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11 Best Men’s Watches Under $400: A Buying Guide

watches under $200

123rf.com Copyright : Volha Kliukina

Getting the right watch that goes with every outfit is a move that can improve any guy’s wardrobe. If you can save some money on the purchase then you have hit the jackpot. These are the best men’s watches under $400 based on tons of research and reviews. Save money and add a few new watches to your already impressive wardrobe.

 

*Prices may vary

Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Blacked Out
  • 2 year International Warranty
  • Japanese-quartz Movement
Price: $95.00 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Imported
  • Military look
  • Japanese-quartz movement
Price: $325.00 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Real leather band
  • Steampunk look
  • Beautiful Face
Price: $200.00 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Features
  • Stainless steel
  • Solar powered
Price: $697.24 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Chronograph
  • Looks
  • Eco-Drive
Price: $260.00 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Style
  • Trusted name
  • Multi-use
Price: $260.83 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Looks
  • Clasp
  • Casual or formal
Price: $34.89 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • World time
  • Eco-Drive
  • Water resistance
Price: $550.68 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • 200m
  • Navy SEALs
  • Luminescence
Price: $149.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Manufacturer
  • Features
  • Light
Price: $96.99 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Amazon Customer Reviews
  • Design
  • Multi-use
  • Classic name
Price: $325.00 Shop at Amazon Shop now Read our review
Our Unbiased Reviews
  1. 1. Michael Kors Men’s Slim Runway Quartz Watch

    Pros:
    • Blacked Out
    • 2 year International Warranty
    • Japanese-quartz Movement
    Cons:
    • Made by Fossil
    • Look is Subjective
    • Belt Feels Cheap/Ultra Light

    You simply won’t find a better all-blacked out watch than this Japanese-quartz movement watch from well-known men’s brand Michael Kors. It sports a sleek dark gray watch face with an all-black stainless steel band, giving it an ultimately classy look that will pair perfectly with a blazer for a night out.

    It also comes with an impressive 2-year International Warranty, so if it should break, Michael Kors will replace it. The watch is water-resistant up to 50m, and although it says it’s perfectly okay to use it while recreational swimming, I wouldn’t do so for extended periods of time.

  2. 2. Citizen Watches Eco-Drive Chronograph Canvas Watch

    Pros:
    • Imported
    • Military look
    • Japanese-quartz movement
    Cons:
    • Canvas absorbs sweat
    • Military look isn't for everyone
    • No other color options available

    I’ve had a Citizen watch for over 10 years, and I don’t mean I always buy Citizen watches – I mean the first Citizen watch I bought has lasted me that long. Chalk it up to good quality, or chalk it up to the fact that I only wear it a few times per month. Either way, picking up any of Citizen’s quality watches makes for a good purchasing decision.

    Here, they’ve got a military-inspired Japanese-quartz watch with glowing hands and three subdials. It sports a silver dial and a black and white face.

    It’s a classic look that is perfect for casual wear, pairing especially well with khakis and a tee.

  3. 3. Diesel Men’s Mr. Daddy 2.0

    Pros:
    • Real leather band
    • Steampunk look
    • Beautiful Face
    Cons:
    • Only Water Resistant for 30M
    • Leather band absorbs sweat
    • Only one face color option available

    If you’re looking for something that may be a bit much, check out this steampunk-looking men’s watch from Diesel. It’s (properly) called the Mr. Daddy 2.0, and it’s a quartz stainless steel and leather watch with a beautiful gunmetal grey, blue, and brown colorway.

    It has a lot going on with the face, with all the arms and circles you can handle. It’s a great-looking watch that pairs best with a casual outing. It’s water-resistant up to 30M, and it utilizes real leather for the band.

  4. 4. Casio Men’s Pathfinder Triple Sensor Multi-Function Sport Watch

    Pros:
    • Features
    • Stainless steel
    • Solar powered
    Cons:
    • Weak water resistance
    • Not a G-Shock (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just pointing it out)
    • Bullky

    If you’re looking for something that may be a bit much, check out this steampunk-looking men’s watch from Diesel. It’s (properly) called Mr. Daddy 2.0, and it’s a quartz stainless steel and leather watch with a beautiful gunmetal grey, blue, and brown colorway.

