The IAT List Of Best Affordable Watches Of 2025

The first of these lists I put together is also the most nebulous of the four. After all, what is an affordable watch. Every person has their own line they draw. For me, especially with the major price increases we saw in the past year or so, I set this bar at about €1,500. A lot of money, sure, but these are the watches I think of when I think of good value for money. So, here we go, in no particular order:

• Bulova’s New Snorkel Collection Is The MoonSwatch Killer We Needed

  • This new plastic collection from Bulova is a watch I liked so much, it’s on two lists this year. Mostly because I had a pretty similar idea — an affordable diver with colors that looked pretty much exactly like this. It’s a great collection and retails for about $350. Read more about it here. 

• Unimatic And Massena LAB Release Perhaps The Best Looking (New) Space Watch, The Modello Uno U1-SPG

  • I wonder why more watches don’t use Cerakote coating, which is a ceramic-based coating often used in the aerospace industry. It gives you the opportunity to use so many colors. This Unimatic x Massena collab is one of my favorite uses of the material. Price for this, while it was available, was $1,295. Read more about it here.

• Timex Teams Up With Bespoke Post For A Recreation Of A Very Cool Field Watch

  • Timex has been dominating the affordable game for years now, but they really ramped up the cool releases this year, but also gone up in price, breaching the four figure ceiling. But that wasn’t with this watch. This was an incredibly cool collab that would set you back just €155, but give you one of the best looking watches of the year. Read more about it here.

• Citizen Adds More Great Dials To The Titanium Tsuyosa, The Zenshin

  • I mean, a Tsuyosa had to find a place in this list. But this is better than a Tsuyosa. Citizen spun off the titanium version of the Tsuyosa into its own model line, the Zenshin, and it’s really cool. Especially at €499. Read more about it here.

• Marathon Uses Color For The First Time In The Navigator 'Blue Yonder' Limited Edition

  • This is a surprise, even for me. When it came out, I thought it was pretty neat. But ever since then, I’ve been coming back to it. It’s incredibly beautiful. Yours for $1,200. Read more about it here.

• Formex Presents The Second Generation Field Automatic With Hardened Titanium Case And Great Price

  • This year was certainly a year of Formex appreciation for me. And while I’m still in love with their bracelets and high-tech compressible cases, this simple titanium field watch caught my heart. €850 on velcro and €990 on leather. Read more about it here.

• The New, Wonderfully Green, Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms Has Me Wanting One

  • Yeah, sure, Swatch is milking their more grown up brands for marketing purposes, or whatever, but this green and cream Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms is one of my favorite releases of the year. The green is incredible. Price is €400. Read more about it here.

• Nivada Grenchen Brings Back The Less Known Antarctic Diver Aquamar With A Very Cool Changing Lume Trick

  • The Nivada lineup is full of cool watches, but this certainly among my favorites of the year. They used the date wheel function to do a previously unseen trick with the lume, giving you fauxtina when you want it or white lume when you think it looks better. And it looks and feels way more expensive than the €815 it was sold for. Read more about it here.

• Seiko Celebrates 50 Years Of Jaws With The Blockbuster-Themed Prospex SRPL81

  • I’ve heard people say Seiko jumped the shark with this quite outright partnership with Jaws, the movie that is celebrating 50 years. Yeah, they could have been more subtle, but I love Jaws and its iconic graphical elements so much that I would buy this watch in a heartbeat. Price was $795. Read more about it here.

• Tusenö Releases A Trio Of Perfect Summer Cocktail Watches

  • I nearly forgot about these bangers from a brand I don’t write about a lot. They made a huge splash and then died down a bit, so let’s put them on the list to motivate them to give us more cool stuff. Price was €1,099. Read more about it here.

• Timex Adds A Handsome Green Version Of The Waterbury Heritage Chronograph 39

  • You think we could do an affordable list with just one Timex. No way. Look at this cool green thing that you could get for just €279. Read about it here.

• Nodus Goes More Tactical With The New Sector II Field Titanium Tropical Limited Edition

  • I dare you to make a list of best affordable watches of the year without a Nodus on it. While their collaboration last year was more impressive, this is also very nice. Especially at $550. Read more about it here.

• Baltic Updates Their Iconic Diver Collection With The Aquascaphe MK2

  • A well executed update to an already slightly legendary watch. €630 on rubber and €695 on the bracelets. Read more about it here.

• Jack Mason Releases Their Most Capable Watch To Date, The Pursuit Pro

  • I’m honest when I say that Jack Mason has been completely off my radar until this year. I fell deeply in love with the Pursuit Pro and I have a review unit on the way. Can’t wait to see what it’s like in real life. It’s not cheap at $1,399, but I love the look. Read more about it here.

• Depancel Launches Brand New Racing-Themed Autosport Collection

  • Depancel also deserves a place on this list and, honestly, I could have chosen any one of their watches. But this collection resonates with me. Price is €750. Read more about it here.

• Arsène Lippens Introduces The Artigianio Collection With Actual Fabric Dials

  • I met the Arsène Lippens team in Geneva and instantly fell in love with their watches. You should too. Price is a very fair €1,085. Read more about it here.

• Mr Jones Adds The Monster Melter 3000 To Their Regular Collection

  • Another brand that deserves its place on the list just for the sheer number of affordable watches they put out with wild designs. The Monster Melter 3000 is my favorite, and now no longer limited. Price is a great €235. Read more about it here.

• Serica Brings Beautiful Linen Dials To The Already Very Cool Parade

  • Squeezing into the budget by just €10, I’m glad I could include a release from one of my favorite brands of the past few years — Serica. They make just wonderful watches, and this linen dial variant is shockingly cool. Read more about it here.

• Dryden Updates Their Heartlander With Solar Movement For The Perfect Grab-And-Go Watch

  • I haven’t had much experience with Dryden, but I’ve been saying for a while that we need more solar-powered watches from smaller brands, and they delivered. And at an incredible $279, this is a must-buy. Read more about it here.

• Eska Expands Their Collection To Great Looking, Vintage-Inspired, And Fairly Affordable Chronographs

  • A late entry to the list, this Eska duo has only been released 10 days ago, but I would say it’s worthy. Great look for a great price (€490). Read more about it here.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk