32 Best Watches Under $2000

Up until now, we’ve published a number of watch-buying guides in the smaller price categories. While we’ll continue to update those lists, one thing we felt we should do is increasing the limit.

For watch enthusiasts, there are a number of price points that are difficult to break. One of the more awkward price brackets for buyers is the over $1000, but under $3000. Further from there is the $5000+ category that opens up the limit. That being said, the $2000 range tends to be an awkward category for those looking for a high-quality watch. It’s typically not quite enough to break into the luxury segment, but enough that you might need to save some cash to make a decision.

We thought that we’d give a slew of solid options in that category so that our readers can be confident in the product quality without necessarily delving headfirst into the high-end luxury market. So without delay, let’s get into the best watches under $2000.

Ciga Design Blue Planet Gilding Version

While you can read our full review here, the Ciga Design Blue Planet was a GPHGF winner, and the first for a Chinese brand to obtain. Ciga Design has given the watch a ceramic and gold treatment, and we absolutely love it. The watch has an old-world vibe that also feels modern and fresh. The full ceramic case and bracelet have a coherency and an almost other-worldly aesthetic. Despite it’s 45mm size, it wears a lot smaller, and getting an automatic movement, with gold inlay, and a full ceramic case and bracelet, it’s hard to argue with the $1,899 USD price point (plus, CIGA is offering an additional $100 off until April 15, 2023 with the Code: CIGA2023).

Oris Big Crown Pointer Date

Oris as a brand offers a great value proposition: well made watches in the $2,000 to $6,000 price range. The fact that the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date is available for under $2,000 makes it an extremely compelling buy. The Big Crown Pointer Date has a classic field watch look in a 40 mm case diameter. The watch runs on the Oris 754 self-winding movement, which is based on a Sellita SW200 movement. Like all Pointer Dates, the date is displayed on a ring on the outer edge of the dial, with a 4th hand pointing to the date. The Oris Big Crown Pointer Date retails for $1,950 USD.

Ollech & Wajs Zurich OW Ocean Graph S

The Swiss independent watch brand Ollech & Wajs produced watches between 1956 and 1979, including manufacturing watches for NASA astronaut and British CI5 agents. After a more than four decade hiatus, the brand is back, with some very handsome vintage-inspired timepieces. Our favorite piece is definitely the Ollech & Wajs OW Ocean Graph S. The timepiece is a tribute to the brand’s 1968 Ocean Graph and includes a nice baby blue dial and vintage yellow accents (a dial design we are in love with). Coming in at just under 40mm, the 39.56 mm the case size is wearable by most. The watch comes on a nice vintage-style beads-of-rice stainless steel bracelet and has an impressive water resistance of 1000 meters. The vintage design points and the fact that the watch runs on an ETA 2824-2 movement make the Ollech & Wajs OW Ocean Grap S a compelling dive watch at $1,952.05 USD.

Longines Hydroconquest

If you’re looking for an affordable diving watch from a heritage brand, the Longines Hydroconquest fits the bill. The Hydroconquest is Longines’ modern take on a steel dive watch and offers a lot of bang for your buck. The watch features Longines in-house L888 Caliber automatic movement that boasts a 72-hour power reserve. Additionally, as a true dive watch, the watch is water resistance to 300 meters. At a reasonable $1,775 USD you’re unlikely find a comparable dive watch with similar specs.

Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer

Hamilton has a deep history in not only military and field watches but in pilot’s watches. The Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer blurs the lines of a field watch and pilot watch. The model was inspired by the Model 23, a pocket watch used by U.S soldiers during WWII. The textured dial is uniquely Hamilton. And true to it’s heritage, the Pilot Pioneer runs on a hand-wound mechanical movement. If you are looking for that Hamilton vintage aesthetic, the Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer is a great option at $1,295 USD.

Farer Cobb Monopusher

Do you need a monopusher chronograph? Probably not. Does it look cool? Well yes. Is the Farrer Cobb Monopusher an attractive Swiss Made monopusher chronograph at an extremely attractive price-point? Definitely yes. We are big fans of the vintage styling of the Farer Cobb, especially the light blue sunray dial with yellow and orange accents. The watch runs on the Swiss Made Sellita SW510 MP Elaboré grade automatic movement (which can be seen through the display caseback). At $1,995 USD we think it is a pretty good deal from a brand doing a lot of interesting things.

