,250, Case Size: 42mm, Case Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50m, Movement: Manually wound caliber 1861

The Speedmaster, originally introduced in 1957 as a racing watch, became legendary in 1969 when it accompanied the crew of Apollo 11 onto the surface of the Moon. The modern “Moonwatch” is still nearly identical to the original one, with a modern version of its hand-wound movement (Caliber 1861), the same tricompax dial with tachymeter scale, and luminescent material in the hands and hour markers.

TAG Heuer Monaco

Price: $6,350, Case Size: 39mm, Case Height: 15.21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Strap Width: 22mm, Water Resistance: 30m, Movement: Heuer 02

The TAG Heuer Monaco made its debut in 1969 but really ascended to pop cultural icon status two years later, when legendary actor and “King of Cool” Steve McQueen wore the racing-inspired wrist chronograph in the 1971 movie Le Mans. This reference is the first Monaco outfitted with an in-house Heuer 02 movement, with vintage vibes faithful to the blue, square-faced original that McQueen made famous. It is packed with 80 hours power reserve and the two square subdials that make it recognizable from across a room.

Breitling Premier B09 "Pistachio"

Price: $8,900, Case Size: 40mm, Thickness: 13mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Lug to Lug: 47.5mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Manually wound Breitling Caliber B09

Breitling’s Premier collection, a revival of an elegant gents’ model from 1943, debuted in 2018 with automatic movements, and new models with more historically appropriate manually wound calibers followed them up in 2021. One of the most noteworthy is the Premier B09 Chronograph 40, with a 40-mm steel case and an unusual “pistachio green” dial. Inside the case is Breitling’s Caliber B09, a manual-winding version of the self-winding B01 with a column wheel, vertical clutch, and 70 hours of power reserve. Among the Premier collection’s design hallmarks are the grooved lines in the sides of the cases, which Breitling says were “inspired by speed;” and beveled, speedometer-style hour and minute hands treated with lume.

Zenith Chronomaster Original

Price: $9,000, Case Size: 38mm, Case Height: 12.9mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Automatic El Primero Caliber 3600

Zenith made its most lasting impact on watchmaking history with the launch of the El Primero chronograph caliber in 1969, and one of the very first watches to contain that groundbreaking high-frequency automatic movement was recently resurrected for a modern audience as the Chronomaster Original. The watch’s modest 38mm steel case mimics the dimensions of the increasingly collectible vintage model, Ref. A386. Showcased behind a sapphire caseback, the El Primero’s built-in stopwatch can measure times to 1/10 second of accuracy. 

Porsche Design Chronograph I

Price: $9,650, Case Size: 40.8mm, Case Width: 14.15mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100m, Movement: Porsche Design Caliber WERK 01.140

Probably best known as the watch that Tom Cruise wore in “Top Gun,” the Porsche Design Chronograph I was one of the first steel wristwatches with a black PVD coating, helping usher in the still-popular “all black” look. Its dashboard-inspired design includes a tachymeter-scale bezel and high-contrast hands and subdials. The newest version, released in commemoration of the model’s 50th anniversary, houses an in-house automatic caliber. 

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

Price: $14,100, Case Size: 40mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100m, Movement: Automatic Rolex Caliber 4130

The first Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona — a wristwatch in a steel case with a manual-wind chronograph movement, named after the famous racetrack — was released in 1963 and has been produced in various versions ever since, forever linked to the high-performance world of motorsport. More than 50 years after its creation, the Daytona maintains its status as one of the most coveted timepieces in the world, even as it evolves in technology (with Rolex in-house movements) and modern materials (like Rolex’s proprietary Cerachrom for the tachymeter bezels). Read more about the Daytona here. 

A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Up/Down

Price: $106,100, Case Size: 41mm, Case Width: 31.1mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30m, Movement: L951.6

The Datograph Up/Down, launched in 2012, combines a flyback chronograph with a large “Outsize” date indication, a hallmark of the Glashütte-based brand. The dial is crafted from solid silver, with solid-gold appliques and hour markers and rhodiumed gold hands. The “Up/Down” in the watch’s name refers to the power-reserve indicator with “AUF” (“up”) representing the maximum power reserve of 60 hours, and “AB” (“down”) warning the wearer with its red-gold arrow that the mainspring’s energy has been depleted.

Click here for more of our favorite chronographs.

DYNAMIC DIVERS

Timex Q Diver

Price: $179, Reference: TW2U61000, Case Size: 38 mm, Case Height: 11.5 mm, Lug Width: 18 mm, Crystal: Acrylic, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Quartz Analog

The colorful and sporty Q Diver faithfully reproduces one of Timex’s popular models from the 1970s, which also happens to be one of its first models with a quartz caliber. Among the elements that echo the original ‘70s models are the bicolor GMT bezel, diver-style geometrical indexes on the dial, the integrated SST bracelet and even the battery case cover in the back, which enables the wearer to change his own battery with the simple turn of a coin edge. 

Seiko Prospex Sea SNJ025 “Arnie”

Price: $420, Case Size: 47.8mm, Thickness: 13.8mm, Lug-to-Lug: 50.5mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Hardlex, Water Resistance: 200m, Movement: Solar Caliber H851

The bulky, analog-digital Seiko watch that Hollywood action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger strapped on his wrist in testosterone-driven blockbusters Commando and Predator — Reference H558-5000, nicknamed the “Arnie” — has recently been resurrected within Seiko’s sporty, performance-focused Prospex collection, retaining the bulky "tuna can" case of the original (emblematic of many Seiko divers since the 1960s) while replacing its standard quartz movement with a modern, solar-powered version. The Prospex’s steel case is even larger than the original's, which measured just under 46mm (Arnold would likely approve), and boasts an ISO-certified 200 meters of water resistance. Its array of functions, displayed on the digital screen at 12 o’clock, include a 1/100-second chronograph, daily alarms, a full calendar, and an LED illuminating light function that adds even more clarity to the dial’s already impressive array of luminous-coated elements.

Tissot Seastar 2000 Powermatic 80

Price: $1,025, Case Size: 46mm, Thickness: 15.8mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Water Resistance: 600m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Powermatic 80.111

Tissot's most ruggedly attractive dive watch to date entices deep-sea enthusiasts with its integrated helium release valve at 9 o’clock, unidirectional dive-scale bezel with engraved ceramic insert, and its most eye-catching element, a turquoise-blue gradient dial with a maritime-inspired, engraved wave motif. The 46-mm steel case is water-resistant to a very "professional" 600 meters. Tissot has installed one of its most high-end movements inside the Seastar Professional 2000 — the Swatch Group-exclusive Powermatic 80, which is based on the standard ETA 2824 but as per its name boasts an increased power reserve of 80 hours. 

Christopher Ward C65 Super Compressor

Price: $1,025, Case Size: 41mm, Thickness: 13.05mm, Lug-to-Lug: 47.12mm, Water Resistance: 150m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic SW200