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Best Automatic Watches Under $200 (That Are Worth The Money)

December 8, 2021

You want a great automatic watch but you only have 200 bucks to spare. Can you still get something that looks great and lasts long?

Turns out there’s plenty to choose from. And we are going to cover all of it here.

Let’s get started.

The Best Automatic Watches Under $200 - At A Glance

Before we dive in, let’s run through our favorites.

Preview
The Best For Night-Time Use
Orient Men's Automatic Sport Watch with Stainless Steel Strap, Model: TAA02005D9
The Best Looking
Bulova Men's Classic Aerojet 3-Hand Automatic Leather Strap Watch, Open Aperture, 40-Hour Power...
The Most Extravagant
Fossil Men's Townsman Automatic Stainless Steel and Leather Two-Hand Skeleton Watch, Color: Silver,...
The Most Heavy Duty
Vostok Komandirskie Automatic Self-Winding Mens Russian Military Wristwatch WR 200m #65-02 Case...
Color
Silver and blue
Brown and rose gold
Brown and blue
Black
Movement
Japanese automatic
Self Winder
Self winder
Self winder
Water Resistance
600 feet (182 m)
100 feet (30 m)
165 feet (50 m)
660 feet (200 m)
Face Size
1.6 inches (41 mm)
1.6 inches (41 mm)
1.73 inches ( 44 mm)
1.6 inches (41 mm)
Strap
Stainless steel
Leather
Leather
Nylon
Case
Stainless steel
Stainless steel
Stainless steel
Stainless steel
The Best For Night-Time Use
Preview
Orient Men's Automatic Sport Watch with Stainless Steel Strap, Model: TAA02005D9
Color
Silver and blue
Movement
Japanese automatic
Water Resistance
600 feet (182 m)
Face Size
1.6 inches (41 mm)
Strap
Stainless steel
Case
Stainless steel
More information
The Best Looking
Preview
Bulova Men's Classic Aerojet 3-Hand Automatic Leather Strap Watch, Open Aperture, 40-Hour Power...
Color
Brown and rose gold
Movement
Self Winder
Water Resistance
100 feet (30 m)
Face Size
1.6 inches (41 mm)
Strap
Leather
Case
Stainless steel
More information
The Most Extravagant
Preview
Fossil Men's Townsman Automatic Stainless Steel and Leather Two-Hand Skeleton Watch, Color: Silver,...
Color
Brown and blue
Movement
Self winder
Water Resistance
165 feet (50 m)
Face Size
1.73 inches ( 44 mm)
Strap
Leather
Case
Stainless steel
More information
The Most Heavy Duty
Preview
Vostok Komandirskie Automatic Self-Winding Mens Russian Military Wristwatch WR 200m #65-02 Case...
Color
Black
Movement
Self winder
Water Resistance
660 feet (200 m)
Face Size
1.6 inches (41 mm)
Strap
Nylon
Case
Stainless steel
More information

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The Watches

1. Orient Men's 'Mako XL

The Mako XL comes in a stainless steel design. Because of this, you don’t have to worry about it getting scrapes. The stainless steel casing is 14mm thick which makes it on the chunkier side.

The stainless steel body helps with durability, but so does its mineral window. Mineral windows are known for their scratch resistance. That being said, they’re not as tough as their sapphire counterparts. 

The watch utilizes a Swiss Automatic movement.

Of course, it’s massive! If you’re a fan of big watches, you’ll love the XL’s 1.7 inches (43mm) sizedisplay.

Although it’s huge, you’ll see that a lot of watches on our list rivals it in display size.

In terms of everyday use:

There’s a window with the date. Its dial is luminous which is a nice touch when you’re outdoors at night.

Although the band is silver, its bezel comes in many colours. You can find it in green, black and red. And its display comes in these colors as well. 

If you’re curious about the bezel type, it’s unidirectional. This means it’s great for pool use, which goes hand-in-hand with its 600 feet (180 m) water resistance.

What Makes it special:

Being XL, the watch is pretty big.

Best For Night-Time Use

2. Orient Men’s Ray II

The Orient Men’s Ray II is very similar to the Mako XL. The only real difference is the price tag. 

You’ll note that the Ray II is great for underwater use. It comes with 660 feet (200 m) of waterproofing along with a unidirectional bezel.

Its body is completely stainless steel and the display is a deep cobalt. This gives way to a striking design. 

Not only is its dial luminous but so are its indices

In fact, the Ray II is notorious for its lume. 

It uses a Japanese Automatic movement if you’re wondering.

Similar to the Mako XL, it is stainless steel. However, the Ray II is lighter, making it more comfortable on your wrist. 

The window is mineral so you can expect resistance to the occasional scruffs. However, mineral isn’t the strongest display. So, you could damage it. 

