The 21 Best Men’s Watches Under $500

Of all the Fossil designs, our favorite is this thin, black-on-brown minimalist men's watch. Its face has no hour numerals, but does have interval marks so that you’re never second-guessing the time. It’s one of the cleanest-looking men's watches you can buy, too, and wears universally from the workplace to a tailgate.

• Diameter: 44mm
• Band material: Leather

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• Diameter: 40 millimeter
• Band material: Aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, or ceramic

Perry Ellis’ entire Slim Line is designed for versatile lifestyles, whether you’re suited up for work or biking on the weekends. This textured navy-dial with silver bezel and band is the most sophisticated and universal of the assortment, and is also water resistant up to 100 meters. It’s also emanating some serious Rolex vibes...

• Diameter: 42mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

You’ll look the boss with Hugo Boss’ gold-plated, black-dialed watch, with three chronograph subdials and a date window. It’s the kind of watch you wear to fancy dinners or business meetings, and it tells more than the time: It also tells your peers that you mean business.

• Diameter: 44mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

We don’t imagine that many of you will need to dive 200 meters, but this watch does have that water-resistance threshold. (Rather, just keep it on when it rains.) Other features include nighttime luminosity and a date window on the dial. It’s a universal design, suitable for most personalities, occasions, and trips—including those 600 feet under.

• Diameter: 37.5mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

Call us traditionalists, but here’s the rare digital men's watch inclusion in this roster. Casio’s all-black, stainless steel watch is as much a statement piece as any dial-faced timepiece. Plus, it’s got all the perks of going digital: LED backlight, 1/100 second stopwatch, alarm, calendar, countdown functionality, and flash alert.

• Diameter: 38.9mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

Like good denim jeans, this navy men's watch from Timex pairs well with any outfit, and can be dressed up or down. Its military-style dial shows hours 1-24, and Timex’s INDIGLO technology brightens the indexed and three hands, so you can check the time at any hour of the day.

• Diameter: 40mm
• Band material: Nylon

You need not be a NASCAR fan to wear this sleek, race-ready sports men's watch. It’s got a tachymeter bezel which allows you to measure speed and distance, plus three subdials, and is water resistant up to 100 meters. Where it for its multifunctionality, athletic compatibility, or for a simple pop of bold color.

• Diameter: 44mm
• Band material: Rubber

With eight 0.9-carat diamonds marking the time, Bulova’s water-resistant timepiece is one of the flashiest amongst our favorites. It’s bold all around, with a deep-blue face, gold detail and trim, plus a silver-and-gold stainless-steel band. This is the kind of men's watch that makes a perfect anniversary gift—and it even looks as timeless as a Rolex.

• Diameter: 40mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

This big-faced men's watch wants to be seen on your wrist, and sure is pretty to look at. A mesh, stainless steel band matches its deep gray face, creating a neutral but universal palette. It’s also water resistant and has a numeral-free face with a date window.

• Diameter: 43.5mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

We’d like to believe that Ambassador was the watch of mapmakers and early-20th-century pilots, as it looks worldly and sophisticated. A texture Cloud-de-Paris dial emphasizes the point, and includes a date window so you never lose track. Wear it to tell time, or to tell others just how sharp and enlightened you are.

• Diameter: 40mm
• Band material: Leather

This sleek, all-black watch from Nixon is straightforward in design, with the embellishment of a date and day-of-the-week window on its face. It is water resistant, and is clash resistant too, in that it pairs with any personality and outfit, while at the same time sharpening your overall look.

• Diameter: 42mm
• Band material: Leather

With a deep blue dial, plus a rose gold band and bezel, this men's watch won’t resemble anyone else’s. It’s perfect for an elevated but unique impression. It’ll simplify your life by tracking the seconds, the day of the week, and the date itself, and is water resistant with a mesh-steel strap.

• Diameter: 40mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

While Skagen’s watch is clean and minimalist in its Scandinavian splendor, it still pulls focus thanks to its bright, bold green color. A subseconds dial tracks each minute, and gives the face some complexity, on an otherwise dialed-back design. The rubber strap matches its face in sleekness and simplicity.

• Diameter: 41mm
• Band material: Rubber

Aquacy’s 300-meter water resistance is commendable, but the best part about this watch is how sharp it looks in everyday life at sea level. Its tiered bezel and luminous dial tracks the date and even marks the seconds, and its black-on-silver design makes for a classic, can’t-fail wear for any occasion.

• Diameter: 41mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

This watch was made to show off. It’s plated in 18K gold and has 118 white, round-cut diamonds on its face and bezel. The dial itself is shrunk down, leaving room for two smaller dials; this allows you to set the time in two more locations (hence the ‘Jet Setter’ name).

• Diameter: 46mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

If you don’t want to make a huge investment in a watch, but you still want the sleekness and sophistication of wearing one, then make it LIGE. This sports watch is water resistant, has a second-hand subdial, and looks as sharp as an all-black Jaguar racing through the night.

• Diameter: 42mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

You’re sending a serious signal with this one: a snakelike Guilloche face pairs with a diamond-textured trim, which matches the watch’s rigid, stainless-steel band. You’ll look like a true watch aficionado, thanks to the triple chronograph face. Don’t be surprised if you feel like bossman Gianni Versace himself.

• Diameter: 44mm
• Band material: Stainless steel

With a tachymeter bezel for speed and distance, dual-time subdials, and a perforated leather band, this special-edition Tetra watch has as many functions as a pit crew. It looks sleek and sporty on your wrist, however, and is water resistant up to 100 meters, to further prove its athleticism.

• Diameter: 44mm
• Band material: Leather

If your ideal summer vacation is Cape Cod or coastal Maine, then this numeral-free watch is your accessory of choice. A red-white-and-blue nylon strap feels patriotic and complements the rose-gold stainless-steel trim. So, roll your sleeves back, draw the sails, and show off this beautiful water-resistant timepiece.

• Diameter: 36mm
• Band material: Nylon

With a mesh, stainless-steel band, Byron Bond’s sophisticated, two-toned men's watch is luxurious but simple. A deep-blue face free of numerals speaks volumes of the watch’s elegance, while the cleanliness and stateliness of this timepiece leaves no questions about your taste. Best of all is its very affordable price.

• Diameter: 41mm
• Band material: Stainless steel