Time is precious… but that doesn’t mean it has to be overly expensive.
Sure, in an ideal world, we’d all be splashing the kind of cash that affords a Rolex for every occasion. Unfortunately, reality is harsh and most of us residing in the real world simply cannot stump up the countless thousands required to buy entry into that arena of wrist-adornment opulence.
But this doesn’t mean that we mere mortals have to suffer tardy timing from inferior movements loaded lovelessly into crudely hewn cases. In the world of watches, luxury can sometimes be achieved on the cheap. And by “cheap”, I clearly mean upwards of a grand. Now, we understand that may have made some of you spit your speciality coffee out in front of everyone on the Tube, or wherever you ingest your Evening Standard online. But while over a thousand of your hard-earned is in no way “cheap”, an investment in a quality watch is an investment for life as it’ll run as long as you do.
To this end, I have been tasked with selecting several such timepieces, each imbued with unerringly accurate movements, reliably robust builds and endlessly eye-catching élan to keep you running like clockwork as the abstract concept of time marches mercilessly on.
From subtle to sporty to showy, we’ve got something oozing luxury accuracy for every wrist, so fritter not a moment more, the big time is calling…
Best entry-level luxury watches at a glance:
- Best for Swiss luxury for considerably less: Christopher Ward The Twelve (Ti) - £1,595, Christopher Ward
- Best for Swiss finery in the field: Nite Atlas - £880, Nite
- Best for Lunar-ticks for luxury: Orient Star M45 F7 Mechanical Moon Phase - £1,670, Orient Watch
- Best for diving into luxury design: Venezianico Nereide Bronzo - £898, Venezianico
- Best for Swiss sophistication and style: Tudor 1926 (28mm) - £2,350, Goldsmiths
- Best for bringing the bling: Versace Ladies La Medusa - £1,125, Acotis Jewellery
- Best for effortless everyday élan: Tissot PR516 Chronograph Mechanical - £1,720, Tissot
- Best for a posh dive watch: Nomadic Marai 401 - £995, Nomadic
Christopher Ward The Twelve (Ti)
Best for: Swiss luxury for considerably less
The story of decidedly British brand Christopher Ward may not hark back as far as some of the other watchmakers I’ve covered here, 2004 in fact, but in that 20 years since three friends took a boat trip down the Thames and decided to start a luxury watch company, the CW name has carved it way solidly into horological history.
Hand-built in Switzerland using many of the same components as the more famously expensive makes, but without the ludicrously steep markup, Christopher Ward watches are the epitome of affordability when it comes to the luxury market, and its The Twelve (Ti) model is an exceptional example of this.
Hewn from Grade II titanium and featuring a stunning 12-sided bezel and an integrated bracelet to enhance the understated beauty of the piece, The Twelve is driven by a Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) certified Sellita 25-jewel SW300-1 automatic movement with a 56-hour power reserve, making it as accurate as it is elegant.
It is available with various graduated tints, pyramid-patterned coloured dials with a date calendar at 6 o’clock, and six exposed screws to secure the case back. Around the back, the mechanism can be viewed, adding a touch of the industrial to the otherwise effortless elegance.
A work of watchmaking art, The Twelve brings all the elements of sophisticated high-end horology to your wrist for a fraction of the price of all the usual Swiss suspects and does so with an élan that’s unsurpassed. Monsieur Rolex must be livid.
- Case size: 36- or 40mm
- Case material: Titanium
- Movement: Sellita SW 300-1 COSC
- Movement type: Automatic
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water resistance: 10 ATM
- Strap material: Titanium
- Power reserve: 56-hours
Buy now £1595.00, Christopher Ward
Nite Atlas
Best for: Swiss finery in the field
A solid success story since exploding into the market back in 2003, Nite stirred things up nicely by becoming the first British brand to bring tritium radioluminescence technology to the table, and no fans of the company’s intrepid timepieces have been left in the dark since.
Indeed, armed with superbly bright self-powered tritium illumination, robust but stylish design and Swiss movement, all Nite watches have dazzled over the years, which is why they have been the choice of UK Special Forces and countless adventurers.
Now, new for 2024, we have the simply stunning-in-brushed-stainless-steel Atlas Series, a fully Swiss-made automatic field watch that propels Nite to whole new levels, thanks to top-level Tritium T100-loaded hour markers and hands, a slim and distinctly stylish 11mm aviation-grade steel case, scratch-mocking sapphire crystal glass and a hybrid leather polymer strap that manages to be both business-smart and rough-and-tumble-resistant simultaneously.
And speaking of business, keeping the hour, minute and second hands, plus the date window at 3 o’clock, ticking over with incredible accuracy is a Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement that is pleasingly visible through the case back window.
