Hand wind watches under 500

The watch world is full of overpriced men’s watches that make it hard to find your first watch (or the latest addition to your watch collection) for a reasonable investment. That’s especially true if you’re a watch enthusiast tired of quartz watches and looking for a hand-wound piece of art with a lengthy, trustworthy power reserve.

You know the feeling. You find a gorgeous hand-wound timepiece with a stainless steel case, soft brown leather strap, and attractive exhibition case back. Then, you look at the price and balk. Sometimes, we just don’t have thousands of dollars to drop on a luxury timepiece like a Rolex or something of its ilk.

We’re here to say that you can find an affordable watch with a quality hand-wound movement! Looking for more information? What if we said that you could sport a popular model from a world-renowned brand for less than $500?

Interested? Then, then keep on reading as we present to you our in-depth countdown of the 5 Best Hand-Wind Mechanical Watches For Under $500.

The 5 Best Hand-Wound Mechanical Watches Under $500

5) SEAKOSS Men’s Military Pilot Chronograph Mechanical Watch

Boasting fantastic shock resistance and a high-quality sapphire crystal dial window, the SEAKOSS Men’s Military Pilot Chronograph Mechanical Watch is one of the best off-brand manual watches that we’ve ever profiled. It bests some of the so-called leaders of the watch industry when it comes to value and precision, and the gorgeous ivory white dial is perfectly accentuated by the little pops of color in the hands, hour markers, and sub-dials.

Specs

Display Window Material: Scratch-Resistant Sapphire Crystal

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Buckle

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 38 mm

Case Thickness: 14.5 mm

Strap Material: Nylon

Strap Length: Men’s Long

Strap Width: 18 mm

Strap Color: Green

Dial Color: Ivory White

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Mechanical

Water Resistance: 30 meters

Pros

• This SEAKOSS superstar holds up! The sapphire crystal dial window will keep its inner workings safe for years to come.
• This is a great value buy. It feels like it should retail for a few hundred dollars than it does.
• The ivory dial is the perfect background for all the little splashes of color this watch possesses.

Cons

• The lack of luminous hands makes this watch a drag at night.
• The included nylon strap is a bit too long for some smaller wrists.

4) Timex Marlin Stainless Steel Hand-Wound Movement Watch

Sale

Timex Marlin Stainless Steel Hand-Wound Movement Black/Silver One Size

• Timex Marlin Hand-Wound Mechanical Watch
• 32MM watch width; 7.5 inches band length
• Fits up to 7.5 inches wrist size
• Silver dial; Black leather strap
• 30 Meter water resistant

$186.55

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If you enjoyed the original Timex Marlin released decades ago, you’re going to love the updated Timex Marlin Hand-Wound Movement Watch. Its sleek black leather strap, striking off-white dial, and minimalistic charm make it the perfect low-cost dress watch for your next formal function. It may not have all the bells and whistles of newer electronic watches, but that’s not the point. Sometimes you just want a watch with a simple, effective, and good-looking charm to it.

Specs

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: TangBuckle

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 32 mm

Case Thickness: 10 mm

Strap Material: Leather

Strap Width: 17.7 mm

Strap Color: Black

Dial Color: Off-White

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Mechanical

Water Resistance: 30 meters

Pros

• Timex put together a beautiful update of a previous classic at an extremely fair price point.
• The off-white dial pushes the stylized hour markers forward.
• If you’re looking for an understated dress watch for the office, you can’t do much better for just over 100 dollars.

Cons

• This watch is tiny. It may not work for some medium-sized wrist, let alone larger ones.
• Timex went as simple as possible with this one. If that’s not your bag, look elsewhere.

3) Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Watch

If you need a water-resistant field watch for your next adventure into the Great Outdoors, look no further than the Hamilton Khaki Field Watch. Firstly, its stark black dial and luminous hands offer perfect contrast for low-light hiking and biking. And the combination of 100 meters of water resistance and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal dial window makes it one of the most durable men’s watches in its price range. Plus, we really dig how the date function pops from a placement and font standpoint.