    It has a lot going on with the face, with all the arms and circles you can handle. It’s a great-looking watch that pairs best with a casual outing. It’s water-resistant up to 30M, and it utilizes real leather for the band. Throw on the right jacket and outfit with this watch and you will have purchased the perfect finishing touches to a great outfit. 

  5. 5. Citizen Watches Men’s Eco-Drive

    Pros:
    • Chronograph
    • Looks
    • Eco-Drive technology
    Cons:
    • Smaller case size
    • Low water resistance
    • No depth

    Another great bargain for men’s watches under $200. This is a Citizen Eco-Drive, which is the brand’s proprietary technology for solar-powered watches. There are actually photovoltaic cells that you can’t see embedded under the dial of the watch. It’s powered by sunlight or any kind of light.

    This Eco-Drive is a “military-inspired” piece, according to Citizen, with a 39mm stainless steel case. That case looks great with the contrasting green canvas band. This is a chronograph so it’s got the three sub-dials: a one-hour timer; a 24-hour timer; a one-minute second hand. The larger red second hand — which looks great — is actually a chronograph hand that can be started and stopped (a stopwatch) with the pusher buttons.

    The hands are luminous. Water-resistant to 100m. 

  6. 6. Bulova Men’s Modern Quartz Watch

    Pros:
    • Great style
    • Trusted watch maker
    • Casual or formal
    Cons:
    • High maintenance
    • Not waterproof
    • Sizing

    Not just a sleek and sexy design this is one of those very practical watches. The best outfit to rock this slick timepiece with is anything. Jeans and a tee? This watch works. If you want to match through and through I recommend a black button-down, something light and some black, pressed slacks. Throw on some shiny black wingtips and you, my friend have got yourself a totally cool new outfit. This watch is the accessory that ties everything together. People notice when a man and his watch make an outfit look good.

  7. 7. Casio Mens ‘Sports’ Quartz Stainless Steel Casual Watch

    Pros:
    • Looks
    • Clasp
    • Casual or formal
    Cons:
    • Weak water resistance (50m — but why would you want to take this watch swimming?)
    • Sizing
    • High maintenance

    This stainless steel analog watch from ESQ has a very modern, beautiful look. The stainless case and band are a great setting for the textured black dial and silver/white detailing.

    The movement on this watch is Japanese quartz: it is battery operated. The case diameter of the watch is on the bigger side at 46mm. Features a date window at three o’clock. The band is adjustable because links can be removed. Features a deploying clasp, push-button closure.

  8. 8. Citizen Eco-Drive Marina Chronograph Watch

    Pros:
    • World cities time
    • Eco-Drive (solar powered)
    • Good water resistance (330 feet)
    Cons:
    • Watch dial is a little busy
    • High maintenance
    • Sizing

     

     

    This is one of those watches that tiptoes up to the line between a dress watch and a sporty watch. Or, more specifically, it’s on the edge of a dressy watch and watch-that-you-can-geek-out-on watch. The reason is simple: the piece features world time in 24 different cities. (Very simple to set up, using the unidirectional rotating bezel.)

    In addition to the world cities’ time feature, the watch also features three subdials: one for the date, one for the day of the week and one for 24 hour time. And, of course, this is an Eco-Drive, which means that the watch is powered by light.

     

    Buy the Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Calendrier Watch here.

     
  9. 9. LUMINOX SEA Turtle 0300 Series XS.0307.WO Watch

    Pros:
    • 200m water resistance
    • Official watch of the Navy SEALs
    • Great luminescence
    Cons:
    • Poly case, as opposed to stainless steel (but it is very durable)
    • Higher price
    • Sizing

     

     

    Luminox has got a wide variety of high-performance sports watches that hover around the $500 (and up) mark, so this is a very solid find to get a Luminox men’s watch under $400.

    Water-resistant to 200 meters, the watch features a 44mm polyurethane case, so this watch can take a licking. The dial features the white luminescent hands and hour indices, as well as five-minute interval numerals on the unidirectional bezel. Date display at three o’clock. Under the hood, it’s Swiss quartz movement.

