This Is an Outrageously Good Month for New Watches Under $1,000

Tissot, Seiko, Timex, and Earthen all dropped highly attainable bangers in September.Tissot’s PRX line has emerged as an icon of the affordable watch category. The model has blown up on social media since its relaunch in 2021, especially among collectors looking to get the integrated-bracelet look—typically seen on high-priced pieces like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Vacheron Constantin 222—for less than $1,000. This month, Tissot took the beloved design and gave it some exciting new functionality.The newest PRX comes with a chronograph to further the watch’s sporty credentials. While there’s been a chronograph PRX in the brand’s catalog for some time now, that version includes an automatic movement and costs $2,150. Thanks to its quartz engine, the price on this latest release clocks in at just $525.The new quartz-powered PRX trades out its predecessor’s tapisserie-style dial—reminiscent of the Royal Oak’s signature waffle pattern—for a vertically brushed one. The PRX has been a crowd-pleaser since its relaunch. First, fans clamored for a smaller version and were rewarded with a 35mm take in the summer of 2023. Now, after staring longingly at the $2,100 automatic chronograph, Tissot has obliged fans with this much more attainable spin.Seiko 5 Sports Field GMTAnnounced earlier this summer, these field-style watches are finally available and priced as low as $382 at some retailers. The Seiko 5 Sports line is a favorite of mine to recommend to friends and family, consistently delivering handsome tool watches at wallet-friendly prices.The new Field GMT packs a lot in. The watches come with an inner 24-hour track that’s archetypal of this genre, as well as a flaming orange second-hour hand and a date function. One person’s busy dial is another’s entertainment for hours. Together, the package is like a slightly overcomplicated Rolex Explorer II at a tiny fraction of the cost. The watch comes with a green or cream dial—I’ve changed my mind seven different times about which is my favorite just over the course of writing this sentence.Timex 1990 Moon Phase ReissueRecently, I wrote about 16 good reasons to start collecting vintage Timex, focusing on models from the brand’s insanely stacked archives. A few weeks after the story went up, the brand re-released one of my picks: the Rotary Phone Dial. Coincidence? Absolutely! Now, with its latest release, Timex is proving it’s one step ahead of me again. The watchmaker went back to 1990 and dug out this extremely pretty Moon Phase design. While most moon-phase pieces relegate the whimsical function to a small subdial at 6 o’clock, I appreciate that Timex turned the side dish into the entrée here, orbited by some very elegant Breguet-style numerals. It looks like a watch that Sotheby’s would sell for six figures, but it’s going for just $299 on Timex’s site right now.Earthen Summit MK IIEarthen launched last year with a trio of simple ceramic watches. The design is clearly inspired by IWC’s Mark XI, which is a rock-solid timepiece to model your signature model after. While the inaugural drop stuck to classic colors—black and white cases and dials—Earthen is taking some creative risks with this latest release.The new MK II comes in green, navy, and tonal brown. The “Glade” version, with its forest-green bezel and minty dial, is the sleeper hit for me. Thank to its completely luminescent dial—which shines like a night light, much like my favorite versions of IWC’s Mark XI—the watch looks best in the dark. The $899 price tag might stretch some people’s idea of affordability, but that’s a relative bargain in the watch world.Cam Wolf is GQ’s Watch Editor. He joined the magazine in 2017 after working at Racked (RIP) as the site’s (first!) (and only!) Menswear Editor and Complex in the role of Style News Editor. Shortly into his GQ tenure, he immersed himself in the world of watches and quickly fell ... Read More