16 of the best watches under $5,000, for when you’re spending serious cash

Borna Bošnjak

After picking some more budget-oriented options in the under US$500 and under US$1,000 category, we expand our horizons to the luxury realm. Should you look to spend more than US$5,000, you can also explore our under US$10,000, and under US$50,000 guides. To find a full list of our favourite watches of the year, make sure to pick up the latest copy of the NOW Magazine, too!

Christopher Ward C60 Trident Lumière

Christopher Ward championed the microbrand idea, and still continues to advance and improve its offering. The C60 Trident Lumière is a great example of this, adopting three-dimensional, lumed ceramic blocks for excellent night-time visibility, a titanium case, and a high-grade Sellita movement for a frankly astonishing price. The bracelet is also titanium, with integrated, toolless microadjust in the clasp, making this one of the most compelling divers on the market. Price: US$2,390

Furlan Marri Disco Volante

The Disco Volante succeeds in offering two segment-leading features for an attainable price. Not only is it an excellent modern reinterpretation of one of the most curious watch shapes of the 20th century, but it also offers a staggering amount of hand-finished details in its manually wound movement. The bevelling is finished by hand, which is something that five-figure pieces often struggle with, making the most of the venerable Peseux. Price: US$2,780

Seiko King Seiko KS1969

The KS1969 collection is as good as Seiko will go, in order to not compete with Grand Seiko. But had it been powered by a GS movement, nobody would bat an eye. With such a good case finish, the feathered index at 12 is all the dial needs, well-balanced by the text and perfectly sized hands. Of all the Seiko 2024 releases, this is the one to look out for. Price: US$3,100

Citizen Iconic Nature ref. AQ4100-65H

Citizen’s luxury offerings like this Iconic Nature model are absolute spec monsters. Intricate washi paper dials and well-finished hands and indices are set into a proprietary, Super Titanium case, equipped by light-powered, Eco Drive movements that are accurate to a handful of seconds per year with perpetual calendar functionality. All of that sounds pretty excellent to me, making them all the harder to resist when the dials look oh-so pretty. Price: US$4,200

Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Zulu Time

The Pelagos FXD is a unique proposition in that all the models released so far have had a tie-in with some special forces unit. The FXD GMT Zulu Time quotes the Aéronautique Navale on the caseback, also as a nod to the famous Maine Nationale Submariners from the 1970s. Apt for the FXD, the bezel gets blocky, lumed numerals, matching the dial’s fauxtina colour accented by the red GMT hand. Price: US$4,625

And a few more from previous NOW Magazine issues, because why not?

Maen Manhattan 39 Ultra Thin

When Maen released the Manhattan 37, it was pretty much unanimously agreed that it was well beyond its price point. Well, with the Manhattan 39, Maen has taken the next step of refinement and improved upon almost every aspect. Despite being a couple of millimetres wider, there have been a host of changes which actually make it wear better than the smaller version, while keeping the design spirit the same – most importantly, coming in at just 6.9mm in height. Price: US$1,120

Seiko Prospex Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch “24MAS”

It’s often said that evolution can be better than revolution, but many people could not have predicted Seiko to make a move like this. Seiko released the popular 20MAS only four years ago, but the immediate success of that collection didn’t seem to stop the brand from iterating on the 1965 design further. The so-called 24MAS sports a smaller case, a repositioned date window, and a slightly better power reserve. Price: US$1,400

Doxa SUB 200T

When Doxa branches out from its established style, the brand is not afraid to get weird. Weathered steel or ceramic cases are cool and all, but the 1960s Doxa look is really what has earned people’s adoration. Until now, the entry-level option has been the Doxa SUB 200, but this new SUB 200T scratches the itch created by the 300T, though smaller and more affordable while not compromising on design. Price: US$1,590, available from the T+T Shop

Furlan Marri x Time+Tide Outback Elegy

We might be a little biased considering the Outback Elegy was the first boutique edition released for our T+T10 celebration, and a piece serving as a little nod to where we come from, but we feel it’s the best version of the Furlan Marri Mechanical. The brown dial is phenomenal, with a hammered finish making the lacquer pop, and the Roman numerals adding symmetry to the already great sector layout. Price: US$1,700, available from the T+T Discovery Studios (and from our UK store too)

Longines Master Collection Small Seconds

Longines stepped up, answering the prayers of many with the release of the new Master Collection, playing into the vintage styling even more. Dubbed the Longines Master Collection Small Seconds, the steel cases downsized to 38.5mm, and as the name suggests, sprouted a small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock. The engraved dial is rendered in a highly textured salmon pink, which helps bring out the engraved numerals all the better. Price: US$2,500

Otsuka Lotec No. 6

If you’re ever disheartened by the same old black-dialled divers with Submariner-adjacent designs, remember that there are brands out there like Otsuka Lotec. With Miyota 9000 underpinnings and a custom retrograde module, the steampunk meets-brutalist design of the Japanese No. 6 has two retrograde hands fixed below the dial, showing hours and minutes in a fan-like action before snapping back to zero, and coming in under US$3,000, is more affordable than you’d think. Good luck picking one up, though. Believe me, I’ve tried. Price: ¥440,000 (~US$2,900)

Raymond Weil Millesime Automatic Chronograph

Well-proportioned, affordable, and Swiss-made mechanical chronograph are terms not often used to describe a single watch, but the Millesime might just be the perfect compromise. Its handsome three-register layout and downturned lugs take care of the proportions, while the Sellita derived movement means it’s not going to completely break the bank, while the overall design is a successful mélange of contemporary and vintage-inspired thanks to the sector dial and box-domed sapphire. Price: US$3,625

Nomos Club Sport Neomatik 39 Tabac

This Nomos combines a clean, studied design following the Bauhaus method with what could be the best brown dial we’ve seen in a while, immediately reminiscent of smoky cigar lounges and the rich smell of tobacco. Brown is seldom done, and even more rarely done well, and when such a dial is combined with an ultra-thin movement and wearable steel case, you’ve got a compelling daily companion on your hands. Price: US$3,700

Toledano & Chan B/1

Trends are unpredictable, with new ones popping up all the time. We’ve had behemoths in the early noughties, then the rise of the sports watch happened alongside the integrated bracelet craze. Brutalism may just be the next stop, though Toledano & Chan likely don’t care much about trends, considering both are lovers of this ideology, using the design of the windows from the Breuer building as the main source of inspiration for the B/1. Price: US$4,000

Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT

The Black Bay had already been out for six years when the GMT version was released, uniting the modern icon with perhaps the most useful complication. Now, we have the upgraded pair complete. The GMT, with a bracelet version of the immensely popular Black Bay 58. Yes, Tudor finally took the slim-wearing Black Bay 58 and equipped it with a Master Chronometer GMT movement, answering the prayers of Tudor fans worldwide. Price: US$4,600

Breitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter

The Breitling Aerospace is an unsung hero of the ‘90s, now being celebrated with this orange-dialled limited edition released in tribute of the brand’s 140th anniversary. Coincidentally, the B70 Orbiter also honours the first uninterrupted balloon flight around the world, its orange colour reminiscent of the Orbiter 3, with a piece of the original balloon embedded beneath the caseback. The two-screen ana-digi layout remains, powered by a thermocompensated SuperQuartz movement. Price: US$4,900