The Best Automatic Watches Under $500 (2020)

what's going on guys teddy baldustar here now over the last few years since i've had this channel i've had the opportunity to handle thousands of watches probably now and as you even go up in the price ranges and the levels of horology taking place in the watches you're handling you start to look back and i think even appreciate more what's able to be done in an affordable level so today i'm going to be looking at some watches under 500 automatic watches that are great watches to take a look at and just so this video isn't so long i'm going to link down below to a really helpful blog it actually lists out over 40 automatic watches under 500 it'll be in the description so definitely check that one out now just some ground rules before we jump in here of course automatic watches only so no hand winding watches also when looking at the prices going to stick to retail prices i think that makes this a bit more future proof because supplies change what's available at different prices definitely changes on the premium market all the time and then finally going to limit the amount of seiko fives mentioned here just a couple uh mentioned may i think there's actually one here in this list that's going to be mentioned just because it would get a little crazy when this would turn into a wormhole i do have some videos looking at different obscure seiko 5 models so definitely check those out if you just look up teddy baldus our sago5 those will probably pop up but guys let's jump off and speaking of seiko let's start there and they're going to probably be a reoccurring theme on this video so about two years ago or so i did a video where i went around to different retail locations places like macy's walmart and trying to get the best watch as i possibly could for the best deals possibly that i could and it was a little bit tough to do that as you might suspect but one of the watches that i found was the srpc srpc-93 so that was the samurai version the save the ocean model but to start us off here i want to look at the turtle variant of that the srpc91 so as many of you that are familiar with seiko and their turtles very wearable case for the case size appropriate price here you're getting a hard lex crystal on here but i think the real star of the show is that dial it's very striking with that blue fading to black it really does emulate that of ocean waves and to me it almost reminds me of the sea master 300 on a budget with that kind of wave dial that you're seeing here it's a very good choice if you're looking for a dive watch to get into this world prospects diver you're getting a solid movement within although not the 6r15 family or even the new 6r35 still does the job does feature hacking on these movements so you're not looking at the 7s26 for example in a great way to start off if you're looking in the world of dive watches for under 500. now the idea of if it's not broke don't fix it that probably is the best way to describe timex over the last three years as soon as they figured out that the marlin was going to be a cash cow for them and moving into automatic mechanical watches made a lot of sense then they jumped in they die they dove head first into that idea and this watch here they're going to be looking at is a kind of a representation of what that attitude has really brought forth from timex with the navi xl auto so this watch comes in a variety of different styles i really like this ip coated case i think it looks really sleek and i just like that case format with this overall design the black bezel and also the black dial just think it's the most attractive out of all the variants from a value perspective i don't know if these are always going to be the best options out there but from a design perspective timex always does a really nice job on these you're getting an automatic myota caliber within which is going to tick and do its job this one comes with 100 meters of water resistance so it's more diverse here than a true dive watch that can take a beating like no other so just kind of keep that in mind but this one could be worn with a variety of different straps i think you could dress it up a little bit with the right strap especially if you went for more traditional stainless steel variants also i really like the execution of the hollowed-out hour hand and showing the 24 hour scale on the inner part of the dial i think that's a nice little feature and these navi xl's i think are really nice choices for somebody that once maybe the dive watch looks once it had an affordable price and wants it from a brand like timex which i think is doing a very good job in answering to both of those sides of the aisle and the fashion forward more people versus the enthusiast crowd now definitely one of the most popular videos this year reviews that i did was of the orient kamasu basically labeling it as the best dive watch you can get for around 250 300 bucks and to be honest i probably stand by that i think you could also throw in a couple additional options with some new seiko fives getting thrown into the mix you can also throw in the orient canoe which is really good but when you factor in wearability that sapphire crystal it's it's really tough to beat now for this watch coming in with a 41 millimeter case actually just shy of 42 millimeters but when you factor in the lug to lug distance on this it's gonna actually wear closer to a 39 