The Most Affordable Watch from 10 Famously Expensive Brands

What’s considered affordable or luxury is different for everyone. It’s all relative. But there’s quantifiably a most affordable watch from any given brand, no matter how high-end, and where a company’s pricing starts isn’t just the most accessible way to get a prestigious name on your wrist — it also says a lot about the brand.

We’re not here to tell you the high quality, skill, trust and reputation that the world’s best watchmakers have built over time (in some cases, over centuries) comes cheap, but there are ways to get your foot in the door of their world. One is to look at their entry-level products.

We’ve combed through the catalog of ten of the top expensive luxury watch brands to find the absolute lowest-priced watch from each that can be classified as either a unisex or men’s watch (ladies watches, in general, have a lower starting point at most brands). These watches might not be your dream watch (Or maybe they are!), but they are the most affordable way to get brands like Rolex and Omega on your wrist.

Rolex

Available in multiple fun dial colors and five sizes, the Oyster Perpetual is, in many ways, the quintessential Rolex. A simple, time-only affair with stainless steel Oyster cases on the iconic Oyster bracelet, it has the basic features you should expect from the brand, including superlative chronometric accuracy, a robust build and 100m of water resistance.

At 34mm, this is about the most affordable, convincingly men’s watch you can get from Rolex — but smaller Oyster Perpetual ladies watches (28mm, 31mm) will cost a little less, and larger examples (36mm, 41mm) go for a bit more.