Tissot PRX Automatic Chronograph

If you’ve been reading Wrist Enthusiast for a while, you know that we are big fans of the Tissot PRX line. We think that it offers a great affordable steel sport watch for those that don’t want to lay out tens of thousands of dollars for a Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet. We reviewed the PRX Chronograph and think it matches up well with some of the more expensive, heavyweights in the industry. The silver panda-style dial with black subdials is a great piece at just $1,825 USD

RADO Captain Cook

For a luxury watch that you can still get on Amazon Prime for a discount, the Rado Captain Cook punches well above it’s weight class, even then. The 42mm stainless steel classic dive watch comes equipped with some modern upgrades compared to the 1960s aesthetic it’s inspired by. The watch has an appealing black dial and comes complete with a 7-link rice bead bracelet with a textured foldover clasp and a Rado movement with a whipping 80 hours of power reserve. Price for the Rado Captain Cook is a modest $1,595 USD.

Depancel Pista GT Skeleton

If racing is the name of the game, Depancel is a brand you’ll want to consider. The Pista GT Skeleton just oozes racing vibes. From the bridges of the skeletonized dial looking a lot like performance rims, to the textured bezel resembling a racing tire, to the strap option being an actual rubber tire tread pattern, it’d be hard to find a more racing themed “performance” Swiss watch for the money. We love the skeleton dial with a black and red colorway that showcases the movement without being too busy. It’s actually quite a feat to do skeletonized watches in this space without losing the handset when trying to tell the time. The Pista GT Skeleton is coherent, and a lot of fun. Price for the Pista GT Skeleton $1,350 USD. .

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53 Compression

Zodiac has a longstanding history with the military. So many of the Sea Wolf divers have been utilized by U.S. Navy Seals from the 70’s on because of it’s durability and pressure resistance. Ever since Fossil purchased the brand in 2001, Zodiac has released a number of really well made and unique watches - Speicifically in the Super Sea Wolf collection. One of our favorites is the colorful and quirky 53 Compression - A watch that is both a solid diver and a perfect seasonal wear because of it’s unique colorways. Price for the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53 Compression is a modest $1,595 USD.

Awake Mission to Earth: Time Travelers

If you’ve followed us for any amount of time, you’ll know we’re big space nerds here at Wrist Enthusiast. Awake Concepts has released a trio of space-themed watches, the first two of which were in conjunction with NASA (You can read our full review here). The third one, and completing the trio is probably our favorite. The Time Travelers is housed in a 40mm recycled titanium case that either comes in a dark grey or purple colorway. Obviously, the purple is a little more bold (which is a plus in our opinion), but inside the case is a slate of meteorite. Price for the limited edition Mission to Earth: Time Travelers is a modest $1,435 USD - which is a fantastic price for a titanium watch with a meteorite dial.

Monta Atlas

Monta has long been a favorite of ours here at Wrist Enthusiast. They’ve positioned themselves in the more reasonably priced tool watch section of the independents. One of the more fun and enticing models that the brand produces is a steel sport GMT with a unique handset. The Monta Atlas is a travelers sport watch - Meaning you can step right off the plan and into the elements with the Atlas. It includes a GMT function to track a second timezone, with a unique pointer hand that’s bent up to increase the legibility. Even better, you get a watch with a second time zone for the relatively affordable price of $1,950 USD.

Seiko Sharp Edged Presage GMT

The Seiko Sharp Edged Presage series is one of the more “Premier” lines from the brand. Often identified with complications and finishings that seem right out of the Grand Seiko playbook (Without the larger price tag). One of our favorites from the line is the Presage GMT. The 42.2mm Stainless Steel model comes in 2 colors, a black and a blue. The dial is textured with a Asanoha (better known as a hemp leaf) pattern that gives a ton of added dimension to the piece. The bracelet, as is always the case with Seiko is top notch with 5-links and alternating finishes, making the watch look a lot more expensive than it’s $1,550 USD price tag would suggest.

Oak & Oscar Humboldt GMT

Speak of GMT’s, Oak & Oscar provide a classy entry to the list with the Humboldt GMT. The Humboldt is named after Alexander von Humboldt, an early scientific explore that was acreddited by Charles Darwin himself as "the “Greatest Scientific Traveler to ever exist”. The Humbolt has a lot of features crammed into one package. For starters, the stainless steel case features a sandwich dial with multiple depths to the dial plate. This gives a lot of visual interest and makes it easier to pick out the time at a glance. The watch comes on a leather strap for $1,975 USD , but you can spend a little extra and get the bracelet option.

Baltic Tricompax

What list of watches under $2,000 would be complete without the Baltic Tricompax? Baltic is relatively new to the industry, but when it comes to independents, they’ve made a ton of waves. Baltic is known for it’s pseudo-vintage look without delving into dated design language or over-using the 50’s and 60’s queues. The Tricompax is no different with it’s flat link bracelet, textured dial, and domed crystal. The watch comes as a panda or a reverse-panda configuration and we find both equally compelling. You can pick up the Baltic Tricompax for a modest $1,685 USD.

