When the Quartz Crisis nearly bid RIP to the entire Swiss watch industry, the idea of anyone seeking to read about the best mechanical watches ever again would have been hard to fathom. Like, who needs the hassle of hand-winding when you have batteries? Boring. Dead. Idiots!
But that’s what makes mechanical watches special, and undoubtedly brought them back from the dead. As much as an automatic movement is a marvel and quartz has its time and place, there’s something special about a watch that relies on both its engineering and its owner to keep going. A symbiotic relationship that, predominantly, is why we get into watches in the first place. A mechanical watch is a clever piece of kit, a return to analogue… sort of.
And the best part – said quartz crisis seemed to trigger a realisation among brands that mechanical watches don’t have to cost the world. Of course you can still drop a few thousand Swiss Francs on a special piece, but below we’ve run through some our favourites, from a Timex classic to the original military beater.
Chopard Alpine Eagle XPS
Let’s bookend this list of delightfully different takes on a good mechanical watch with a budget-busting sweetheart from Chopard. The accurate Chronometer-certified movement powers a trifecta of Lucent Steel (recycled, natch) goodness. The intricate design (based on a quirky '80s model called the St Moritz) combines integrated bracelet goals with a tough 100m rating – as well as that dial. A swirling vortex of pink-tinged salmon-bronze goodness has us salivating while applying for another credit card. £20,500. At goldsmiths.co.uk
Gucci Dive
Gucci has long since busted out from the quartz-fashion image with its 40mm Dive the kind of lowkey doozy we now know to expect from the Italians. It's the deets we adore, from those hyper-aggressive arrow-head indexes (hour markers, mortals) to the cheeky bee at 12. Yes, there are loads of 40mm all-steel dive watches to choose from but with some small twists on well-known tool traits, this 300m depth-rated dress-tough tool is a winner in our books. £1,640. At goldsmiths.co.uk
Longines Legend Diver
Nope, the market for retro-loving SCUBA-diving wristwear is not peaking yet, and we’re happy about it. How are the lugs on the new middle-size 39mm Legend Diver? Not to mention the fact it's a Compressor case, where the twistable timing bezel is on the inside of the crystal (instead of the outside as per normal). The 300m depth rating puts this dressy number high on our ‘more than meets the eye’ radar. £3,050. At goldsmiths.co.uk
TAG Heuer Carrera Date 36
If you're still surfing the Barbie wave, this 36mm number is a sweet-spot size du jour for all. Even with the coronet-challenging bracelet design and a reliable Calibre 7 movement, the pink sunray dial is still the star. Not all everyday sports watches can be – or need to be – as lush as this Carrera Date 36 vision but it doesn't half add a sunny disposition to your day. £2,750. At goldsmiths.co.uk
Seiko Sports 5 SRE003K1
2023 was about flexing a smaller case – I mean, we've all seen Timothée Chalamet rocking the delightful 23mm Cartier Panthère, right? Riffing off this, we’d suggest next time the white tee and cap fit works better with this tough 28mm nugget from Seiko. That deep blue face and the gold details make the Seiko 5 a solid pick, always. £250. At goldsmiths.co.uk
Tudor 1926
A lil bit military and a little bit elegant, Tudor’s 1926 range is inspired by the brand’s early foray into watchmaking (guess the year). Steel case, clean white, diamond set dial and, best of all, a 28mm face. Now, that’s a proper size! £2010. At tudorwatch.com
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch
We’re blowing the whole budget (and then some) on this bad boy. Omega’s original lunar-conquering super watch (a version has been worn during all six landings), this particular Speedy has been turbo charged in trademark ‘Moonshine’ gold, which is a special blend gold alloy inspired by the moonlight. Nice! A punchy 42mm case with a rubber strap and a manual-winding chrono movement and tachymeter functionality, which can measure how fast you’re plummeting towards the moon’s lonely, lonely surface. £29,200. At omegawatches.com
Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical
