5 Affordable Luxury Watches That Make Great Gifts

Quality timepieces that won’t break the bank.

If there’s been one overarching theme in the watch world in the past couple years, it’s the proliferation of affordable, well-designed watches that are actually worth wearing. While Swiss watches may still be the gold standard, they are by no means the only game in town. Here are five great ones just in time for holiday shopping:

1. Seiko Prospex Street Series

Inspired by the original 1975 Seiko diver that’s evolved into the essential starter watch for many men, this solar-powered timepiece just got an urban refresh in saturated tones of dark grey, blue and green. At 47mm it certainly qualifies as oversized but it’s also big on function and style even if you’re not taking the plunge. $450

2. Alpina Startimer Big Date

Alpina’s pilot watches are beautifully made and perfectly priced, with the look of much more expensive pieces. The Swiss brand founded in 1883 has always engineered its watches towards the more adventurous side of life, be it climbing the matterhorn or piloting a fighter jet. The camo dial is extra cool. $339.99

3. Nezumi Voiture

This killer chronograph from Stockholm-based designer and Porsche collector David Campo Cardenes is the right mix of vintage racing style and contemporary watchmaking. The watches that inspired its design are no longer affordable, but this is no mere copy of a 1960s classic. $364.59

4. Baltic Bicompax 001

Straight outta France, Baltic has won over watch guys with its vintage-inspired timepieces that are elegant in their simplicity; even their chronographs aren’t complex. And their manual wind movements are so pretty you’ll want to pay the extra fee for an open caseback so you can see it in motion. $617

5. Feice Automatic Chronograph

China’s Feice makes the best looking watch you can get for $250, hands down. That’s because they adhere to Bauhas principles of clean, modern design, and what’s more they use automatic movements which would normally cost a lot more. There’s no snob appeal here, just one smart buy. $249.99