While many of us are guilty of the ‘impulse buy’, collecting watches isn’t something you should rush into. They’re expensive, luxury objects that you’ll spend a lot of time with, so if you’re just getting started it can be a daunting prospect to dive in wallet first – especially when it comes to big name brands where you can expect to spend four figures at a minimum and not your comparatively accessible Tissots, Seikos or Casios. That’s where the notion of an ‘entry-level’ watch can be useful. The watches that exemplify a lot of the brand’s core tenets and design ideals – even if they’re not the flagship, most iconic model – while being at the lower end of a brand’s price range. A balance of both accessibility and signature style that means they’re a great place to start building a collection or simply a starting point for your research. Here are some of our favourite entry-level watches for major watch brands.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual
While Rolex has a lot of house hold names within their collections, such as the Submariner, GMT-Master II and Daytona, the Oyster Perpetual is their most essential collection. A classy steel watch with clean design available at a good range of sizes and with a wide range of colours that change somewhat regularly keeping it collectible and cool. The sandy beige and pistachio green editions from 2025 stand out as some great modern examples. An extra consideration is that Rolex is notorious for long waiting lists and reserving their more exclusive models for repeat clients, meaning that if you want to get your foot in the door, the Oyster Perpetual is a good route to take.
More details at Rolex.
Tudor Black Bay
With Tudor it’s a case that their most famous watch is probably the place you want to start. The Black Bay is a 41mm dive watch with a Master Chronometer movement providing exceptional accuracy. In recent years the Black Bay range has exploded with increasingly niche variations with the Pro, One, Chrono, 68, 58 and 54 meaning that just the standard Black Bay is where you should start if you don’t want to immediately get bogged down in heritage details. A practical and modern tool watch.
More details at Tudor.
Breitling Navitimer
There are a couple of watches that could be described as Breitling’s entry-level model and it was a tough choice between the Navitimer and Chronomat. But on balance I think the Navitimer’s aviation heritage wins out over its sportier counterpart because it’s more closely aligned with the character and identity of Breitling. Not to mention the slide rule bezel being one of the most recognisable and iconic elements in the entire Breitling oeuvre. In its time only variation it’s also on the more accessible end of the spectrum, though the chronograph is the more common. For the most accessible collections you have the Avenger and Endurance but I still think a well-rounded entry-level watch is an introduction to the brand’s heritage and style at the same time.
More details at Breitling.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark series has evolved a lot over the years but has always remained one of their most popular models due to its relative accessibility and clean, military inspired design. It’s the successor to the incredibly popular vintage Pilot’s Watch Mark XI, which was worn by pilots following World War Two, giving it genuine military heritage. That’s why the black dial edition with white numerals is the go-to design, creating a hyper legible display.
More details at IWC.
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra
In a similar vein to the Rolex Oyster Perpetual, the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m is a versatile collection suitable for both sporty and formal occasions and available with a wide range of colour options. It features a distinctive tonneau style shape thanks to its curving lugs with polished edges. The dial itself is nice and legible with lumed hands and hour markers – if you are prefer stronger dive watch influence then you can also look at the most basic versions of the Diver 300M, which fall in a similar price bracket.
More details at Omega.
Tag Heuer Carrera Date
Anecdotally, a lot of people start collecting Tag Heuer watches through the quartz Formula One collection but in this article we’re focussing on mechanical watches which is why the Carrera wins out instead. It’s one of their classic motorsport collections with a round design and multiple complication options ranging from the humble date to race-ready chronographs. It’s also much more accessible than the more iconic Monaco.
More details at Tag Heuer.
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date
The Big Crown Pointer Date is a fantastic entry-level watch due to its classic pilot’s watch design with oversize crown and highly legible display. That’s paired with the titular pointer date function to give it a lot of character distinct to Oris. The collection was also revamped this year, offering a cleaner, modern appearance with a range of attractive colours and a bolder, graphic style. At 40mm it’s well sized for a variety of wrist sizes.
More details at Oris.
Cartier Tank Must de Cartier
I appreciate that there’s a certain hypocrisy in featuring a quartz Tank when I’ve intentionally avoided quartz models from other brands, however when it comes it to the Tank the prestige of the model is much less influenced by the movement inside. Plus, the Tank Must when it was introduced in 1977 during the quartz crisis was designed specifically to be the entry-level model with a steel case and more accessible movement.
More details at Cartier.
Longines HydroConquest
There’s a reason the Longines HydroConquest is one of their best sellers. With 300m water resistance and an automatic movement sporting a 72-hour power reserve at a price of £1,700 for the version featured here, it offers pretty exceptional value compared to equivalent watches from other brands. It pairs that with a wearable 41mm case and very standard dive watch display with lumed markers, 12/6/9 Arabic numerals and a date function.
More details at Longines.
Grand Seiko 44GS
When it comes to Grand Seiko it’s difficult to distil their watches down to a single entry-level model because the prices are so intrinsically linked to the level of finishing across the dial and case as well as the movements which can vary dramatically within a single collection based on if they’re spring drive, hi-beat or standard mechanical. Therefore, I’ll highlight the 44GS, which is available in classy, clean, minimalist designs at comparatively accessible prices as well as the more complex, pricier editions with more involved finishing like the Snowscape. As a note, Grand Seiko are also well known for their quartz watches but again, our focus is primarily mechanical.
More details at Grand Seiko.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Classic
The Master Control Classic demonstrates many of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s core fundamental watchmaking skills without the added complexity of haute horology complications and additional functions. A quintessential time and date model with incredibly clean lines and classy sunray brushed finishing across the monochrome dial. It’s powered by the calibre 899 with 70-hour power reserve.
More details at Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Panerai Luminor Base Logo
Italian brand Panerai’s Luminor is a staple of the large dive watch archetype with its signature cushion case and crown protection system. The Base Logo models strip it back to the essential with a sunray brushed finish across the sandwich dial, which features central hours and minutes. A sandwich dial consists of a solid dial plate coated with lume over which a second dial plate sits with cut outs revealing the lume below.
More details at Panerai.
Hublot Classic Fusion Titanium
Hublot are famous for their high prices so the £6,800 is downright accessible by comparison. It’s also much more handsome than the Big Bang with a more pared back design featuring a monotone dial, naturally available in an array of colours, with an industrial style integrated bracelet case with visible screws. It leans into the sports watch archetype that was popular among sport starts in the 2000s when Hublot really began to garner steam as a modern brand.
More details at Hublot.
Zenith Defy Skyline
It’s worth noting that at £8,500 the Defy Skyline isn’t Zenith’s most accessible model as that title goes to the Defy Revial at £6,600 however I’ve chosen to highlight the Skyline because it’s a better expression of the style of watchmaking Zenith is more commonly associated with, balanced with a sub-five figure price. The Revival is a small, niche collection while the Skyline is modern, bold and sporty with a signature star pattern dial available in a variety of colours and case sizes. The Skyline is therefore more of an appropriate entry point to Zenith’s other sport collections like the Chronomaster.
More details at Zenith.
If there are any brands you think we’ve missed or alternative watches that deserve a mention, let us know in the comments below.
Tissot maybe, or Glasschutte? …………………………………………………
Hello Jack,
Some great picks. For Tissot I think people would generally gravitate to the PRX at the moment but the majority of their watches would qualify due to their preferred price range. For Glashutte, there are a few brands that go by that name so for Nomos Glashutte I would suggest the Club and for Glashutte Original it would be the Sixties from the Vintage line.
All the best,
Michael Sonsino