10 Best Watches Under £1000 for Your Money

The Seiko Prospex

The best starting point for any watch collection that is attempting to find the best watch under 1000 pounds must be Seiko. Seiko watches are not only historic, iconic and often bullet proof, they are able to penetrate the market at different price points.

The Seiko Prospex line is notoriously popular due to its large swathe of different models, colours and target audience. The design is rich in heritage, with early models dating back to 1965. Prospex stands for “Professional Specification”, and the Prospex divers lineup is split into popular variations coined by fans of the brand as the ‘Turtle’, the ‘Samurai’ and ‘Captain Williard’. The difference here being the angular design of the Samurai, versus the cushion case, vintage appeal of the Turtle or Captain Williard. 

One of the best divers under £1000 that would enrich my collection would be the re-release of the 1968 Seiko Prospex Heritage Turtle in 41mm. This keeps it simple, but retains the distinct crown at 5 o’clock and is housed in a refreshingly wearable size, and available at £860. 

Farer Freshwater

Farer is another microbrand that continues to punch through into the well-known echelons of unique design & watch making. 

The Freshwater in sky blue uses a blended mix of different blues, with a contrasting white dial, and a red and black day-date disc. The mixture of a steel case, with an aluminium bezel in that unique colour really brings something different, retaining the Farer philosophy throughout. For £875, not only do you get the stainless-steel link bracelet, Farer throw in the rubber AND fabric strap – 3 for the price of one. This crystal-clear offering peacocks its way into my top 10 watches under £1000. 

Squale 1545

Squale has been producing professional dive watches since the 1950’s. It has also supplied watch cases to other brands like Blancpain and Doxa, demonstrating why it has a seat at the diver’s royalty table. 

The Squale 1545 comes in just under £800, and for this you get a 40mm stainless steel case, a unidirectional rotating bezel, 200m water resistance with a screw-down crown and case back and overall, it offers great value for money. Squale is one of the most respected names in diving, and at a fraction of the price of competitors such as TAG, Omega or even Rolex, the 1545 is a serious contender in the best watches under 1000 pounds. 

Frederique Constant Classics Index Automatic

Watches or watch? Dress-watches typically have limited use-cases compared to other categories. That is why I’ve only picked just the one entry here, but what a one-watch it is. 

The Frederique Constant Classics index Automatic in 40mm. Frederique Constant are no stranger to releasing watches that punch far above their weight, with releases tailored to each end of the pricing spectrum. Their craft starts with multiple watches under £1000, like this one at £995, all the way up to in-house tourbillion movements for in excess of £10,000! 

This watch can be found with either a silver, black or blue dial, within a tasty 40mm stainless steel case. The Classics Index has a highly versatile aesthetic, which means it can come out of the watch box on more than just the most formal occasions. Ultimately, it is a great looking watch, well finished, well-polished and readily available. Frederique Constant may not have the richest history, having been founded in 1988, but I guarantee this watch will serve as a gateway into an expansive future passion. 

Formex Field Automatic

Crafted entirely from Grade 2 titanium, the 40mm case is both lightweight extremely and good-looking. A special hardening treatment enhances its surface hardness from 145 Vickers to approximately 900 Vickers, ensuring exceptional resistance to scratches and wear. This makes it an ideal companion for rigorous outdoor activities. 

The Field Automatic is one of the very small amount of watches from Formex that meets the criteria of watches under 1000 pounds, coming in at £890. Formex is a Swiss-watch brand that has carved out its market position as one of the smaller leaders in material design, offering unique styles, matched by their high-quality manufacturing processes.

Studio Underd0g 02SERIES – Pink Lem0nade

Studio UnderD0g does not only have some of the best watches below 1000 pounds, they are also contenders as the standout leader amongst best watch brands under 1000. 

We will continue to proclaim our love and lust for all Studio UnderD0g watches as they have been part a huge part of the British watch movement and become design visionaries for the last 3 years. 

The Pink Lem0nade is part of their 02SERIES which was released in November 2023. It comes with a striking pink and yellow gradient changing dial when subjected to UV light. It’s quite dainty on the wrist, so more applicable to anyone with sub 7-inch wrists,  

Timex Expedition Titanium Automatic

The Timex Expedition is another watch which comes in an eye-pleasing 41mm titanium case to keep the package lightweight on the wrist, with a metal that is highly scratch resistant. Priced at only £310, I cannot quite believe this isn’t in most people’s watch collections as their go-anywhere, do-anything watch. This watch does not need a bracelet, and the nylon strap pairs nicely with the outdoor aesthetic. This has up to 200m of water resistance, so it literally would never need to be taken off.

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical

No worthwhile list that covers watches under 1000 pounds would omit Hamilton watches. My variant pick? The white dialled Khaki field watch at a wallet-pleasing £545. The contrasting white dial makes this watch standout from the sea of black-dialled field watches. At 38mm, it lends itself to being comfortable on almost anybody’s wrist. The differentiating factor of the Khaki field is the hand-wound mechanical movement that can be found within. Turning the crown to power up the watch, with a power reserve of up to 80 hours, it feels engaging and rewarding before a big day ahead.

Baltic Hermétique Tourer

Recently Baltic have been releasing hit after hit. The microbrand which launched in 2017 has matured into a French powerhouse of creative designs, appetising price points and colourways which hit every aspect of the spectrum. 

Dress watches are always tough to choose, because they are typically some of the most simplistic watches you can buy. Controversially, the Hermétique is marketed as a field watch, but the slender case profile and polished surfaces lend themselves perfectly to being a hybrid of a field and dress watch. The attraction to the Hermétique Tourer goes deeper than the green hue. The hidden crown at 3 o’clock takes a little to get used to, but means you can wear it on either wrist, and gives a unique talking point when friends or colleagues are certainly going to be asking questions. For these reasons, it takes a spot on my list of watches under 1000, coming in at £460.

Tissot PRX

I couldn’t round off my top 10 without an honourable mention of a watch that, from a distance (and with a little squinting), looks like a £50,000 option… the Tissot PRX. The PRX is available in a 40mm automatic variant, as well as 40mm and 35mm quartz alternatives.

You can probably guess, but the Tissot is the perfect foray into the world of watches with integrated bracelets. My pick of the bunch? As a staggering value proposition at only £335, the Green Tissot PRX, with its simple quartz movement and date at 3 o’clock, hits every mark it aims for. The integrated bracelet features a butterfly clasp, the dial is protected by scratch-resistant sapphire glass, and the pièce de résistance is its 100m water resistance. From the boardroom to the pub to the sea, it has you covered every step of the way.