YEMA Superman 500 GMT

If you’ve followed Wrist Enthusiast for any amount of time, you’ll know we are huge fans of Yema as a brand. Like Baltic, Yema has done a really good job of melding vintage aesthetic charm with modern feature sets and it creates a really lovely product that doesn’t break the bank. The Superman 500 GMT is an automatic GMT in a stainless steel dive case and a 5-link stainless steel bracelet. The model was first introduced in the 60’s, and was known for it’s crown lock technology. The 500 GMT upgrades the technology and modernizes the entire design to present a well-made GMT that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg at $1,399 USD.

Tudor 1926 M91650-0006

Did you know that Tudor has an offering that’s reasonably affordable? Well now you do. Tudor has a line of watches that spans that typically awkward $2-3000 range, but the 1926 offers a 41mm steal watch with textured dial and an automatic movement that fits ripe for this list. The M91650-0006 comes on a Tudor leather strap with 100 meters of water resistance - Making it a decent watch to dress up or take out on the town (The watch can also be equipped with stainless steel bracelets for a modest upcharge). Price for the Tudor 1926 is $2,000 USD.

Baume & Mercier Classima 10696

Baume & Mercier tends to fly under-the-radar when it comes to the luxury space, and specifically the more low end price points. The reality is that Baume & Mercier offers quite a few options under $2,000. One of our favorites is the Classima 10696 - A uniquely colored and positioned watch that’s both dressy and sporty at the same time. The “Khaki” dial features roman numerals in a tan-ish color that’s complimented by a green bezel and textile fabric strap - Giving the watch an overall field watch vibe that you can still get away with wearing under a suit cuff. Price for the Classima 10696 is $1,950 USD.

Maurice Lacroix Pontos Day Date

Maurice Lacroix (we’d argue anyone) is one of the best values for the money in the entire industry. The brand has seemingly not missed in the last few years since the Aikon Automatic line was released. A little lesser-known model from Maurice Lacroix is the Pontos Day Date - A nice little dress watch that can be dressed up or down. The stainless steel watch measures in at 41mm with a unique dial layout. The movement features two rings, one for the date, and one for the large print date with date window at 12 o’ clock. The watch comes standard on a nylon strap, but can be swapped out easily (Thanks quick-release strap!) for leather to dress it up a little. Price for the Pontos Day Date is $1,990 USD

Mido Ocean Star GMT Pepsi

Interested in a Pepsi Diver but don’t want to spend an obscene amount of money on the Rolex GMT Master II? While there are a lot of options for Pepsi divers that don’t have the crown on the dial, one of our favorite options is the Mido Ocean Star GMT Pepsi. The fact that you can get a Swiss Made Diver with 200 meters of water resistance, a GMT function, in a pepsi configuration for a reasonable price is pretty rare. The Mido Ocean Star GMT Pepsi has a really modest price tag of only $1,460 USD.

Doxa Sub 300T Professional

Doxa has a rich history in the diving community. During the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s when diving became a more attainable hobby for the middle class, the race was on to get a household diver on the wrist of diving enthusiasts. While many of the competitors were introducing watches in the more luxury segment, Doxa created a useful tool watch that caught on. The Sub 300T was the more utility driven offering from Doxa with a depth gauge. It was considered revolutionary at the time and the brand has continued that tradition with its more modern offerings. Price for the Doxa 300T is $1,890 USD.

U-Boat Darkmoon 40

While you can read our full review of the U-Boat Darkmoon here, we found the Darkmoon to be a lovely offering from a brand that isn’t typically known for modestly sized watches. The Darkmoon 40 utilizes an oil treatment on the dial that actually makes the sapphire crystal feel like it’s not there. A small bubble in the oil allows for temperature differentials. The watch comes in a few colors, with a stainless steel PVD case. It’s got a nice dome to it that gives it a funky personality, but we’re here for it. Price for the Darkmoon 40 is $1,290 USD.

Nomos Glashutte Tangente Midnight Blue

Nomo’s makes some really minimalistic, yet handsome watches - It’s kind of their thing. The German-based watchmakers spent a lot of time in the design room creating simple, but elegant watches. One of our favorites is the Tangente Midnight Blue. It’s a clean dress watch that allows for entry into the Nomo’s world without luxury prices. The matte dial features a lovely “Midnight” blue color with Nomo’s signature gold indices and font. The stick handset class the watch up quite a bit. Price for the Nomos Tangente Midnight Blue is right around the $1,920 USD.

Formex Reef GMT

Formex has really emerged as a frontrunner when it comes to customizable watches, while still maintaining a solid tool offering. The Formex Reef GMT is a frontrunner for us when it comes to formidable dive watches that also feature GMT complications. The watch comes with a number of customizable colors and configurations, however, we would venture to say that the blue bezel is the most classic. Interestingly, the dial colors can be customized as well as the bracelet and strap options. Overall, providing a 42mm Stainless Steel dive watch with a GMT function for between $1,800-$2,200 USD is a compelling offer.