    This brand was built on the idea of creating a watch with great luminescence. Luminox’s name is from the Latin: Lumi = light and Nox = night. 

    Buy the Luminox Men’s 3051 Navy Seal Colormark Watch Automatic here.

  10. 10. Timex Waterbury Chronograph Watch

    Pros:
    • Reputable manufacturer
    • Great features
    • Indiglo light
    Cons:
    • 100m water resistance
    • Sizing
    • Band

     

     

    This is another high-tech watch with plenty of features and it’s from the rock-solid Timex brand. The term “fly-back” refers to the way the dials fly back to normal position when the chronograph functions are reset. This type of feature is traditionally associated with pilot’s watches and Timex describes it as “independent b-directional hands measure time and fly back like the dashboard gauge of a sports car.”

    Features of this watch:

    • Chronograph
    • Fourth hand indicator
    • Indiglo night-light

    While this watch does feature 100m (165 feet) water resistance, it’s not the kind of timepiece you want to get wet. It does have an attractive brown leather band with a deployant clasp closure. The case size is 43mm and the date window is between 2 and 3 o’clock. A very good looking piece.

    Buy the Timex Intelligent Quartz Fly-Back Chronograph Watch here.

     

     

  11. 11. Tissot Men’s Classic Analog Watch

    Pros:
    • Fantasic look
    • Multi-use
    • Long-time brand
    Cons:
    • Longer break-in time for the band to “soften”
    • Weak water resistance (30m) but with this watch that shouldn’t be an issue
    • Delays

    Tissot was founded in Switzerland in 1853, so this watch comes with a pedigree. The only reason it makes it into this list of men’s watches under $200 is because it’s discounted substantially.

    There’s no better way to describe this watch than “lovely.” It’s a great looking time piece in a very classic style. The stainless steel round case is 38mm, so it’s not too big. The hours are designated with Roman numerals, including the traditional IIII for four o’clock (instead of IV). There are minute markers around the outer rim and the hands and dial markers are luminescent. Date window at three o’clock. The strap is brown leather. Quartz movement and Swiss made. Lovely…and elegant.

    Buy the Tissot Men’s Classic Analog Watch here.

  • Watches: Which Type for You?

     

  • Mechanical Watches

  • These are watches that are powered by the intricate components that make up the guts of the watch. They're powered either manually (by winding) or automatically (which happens when the movement of the watch wearer transfers energy to those intricate components). Mechanical watches are pretty much synonymous with Swiss watches, but there are plenty of Japanese mechanical watches. This type of movement (mechanical is a "movement") is what you'll find the majority of the time in the super deluxe watches.

    Quartz

  • These are watches that are powered by a battery. The battery sends a current through tiny quartz in the guts of the watch, and that powers the components. Seiko, a Japanese company, invented the quartz watch in the 1960s.

    Water-resistant

  • There really is no such thing as a "waterproof" watch. This is something that reputable makers in the watch industry are well aware of and completely accepting of. In a nutshell, you can definitely get a watch that has great water resistance and will suit your H2O needs.

    Swiss or Japanese made

  • Of course, the tradition of mechanical watches goes back a long time in Switzerland. That's great. But don't discount at all the long tradition of Japanese-made watches. Citizen, Seiko, and Casio are some of the best brands there are.

    This list is broken down into five sporty watches (#1-#5), and six dressy watches (#6-#11).

    To sum up, the high-dollar collectible watches (Rolex, et al) are almost always mechanical watches that feature incredible (and incredibly expensive) workmanship. You just won't get that same level of technical excellence under $300 (or, for that matter, under $2,000). However, you will be getting a super well-made watch that looks great. Getting a men's watch at the $300 level is a great step toward creating a collection that may grow for you. This price range is very likely going to provide a bit more workmanship and sophistication than a watch under $100. It's like anything else: you get what you pay for. When you're paying for one of the watches in this list of 11 Men's Watches Under $400, you're getting quality, looks, and value.

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