to 40 millimeter and i think from a mass market perspective it's kind of emulating where i see a lot of things going with the popularity say with the tudor black bay 58 and those dimensions on that watch you're also getting an in-house orient caliber within which is going to be reliable i think it's honestly providing sometimes even better performance than i'm finding in a lot of seiko counterparts so that's really going in its favor 200 meters of water resistance so it's certainly serviceable in that regard and you get that sapphire crystal it's not an iso certified diver but if you just want a no-nonsense dive watch could be paired with a variety of different straps different dial colors to choose from and perhaps maybe the best value for money pick i think i might put my money on the kamasu now in the world of watch enthusiasts there are cult-like followings that some brands are able to garner up and one of those that come to mind is vostok and people that love vostok watches absolutely love these things so i have to mention the amphibia here even though it's probably been mentioned so many times on lists of this type all over the internet but it can't go without being mentioned i think i think for around 90 bucks it's not necessarily my cup of tea but you can't deny the value that's taking place here 200 meters of water resistance you're getting an automatic movement wearable case dimensions but there's so many different options out there and then their own movements within which i've heard many times people are regulating these things with incredible accuracy getting these things close to cost specifications in terms of accuracy on a day-to-day they're pretty impressive they're built to be bashed around and they're a great place to look if you're just looking for a no-nonsense dive watch under 100 bucks now if there's a few watches that i have become a little bit exhausted with mentioning over and over again it's with the sarb033 and the zero three five not that they're bad watches but they certainly get mentioned more than enough on places online and they're really good watches no question about it but it seems like now the supply is finally seems to be depleting where the prices are now going up on these and it's harder to find them now under 500 very similar what's kind of happening with the skx for example but i think now looking at those going up and maybe giving some love to the larger wristed individuals a great compromise not even a compromise but a great maybe a shift in attention to somewhere else is the sary zero five five so this watch along with this counterpart the zero five seven are basically more built out versions of the sarb sarb033 larger case size 41 millimeters and a lug to lug extending out to 49 millimeters so that is going to size some certain people out but i can see for those with larger wrists this is a big winner and i don't think many people even know these things exist you're getting a nice healthy water resistance on these seiko 4r36 so not the 6r15 but still a really solid movement especially considering these are closer to around 400 450 dollars out on the market and with a lot of the depleted supply of the starb033 and the zero three five especially for those that maybe were just even looking in that direction because they didn't know these were existing uh these might be some good ones to take a look at okay so now we're in the dress we're in the dress category i don't know if you knew that i don't think i mentioned it at the beginning but you probably expected maybe see an orient bambino on this list maybe maybe you did if you didn't well i'm sorry to inform you but we are going to have an orient bambino on this list uh with generation four here so this one combines elements from some of the earlier generations with some of the more minimal styles that have been rolled out as well in some of the later generations so using those simple stick markers you have a variety of different colors to choose from a little bit larger when it comes to the case size here which is basically the rub with many of the bambinos out there but when you're looking at a watch for under 200 that can be look rather sophisticated for being a watch of that price getting a nice in-house japanese movement from orient within featuring hacking and hand winding and usually getting again good performance compared to the competition in the price range it's really hard to overlook these again though just kind of get lost the same way you can with the seiko fives and just looking at the different variants available but i think we have to mention them for a video about watches under 500 for automatics now to close out this dress category going to be looking back at seiko with the srpd37 so earlier this year covered this watch and basically labeled it as being the best style you can find for 400 bucks and i stand by that the thin fine finishing the line finish on the dial here it's very recognizable i think it's been emulated by other brands in this price range after the success of these this of course is a member of the cocktail time family which as you might suspect was made to resemble different cocktails with the dial designs this one coming in a green dial variant which is just very vivid it transitions to black and different lighting conditions and i'm just a huge fan of this one it's a little bit larger with the case size if you're looking in the area of dress