Vulcain Skindiver Blue

Skindiving is an “art” that requires divers to dive without equipment. This often involves holding their breath for long periods of time. It requires an insane amount of concentration, and lack of any kind of distraction. That being said, timing your dives can become important when holding your breathe is involved, but also, it can’t be distracting. Vulcain has a diver specifically designed to harken back to the brand’s 1960’s Skindiver models - Thin dive watches designed to disappear on the wrist, and tell the time incredibly well underwater. The 38mm stainless steel watch has a thickness of only 12mm, making it ideal for the hobby. Price for the Vulcain Skindiver is $1,625 USD.

Alpina Alpiner Extreme Automatic

One of the more underrated models from an extremely (no pun intended) underrated brand is the Alpina Alpiner Extreme. The cusion shaped case lents to a hublot-esque style bezel giving the Alpiner a very different looking shape. In fact, there aren’t too many watches off the top of my head that provide this shape in a sleek sport watch. The stainless steel watch is vertically brushed with a triangle patterned textured dial (and we find these Alpina dials very unique). The case construction is actually really unique in that it’s multiple parts put together to seal against the elements. It’s a slick watch that’s reasonably priced at $1,695 USD.

Ball Fireman Racer

One of the more quirky watches on the list is the Ball Fireman Racer. Ball as a brand may not be as popular in the US as some other luxury brands, but Ball Watches pack a lot of value for their price tag. The Fireman Racer is no different. Known for their Tritium gas tubes that provide a seemingly endless supply of lume, the Fireman Racer is equipped with 15 tubes in the indices and hands. The handset is chunky, and we actually love that about it. There’s something charming about a fat little hour hand and a seconds hand with a huge counterweight. Price for the Ball Fireman Racer is $1,699 USD.

TAG Heuer Formula 1

If you’re in the market for a luxury racing inspired watch, and it absolutely has to be from one of the big luxury houses, the Tag Heuer Formula 1 may be for you. The watch measures in at 43mm in Stainless Steel and is mostly monochromatic except for a single red pip of the sub-second hand. It’s truly a classic, with history that spans back decades with Tag Heuer. Personally (Travis), the Formula 1 was the absolute first watch I ever bought from a luxury house, and it’s still ticking to this day. You can get a modern Tag Heuer Formula 1 for $2,000 USD. .

Junghans Max Bill Automatic

The Junghans Max Bill has made a number of our lists here at Wrist Enthusiast. The collaboration with the Swiss architect and designer has designed everything from buildings to watches, and one of things he was most proud of was the Max Bill Automatic. The design is very minimal and the footprint of the watch is unique in that it’s thin and domed. This provides an excellent level of comfort and uniformity without being boring. It’s a unique watch in that each version features a work of Max’s on the caseback. Price for the Junghans Max Bill is $1,3-- USD.

Laco Saarbrücken

Looking for a Big Pilot watch that isn’t as expensive as an IWC, but has similar specs and design? Well look no further than the Laco Saarbrücken. Laco has become quite a heavy hitter in the industry lately with their uniform and simplistic designs that are mostly devoid of branding on the dial side. It’s simple a clean look that’s hyper-legible and reasonably priced. The Saarbrücken does a fantastic job of channeling the “At a glance” legibility that’s important to pilots flying at high speeds or in the dark. You can pick up a Laco Saarbrücken for a modest $1,325 USD.

Nivada Grenchen Broad Arrow Manual 86007M

Nivada Grenchen is a relative new-comer to the heavy hitting independents. They’re quirky and fun, and provide just enough pseudo-vintage style that everyone wants one on their wrist. One of their more popular offerings is a funky little Manual Wind chronograph called the White Broad Arrow. Characterized from it’s chunky arrow shaped hour hand, the “Aviator Sea Diver” checks a lot of boxes for many enthusiasts these day. It measures in at 38mm, features some splash of color, and definitely looks different than most other manual chronographs you’ve seen before. You can pick one of these up for $1,795 USD, but the price will go up based on strap or bracelet options.

Sinn 104 I St Sa A

To round out the list, the tried and true Sinn 104 takes the cake. We’d argue that when it comes to affordable utilitarian tool watches, Sinn is a true frontrunner for the most bang for the buck. The 41mm Stainless steel case is a no frills, hardened diver that’s geated entirely around legibility and “No Nonsense” style. It’s simply black colorway is only broken up by white, lume filled indices and handsets with a matching day and date window at 3 o’clock. The watch is typically paired with a simple calfskin leather strap, but the bracelet, silicone, and leather options are endless on the brand’s website. We personally love it on a bracelet, which will bring the price to right around the $1,490 USD mark.

Or, if you’ve got a little more money to burn, check out our Best Watches Under $5000 Guide here.