Finding a quality watch with all the great features and designs that we have come to love does not need to cost and arm and a leg. It is possible to find affordable time pieces with everything you’re looking for: high reviews, quality materials, solid design and a fair price.

A good watch will transcend time and transcend trends. There will always be trendy wristwatches with trendy faces. Certain colors and designs have come and gone such as the ever popular rose gold bands and skeleton watch with the movement parts and dial exposed. But these fads don’t last and are not worth a 4-digit price tag.

The best timepieces to invest the money in are classic, luxury watches. Top watches in this price range will be entry-level luxury watches which is classified as any luxury watch less than a thousand dollars, to put it simply. The other option to scoring one for less than $1K is buying an out-of-season model watch from a name brand.

Quick Recommendations

Before we get too deep into how to pick out the right watch, here are our recommendations:

1. Citizen Men’s JY0050-55L Blue Angels Skyhawk A-T Titanium Eco-Drive Watch

2. Bulova Men’s 98B127 Marine Star Black Dial Strap Watch

3. TAG Heuer Men’s WAH1010.BA0854 Formula 1 Grande Date Black Dial Watch

Here’s a helpful table explaining more about each watch:

How to Pick the Right Watch

How do you choose a luxury watch? How do you know what is worth the money? There are some tell-tale items on a checklist to help you choose a great timepiece worth the price tag.

Watch Weight

Watch weight often means higher quality because heavier metals weigh more but there are exceptions to this rule. A lot of watch buyers prefer lighter watches just because they are more comfortable for day to day use. Others prefer heavier watches because they signify value. Titanium is a great example of expensive material that will be heavier. Other steels have some weight to them and can look like great, quality watches. A good tip is just to feel the weight of the watch and case.

Dial Illumination

High end watches will almost always have dial illumination and hand illumination that shines in the dark. This is perfect for low light viewing. Most sport and casual watches will have this feature for reasonable prices. Still, most watches will have applied illuminant. Look for large surface areas of illuminant that is applied richly.

When to Wear It

With casual shoes, you should wear a casual or all-purpose watch.

With dress shoes (such as oxfords), you should wear a formal watch.

With in-the-middle shoes such as loafers, it is best to go with a dress watch as opposed to a casual watch to up the formality.

Below you will find a few reviews for three can’t miss, affordable timepieces that you can buy online. With three brand names like Tag Heuer, Citizen and Bulova, these reviews will give you an idea of the pros and cons for each item. With this information, you can choose a watch here today or arm yourself with an idea of what you want in your next purchase. In the end, the decision will be based on personal preferences and which watch appeals to your taste but it is also very important to always keep quality in mind such as weight, dial illumination, classic design, brands, customer reviews, etc.

Our Reviews:

First we’ll start with this stylish Citizen model coming in at the high end of our price range:

1. Citizen Men’s JY0050-55L Blue Angels Skyhawk A-T Titanium Eco-Drive Watch

Favorite Feature: Water Resistant

A good watch that you plan to wear everyday should be waterproof at least to some extent. The better reviews of the water resistance feature a watch has, the better you can tell if it is a timepiece you can see yourself carrying on your wrist every day or not. This watch is water resistant to 660 feet to 220 meters. You can wear it for water sports and marine activity, to showers and swimming in the pool without damaging the watch. It is even okay for recreational diving (but not scuba diving). Plus, this watch stays accurate to the second and self-adjusts every 24 hours. A watch you want to invest in to wear every day should do these basic things for you without fail.

Check This Out: Titanium

As mentioned previously, the heavier the watch the better signal you have of the watch’s quality. This aviation-inspired Citizen watch here is made of titanium metal which is very strong and yet it remains lightweight compared to other watches and compared to stainless steel. It is the best of both worlds when it comes to comfort and quality. Titanium looks great and is an appealing material to many watch wearers plus this model has yellow and blue accents and a world time display.

Specifications

• Titanium bezel
• 45 mm stainless steel case with mineral dial window
• Japanese quartz movement with analog display
• Eco-Drive light-fueled technology
• radio-controlled accuracy timing
• 99-minute countdown timer
• rotating slide-rule bezel
• fold-over clasp
• Water resistant to 200 m or 660 ft
• Use of the Blue Angels name and logo
• 4.16 ounces
• Model year: 2011

Customer Reviews: What They Are Saying About It

Customers are fanatics over the fact that it has the Blue Angels logo that gives it the aviator-vibe. They agree that the titanium gives it extra class and style and yet it is super lightweight compared to other watches. They think the multiple time zone option is useful although it is a little complicated to switch time zone settings. This makes a great everyday watch and perfect for travelers and globetrotters.

This watch is loaded with reviews online and carries almost 5 stars on Amazon. Overall, it is a well-reviewed and well-liked watch on Amazon and other channels. With a list of features and style to boot, this is definitely one of the favorites in this price range.

