Best Men’s Luxury Watches

We live in a golden age of luxury watches. Between the amazing technology and ever-improving materials, the luxury watch market is hot.  

With so many watches on the market, we want you to shop smart and get the perfect watch at the best price. In this guide, we dive deep into the attributes and pitfalls of some of the best watches on the market. We also include some great tips for shopping. 

Best Men’s Luxury Watches: Our Picks For Each Category

When creating this list we classified the watches into these different styles:

• Dress Watches 
• Dive Watches 
• Pilot and Aviator Watches 
• Military Watches 
• Racing Watches
• Casual GADA Watches

Luxury Dress Watches For Men

A dress watch is usually a compact, attractive timepiece with clean lines and subtle displays. Dress watches were once exclusively leather braceleted. Their bracelets are now sometimes made with stainless steel. Costlier metals such as gold or platinum are often involved in these beautiful watches. 

Our Pick: Rolex Datejust 116138 Leather

This classy watch has the iconic date window with magnifying cyclops lens.

Price: $14,595  

Key Features & Specifications

• Movement: Automatic 3135
• Bracelet: Brown Rolex leather strap with 18K yellow gold Folding Oysterclasp
• Case: 18K yellow gold, inner reflector ring engraved with serial number and scratch resistant sapphire crystal
• Dial: Champagne Index with Superluminova display
• Bezel: Fluted bezel
• Diameter: 36mm
• Authenticity: Certified by WatchCSA

Watch Category/Style: Dress Watch

Pros and Cons of the Watch

• Pros: elegant appearance, Superluminova
• Cons: best for special occasions 

Final thoughts about the Watch

This watch is easy to read in all conditions thanks to the luminous hour markers and hands.  

Find more optitons for dress watches here.

Best Luxury Dive Watches For Men

Today dive watches are worn for many water activities, not just scuba diving. Many men love their sporty style, high-water resistance and high legibility in the dark. 

Our Pick: Oris Aquis Small Second

This model of the popular Oris Aquis includes a small calendar display and seconds sub-dial, great for any adventure. 

Price: $1,695

Key Features & Specifications

• Movement: Automatic Oris 743, base SW 220-1
• Bracelet: Stainless steel metal bracelet with folding clasp and extension
• Case: Stainless steel with scratch resistant sapphire crystal
• Dial: Blue with Superluminova BG W9 hands
• Bezel: Unidirectional rotating bezel
• Diameter: 45.5mm
• Authenticity: Certified by WatchCSA

Watch Category/Style: Dive Watch

Pros and Cons of the Watch

• Pros: 500-meter depth rating, Superluminova display
• Cons: too bulky for some

Final thoughts about the Watch

The classy appearance and brawny stainless steel make this dive watch a winner. 

Find more options for dive watches here.

Best Luxury Pilot and Aviator Watches For Men

Pilot watches have their origins as a “tool watch”. They have a brawny design, with oversized winding crowns and large cases. They are a popular watch with pilots and land-dwellers alike. 

Our Pick: Breitling Navitimer 

This watch’s appearance pays tribute to the first Navitimer released in 1952. This model includes many modern conveniences. The dial features the AOPA’s (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) wing logo.

Price: $6,995 

Key Features & Specifications

• Movement: Automatic self-winding Breitling caliber 01  
• Bracelet: Breitling brown leather strap with stainless steel folding clasp
• Case: Stainless steel with scratch resistant sapphire crystal
• Dial: Green Index with luminous hands
• Bezel: Bi-directional rotatable bezel
• Diameter: 41mm
• Authenticity: Certified by WatchCSA

Watch Category/Style: Pilot Watch

Pros and Cons of the Watch

• Pros: flat slide rule bezel, helpful sub-dials
• Cons: too flashy for some

Final thoughts about the Watch

This watch is a great tool for traveling in style. 

Find more opotions for pilot watches here.

Best Luxury Military Watches For Men

Many popular luxury watches have a history linked to the military. Precise time is vital in combat. The simple and rugged designs developed for war in the 20th century are still popular today. 

Our Pick: Panerai Luminor GMT

This watch has the quintessential look of a Panerai watch. The cushion shaped case and classic sandwich dial are all marks of the great watchmaker. 

Price: $9,595

Key Features & Specifications

• Movement: Automatic Panerai Caliber P.9010
• Bracelet: Black leather strap with blue stitching and black ceramic tang clasp
• Case: Black ceramic with scratch resistant sapphire crystal
• Dial: Black with luminous hands and Arabic hour markers at 6, 9 and 12
• Bezel: Smooth bezel
• Diameter: 44mm
• Authenticity: Certified by WatchCSA

Watch Category/Style: Military Watch

Pros and Cons of the Watch

• Pros: 100 meters of water resistance, seconds sub-dial
• Cons: case too large for some

Final thoughts about the Watch

This watch has style: the electric blue stitching on the bracelet matches the blue seconds hand. 

