10 of the Best Watches Under $5,000
10 of the Best Watches Under 5,000 Dollars
It’s easy to become overwhelmed when looking at the price tag of luxury watches. High-end watches can cost upwards of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, you don’t need to break the bank in order to purchase a luxury watch.
We’ve compiled our top 10 watches under 5,000 dollars. All of these watches are powered by highly accurate mechanical movements, and each watch was designed and manufactured by a trusted watch brand. So you can be sure that these watches will be worth the investment.
To give you as many options as possible, we’ve gathered a wide variety of watch styles, such as dive watches, chronograph watches, dress watches, minimalist watches, and more.
Please note that the watches we chose have multiple variations with different straps, dials, and case materials. We chose our favorite variations, but you'll need to visit the brands' websites to see all of the options and to choose which variation best fits your style.
Table of Contents
IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII provides a clean, clutter-free dial to improve readability. Buyers can tell the time immediately with a quick glance at their wrist. This model features a black dial and a black leather strap; however, you can choose between a black or white dial and a leather strap or a stainless steel bracelet. This pilots watch has a classic look that will never go out of style.
Price: $3,950
Brand: IWC Schaffhausen
Collection: Pilot Watches
Model: Mark XVIII
Reference Number: IW327001
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 40 mm
Height: 10.8 mm
Movement: Automatic 30110-calibre
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Water Resistance: 6 bar
Strap: Black calfskin strap
Features: Luminescent hands and indices, a date window at 3 o’clock, and a soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields.
Breitling SuperOcean II 42
The Breitling SuperOcean II 42 is a dive watch with an ultra-sporty appearance. Divers will appreciate the 50 bar water resistance, the unidirectional rotating bezel, the large numerals, and the luminescent hands and indices. However, this sports watch isn’t limited to divers. This watch can be worn by anyone who is looking for a high-end sports watch to add to their collection.
Price: $3,900
Brand: Breitling
Collection: SuperOcean
Model: SuperOcean II 42
Reference Number: A17365C9-BD67-161A
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 42.00 mm
Thickness: 13.30 mm
Movement: Self-winding Breitling 17 caliber
Power Reserve: 40 hours
Water Resistance: 50 bar
Strap: Leather, Diver Pro, Ocean Racer, or Professional III
Case Back: Screwed in
Features: A unidirectional rotating bezel, visible large numerals, and luminescent hands and indices.
TAG Heuer Carrera
Although this TAG Heuer Carrera doesn’t quite make it under our $5,000 limit, we felt it necessary to include this incredibly popular watch in our top 10 list of watches under $5,000. This sports watch will be sure to impress with its skeleton dial, black ceramic bezel, and luminescent hands and indices. This high-end sports watch is an everyday watch that can be worn to the gym, the pool, the race track, or the office.
Price: $5,200
Brand: TAG Heuer
Collection: Carrera
Model: Calibre Heuer 01 Automatic Chronograph 100 M
Reference Number: CAR201V.FT6046
Case: Steel case, black ceramic bezel
Diameter: 43.00 mm
Movement: Self-winding TAG Heuer Caliber 01
Power Reserve: 50 hours
Water Resistance: 10 bar
Strap: Black rubber strap
Case Back: Alternate finishing steel screw-down sapphire case back
Features: Chronograph, date display with rapid date correction, luminescent hands and indices, and tachymeter scale
Panerai Luminor Marina
Panerai is known for producing highly legible watches, and this Panerai Luminor Marina is no different. This watch features Panerai’s signature large Arabic numerals, luminescent hands and indices, and high-end leather strap. The watch comes in at the top of our budget, but it’s a watch that will never go out of style. Plus, this watch is powered by a C.O.S.C certified hand-wound movement, so you can be sure that the time will be accurate.
Price: $5,000
Brand: Panerai
Collection: Luminor
Model: Marina Logo
Reference Number: PAM01005
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 44.00 mm
Movement: Hand-wound Panerai OP II caliber
Power Reserve: 56 hours
Water Resistance: 10 bar
Strap: Calf Monte Carlo, Gold
Case Back: Driven, steel
Features: Luminescent hands and indices, Incabloc anti-shock device, C.O.S.C tested and certified, small seconds at 9 o’clock
Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Ceramic
With its square ceramic case and calfskin leather strap, the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Ceramic is one of the most unique watches on this list. Similar to Panerai watches, this Bell & Ross watch offers enhanced readability with its large Arabic numerals and luminescent hands and indices. Plus, the calfskin leather strap is sure to hold up with wear because on the inside of the strap is a heavy-duty black canvas.