The original and, perhaps, the best of all the mechanical watches when you combine quality, heritage and price, Hamilton’s Khaki Field is a faithful recreation of a Stevie Wonder era icon. 38mm case, NATO strap, and luminescent dial for recon missions under the cover of darkness, or if you want to see if you’ve missed the train after staying out a bit late. The movement has a power reserve of up to 80 hours, which is very good in this game, and means you don’t need to worry too much about winding it on the daily. £530. At hamiltonwatch.com
Longines Heritage Military
As with many things in fashion and, in particular, watchmaking, Longines dips into the militaria archive for inspiration for its Heritage Military. A riff on an original 40s-era RAF watch, it features a simple, 38.5mm steel case with a textured dial that looks like its seen some action, or at least the clever application of some ready-to-go patina. A watch to make you feel like a man of daring, action, and impeccably aged taste. £2150. At longines.com
Panerai Luminor
Watches designed for bold Italians to go really deep down into the sea, the Luminor is Panerai’s crown jewel. About as clean an example as you’ll find, a stainless steel cushioned dial, Italian leather on the strap, hand-wound movement and, of course, the brand’s signature Luminor dial, allowing you to clearly read the dial even in the murky depths. Up until 1993 Panerai didn’t even offer watches to the public, they strictly made them for the Italian Navy. These were watches meticulously crafted to do a job, they just so happen to look really cool while doing it. £4900. At panerai.com
Timex Marlin
Most of the time all you need is a Timex. A watch with style and history and a price point that won’t make you yell “WTF!” The Marlin is a fine example, a model the company refers to as ‘The gentleman’s standard,’ which is all quite Don Draper and, seeing as it’s a '60s reissue, very fitting. A beautifully-proportioned 34mm steel case, hand-wound, leather strap – the sort of piece you want to wear smoking in a lift wearing a grey flannel DB while death-staring Pete and preparing for a big pitch to General Motors while your personal life crumbles around you. £174.99. At timex.co.uk
Oris Holstëin edition 2023
You don’t see too many purple-faced watches outside of the Rolex space, but why not! Unveiled recently, it celebrates the company’s 119th anniversary (a special one). A riff on Oris's much-loved Aquis diver, we’ve already mentioned the purple face. Then there’s the lack of date, a first. And then you have a little diving cartoon bear on the caseback. As the brand says, “Why? Why not!” Following on from Kermit the Frog earlier in the year, we seriously dig the cut of your jib, Oris. £3300. At oris.ch
Bremont Airco Mach 1 Jet
A British watch company that often draws from history and heritage, Bremont named this piece after ‘The Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited’, one of the earliest producers of military planes. A resolute 40mm case, coated in DLC (that’s diamond-like carbon not Dominic Calvert Lewin) with Luminova for legibility, a strap made from sailcloth and an open caseback so you can lovingly admire the many wonders of the mechanical movement. Look at it tick, tick, tick. How do they manage it? £3695. At bremont.com
Grand Seiko Mechanical Manual Winding
The high watermark of the Seiko brand, Grand Seiko produces watches to rival the most prestigious Swiss marks. An immaculate, slim design on a 39mm stainless steel, no numerals (who needs numbers!), an in-house designed Calibre 9S63 mechanical movement and the reassurance that you’re wearing watch precisely crafted by the best of the best aka Japanese craftsmen. OK, Seiko might have invented the Quartz watch, but just look at this beauty. £7550; grandseikoboutique.co.uk
Nomos Orion
Nestled in the hills of Saxony, the home of German watchmaking, Nomos Glashuette might not be the best known, but it does have a rock solid rep for making watches that very well engineered, with designs that are a bit bold and a bit bauhaus. The Orion is a Nomos classic. Running on its custom Alpha calibre, which only needs to be wound every other day. The strap is Horween leather (really good stuff), with tempered blue hands and a crisp white dial. £2020. At nomos-glashuette.com