With a power reserve of 38 hours, and available in five dial options, covering Night Black, Desert Black, Navy, Stone, and Forest, the all-new Nite Atlas is British design at its very best, backed by exacting Swiss engineering, and, as such, is set to become a firm favourite with proper watch fans the world over.
- Case size: 40mm
- Case material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Sellita SW200-1
- Movement type: Automatic
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water resistance: 10 ATM
- Strap material: Leather polymer hybrid
- Power reserve: 36-hours
Buy now £880.00, Nite
Orient Star M45 F7 Mechanical Moon Phase
Best for: Lunar ticks for luxury
A brand most readers will probably not be familiar with, Orient was established in Japan way back in 1950, emerging in that post-war period with a determination to put Japanese watchmaking on the map. This was achieved by focusing laser-like on in-house manufactured movements and quality traditional timepieces, alongside some decidedly creative complications and designs. Today, Orient is one of the foremost premium watch manufacturers in Japan, while also selling to some 70-odd countries across the globe.
Orient Star is the top-end of Orient’s horological offerings, and the M45 F7 Mechanical Moon Phase is the latest addition, featuring an all-new in-house movement with a whopping 50-hour power reserve and a look that adds oodles of elegance to anyone’s wrist.
Imbued with a semi-skeleton aperture at 9 o’clock, power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, and a moon phase with date display at 6 o’clock, the navy and grey dial features a flowing water motif which, I’m reliably informed by Orient’s PR, is “suggestive of a river”. Continuing this aqueous theme, the moon phase display depicts the “moon gently illuminating a flowing river while the diamond-shaped hands represent the glittering stars”, which paints quite a peaceful picture.
Aside from the glittering stars, the hour and minute hands come dauphine-shaped with a brushed and mirrored finish and sweep smoothly thanks to that 22-jewel automatic F7M62 movement, which you can see in action through that semi-skeleton window.
With a stainless steel case and a black strap of fine Cordovan leather completing the look, whether entering a business meeting or an exclusive bar, the Orient Star M45 F7 (side fact: named so after the M45 Pleiades constellation, hence all the stars stuff) Mechanical Moon Phase is the perfect piece for any formal occasion.
- Case size: 41mm
- Case material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Orient Star F7M62
- Movement type: Automatic
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water resistance: 5 ATM
- Strap material: Cordovan leather
- Power reserve: 50-hours
Buy now £1670.00, Orient
Venezianico Nereide Bronzo
Best for: Diving into luxury design
A case of titanium or stainless steel is always welcome in the world of luxury watches, but if you’re looking for something different that’s truly striking and guaranteed to garner attention, then welcome to the Nereide Bronzo diver’s watch from Italian purveyors of fine wrist-art, Venezianico, an entry-level luxury ticker with a case of solid bronze.
Shipping at the end of July 2024, this automatic slice of excellence has a precision Swiss Sellita SW200-1 movement at its heart, with a power reserve good for an impressive 41 days, while the dial features BGW9 Super-LumiNova indices marking the hours, thus ensuring you can see the time whether leaving a secret liaison in the dead of night or up to 30 ATM (300-metres) underwater, so, yes, this is an ideal option for any international super spy, obviously.
What makes this watch particularly special, though, is the fact that it will change to become unique to you, the bronze of the case taking on a distinctive patina with the passage of time, so no two will be alike for long.
Round the back, meanwhile, a stainless steel case keeps the bronze case coming into contact with your skin and also features a fine engraving of the famous four bronze horses of Piazza San Marco, Venice, which inspired the watch’s creation.
Mounted on a black rubber band, an optional leather and bronze buckle strap is also available for an extra €85 for an even more luxurious look, the Venezianico Nereide Bronzo is Italian design excellence made to look effortless.
- Case size: 42mm
- Case material: Bronze
- Movement: Sellita SW200-1
- Movement type: Automatic
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water resistance: 30 ATM
- Strap material: Rubber
- Power reserve: 41-hours
Buy now £898.00, Venezianico
Tudor 1926 (28mm)
Best for: Swiss sophistication and style
One for the smaller wrist now, Tudor offers stylish Swiss watches for both sports and pure style, and the 1926 Black Dial presented here in its 28mm dial offering (M91350-0002), is a stunningly minimalist example of its watch wares.
Built around the reliable self-winding mechanical Calibre T201 movement, the 1926 has a case and bracelet in matching polished and satin stainless steel, creating a pleasing two-tone appearance that’s subtle but stylish the former complete with a polished steel bezel and screw-down crown.
Featuring a 38-hour power reserve, the 1926 is also safe down to 10 ATM, but this manner of wristwear better serves by the pool rather than in it, its equally minimalist, embossed black dial with appliqued even-numbered silver Arabic numerals between faceted arrow-shaped hour markers, silver hour, minute and second hands and date window at 3 o’clock turning heads as you’re handed another Martini by the white-gloved pool waiter.
