Shopping on a Budget, with 5 Watches Priced Below 1k

Whenever we speak of luxury mechanical watches, the subject of money is understandably never far away. Even amongst the team, we often debate about prices, and are well aware that the vast majority of the watches we cover are out of reach for most people, ourselves included. Not everyone can spend tens of thousands on watches. So what if you want something fresh and good to grace your wrist, with a mechanical movement, but without an astronomical pricetag? We have the answer, as in this week’s Buying Guide, we’re shopping for watches under a self-imposed budget cap of EUR 1,000. And once again, it shows that entry-level watchmaking is far from boring-level watchmaking!

Certina ds action diver 40.5

We start with the priciest of our selection, the new DS Action Diver 40.5 by Certina. Priced at EUR 905 on the NATO-style strap or EUR 955 on the bracelet, it gets you a lot of watch. The steel case is 40.5mm in width and has a white or blue dial with a matching bezel insert. It’s also ultra-robust thanks to the latest generation of the brand’s Double Security (or DS) system. A titanium version with a blue dial is also available, but that one is slightly above today’s budget.

For more information, please visit Certina.com.

Quick Facts – 40.5mm x 14.15mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – bidirectional diving bezel with ceramic insert – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – screw-down crown – 300m water-resistant – ISO 6425 certified – black or white dial – applied markers & hands with SLN – Powermatic 80.611, automatic – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – two-tone NATO-style strap or steel bracelet with folding clasp – EUR 905 (strap) or EUR 955 (bracelet)

seiko 5 sports srpl91 & srpl93

Modelled after a vintage Seiko from the late 1960s and early 1970s, the new Seiko 5 Sports SRPL91 and SRPL93 tick a lot of vintage boxes. Good looks, nice silver or black dials, smooth bracelet, solid movement and a cool nickname; the Gene Kranz, named after the NASA Flight Director who was known for wearing the original. They come with Seiko’s Calibre 4R36 day-date automatic, which offers 41 hours of running time. Limited to 9,999 pieces per dial, this one will cost you EUR 460.

For more information, please visit SeikoWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 38.2mm x 12.3mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – bidirectional bezel with 60-minute scale – Hardlex crystal, solid caseback – 100m water-resistant – silver (SRPL91) or black (SRPL93) dial – applied markers & hands with LumiBrite – day-date window – Calibre 4R36, in-house automatic – 21,600vph – 41h power reserve – multi-link steel bracelet with folding clasp – limited to 9,999 pieces each – EUR 460

Briston streamliner kennedy HMS Automatic

Something completely different, but on trend with shaped watches and non-metal case and dial elements, is the Briston Streamliner Kennedy HMS. The square case has two tortoise shell acetate sides and a crown with a Lapis Lazuli cabochon at noon. The sandwich black or silver dial has a lovely retro-chic design and is framed by a polished bezel. Around the back, the circular window reveals the Miyota 9039 automatic. Worn on a calfskin leather strap with a pin buckle, it retails for EUR 850.

For more information, please visit Briston-Watches.com.

Quick Facts – 36mm x 36mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – tortoise shell acetate sides – crown with Lapis Lazuli cabochon – sapphire crystal – see-through caseback – 50m water-resistant – black or silver sandwich dial – hands with SLN – Miyota 9039, automatic – 28,800vph – 42h power reserve – calfskin leather strap with quick-release push-pins and steel pin buckle – EUR 850

tusenö shellback V2

Swedish microbrand Tusenö made quite the impression with its solidly built Shellback V2. At 40mm wide and 11.9mm it hugs the wrist quite well, and the stainless steel case has a diving bezel with a ceramic insert. The dial comes in white, black, yellow or black and gilt, and has a sandwich construction with a luminous base layer. Inside, we find the Sellita SW200, running at 28,800vph and offering 38 hours of power reserve. Delivered with a stainless steel bracelet and a rubber strap, the EUR 825 sticker price sounds very reasonable!

For more information, please visit Tuseno.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 11.9mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – optional black DLC coating – unidirectional rotating bezel with ceramic insert – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – blue, black, yellow or black/gilt sandwich dial – luminous base dial & hands – Sellita SW200, automatic – Elaboré grade – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp & rubber strap – EUR 825

citizen urban military nj0190 series

We turn to Citizen for the final and best deal of the week, as the Urban Military NJ0190 series costs just EUR 229. For that, you get a stainless steel case and bracelet, mineral crystals on both sides and an in-house mechanical movement. The dial comes in sunray brushed black, silver, or dark green with applied luminous markers and hands. The Calibre 8210-C0A runs at a rate of 21,600vph and provides a running time of 40 hours. Did we already mention it retails for only EUR 229?

For more information, please visit CitizenWatch.eu or CitizenWatch-Global.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 12mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – mineral crystal front & back – 100m water-resistant – black, silver or dark green sunray-brushed dial – applied luminous markers & hands – Calibre 8210-C0A, in-house automatic – 21,600vph – 40h power reserve – stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp – permanent collection – EUR 229