The Best Accessible Watches of 2024

While we tend to be amazed by highly complicated, luxurious watches, the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of enthusiasts are generally shopping for watches with a much more down-to-earth budget. And it turns out people looking to spend their money sensibly were in for a treat this year and genuinely spoilt for choice. From captivating vintage-styled dress watches to very capable dive watches and even retro-inspired sports watches, there was plenty of goodness coming in! With that said, here’s our rundown of the Best Accessible Watches of 2024!

Alpina Heritage Automatic

The effortlessly stylish Alpina Heritage Automatic takes us back to the early mid-20th century vibe of watchmaking. As part of the expanding Heritage collection, it offers a superbly elegant style in a compact size with a very reasonable sticker price. Two versions are available: one with a uniform matte beige dial and Arabic numerals in black and one with a two-tone beige and satin-silver dial with a mix of stick markers and Arabic numerals. Both share the same 38mm by 10.15mm steel case and come with blued central hands driven by the calibre AL-520 automatic (based on a Sellita SW200). The black calfskin leather strap and pin buckle keep things neat and simple, and the watches are priced at EUR 1,695.

For more details on the Alpina Heritage Automatic, check out our hands-on story right here.

Certina DS Super PH1000M Sea-Turtle Conservancy Edition

Protecting our oceans and marine life is vital, and plenty of brands find compelling ways to support many types of good causes. Certina is one of them and has long joined up with the Sea Turtle Conservancy to focus on the protection of sea turtles, which makes perfect sense given the brand’s long-standing turtle logo to mark its aquatic watches. The latest special edition in partnership with the Sea Turtle Conservancy is the DS Super PH100M STC Edition. It is a stout remake of a 1970s original, yet with new funky colours. The teal-green dial and bezel give it a unique vibe, while Certina’s Double Security system keeps it watertight to 1,000 meters. Using an ETA 80.611 automatic, this special non-limited edition comes in at a very wallet-friendly EUR 1,035.

For more information on the fun Certina DS Super PH1000M, please head over to our hands-on review here.

Seiko Prospex 1965 Divers 300M SPB455

While we could have opted for the classical black or blue dial of the new Seiko Prospex 1865 Divers 300M series, it was the charcoal-and-gilt SPB445 that won us over instantly despite its slightly higher price. The combination of colours and textures works very well, and the case captures that super-cool 62MAS vibe perfectly. Comparing it to its predecessors, it’s worth noting the SPB455 (and SPB451 and SPB453, for that matter) has a smaller and slimmer case, better finishing, increased water resistance and comes with a better movement. It comes on a three-link stainless steel bracelet with shorter links and a folding clasp for better ergonomics. Seiko has added it to the permanent collection and has put a sticker price of EUR 1,600.

For more details on the cool Seiko Prospex 1965 Divers 300M SPB455, please check out our video review here.

Tissot Pr516 Powermatic 80

Tissot launched yet another seriously cool and accessible watch with the PR 516 Powermatic 80. It was a surefire winner following the already very stylish PR 516 Chronograph Mechanical, thanks to devilishly good retro-inspired looks, a simple and extremely legible dial and handset, and, of course, the reliable Powermatic 80 automatic. It comes in a few variations, all featuring a stainless steel case. The best one for us is the all-steel-and-black, which comes on a Jubilee-style brushed and polished bracelet. The only hint of colour is the red-lacquered central seconds hand, on an otherwise black and white colour scheme. All in all, it’s a very cool watch with a sensible price that starts at EUR 675 for a leather strap, EUR 745 for the steel bracelet or EUR 825 for the two-tone variant.

For more information on the Tissot PR516 Powermatic 80, please head over to our detailed hands-on here.

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Forged Carbon

Another Tissot, I hear you say, but we simply can’t ignore the brand when it comes to bang-for-buck. With both the PR 516 Powermatic 80 and the PRX Forged Carbon joining the ranks in short concessions, it was impossible for us to pick just one. With the PRX Powermatic 80 Forged Carbon, Tissot gave a stealthy spin to its formidable, accessible luxury sports watch. With it, the weight drops from roughly 135 grams for a steel-on-steel PRX to only 74 grams for this one! What’s also cool is that Tissot has opted to switch out the waffle pattern dial for a forged carbon one to keep everything in the same vibe. And if that wasn’t enough, it also comes with the upgraded Powermatic 80 Si movement, with a silicon escapement. The price is also extremely sensible, as it retails for EUR 1,075.

For more details on the stealthy Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Forged Carbon, please check out our video review here.