Named after the year in which Tudor founder, Hans Wildorf registered the brand, watch fact fans, the 1926 runs on mechanical excellence and exudes timeless sophistication.
- Case size: 28mm
- Case material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Calibre T201
- Movement type: Automatic
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water resistance: 10 ATM
- Strap material: Stainless steel
- Power reserve: 38-hours
Buy now £2350.00, Goldsmiths
Versace Ladies La Medusa
Best for: Bringing the bling
Sometimes understatement just doesn’t cut it. Sometimes you just want the attention. Sometimes you simply need the ostentation of a big luxury fashion brand name on your arm. For those times there is Versace and La Medusa.
Keeping the cash down, the La Medusa is ‘gold tone’ rather than actual AU, but still makes a stonkingly large statement, thanks to that faux gold case and bracelet, contrasting black dial and, of course, the three-dimensional golden mug of Medusa herself glaring out from the middle of it like the stone-cold Gorgon she is.
With a gold PVD-plated stainless steel construction and sapphire crystal glass, La Medusa is nicely robust and features a similarly sturdy Swiss Ronda 762.2 quartz movement for accuracy assurance, while water resistance down to 50-metres means you can splash out without fear of La Medusa succumbing to il mare (although you may want to avoid Poseidon! – ultra-geek joke for fans of Greek mythology there).
Okay, Versace’s overt opulence won’t be for everyone, but if your style suits a solid, reliable timepiece that always announces your arrival, La Medusa will get all the gazes.
- Case size: 38mm
- Case material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Ronda 762.2
- Movement type: Quartz
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water resistance: 5 ATM
- Strap material: Stainless steel
- Power reserve: n/a
Buy now £1125.00, Acotis Jewellery
Tissot PR516 Chronograph Mechanical
Best for: Effortless everyday élan
Freshly sprung, fully formed from the loins of Swiss chronograph confectioner, Tissot, the new PR516 Mechanical is nothing if not handsome to an absolute fault. Driven by a Swiss Valjoux A05.291 movement, this manual winder comes encased in stainless steel with a matching quick-release bracelet (interchangeable), a tachymeter-featuring bezel, screw-down crown and, of course, the chronograph complication for exacting timings of, well, whatever you wish to time, whether that’s the track lap of a supercar of the length of time your egg has been on the boil.
Boasting a 60-hour power reserve, the PR516’s black dial and hands both come coated with Super-LumiNova to ensure readability in whatever dark place you find yourself, while the see-through caseback allows you an unfettered view of that stunning Swiss action at work.
Also water-resistant to 10 ATM, if diving is your thing then feel free to head down to 100 metres without fear, and if diving is not your thing, just content yourself with strutting around wearing one of the most stylish new chronographs around.
- Case size: 41mm
- Case material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Valjoux A05.291
- Movement type: Manual-winding
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water resistance: 10 ATM
- Strap material: Stainless steel
- Power reserve: 60-hours
Buy now £1720.00, Tissot
Nomadic Marai 401
Best for: a posh dive watch
You might imagine that a watch with links to the Titanic would, ahem, go down well, and in the case of the Marai 401 from Nomadic, it certainly should. Confused? Angered by the poor-quality pun? Too soon? Okay, let me explain all: Nomadic is a master watchmaker based in Belfast, the very city in which the shipyard that built the Titanic (its 401st ship) is situated. It is also where the SS Nomadic was built, the Titanic’s first-class passenger tender, hence the name of the company (and 401 reference). This is where the ties end, as Marai simply means ‘seafarer’ in Irish.
Sumptuously stylish and with both case and quick-release bracelet hewn from meticulously brushed and polished stainless steel, the Marai 401 is a decidedly attractive dive watch that ticks over with unerring precision thanks to its automatic Swiss Sellita SW200-1 engine.
Good down to a whopping 200-metres underwater and featuring a fulsome 41 hours of power reserve, there’s something else that makes this watch extra special – flip it over and you’ll find a sapphire glass caseback, which may not be so usual, but what is unique is that not only can you admire the movement, in front of it is a rotor blade modelled on the propellers of both the aforementioned vessels!
Available in a range of dial and bezel finishes covering ‘Emerald Abyss’, ‘Pitch Black’, ‘Deep Ocean Blue’, ‘Classic Black and Gold’ and ‘Crimson Dawn’, there are also two versions, one without a date window and one with, the latter adding £55 to the price tag.
An all-round thing of beauty from a new brand that looks ready to rival Rolex.
- Case size: 40mm
- Case material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Sellita SW200-1
- Movement type: Automatic
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Water resistance: 20 ATM
- Strap material: Stainless steel
- Power reserve: 41-hours
Buy now £995.00, Nomadic