What makes it special:

Like me, if you’ve also had your car break down in the middle of the road, you’ll appreciate luminous indices when waiting for help at night.

3. Seiko Men's SNZG15

The Seiko comes with a nylon band. In my opinion, nylon is a great band for watches as it is highly durable.

The nylon band is textured as well, which makes it comfortable to wear. That being said, Nylon is a fabric so it can easily get stained

The watch’s casing is stainless steel. In terms of the display, it’s durable as well. This is because it’s made from Hardlex which is tougher than regular mineral. 

Its appearance isn’t anything to write home about as it comes with a black band and grey analog display. However, the calendar icon on the side of the display adds a nice pop of color as it’s bright red. 

The bezel is stationary which is a shame. You can use the watch while swimming as it can withstand up to 330 feet (100 m) underwater. So, a rotating bezel would be useful for swimmers.

The combination of nylon and stainless steel makes the watch considerably light as it’s only 2 ounces (56 g).

What makes it special:

If you’re not a fan of wrist workouts, this watch is perfect for you.

4. Seiko 5 Blue

The first thing you’ll notice with the Seiko 5 is its bezel. While the majority of it is black, a third of it is red. 

In fact:

If you look closely, you’ll see that the black turns blue-ish as it comes closer to the red.

Its multicolored bezel is set off by the Seiko 5’s stainless steel body. The steel plates are solidly linked, giving it a smooth finish

We’re not done with how unique it looks:

It comes with an exposed back so you can view the watch at work.

The watch’s display is hardlex (which seems to be Seiko’s go-to display type). So, you can easily buff out any scratches you encounter.

The Seiko 5 is great for night time use as its hands and markers are luminous

And any diver would enjoy its unidirectional bezel along with its 330 feet (100 m) waterproof resistance.

Unfortunately, it comes with a deployment claspSo if you put too much force on it, you could easily snap the buckle

What makes it special:

The exposed back looks great as you can see the internal gears at work.

The Best Looking

5. Bulova Mens Automatic

This watch from Bulova is another watch with a leather strap. This time, its display doesn’t ruin its premium look.

It comes with a display that has no indices, but minimalistic markings. This gives a modern look that anyone would love. 

The indices are rose gold which compliments the leather band very well. And its casing and bezel is this colour as well. 

Don’t get too excited though: The rose gold is simply stainless steel that’s been tinted. 

Its premium nature is further emphasized by the crocodile embossing on its leather. This allows the watch to fool anyone into thinking it’s pretty expensive. 

It has a 3 hand display so wherever you are, tracking hours, minutes and seconds is possible. 

Although water-resistant up to 330 feet (100 m), its bezel is stationary

The clasp is a push to release so you can easily get the watch off. Personally, I’ve struggled to remove watches so the Bulova is perfect to save time.

That being said, its push to release mechanism is still a deployment clasp so if you push too hard, you could break it. 

The moment you glance at the watch, you’ll notice something different about it. A chunk of its display is missing! There’s an opening that allows you to see its inner gears in motion

If you’re a watch nerd like me, you’ll enjoy this feature. 

What makes it special:

Its crocodile textured band feels great on the skin.

The Most Extravagant

6. Fossil Men's ME3110

If you want a watch that goes all out, this one is for you. 

It has 2 sub-dials, a skeleton window along with a textured inner ring.

In terms of its skeleton, it doesn’t give you a peek into the watch’s insides. Instead, you have gears moving on the watches surface independent of those in the interior.

Unfortunately, the gears block the 2 sub-dials considerably. So, you’ll have to stare at it at awkward angles to fully read what the dials say. 

It comes with a calendar function but you may not be a fan of this. It shows only the date, not the day or month. 

It comes with a leather band, but it’s not embossed like the other leather watches on this list. 

The Fossil’s window is mineral. Although not the hardest, it’s good enough if you want to steer clear of scratches. 

The clasp is a buckle, and getting the watch off your wrist can be tough. That being said, the buckle clasp is great as it won’t break easily. 

The watch is one of the heavier ones on this list as it’s over 8 ounces (226 g)

In terms of its appearance: 

Its window is a deep blue that compliments the leather’s rustic brown. What contrasts these deep shades is the gold in the indices and hands. 

The Fossil watch is fit for underwater usage, being able to withstand 165 feet (50 m) of water

What makes it special:

They really went all out with its display.

The Most Heavy Duty

7. Vostok Komandirskie

If you’re a fan of manual watches, you’ll love the Vostok as it comes with manual capabilities while being an automatic watch.

The watch itself comes in many designs and colours. There are too many to count as the brand lets you pick from 35 design styles.

If you’re clumsy like me, you’ll enjoy the Komandirskie. This is because it comes with shock resistance. Its nylon band helps with durability as well. 