watches at 40.5 millimeters getting a 4r35 movement within 50 meters of water resistance and a nice dome hardlex that almost resembles the same type of warm hue that comes with those vintage acrylic style crystals and when combining with that dial it's a killer combo now for this last section i want to combine field watches pilot watches and everyday watches kind of all together because i think they all overlap in some regard and to start us off i want to look at the notice sector so nodus is a really cool microbrand they're based on the west coast here in the united states i reviewed the retrospect 2 about a year ago it was an awesome dive watch at around 400 bucks so definitely an honorable mention for that one as well in this video but as of late what we've been seeing is a big trend in watches has been sector dials and i'm all for it i reviewed a long jeans heritage classic earlier this year their sector dial and honestly i mean i'm all again aboard the sector dial train this model comes at a more affordable price range at 425 dollars getting a nice wearable case at 38 millimeters and contrasting with this pretty solid lug to lug of 47 millimeters presence without being overbearing lug with 20 millimeters you're getting 150 meters of water resistance so more than serviceable for everyday needs an automatic seiko nh35 and i know these guys do fine tune and regulate these movements before setting anything out and with this one you're getting a unique handset pretty striking case design with a mix of b blasting and different polished finishes and notice they do a really good job with producing some solid watches for the money now when thinking of automatic watches under 500 or around 500 i should say i think hamilton is right there in the conversation and i wanted to include hamilton but if we're talking about retail prices they retail a little bit over that for their autos and then for their mechanical which is the hand winding movement that one is just under 500 but unfortunately it is a hand whining movement so we have to look elsewhere for that field watch style and the watch we're going to be looking at is their marathon general purpose now there's two different versions of this watch that's available one you have with a eda caliber within which is going to be hand winding but then you also have an automatic seiko variant which is going to be much more south in terms of the price tag and also featuring an automatic movement within and of course that's going to be the one we're going to be looking at today 360 dollars 34 millimeter case so pretty small here lug to lug is only 40.8 millimeters but you're getting a regulated seiko automatic nh35 within and marathon is a brand canadian brand make all their watches in switzerland and have been issuing military-grade timepieces since 1941 starting with the allied forces and are still creating watches that are used by american armed forces as well as canadian armed forces now there's a ton of brands that try to deliver their own pilot style watch kind of emulating that flager design typically the type a style dial but when you're looking at under 500 dollars it's kind of tough to find one that's usually more traditional actually has some backstory and some real history in this field while doing it at a more affordable price stova is a great example of it just a bit above but when looking at the original five and of those five brands the only one that really is able to deliver in this price range by making a couple compromises but not big compromises is with locko and the reason why this is possible is because they actually feature automatic yoda calibers within these watches to get this below 500 actually right around 400 but locko has been around since 1925 were actually one of the big five producing watches for the german air force during world war ii alongside stova vampy longa as well as iwc the watch we're going to be looking at here is the augsburg this is available both in a 39 millimeter variant as well as a 42 so you can kind of just pick your poison there crazy legible type a style dial those big leaf style hands also with loom across the dial that triangle at the 12 which was of course for orientation the important note here though is this is a hacking movement so they did upgrade this which is a nice benefit and for 400 bucks get that tradition get some outside of the movement i think case profile wise is just as good as a thousand dollar price range fleeger style watches i think this is a definitely a good piece to get into if you're trying to get into the world of pilots for the first time and you'll have this amount of money to spend next we have the baltic hms-002 so baltic is a really cool micro brand based out of france i think they came on the scene with several other watches like the aqua scaff also had their bi compacts which was very interesting uh entry level i would say chronograph with some cool vintage looks this one is kind of more of that everyday taking the same profile in terms of the design format and stuffing it into a nice everyday piece 38 millimeter case 47 millimeter lug to lug serviceable water resistance at 50 meters and you're also getting an automatic mioda 821a but i think the number one selling point when it comes to baltic is the design format i think it's a winner in all aspects and i think the variety of different colors you can choose from it's just kind of something you can slap