Specs

Display Window Material: Sapphire Crystal

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Buckle

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 38 mm

Case Thickness: 11 mm

Strap Material: Leather

Strap Length: Men’s Standard

Strap Width: 20 mm

Strap Color: Brown

Dial Color: Black

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Mechanical

Water Resistance: 100 meters

Pros

• Hamilton is our favorite manufacturer in the area of low-cost, high-quality field watches.
• The sapphire crystal dial window feels like it’s impossible to scuff or scratch.
• The included leather strap is tough yet easy to break in out of the box.

Cons

• The watch face might be a bit small for larger wrists
• The dial design is a bit busy and won’t appeal to those watch enthusiasts looking for a minimalist timepiece.

2) Seiko Men’s Presage Analogue Automatic Mechanical Watch

Seiko hand-wound automatic movements are lauded for their lengthy power reserves, and the Seiko Men’s Presage Analogue Automatic Mechanical Watch is no different. Its 23-jewel movement boasts a 41-hour power reserve and an easy-to-use hacking feature. And it’s no slouch in the looks department either! The eye-catching blue sunray dial fades in and out in an absolutely breathtaking way. You can’t go wrong with a Seiko, and especially not with this standout watch in particular.

Specs

Display Window Material: Hardlex Crystal

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Deployment Clasp

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 40 mm

Case Thickness: 12 mm

Strap Material: Stainless Steel

Strap Width: 20 mm

Strap Color: Silver

Dial Color: Blue

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Mechanical

Water Resistance: 50 meters

Pros

• The Hardlex crystal dial window protects your watch from sudden impacts and scratches.
• A 41-hour power reserve is impressive enough. When it’s included in an affordable watch, it’s downright insane.
• The blue sunray dial catches the light in some extraordinary ways.

Cons

• The lack of luminous hands makes this watch extremely hard to see in lower light.
• The dark background of the date function causes it to blend into the dial design.

1) Orient Men’s Mako II Japanese Automatic Watch

The Orient Men’s Mako II Japanese Automatic Watch walks the tightrope of style and substance without so much as a slight stumble. It includes a ball-bearing mechanism that uses the natural movement of a wearer’s wrist to keep it ticking for days on end. And the splashes of red, blue, black, and silver throughout this timepiece give it an added dimensionality that accentuates almost anything you could possibly wear.

Specs

Display Window Material: Mineral

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Push-Button Fold-Over Clasp with Safety

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 41.5 mm

Case Thickness: 13 mm

Strap Material: Stainless Steel

Strap Length: Men’s Standard

Strap Width: 22 mm

Strap Color: Silver

Dial Color: Blue

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Japanese Automatic

Water Resistance: 200 meters

Pros

• The Orient Mako II’s 200 meters of watch resistance assures its place as one of our favorite budget dive watches.
• The included ball-bearing mechanism helps you get the most out of every winding.
• The Pepsi-style color scheme has a personality all its own.

Cons

• The stainless steel band doesn’t have the same give and breathability as a leather strap.
• The case is a little thick for those looking for a sleek dress watch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much wind does a manual watch need?

Manual watches with hand-wound mechanical movements require that you turn the crown about 30-4o times after they’ve completely been zapped of power. In terms of automatic watches, it just takes a few shakes of a wearer’s wrist.

After winding a watch with a manual mechanical movement, be sure to wear it for about 8-10 hours afterward. That’ll be no problem for most watch lovers, and it ensures that your timepiece is fully powered going forward.

What is a good $500 watch?

Our independently-selected list of the best hand-wind automatic timepieces has plenty of good options for a watch enthusiast on a budget. In fact, these manual watches are the talk of the watch industry thanks to their classic styles, brand recognition, accurate time, and fair price points. Don’t start scouring message boards and websites looking for wrist watch reviews. You can find a classic watch at a price you can afford on the countdown above.

Closing Thoughts

From field watches to dive watches with stunning stainless steel constructions, our list of the best watches with hand-winding movements for under $500 has it all. If you’re on the lookout for affordable watches with automatic movement options that boast lengthy power reserves and other great modern timepiece features, you can’t go wrong with any of the five entries above. Hand-wound watches don’t have to be expensive. True beauty can be found on a budget, be it in a dress watch or something else.