Price: $3,800
Brand: Bell & Ross
Collection: BR 03
Model: BR 03-92 Heritage Ceramic
Reference Number: BR0392-HERITAGE-CE
Case: Matte black Ceramic
Diameter: 42.00 mm
Movement: Self-winding
Water Resistance: 10 bar
Strap: Calfskin with hot stamping and black heavy-duty canvas
Features: Hands and indices coated with sand-colored Superluminova, antireflective sapphire glass, and a date window between 4 and 5 o’clock.
Tudor Pelagos
The Tudor Pelagos is a dive watch that won’t disappoint. The watch features a 50 bar water resistance, a helium escape valve, a unidirectional rotating bezel, and white luminescent hands and indices for enhanced readability. This watch not only comes with a titanium bracelet, but it also comes with an additional rubber strap. This allows for the buyer to dress up the watch with the titanium bracelet or keep it casual with the rubber strap. It’s almost like you’re getting two watches for the price of one!
Price: $4,400
Brand: Tudor
Collection: Pelagos
Model: Pelagos
Reference Number: M25600TN-0001
Case: Titanium and steel
Diameter: 42.00 mm
Movement: Self-winding Manufacture Caliber MT5612
Power Reserve: 70 hours
Water Resistance: 50 bar
Strap: Titanium, additional rubber strap and extension piece supplied with each watch
Features: Helium escape valve at 9 o’clock, date window at 3 o’clock, unidirectional rotating bezel, white luminescent hands and indices
Seiko Presage Chronograph
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of their first automatic watch, Seiko released this Seiko Presage Chronograph. This watch features an enamel dial and a highly accurate 12-hour chronograph. The watch is powered by the self-winding 8R48 caliber, and you can see this movement at work through the sapphire crystal back. If you want this watch, then you’ll have to move quickly. This is a limited edition timepiece, and only 1,000 watches will be sold.
Price: $2,300
Brand: Seiko
Collection: Presage
Model: Presage Chronograph
Reference Number: SRQ019J1
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 42.00 mm
Movement: Self-winding 8R48 caliber
Power Reserve: 45 hours
Water Resistance: 10 bar
Strap: Crocodile leather strap
Case Back: See-through case back
Features: Chronograph up to 12 hours, enamel dial, date window, magnetic resistance up to 4,800 A/m
Frederique Constant Manufacture Worldtimer
Frederique Constant is known for producing high-end watches with affordable price points, and this Manufacture Worldtimer is no different. The watch features a 24-hour time display with a day-night indicator, a pointer date at 6 o'clock, and the time in 24 time zones simultaneously. Plus, this variation features a world map in the center of the dial. This Frederique Constant watch is a classic timepiece with high-end complications, yet it costs less than $4,000.
Price: $3,995
Brand: Frederique Constant
Collection: Manufacture
Model: Manufacture Worldtimer
Reference Number: FC-718WM4H6
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 42.00 mm
Thickness: 12.10 mm
Movement: Self-winding FC-718 caliber
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Water Resistance: 5 bar
Strap: Alligator leather strap
Features: Worldtimer, pointer date at 6 o’clock, worldmap, applied white luminous indexes
Oris Divers Sixty-Five 42
The Oris Divers Sixty-Five 42 may be the least expensive watch on this list, but that doesn’t show in the quality of the movement or the design of the watch. This vintage-inspired watch celebrates the brand’s iconic dive watch from 1965. The Oris Divers Sixty-Five 42 revives the retro look of the vintage watch, but it’s been modernized using 21st century watchmaking techniques. This dive watch will appeal to both professional andamateur divers with its 10 bar water resistance, luminescent hands and indices, and easy-to-read display.
Price: $2,000
Brand: Oris
Collection: Divers
Model: Divers Sixty-Five
Reference Number: 01 733 7720 4055-07 5 21 02
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 42.00 mm
Movement: Self-winding Oris 733
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Water Resistance: 10 bar
Strap: Dark brown leather strap
Case Back: Screwed in
Features: Luminescent hands and indices, date window, instantaneous date, and date corrector
Nomos Tangente
We would be remiss if we didn’t include Nomos on this list of the best watches under 5,000 dollars. Launched in 1990, Nomos is a rather new watch brand, but they’ve quickly made a name for themselves. Nomos watches are known for their easy-to-read dials, simplistic style, and modern appearance. The Nomos Tangente made our list because it features a self-winding in-house movement with a 42-hour power reserve. There are very few watches with in-house automatic movements that are sold for $3,460!
Price: $3,460
Brand: Nomos Glashutte
Collection: Tangente
Model: Tangente Neomatik
Reference Number: 175
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 35.00 mm
Height: 6.9 mm
Movement: Self-winding DUW 3001 NOMOS caliber
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Water Resistance: 3 bar
Strap: Horween genuine shell cordovan black, remborde, hand-stitched
Case Back: See-through sapphire crystal
Features: Seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock, stop-seconds mechanism, and Incabloc shock protection
