Best Watches Under $100 of 2024 That Look Great and Perform Well on a Budget

When searching for the best watches for men, the first place to start is your budget. You'll find watches under $1,000, watches under $500, and watches under $200 across a variety of brands like Omega and Seiko, while watchmakers like Timex, G-SHOCK, and Casio offer an even greater sweet spot for watches under $100.

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Our favorite watch under $100 as part of our 2024 Watch Guide is G-SHOCK GA700F-1A—it’s got everything you could want from a well-prices timepiece—LED Super Illuminator light, countdown timer, full-auto calendar, and is both analogue and digital. But don’t worry, if it’s not up your alley, there are a whole bunch of others below that should fit your needs, and a variety of brands highlighted in our 2024 Watch Guide.

Best Watches Under $100 at a Glance

• Best Watch Under $100 Overall: G-SHOCK GA700F-1A

• Best Digital Warch Under $100: Casio F108WH-2A

• Best Sustainable Watch Under $100: Timex Waste More Time Watch Timex Legacy Ocean 

• Best Watch Under $100 for Francophiles: Swatch x Centre Pompidou Eiffel Tower, By Robert Delaunay

• Best Stainless Steel Watch Under $100: Skagen Signatur Three-Hand 

• Best Classic Watch Under $100: Fossil The Minimalist Three-Hand

• Best Fashion Watch Under $100: Nixon Time Teller OPP

• Best Dress Watch Under $100: Sekonda Classic 1097

Best Watches Under $100 of 2024

Best Watch Under $100 Overall: G-SHOCK GA700F-1A

Finding a watch with the durability of a G-SHOCK for under $100 is a huge win. The GA700F-1A has a particularly good feel, thanks to its myriad of features, like LED Super Illuminator light, countdown timer, full-auto calendar, and happens to be both analogue and digital. However, it doesn’t offer Bluetooth like some of the brand’s other models. One other note is that the 55mm case is rather large, but if you’re looking for something eye-catching for the right price, this is it. And we love that it comes in matte black.

• CASE: Resin/Bio-based resin

• MOVEMENT: Quartz

• DIAL: Black

• SIZE: 55mm

• STRAP: Bio-based resin band

Best Digital Watch Under $100: Casio F108WH-2A

Being square isn’t always a bad thing, especially when it comes to a classically styled Casio like the F108WH-2A. Inspired by the G-Shock DW5600, these tickers sport an octagonal case shape and seven years worth of battery life. As with other G-Shocks, it also comes with a whole mess of functions, including a stopwatch, an LED-backlight, a daily alarm, an auto-calendar, and more, plus it's less than $25, all in.

• CASE: Resin

• MOVEMENT: Caliber 4R36 automatic

• DIAL: Blue

• SIZE: 42.6mm

• STRAP: Resin

Best Sustainable Watch Under $100: Timex Legacy Ocean

The Timex Waterbury Ocean collection features cases, bracelets, and dials all crafted from upcycled, ocean-bound plastic. The watches begin as waste collected along coastlines before being washed, shredded, and then sent to Switzerland via carbon-neutral transportation. Finally, they’re repurposed into sustainable timepieces, like this dark blue Legacy Ocean, which offers luminous hands and 30 meters of water resistance.

• CASE: #tide ocean material

• MOVEMENT: Quartz analog

• DIAL: Blue

• SIZE: 42mm

• STRAP: #tide ocean material

Best Watch Under $100 for Francophiles: Swatch x Centre Pompidou Eiffel Tower, By Robert Delaunay

Paris has been at the center of summer 2024 and Swatch made sure to keep that in mind when designing its Swatch X Centre Pompidou Eiffel Tower, which celebrates Robert Delaunay’s classic painting, “The Eiffel Tower.” The orange print on the timepiece stands out on its semi-transparent light blue strap and it’s the perfect addition to any Francophile’s watch collection.

• CASE: Silicone

• MOVEMENT: Quartz

• DIAL: Blue

• SIZE: 34mm

• STRAP: Silicone

Best Stainless Steel Watch Under $100: Skagen Signatur Three-Hand

Finding a new, all-black, stainless steel watch for under $100 can be quite the challenge, add in a dash of Danish design and it would seem like a straight up impossibility. Luckily, Skagen exists and their Signatur Three-Hand watch is basically a lesson in mid-century modern simplicity. The band is made out of actual leather and it’s water resistant up to meters, which means it should be able to actually withstand swimming.