Check Out the Citizen Men’s Blue Angels Skyhawk on Amazon

Next we have the Bulova Marine Star watch for less than $500.

2. Bulova Men’s 98B127 Marine Star Black Dial Strap Watch

Timeless Roman Numerals

If you want to invest a chunk of money into a watch, it needs to be a classic to last throughout the years. This model Bulova men’s watch has a bold look with the style and star black dial yet has a classic stainless steel bezel with black screw details. The black dial has Roman numerals and linear indexes which always comes off as an attention-worthy style in any watch. The sub dials have chronograph functions plus an outside track with white and red arabic numerals.

Goes Great with Any Outfit

This Bulova watch sports a silicon rubber bracelet (24 millimeters) and a case made of stainless steel. The mixture of materials gives it a sleek yet expensive look that you can wear every day. Pair it with a casual outfit or business attire, the 98B127 men’s watch is a high quality watch at a discount price. The watch is waterproof up to 330 feet, has dial illumination and the dial is covered by a mineral dial window.

Specifications

• black bezel ring
• Silicon rubber band
• Flat mineral crystal
• baton, pointed imp
• 2 section skeleton hands with white luminous filled in outer section
• Stainless steel case of 44mm diameter by 13mm thick
• Calendar and chronograph
• screw back and stainless steel buckle
• Water resistant to 330 feet or 100 m
• Marine Star series.
• luminous silver tone hands
• Roman numeral hour markers.
• Date display between the fourth and fifth hours.
• A scratch resistant mineral crystal and Quartz movement.

Customer Reviews: What They Say About It

The Bulova men’s watch is recommended for more sporty men who need a relaxed day-to-day style watch to complement their outfits. It has a classic style and a sporty, rugged look. But overall, this Bulova model watch boasts over 4 stars on Amazon with dozens of reviews from customers who enjoy their purchase. They said that the seller on Amazon was great and that they feel they got a great deal for a luxury sport-style watch. Some reviews said they had trouble with water leaking while swimming so this is best used for those who do not plan to take it underwater other than shower use just to be safe.

Check It Out on Amazon

Finally we have the Formula 1 watch by TAG Heuer.

3. TAG Heuer Men’s WAH1010.BA0854 Formula 1 Grande Date Black Dial Watch

High End parts for an affordable price

This TAG Heuer watch is named after the fastest racecars – Formula 1. This name gives this classic looking, attractive watch an attractive name to boot. The Formula 1 watch has a stainless steel case with a decent weight and Swiss quartz movement and a stainless steel band. It has a fold over clasp, an unidirectional bezel and a large textured crown on the side of the case. The scratch-resistant sapphire crystal on the dial is a great touch and the jet black dial gives the watch a smooth, put-together look for any man on the market for a high-end looking watch for a more affordable price.

Simple, Elegant Look

The black dial paired with the white markers gives the watch a classic look with a touch of style. What is different from other Formula 1 models is that the WAH1010.BA0854 model boasts luminous hands and all white skeleton.

Specifications

• 6.5 ounces
• Model Year: 2009
• Synthetic sapphire dial window
• Analog display
• Fold-Over Clasp with Safety
• Stainless Steel case
• Case diameter: 44 millimeters
• Case Thickness: 12.5 millimeters
• Stainless Steel band
• 22 millimeters band width
• Silver band
• Black dial
• Stainless Steel bezel
• Calendar: Date
• Screw down crown and Shock resistant
• Movement: Swiss quartz
• Water resistant depth to 660 Feet or 200 m

Customer Reviews What They Say About It

The reviews say this is not the watch for any huge fans of automatic movement because some customers took issue with the movement in this watch but overall it has fantastic customer reviews saying it is a great value watch.

Anyone who is looking for a black dial watch should definitely recommend this TAG Heuer watch. The sleek design meshed with the handful of features makes it a great investment with its luminosity, scratch-resistant crystal, stainless steel case and quartz movement. It makes a great everyday watch for men that costs right around $1000 to a little bit over. That said, it’s well worth the expense! It has just over 4 stars on Amazon.

Check It Out on Amazon

In Conclusion: Choosing the One for You

If you do not have the budget for a Rolex and other expensive models that run a 5-digit price tag, there are plenty of more affordable options online to choose from. Today we have reviewed a few of our favorite options so you can sport a designer timepiece without breaking the bank. A watch should represent your personality and be an accessory piece that will compliment your day to day clothing items. Watches are personal accessories but should be classic and yet fashionable. With keeping a few simple tips in mind such as weight, material, and important features when shopping for a watch, finding the perfect model should be a breeze.

From TAG Heuer to Bulova to Citizen, these trusted brand names can be yours for a fraction of the cost. Whether it be an attractive black dial, awe-worthy titanium, silicon rubber bracelet, roman numerals or not, the choice is yours.