For many men, a watch is the most essential accessory to add to their fashion ensemble. A smart-looking watch will elevate your outfit, conveying maturity, style, and intelligence, depending on the type of watch you choose.
Of course, you can pick from many different watches — from classic limited-edition Swiss-made watches to contemporary automatic watches. As you look for the best watches, you’ll want to consider these factors:
- The watchmaker. Different watchmakers, like Swiss, Omega, Rolex, Seiko, Hamilton, and Breitling, are known for their quality and high-end features. Other top watch brands include Patek Philippe, Speedmaster, Tag Heuer, Tudor, and Audemars Piguet.
- Whether the watch is meant for one activity or another. For example, a dive watch will be waterproof and have a sturdy watch band. A dress watch is more appropriate for an upscale social occasion. A sports watch has plenty of features, like automatic movement tracking.
- The aesthetic. A pilot’s watch is a highly accurate, complex device with multiple timekeeping tools. Meanwhile, an ultra-fancy watch might only have a single watch face with a blue dial.
- Dial markings. You can choose from a variety of styles, such as Roman or Arabic numerals.
- Durability. A watch made with sapphire crystal glass and a stainless steel bracelet, for example, will likely last longer than a watch with a cheap rubber strap.
Several watch types could be perfect for you. A diver watch is ideal if you spend a lot of time swimming in the ocean, while a field watch is better for outdoor activities that don’t involve regular swimming. Of course, you can also purchase multiple watches to use in different time zones or to add to your watch collection. It’s up to you!
Let’s take a look at nine of the best watches for men you can buy.
Best for Functional Elegance: CRRJU Men’s Fashion Stainless Steel Watches
CRRJU’s Men’s Fashion Stainless Steel Watch has plenty of excellent elements, namely its low price point and the variety of stainless steel designs you can choose from. If you buy this watch, you’ll find a high-quality stainless steel timepiece with well over a dozen different colors and color combinations.
Because of this, it’s perfect for guys who like their watches to show off unique shades. On top of that, this watch offers phenomenal value for its price, as you can return it for free within 12 months if you find a manufacturer defect.
That’s not all this watch brings to the table. It also comes with a matte plating watch case, adding more strength. It’s a chronograph watch, meaning it has second, minute, and hour sub-dials as well as a classic calendar — everything you need to tell the time and the date anywhere you are. Overall, it’s a supremely functional and versatile watch for men from start to finish.
Best for Classic Appeal: BENYAR Classic Fashion Elegant Chronograph Watch
The affordable Benyar Classic Fashion Elegant Chronograph Watch is available in many different color combinations. It’s one of the best watches for men because it combines leather and metal for a classic aesthetic.
The metal watch face is durable and uses quartz movement to ensure accurate, precise timekeeping. The leather strap is old-school and old-fashioned: perfect for guys who like classic accessories that go well with suits and business dress shirts.
The watch is designed to last a long time, as it’s waterproof down to 30 meters. Like many stellar men’s watches, this timepiece comes with three chronograph sub-dials for keeping the second or minute, so you can use it as a stopwatch. Add a calendar, and it’s clear that this timepiece is a great all-around watch for men who want a watch that goes well with all of their outfits.
Best for Minimalist Quality: Fossil Minimalist Men’s Watch
Fossil’s Minimalist Men’s Watch is a little more expensive than average, but with good reason. It offers a clean design thanks to its simplified watch face without too many bells and whistles or cluttering chronographs — just a three-hand analog display. All this watch tells you is the minute and hour, and sometimes that’s all you need.
The watch features a high-quality genuine leather band, and the watch face is designed with durable materials. It’s water resistant down to 50 meters, uses quartz movement, and resists scratches with a hardened mineral crystal lens.
You can even customize this watch with a complimentary engraving at a local Fossil store. Keep this in mind if you are looking for a birthday or anniversary gift, as an engraving makes it a much more personal gift. Overall, it recalls an earlier era, so it’s ideal for men who want a timeless accessory.
Best for: Luminescent Functionality: OLEVS Classic Wrist Watches
OLVEVS’ Classic Wrist Watch is another of the best watches for men, in part because of its luminescent feature. So long as you wear this watch during the day or illuminate it under strong light for up to 40 seconds, the dial markings and hands will glow in the dark quite well. This lume function is so effective that you should have no trouble telling the time in pitch-black environments.
Of course, the watch is popular for other reasons as well. It has a big dial and quartz movement, ensuring stable timekeeping performance. The coated glass mirror is built to last, as it is scratch-proof, wear-resistant, and water-resistant down to 30 meters.
Even better, this luminescent watch is available in several styles and colors, so you can get different bands or watch faces depending on your aesthetic preferences. If you want a watch that serves you in bright daylight environments and nighttime activities equally well, consider this timepiece.