Find more options for military watch here.

Best Luxury Racing Watches For Men

Racing is all about time. It’s no wonder the importance of these luxury watches for enjoying the sport. Racing watches are usually chronographs with tachymeter scales on the bezel. The chronograph feature measures elapsed time. The tachymeter scale measures the average speed over a set distance. 

Our Pick: Tissot PRS 516

The Tissot brand and motorsports go together. This timepiece is sure to please the sport enthusiast. 

Price: $1,295

Key Features & Specifications

• Movement: Automatic ETA caliber A05.H31
• Bracelet: Stainless steel with butterfly clasp
• Case: Stainless steel with scratch resistant sapphire crystal
• Dial: Black with luminous hands and floating index markers 
• Bezel: Ceramic tachymeter bezel
• Diameter: 45mm
• Authenticity: Certified by WatchCSA

Watch Category/Style: Race Watch

Pros and Cons of the Watch

• Pros: price point, tachymeter scale, 60-second and 30-minute sub-dials  
• Cons: sub-dials best for shorter races

Final thoughts about the Watch

We love the classy stainless steel, black dial and yellow accents. 

Find more options for racing watches here.

Best Luxury GADA Watches For Men

GADA stands for Go Anywhere Do Anything. It’s a great description for these handy watches which have versatility for a busy day in the office, field or home. 

Our Pick: Tudor Black Bay

This special watch boasts a matte black ceramic case, a black hybrid (leather and rubber) bracelet, and black dial. 

Price: $3,995

Key Features & Specifications

• Movement: Automatic Caliber MT5602-1U (COSC)
• Bracelet: Hybrid leather and rubber strap with stainless steel folding clasp
• Case: Matt black ceramic with 60 minute graduated disc, exhibition case-back and scratch resistant sapphire crystal
• Dial: Black with luminous snowflake hands and hour markers
• Bezel: Unidirectional rotating bezel in black PVD-treated steel
• Diameter: 41mm
• Authenticity: Certified by WatchCSA

Watch Category/Style: GADA Watch

Pros and Cons of the Watch

• Pros: micro-blasted finish on case, domed dial
• Cons: second-hand can be difficult to see to some

Final thoughts about the Watch

The 70-hour power reserve and anti-magnetism up to 15,000 gauss will keep you on time, every time. 

Find more options for casual GADA watches here.

Buying Guide

Buying a luxury watch is a big purchase. Before you buy, there’s some factors of the watch that are helpful to think about. 

Read more specific advice in our guide to picking a luxury watch.

Watch Styles

Different styles of watches are better for different activities. Think about when you’ll be wearing your watch. A dress watch will be more suitable for the workday while a sports watch works better for swimming laps. Pilot watches will have higher visibility and racing watches will give you the features to stay involved in a rally. 

Brands to Consider

Luxury watch brands charge a lot because they use the finest materials and technology available. A popular brand like Rolex, Omega, or Breitling have higher standards which means higher performance. 

Price Range

Luxury watches are expensive. You can save a ton of money by purchasing pre-owned options. Pre-owned luxury watches start around $1,000 and get costlier from there. Check out our guides to quality pre-owned luxury watches under $5,000 or watches under $10,000. 

Watch Movement

The movement of a watch is the internal mechanism that keeps the time accurate. Luxury watches have either automatic, manual, or quartz movements. Automatic movements have costly repairs yet quartz watches need more frequent battery changes. Be prepared to do a lot of winding if you choose a manual watch. 

Watch Complication/Features

Besides telling the time, watches sometimes have other tools called complications or features. These can include the date, dual time-zones, and chronometer options. 

Watch Material/Straps

There are a lot of different materials used to make watches. Stainless steel will be the most durable for the case and bracelet. Depending on your personal style, a leather and gold watch may suit you better. 

Vintage Watches

Some vintage watches capture enthusiasm from collectors and make great investment watches. Others hold history and sentimental feelings rather than financial value.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Between the technology and materials, it’s a great time to buy a luxury watch. With so many options and price points, there is sure to be the perfect luxury watch for every man. 

Contact us anytime you want help finding the perfect watch.

Here are more specific watch topics to browse:

• How to buy luxury watches? 
• What are the best luxury watch brands? 
• Why are Rolex watches so expensive?
• What are pre-owned luxury watches?
• What is the price of entry-level luxury watches?
• What are the best luxury watches under 5k?
• What are the best luxury watches under 10k?
• What are luxury sports watches?
• Are luxury watches a good investment?

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About the author

Mike Fried Mike Fried has over 25 years experience in the diamond industry working with Leo Schachter Diamonds, Moshe Namdar Diamonds, and joining The Diamond Pro in 2007. He is recognized as an industry expert and has been quoted in publications such as Us, People, Page Six, The Next Web and more.