Top 5 Budget Watches for New Collectors (Under £500)

It’s always easy to gripe about the problems in the watch industry. It’s especially easy to do so in January. The weather is grim, the festive season is in the rearview mirror, and our pockets are barer than old Mother Hubbard’s Cupboards. But even though whinging about the skyrocketing prices of once-attainable core collection pieces from heritage brands like Rolex and Omega may seem cathartic in the moment, remember, revenge is a dish best-served cold.

So save your hot-collared convulsing for a situation beyond your control. With a little cold-hearted, clear-headed, keen-eyed reasoning, you can navigate the frustrations foisted upon us by major Maisons who care not for the beginner or amateur, and wind up with a wonderful, low-budget timepiece that has oodles more character than your big-standard Sub.

One of the best things to come out of the Swatch Group’s near monopoly on the entry-level luxury market (something we analyse in this week’s episode of The Real Time Show) is that any brand daring to step into that sub-£500 arena needs to bring fireworks to the party.

The five budget watches below that I would heartily recommend for a first-time buyer or seasoned pro looking for a fun knockabout, are packing rockets in their pants, sparklers in their socks, and a Roman Candle where the sun don’t shine. 

It’s true that the more interesting Seikos are creeping up in price away from this ultra-entry-level bracket, but so many of the goodies were pumped into various markets, excellent deals on last season’s models can be found from official ADs and reputable sellers (like Amazon), alike.

My personal favourite budget Seiko line that has leapt up in price recently, is the Save the Ocean series, which sees new modes released every year.

Advantageously, that means there’s a constant cycle of older models being flushed out of stock holdings at fire sale prices, so check your local Seiko dealer for the best discounts in the window.

Failing that, you can still pick up the Seiko Prospex Antarctica ‘Monster’ Save The Ocean SRPG57K1 for exactly £500 from the official Seiko Boutique online.

It’s too obvious a choice not to mention. In terms of street cred for your dime, no brand turns in a better return than Casio. The G-Shock is an icon of the industry and one of the few such pieces that remains an impulse buy.

There are so many of them to choose from, collecting them is genuinely fun. You couldn’t possibly catch them all and so missing out on one you might have wanted doesn’t hurt as much as you might think. There’ll always be another right around the corner. And at around £100 for a basic Casio G-Shock and less than half for the classic Casio F91W, there’s nothing not to like about this Japanese gem when shopping on a shoestring.

Splitting the top three was hard for me. I would happily have listed them in any order because each has incredible individual merits. However, I went with my gut and leaned into my personal biases. Feel free to tell me why I’m wrong in the comments below.

In third place is Furlan Marri. Furlan Marri is possibly THE most impressive entry-level independent of the past decade in terms of growth and firm establishment in the industry, with its only real rival (and arguable conqueror) for that crown, British brand Studio Underd0g (which would have topped this list had its watches not just crept out of the price cap I was set).

Furlan Marri’s enduring meca-quartz chronograph, which feels like the rockstar lovechild of Patek Philippe and Breguet despite costing the same in pounds as modes from those behemoths do in thousands, sneaks in just six pounds under the £500 limit on today’s conversion (which is, of course, liable to fluctuate). That means this watch, battery-powered as it is, is one of the finest-looking, best-made, highly regarded timepieces you can buy for less (a lot less) than a grand.

Okay. If you know me, you’ll know I have a weakness for colour. But why not make a statement with the first “real” watch you’ve dared to sink your hard-earned cash into? If there’s one thing you’ll find significantly more of at this price point than the upper echelons of the industry, it is fun. Although I believe that Vero is a great brand from top to bottom, with handsome models throughout the catalogue, for me, the Forester Service family (specifically the Ranger or AirTanker editions) is the pick of the bunch.

David Campo’s Stockholm-based studio takes a top spot I feel it frequently snares whenever I’m asked to choose my favourite sub-£500 brands.

Although Nezumi reigns supreme, I will freely admit that its position atop the pile has never been more under threat. If I were considering a brand’s entire range rather than just the pieces that fell beneath the £500 barrier, Furlan Marri would have won this segment at a canter.

However, while Furlan Marri’s really impressive work doesn’t kick in until we hit four figures, every single model in Nezumi’s line can be had well below the £500 limit (even the automatic Aviera models, which currently come in around £435).

The much-missed Corbeau model is about to return to the line-up in three new colourways so make sure to sign up for the brand’s newsletter to avoid missing out on what is sure to be a hot drop.

And let us know in the comments below, which watches it was that started your collecting journey and what you think of these five brand picks as places to get things going.