• CASE: Stainless steel

• MOVEMENT: Quartz three-hand

• DIAL: Black

• SIZE: 40mm

• STRAP: Leather

Best Classic Watch Under $100: Fossil The Minimalist Three-Hand

Fossil may not be as visible as they once were in the watch game, but when you find a stainless steel ticker like The Minimalist Three-Hand for $100 (or less) from a name that’s been around this long, you know you’ve stumbled across something special. The watch sports a quartz movement and is water resistant up to 5 ATM, which means it should be able to wear it kayaking, swimming, or even in the shower.

• CASE: Stainless steel

• MOVEMENT: Quartz three-hand

• DIAL: White

• SIZE: 44mm

• STRAP: Leather

Best Fashion Watch Under $100: Nixon Time Teller OPP

Made from recycled plastic, the Time Teller OPP is a classic among Nixon watches that’s just been injected with an environmental upgrade. Its minimalist design makes it watch perfect for just about anywhere and add in that its water resistant up to 100 meters, and that’s really saying something. Additionally, a portion of all Time Teller sales will go to SeaTrees in an effort to save coastal ecosystems.

• CASE: Recycled plastic

• MOVEMENT: Miyota Japanese quartz three-hand

• DIAL: White

• SIZE: 39.5mm

• STRAP: Silicone

Best Dress Watch Under $100: Sekonda Classic 1097

A classic stainless steel silver watch that’s neither too big nor too small can be tough to find in today’s market, especially when pressed to keep the price below $100. Sekonda manages to not only keep the price down and the metal stain-free with the Classic 1097, but adds a few design flourishes of its own with the addition of rose gold coloured batons across the black dial. It also happens to feature water resistance to 50m.

• CASE: Stainless steel

• MOVEMENT: Quartz

• DIAL: Black

• SIZE: 41mm

• STRAP: Stainless-steel bracelet

What Makes for a Good Watch Under $100?

Everyone has their own sense of style and design, so simply judging a watch by taste is in the eye of the beholder or judge. When it comes to a high-quality watch made for an affordable price, there are a few things you should be looking for: watch movement, watch material, water resistance, and finish.

Watch Movement

Watch movements are basically the engine that makes the whole thing run. Without going into too much detail, they go from relatively simple to extremely complicated and that is often reflected in a watch’s price point. In most quality affordable timepieces, you’ll find a quartz movement or a certified mechanical movement (COSC)—though most handmade mechanical movement watches will cost you a minimum of $10,000.

Despite the somewhat unreasonable negative energy around them, quartz movements tend to be more accurate and more affordable, since they require fewer moving parts. Seiko (the original), Timex, and Swatch all use quartz movements that have proven themselves over time.

Watch Material

While platinum, gold, ceramic, and titanium watches are great, you’re unlikely to find one for under $100, so you should generally be looking for resin or silicone, but you can also find stainless steel if that’s what you’re really looking for.

Water Resistance

Few things are as damaging to a watch as water, so waterproofing is a necessity. Some watches are made to go deep underwater, like dive watches, and are water resistant for a hundred meters-plus. Others are made for a night on the town, but even those should still be able to stand up if a sudden rainstorm hits. Overall, better-sealed watches are an advantage in many situations and give peace of mind.

Finish

In the end, a watch should look and feel good on your wrist, and that’s what separates the affordable from the cheap. There shouldn’t be any loose screws or odd bumps and, if it’s metal, it should be nicely polished without any scratches.

Why You Should Trust Me

I’ve been collecting watches for nearly as long as I’ve been able to tell time. Around the age of 10, I started disassembling pocket watches to see what makes them tick. Today, I feel naked if I accidentally leave the house without a watch on my wrist—so I’ll go back and get one. (Is it horology or is it OCD? Only my shrink knows for sure.) Currently my cache includes a variety of vintage and contemporary pieces from micro brands to G-Shock. Most days I wear an Explorer II (Ref. 226570) but my grandmother’s Mickey Mouse watch will always be my favorite.

See more from the 2024 Men's Journal Watch Guide

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