Its body is completely black. Although it looks chic, it may be hard to use the watch when it’s dark. That’s why Vostok made its hands luminous. That being said, they could’ve gone all out and made the indices luminous as well.

If you’re a fan of unique watches, Vostok is perfect for you. It’s the official brand used by the defense department of the Soviet Union.

Its bezels rotate, helping you track the time you spend underwater. While swimming, you can take your trusty Vostok with you up to 660 feet (200 m).

The watch is pretty fun. You have to shake it to bring it to life. Although strange, this is part of its ‘debut’ process.

What makes it special:

It’s manual and automatic.

8. FEICE Unisex Men's Bauhaus Watch

The watch comes in a Bauhaus design. So it’s pretty bohemian, and a good fit for men and women.

Its display is one of the most durable out of any watch on this list. It’s a sapphire window so no matter what you do, you’ll struggle to scratch it.

What’s more, the sapphire window cuts glare. If you have poor eyesight, the FEICE won’t hurt your eyes. 

Its Bauhaus design looks pretty monotone. If you’re a fan of exciting watches, the FEICE really is not for you. It follows a minimalistic color palette as its band is dark brown while the display is a yellowish nude.

In terms of its movement, it’s pretty unique. The watch is Seagull Automatic.

You may enjoy the addition of its sub-dial. It tracks seconds

Its leather band is noted to be quite comfortable.

Its clasp is a hook buckle. It’s durable so you won’t snap it. 

The FIECE can withstand water, but it isn’t suitable for swimming. You can take it up to 100 feet (30 m) in a pool

What makes it special:

It’s probably the most ‘classic’ looking watch you can find on this list.

FAQ

How Do You Choose The Best Automatic Watch?

When looking for an automatic watch, there are many points to consider.

Jewels
Depending on your automatic watch, the number of jewels in it will vary. The higher the number of jewels present, the smoother the watch will run.

That’s why you’ll see expensive automatic watches, like Rolex having the most jewels. 

And no, ‘jewels’ aren’t real. Most of the time, they’re synthetic rubies. 

How Long Will It Last?
Although automatic watches run with you, sometimes you have to wind them. You should know how often you need to do this. 

Can You See Any Gears?
It’s amazing to see an automatic watch’s gears in motion. That’s why a lot of them come with exposed backs. 

If you want a fun experience, get an automatic watch with an exposed back.

Glass Type
With any watch, be it automatic or not, it needs to be durable. That’s why you need to examine what type of material its windows are made of.

What Are The Advantages Of Owning An Automatic Watch?

It’ll Last Longer
As the watch doesn’t have any batteries, it won’t accumulate as much dust. Thus, it’ll last longer, making it a better investment. 

Save Money?
Due to the lack of batteries, you’re saving a lot of money. You won’t have to deal with its battery leaking. Even if you’re careful, this can happen to the best of us. 

When it does, you know it’s expensive to get it attended to.

Unique Feel
In the past, automatic watches were the only options. So owning one is a blast from the past. This makes the watches very special.

You Make It Run
Having a vintage design makes it special. However, the fact that it runs on its own takes the cake. 

Once you’ve wound the watch, your heartbeat and wrist movement keeps the watch going. 

If this isn’t science fiction, I don’t know what is. 

Earn Money
As they’re vintage, and quite a novelty, you can make a bit off them. Since they last so long, they’re going to appreciate in value so stack up on these!

Precautions to Take When Owning An Automatic Watch

If you’re planning on owning an automatic watch, there are many things to be aware of. 

Always Have It On
If you don’t have your watch on a lot, you’re going to compromise its working condition. This is because it moves with your body. 

So if you’re not planning on wearing it much, get ready to regularly wind it up as its lubricating oils will dry up. 

Never Go Close to Magnets
There are thousands of gears and screws in the watch. If one of them isn’t in place, the watch will completely fail to work. 

Through everyday use, damaging its gears are difficult. 

However, you can wreak havoc on it with a magnet. The stronger the magnet, the better it will be at pulling gears out of place.

Don’t Wind It Underwater
If its gears give in, you’ll have to wind it. Be careful to not do so near water or while in it. This is because the button to wind it probably hasn’t been waterproofed. 

So, letting water in and will damage its insides.

Conclusion

If you take all these points into consideration, you would know why it’s so great to own an automatic watch. 

So, if you are interested in buying an automatic piece, don’t hesitate. 

To sum it up

Orient did the best. The brand had entries occupy our top two picks. All of the timepieces on our list are worth your time, though.

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Author
Thomas Vanderlaan
When Thomas Vanderlaan was a child, the moment he learned about mechanical watches he was hooked. His first love being mechanical watches, he decided to pursue a career in engineering as he was entranced by the science behind its gears. As the years passed, his passion grew. Although he worked a hectic career as an automobile engineer, he’d always collect watches during his spare time.
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