Best affordable watch brands to shop in 2023: styles under £200
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Like jewellery and accessories, the price of a watch can vary wildly.
There are luxury classics like a Rolex or Philippe Patek, which may cost the best part of a property deposit, but promise to become family heirlooms to pass down to lucky generations.
There are smartwatches, able to track and monitor exercise, fitness and sleep patterns, while making contactless payments and keeping you on top of your inbox when you’re on the move.
And there are fashion watches, merely pretty faces that do the rudimentary job of telling you if it’s time for a G&T yet. Some are studded with diamonds, others have changeable straps so you can customise them to your look.
A watch is an excellent option if your brain sore from trying to think of a birthday, graduation or Christmas gift. Not just for pensioners and retirees; pick a great watch and it could light up the face of the most inscrutable teen.
While luxury watches have an audience of their own (the kind with deep pockets), there are plenty of smartwatch and fashion watch brands that come in at an accessible price point too. We’ve gone to the trouble of putting together an online directory of affordable watch brands to make shopping for one in your budget a much more pleasant experience.
Below you’ll find brands that offer timepieces at £200 or less, from established brands as well as a few niche labels.
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Casio
From the initial groundbreaking Casiotron watch to the G-Shock that followed and the Baby-G watches that dominated the Nineties and Noughties, Casio has always been on the cutting edge of watch electronics.
Most are sub-£200 and come in a huge swathe of styles and colours, making it all the more appealing to build a collection or buy one for a certain occasion.
Though the metallic gold- and silver-coloured options remain a stone-cold classic, the Casio watch family has countless collaborations with popular brands and franchises, giving you double zeitgeisty whammy for your money.
Swatch
Creating styles that don’t take themselves too seriously, Swatch – belonging to the eponymous group that also owns Omega and Longines, amongst others – is colourful, fun and creative.
Fifty one parts are used to make each watch; hundreds of millions have been sold to date; and, on average, a new design is conceived every one-and-a-half days. Because of its industrial-scale production, the price of a timepiece is kept affordable, meaning it really is a Swiss-made brand for the people.
Playful rather than luxurious, Swatch is considered a blank canvas for artists around the world, with a series of collaborations making this a stylish watch to collect.
Larsson & Jennings
Hailing from the Swedish capital Stockholm, this cool watch brand offers straps, bracelets and watches for him and her.
A big part of the appeal is the minimal look of the watches; square, rectangle or round faces set on black, white or gold-coloured straps. The men’s chronographs are particularly striking, looking like a much pricier design at a glance.
Samsung Galaxy Smart Watches
The Korean tech giant has a number of models in the Galaxy series that are innovative enough on their own but really shine when paired with the brand’s other wearables, like its sizable collection of handsets and earbuds. Customised with different faces and straps, you can opt for the midnight and silver or rose gold tone.
The watch syncs with the Samsung Health app, can store Spotify playlists and is compatible with Samsung Pay, so you can leave your wallet at home when you’re wearing it. With all its techy features this watch means business — but it still looks like fashion.
In terms of cost, the needle goes from below £100 to over £400, so swim in the shallow end if you’re hunting for bargains: Samsung Smart Watch Gear Sport (£80), Galaxy Fit2 (£89.99), and Galaxy Watch4 Classic (£199.99).
Abbott Lyon Watches
Catering for him and her, jewellery and accessories brand Abbott Lyon is all about tasteful designs that you’ll continue to wear for many years to come.
Watch designs are simple with round or square faces and in timeless neutrals and metallics, with rose gold continuing to reign supreme.
The bracelet-style watches are all well below the £200 quid mark, making it a particularly good choice for gifts.
Daniel Wellington
We’d bet good money that your favourite fashion or beauty influencer has worked with this watch brand at some point. The Swedish company believes in a new way of reaching their audience through the Insta-famous and A-listers, all of which cleverly work together to make their watches some of the most desirable accessories for Gen Z right now.
Interchangeable straps means you can mix up your look as the occasion calls, and many of the women’s watches come with a matching bracelet too – perfect if you’re after a birthday gift for anyone aged 16 – 28.
Skagen
Simple watches with bold pops of colour, Danish Skagen is clean, uncluttered and super streamlined, championing a less is more approach. From 90s rave bright watches with silicone straps, to its latest charity collab with Save The Waves Coalition, there’s plenty of choice all tipping the £100-mark.
Ted Baker Watches
As a brand, Ted Baker is hardly one that needs any introduction, but while you may be familiar with the designer’s occasionwear, accessories, travel luggage and beauty ranges, the watch lines are the latest things to join the brand’s portfolio. They stay true to the Ted Baker aesthetic with nudes and neutrals mixed with tortoiseshell and rose gold frames for an altogether luxe look.
Timex Watches
From little kids who are just starting to learn how to tell time to adults who need a reliable watch at a decent price, Timex has you covered. The brand is widely stocked at other retailers like Watch Shop, H. Samuel and Argos and designs are typically simple with minimal adornments. That said, Timex does do collaborations that result in limited edition, collectors-items timepieces; think Snoopy, Peanuts and 70s re-issued designs.
Olivia Burton London
Bumblebees, wildflowers and soft pastels; spot any of these things on a watch and you’re probably admiring an Olivia Burton design.
Offering jewellery as well as wrist watches for a teen-and-twenties market, the watches are exceptionally pretty with rounded faces and thin straps in leather or mesh bracelet that render them superb bridesmaids’ gifts as well as Sweet Sixteen presents.
Vegan? Look out for the animal cruelty-free watches, marked with the vegan leaf symbol.
Cluse Watches
Popular on Instagram, Cluse is a great watch for young professionals, thanks to its affordable price point (in the £70 - £150 ballpark) and clean, elegant styles. It’s a brand that caters for both sexes, with jewellery-type bracelets for women and leather straps for men.
Beach, bar or boardroom, you can wear a Cluse anywhere.
The Camden Watch Company
Steampunk sass paired with Roman numerals, the Camden Watch Company is a winning blend of the old and new.
Watches are largely unisex although the women’s collection does feature smaller faces and thinner straps. Designed in and inspired by Camden Town, the brand’s motto is ‘Not For One But For All’, demonstrated through its affordable price and quality timepieces.