Some iconic designs are the result of lightning strikes of genius, while others are happy accidents. The best field watches under $500 are decidedly members of the second group. Simple, legible, and tough, usually featuring white numerals on a black dial and a 24-hour scale (a.k.a. military time), field watched were created in the 1940s as a standard-issue timekeeper for soldiers in WWII.
Much like bomber jackets, cargo pants, and aviator shades, though, it didn’t take long for their rugged appeal to catch on among the civilian population. Nowadays, you don’t need a full camo wardrobe (or a military-scale budget) to enjoy the benefits of this former military accessory, as our top budget-friendly picks prove.
For more timely ticker recommendations, check out the GQ Watch Shop.
The Budget Field Watch: Bertucci DX-3 Watch
As good on a camping trip as it is on a city patio, this is basically the denim chore jacket of watches. (It looks great with a denim chore jacket, too.)
The Upgrade Field Watch: Seiko 5 Sports Automatic Watch
You can think of the Seiko 5 as the used Subaru Outback of field watches. It’s affordable, reliable and you can beat the crap out of it for years to come.
The Indestructible Field Watch: Casio Solar Powered Stainless Steel Watch
In the event of a zombie apocalypse, this is the watch you want to grab on your way out the door. It’s beefy, rugged and—unlike you—can run forever without stopping. Stay safe out there.
The Glow-in-the-Dark Field Watch: Citizen Eco-Drive Chandler Watch
With its mechanical movement, day indicator and date window, this is far from a bare-bones field watch. You wouldn’t guess that from the price.
The No-Fuss, No-Frills Field Watch: Orient Field Watch
You only need three chords to write a classic country song and you only need three things to make a good field watch. With a legible white-on-black dial, a steel case and a sturdy nylon strap, consider this the “Jolene” of your watch collection.
The Retro-Modern Field Watch: Timex x Huckberry Titanium Automatic Field Watch
The result of a meeting of minds on par with Asics x A.P.C., Huckberry teamed up with Timex to upgrade the look of its classic field watch. Now, thanks to an automatic movement, a titanium case, and a retro-modern look, it’s every bit as stylish and durable as their waxed trucker jackets.
The Better-in-Black Field Watch: Momentum Smokejumper Solar Eclipse Watch
In keeping with their utilitarian origins, most field watches tend to feature white numerals on a black dial, making them easier to read in low light. This one takes it to a moodier—but still extremely functional—place with a black-on-black titanium case.
The American Field Watch: Vaer C3 Dirty Dozen Ameriquartz Watch
A period-correct 36mm case and small seconds dial make this American-made watch an authentic (and affordable) tribute to one of the most coveted field watches of all time.
The American-Born, Swiss-Made Field Watch: Hamilton Khaki Field Quartz Watch
Rugged looks, Swiss-made quality, and a price well under five bills. What more could you want?
The Italian Field Watch: Unimatic UT4 Tool Watch
As this beloved Italian indie brand ably demonstrates, a military watch can look just as good in black-on-black as it does in khaki and green.
The Canadian Field Watch: Marathon Desert Tan General Purpose Watch
Little-known fact: Canada has a military. Littler-known fact: this is its watch brand of choice.
The Small-but-Mighty Field Watch: Praesidus Jungle Field Watch
Think a small watch can’t still look badass? Consider this 1960s repro (complete with a vintage-correct 34mm case) exhibit A.
The Microbrand Field Watch: Lorier Falcon SIII Watch
If you’re not familiar with this NYC-based microbrand, the tasteful lines of this “explorer-style” field watch tell you everything you need to know.
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there’s bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ’s testing process here.)