on put on a variety of different straps and just have some fun with so i hinted at the idea once timex got a hold of the fact that the marlin could be a really nice seller that they started dumping a ton of different variants available and one of those and i'm happy that they did it was the timex day date the marlin and this one is available in a variety of different colors my favorite is the green dial variant i think it really pops and with that black day date function that you get i think it just really comes together quite well 40 millimeter case is going to be a little bit on the larger side if you are looking for an everyday wear it's going to appear a little bit larger just because of that domed effect of the crystal but still a really nice watch that you can find for the money you're getting a myota caliber again not the same in value perspective as maybe seiko or orient counterparts but from a design perspective i think it really is doing a nice job and that green is rather striking now these next two watches i actually featured head to head in a review it was kind of head to head but also i came at the conclusion at the end like hey you really can't go wrong this is more really what you want to go for the first was one of the new seiko fives it was the srpe053 so the dress kx as i see some people claiming these as being called which i kind of like i can get behind that name it's a good way to kind of classify it so 40 millimeter case wearable lug to lug distance so basically taking those seiko 5 sports models and then breaking it down to a smaller case format without that bezel or the rotating bezel i should say the one here is this blue dial variant which i am biggest fan of i think that's the one that really just sucked me in looks really attractive kind of taking that skx dial format of course and then adding it into a more compact form as a great everyday wear you're getting 100 meters of water resistance no screw down crown on this one but 100 meters i think for most people out there as a nice everyday piece that's really all you can ask for especially in this price range and you're getting also an upgraded from that 7s26 which is in a lot of seiko 5 models in previous generations so you're getting hacking here which is a nice added feature and a little bit of up spec in terms of the accuracy great loom on this piece probably the best in its class and just a great watch to go for if you've got about 300 bucks to spend a little bit less can't really do much better the next one that i compared it to was the orient maestro so the orient maestro it's doesn't have as much charm as say the bambino and even the seiko five just previously mentioned but it does it just works because it is so versatile it looks a little bit more dressy in terms of its format but it has some specs that goes along with it that will really allow it to be an everyday piece for the right type of consumer 100 meters of water resistance which is going to be a big thumbs up also getting even number lug with so that's good compared to many of the orient bambinos that have that odd number lug width so you're gonna get a lot more versatility when it comes to straps and you have the opportunity to choose from a variety of different colors you can go for more traditional navy dial black dial a white dial with blue hands or you can go for this more seafoam green or teal i don't really know what you would call this one but it's pretty striking green and it's just playful it's maybe not as versatile but it certainly is fun grab some attention and still be able to get a lot of work out of this one when having this one strapped on the wrist all right now before wrapping this one up just a couple things to consider of watches just slightly above that i'd love to be able to include one with the hamilton khaki field auto honestly for 500 bucks if you want an everyday wear might be one of the best options to go for if you are just not exhausted with them already i think you really can't do much better than a hamilton khaki field but then the other one that i want to mention is the tiso visor date this was the first swiss watch that i ever owned i loved it and really enjoyed it and i think it's a great gateway into the world of swiss watches more dressy but also with that retro logo nice wearable case nice movement within for around 600 bucks you really can't do much better i really like the white dial variant i owned a black dial of going back i definitely would have gotten that one but a really good watch for somebody that's looking for a dress watch swiss made from a great brand like tiso all right guys thank you so much for watching if you did enjoy the video thumbs up subscribe hit the bell icon really would appreciate that also definitely check out that blog down below if you did not get enough here you want more affordable automatic watches also be sure to be following us on instagram stay up to date with the content what's coming next see some cool photos of watches and of course head over to teddyballstar.com full authorized dealer of all the brands that we carry one of the most trusted places to buy a watch online but guys thank you again so much for watching be well and i will see you all very soon

Channel: Teddy Baldassarre

Views: 753,328

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Id: -9DQtvR9WdY

Length: 18min 35sec (1115 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 21 2020