Best Watches for Men Under $50

Real gentlemen wear watches.  It is one of the few accessories we can wear that can showcase our style and fashion.  In this article I will show you my opinion of the Best Watches for Men Under $50.

In this price range, do not expect luxury brands or precious metals,  but do expect quality and style.  It is best to look for classic features that will look great for most occasions.

All of these watches are very stylish, will last a long time if cared for, and available today at a great price.

I bought each one of these watches and wear them often.  I rotate them with my much more expensive watches and I get just as much enjoyment from these watches as all the others.

These are not starter watches, but good quality watches that will have a place in your watch collection for many years. At the time of this article, all these best watches for men under $50 but the prices do fluctuate often.

A watch is an accessory that will extend your style and improve your look drastically.  It must match properly or it will detract from your style.

For example, if you are wearing a weekend casual watch with a suit in the office, it will detract from your look and hurt your appearance.

This is why every gentlemen will own several different watches for every occasion.

The Dress Watch

The first occasion will be the dress watch.  The dress watch is often worn with a leather band and should be simple and classic.

I prefer to have a watch with some interesting characteristics as a conversation starter.  For example, my preferred dress watch is a skeleton design.

I purchased a Stuhrling Original Men’s Classic ‘Delphi’ Gold Tone Skeleton Watch which does not appear to be available anymore but I love wearing it.

For this category, I selected the Casio EAW-MTP-1183Q-9A.  The watch has a mineral crystal and Japanese movement which are often found on much higher priced watches.

The leather is good quality and the price comes in at around $25.  This watch looks and feels like the classic Rolex Just Date.

Most classic Rolex watches have lines instead of numbers but you can find both out there in the vintage market.

This is a very classic look and you will find a lot of watches built in this style.  This watch looks great in a suit and also in for business casual.

You can even wear it with a more casual outfit going out to dinner with friends and it will work perfectly!

Brand is important here because this is a watch you will have your entire life.  This is not a trendy thing to be tossed in a few years so spending money here is well worth it in the end.

The watch is brass with a brown leather band that looks and feels great.  I do expect the band to need replacing in a few years with daily wear.  Casio is not a brand that is known to last but so far this watch has been working great for me with no signs of slowing down.

Runner-Up

I was on the fence selecting between the Casio and Timex Men’s Easy Reader Date with Leather Strap.  In the end selected the Casio as it has a more classic look and feel but the Timex or a black on black version would also be an excellent choice.

I’ve updated this article to include a few other Runner-Up watches. My favorite is now the Wenger which when I added it to this list was $53 on Amazon. This is a fantastic deal and should not be missed.

The Everyday Watch

Let’s talk about affordability.  Frankly, you have better things to spend your money on then a watch.

A $50 watch will tell time and look just as good as a $2,000 watch and the extra money will be better spent improving your life in many other areas.

In this area, people tend to spend several hundred if not thousands on a high end stainless steel divers watch and never take it diving!

I am a scuba diver and own 3 dive watches.  One is a TAG, one an Invicta black 45mm, and the other is this Invicta Men’s Pro Diver Watch.

This was probably one of the first watches I ever bought and have had it for over 10 years.  This watch has taken a beating and still looks great.

It is incredibly reliable and never needs the time adjusted.  I have taken this watch under water many time and I have never had an issue.

Invicta is a great watch company that still makes their watches in Switzerland.  If you didn’t know, any watch that is marked “Swiss Made” must adhere to a higher quality standard controlled by the Swiss government.

I have several other watches from them that I love.  I bought a few for family members and they are all over 10 years old and still ticking today.

The one thing I noticed with this watch is the case is smaller then all my other watches coming in at 39 mm.  On my wrist, I prefer a 42 mm case.

One good thing about the size, even though it is all stainless steel, I don’t notice the weight as much as with my other larger watches.  The band is also very light weight (compared to my other dive watches).  If you like a heavy watch, then you need to pass on this one.

Runner-Ups

A decent driver watch is very hard to find under $50 but I was able to find a few others under $75 that can be considered runner-ups to the one above. Both watches are great options and sometimes drop below the $50 mark. Check back often and see.

The Casual Watch for Having Fun

For this watch, be ready to have some fun.  This watch doesn’t have to last a lifetime and can follow recent trends if you like.  I am a preppy person that also follows a more classical style so I chose a colorful watch with a very Summer feel.

I picked the Timex Weekender with the Red, White, and Blue canvas strap.  This is great with my preppy style and I bought a set of other colorful canvas bands to change things up a bit.

I love the white dial and the casual feel it brings to my Summer style.

I should add I found this one on eBay brand new for less then $20 so I got a great deal.  Even at it’s current price (under $40) it’s a steel.

If you prefer to go all black, an expedition style (which I really love for Fall), or modern style with a funky feel then you should go for it.  These watches cannot take any abuse so be careful around water and any sports you like to play.

Runner-Ups

The weekender comes in a lot of different color options and styles. Here are a few different options to consider and are great options for the best watches for men under $50.

Conclusion

Don’t be afraid to mix any of these watches up with a new band to change up the look and feel.  All your watches are going to make you feel great when you wear them so enjoy it.  At these prices you cannot go wrong.

I am not against spending more for a high quality watch but in my opinion its not necessary.  I will create another article raising the cost a bit and looking for higher end watches so stay tuned for that.

The quality of a gentleman is not in his clothes or in his expensive accessories.

A Gentlemen’s quality is in his character and how he treats the people around him all the time (and not just when others are watching). 

A watch is part of your classical style.  How you decide to treat the people around you will determine your character and how other people view you way more then what type of watch you wear.

In other words, it is important for a gentlemen to look nice, but it is far more important to be nice.

Please check out my Preppy Men’s Watches article which focus just on preppy watches.

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There are thousands of watches to choose from and I am sure you have a different opinion on what watch should be on this list.  What did you think about my Best Watches for Men Under $50? Please leave in the comment section below your choices.  If you happen to own one of these watches, please let us know your experience with them and are you still happy with them.