Best for Durability: Golden Hour Fashion Business Men’s Watch
The Golden Hour Fashion Business Men’s Watch is definitely one of the sturdiest men’s watches. For starters, the straps are made of stainless steel while also offering enough comfort and flexibility. The watch face is secured in a 304 steel case, with mineral glass to protect the timepiece against wear and tear and scratches.
Because of this, the watch is water resistant down to 30 meters and can stand daily splashes. On top of that, the watch uses Japanese quartz, ensuring that it will run for a long time to come and keep time precisely. Don’t forget that as a chronograph watch, it includes multifunctional sub-dials that allow you to use the stopwatch.
For even more peace of mind, you can benefit from one year of after-sales service. So if you have questions or concerns, you can send it in for repairs or replacement at no extra cost.
Best for Long-Lasting Timekeeping: Casio 10-Year Battery Watch
Casio’s 10-Year Battery Watch is the go-to choice if you want a men’s watch that will last years. While it’s not the best-looking watch on the market, it has a 10-year battery and, more importantly, can continue working even if submerged in up to 100 meters of water.
Made in the United States, it features an extra-wide face, so it’s easy to read. The LED backlight has afterglow functionality to ensure you can easily read the watch face no matter what ambient light environment. It also has controls for five different multifunctional arms, including a snooze alarm.
Rounding out the features are an automatic calendar, a countdown timer, and a 1/100-second stopwatch. All in all, consider this a good travel or portable watch for camping trips or long hikes where you need to be able to rely on the battery at all costs.
Best for Travel: Amazon Essentials Men’s Easy to Read Strap Watch
Speaking of travel-friendly watches, the Amazon Essentials Men’s Easy to Read Strap Watch is an affordable choice and one of the best watches for wearers on the go. It features a simple buckle closure and is available in two different styles.
It’s a good men’s watch for traveling since it is water resistant down to 30 meters. It also comes with a date calendar window, keeping the overall watch face minimalist and simplistic so it doesn’t feel too cluttered. The 42-millimeter case is topped with a domed mineral crystal lens for added longevity.
Overall, it’s a simple watch that could be just what you need for traveling the world. The matte black dial, silver-tone luminous hands, and large indices (hour markers) make it easy to read. Consider this if you want a watch that will serve you well on the go, but that you won’t be too broken up about if you lose it or forget it in a hotel room.
Best for Outdoor Adventures: Timex Men’s Expedition Scout 40 Watch
The heavy-duty Timex Men’s Expedition Scout 40 Watch is meant for guys who care more about reliability than aesthetics. It has a nylon strap, plus several different strap options. Plus, it’s designed to continue to work even after being submerged in 50 meters of water.
The black 40-millimeter brass case is topped with mineral glass crystal to ensure scratch resistance and resilience against wear and tear. The nylon strap is similarly tear-resistant and should hold up quite well to any outdoor activities. These features make it perfect for short swims or river crossings.
In addition, the watch face is bolstered by a light-up watch dial and luminous hands — perfect if you travel at night often, or if you need to check the time while sitting around an evening campsite. Because this watch isn’t overly expensive, it’s also not a huge deal if you lose it or it takes some hits during an expedition or outdoor trip with your buddies.
Best for Overall Quality: Michael Kors Men’s Slim Runway Stainless Steel Quartz Watch
The Michael Kors Men’s Slim Runway Stainless Steel Quartz Watch isn’t among the most affordable watches, but it offers a ton of value. Its 44-millimeter case size is protected by scratch-resistant mineral crystal glass. Powered by three-hand quartz movement, it has a round sunray dial, offering extra elegance and overall functionality.
This is a phenomenal luxury watch, available in stellar styles and design combinations. While it is water resistant down to 50 meters, this is a watch you should pair with a good suit or tuxedo more often than a diving suit. The minimalist watch face and sleek, stainless steel bezel go well with other streamlined or retro accessories.
You’ll also appreciate the black-plated, three-link bracelet, brushed and polished for even greater aesthetic appeal. Choose this men’s watch if you need something to match your black-tie apparel.
The Bottom Line
With many different watches for men to pick from, you may not know which one you should buy, especially if you’re choosing your first watch. Generally, you’ll be best off choosing one that matches your outfit or style preferences. For example, if you want something to go well with a suit at a wedding, the Michael Kors Men’s Slim Runway Stainless Steel Quartz Watch is ideal, while the Timex Men’s Expedition Scout 40 Watch could be a much better choice for camping in the mountains.
Keep your eye out for these stellar watch deals on Amazon and other retailers to snag the best watch for your horological needs!
Sources:
- What is Stainless Steel? | Australian Stainless Steel Development Assoc.
- Superior Strength and Ductility of 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel with Gradient Dislocations | PMC
- Quartz clocks and watches | Explain That Stuff
- The Difference Between Waterproof and Water-Resistant | Masterclass
- Why everything you thought you knew about buying quality leather is wrong | Business Insider
