The best cheap watches with serious grail appeal

Few (if any) brands boast such a large number of first-watch owners as Casio. But with a solid catalogue of sub-£50 watches, Casio a) is in a league of its own while b) still inspiring deep brand loyalty. Step up a few rungs on the ladder, and you’ll have this bulletproof steel sports “Casioak”. It can take one hell of a beating and the octagonal shape and a diver-spec 200m depth rating make it a worldie in our eyes.

Citizen is your cool, Japanese entry ticket to the world of diver’s watches. With a Solar-powered Eco-Drive movement the Promaster series has the 300m depth rating to actually strap onto that dive suit you’ve always wanted. A delicious smash of sun-soaked orange makes this big-cased tool watch an instant summer fit hit.

There’s no getting away from the huge impact on brand awareness that Tissot’s lauded PRX has had, and we get it. The OG version just got refreshed in a slim 40mm steel case with a solid quartz movement, proving that green is still hot. Give yourself a sunny taste of apple-fresh seventies glam with a sleek bracelet that’s pretty unbeatable at the price.

Inspired by the clock face first developed for Swiss Federal Railways in 1944, there’s a history and pedigree to Mondaine watches that you don’t usually find at this price. Instead of sticking with the traditional white dial and black minute indentations, this EVO2 model flips the script to striking effect.

After Swatch and Omega dropped a MoonSwatch with Moonshine Gold hand earlier this year, here's a timely reminder that the Mission to Uranus still has an enviable ‘need this’ pull that’s difficult to match. With a summer-fresh pale blue case and white Velcro strap, the design is pure Speedmaster and also reminds us of a few baby blue grails from Rolex and Patek. At this price, the hype is worth it and the queues outside Swatch boutiques near you may well have died down too.

Tissot has become the poster boy for accessible '70s rakish wristwear with the PRX range, but we’re all about the versatility of a dive watch. This slim version of its Seastar 1000 straddles the genres with a 300m depth rating with too-suave gold and black looks. All with a solid Swiss quartz movement and for a great price. We’d happily twist its gilt bezel anytime.

Timex's Expedition North is probably the best value titanium field watch available today, and with its flyweight 63 grams is a great everyday tool watch. It might seem broad for a field watch at 41mm, but with its blunt hands and generous Super-Luminova application, it has an unexpected pilot’s watch crossover vibe we’re all for this winter. On a recycled ocean-fishnet strap its mechanical movement offers a big vibe for just over £300.

Many affordable watches tend to borrow a hefty dose of inspiration from one brand more than any other: Rolex. So it's always refreshing to see a new spin on a different legacy aesthetic, as is the case with Elliot Brown's Bloxworth Heritage Diver. Using concentric circles and a four-numbered dial in the same manner as Jaeger-LeCoultre's criminally underrated Polaris, this is a handsome model with an undeniably distinctive look.

We knew something special was coming from the first tease shots but not like this. The SwatchPain/BlancSwatch/Scuba 50 repeated the massive success of the MoonSwatch from last year. Debatably the first dive watch, the Fifty Fathoms is a wrist-worn legend that will set you back more than a Rolex Submariner. Fear not, each colour-popping Blancpain x Swatch is affordable with the added benefit of an automatic movement inside.

We know Citizen as the affordable face of tough dive-ready tool watches with a Japanese twist, but this year the brand surprised us. The NJ0150 Tsuyosa might be the PRX-beater we’ve been waiting for, with a sleek and rather Rolex-like bracelet and bucketloads of '70s feelgood factor.

Timex has upped its cool factor over the past few years by reissuing certain classic models such as the 1960s Marlin, as well as collaborating with fashion and streetwear brands such as Red Wing, Todd Snyder and Brain Dead. A recent, noteworthy addition to the collection is the gorgeous M79, a new take on the 1970s Q collection, which brings in to play a very contemporary use of colour, offering Timex’s interpretation on the unidirectional and aptly named black-and-blue “Batman” bezel. An automatic movement, luminescent material on the hands and indexes, a day-date indicator at three o’clock and a deliciously retro woven steel bracelet all make this one not to be missed.

There are more ways than one to enter the realm of the integrated bracelets, and for the small-case averse why not click on this unashamedly brash 45mm beast from Boss. With a clear Hublot Big Bang vibe about it, this chronograph is a lot of stainless steel for the price, and offers casual quartz dependability with Big Watch presence.

The Orient Bambino has long been one of the best entry tickets into the world of mechanical watches. This time it's smaller at 38mm, and exactly what we’ve been waiting for. With applied dial details and sharp sword hands, the mid-century charm of the Bambino is near impossible to beat for the sub-£300 price. Include the allure of a mechanical in-house movement and we’re sold.

With this 40mm steel chronograph, German storied brand Junghans makes a power play for the big Swiss leagues. There is something intensely satisfying about the Teutonic precision in something as seemingly simple as the perfectly proportioned chrono pushers, see? The dial is defined by Bauhaus modernity and an instrument-like clarity powered by a premium quartz movement.

We have a sweet spot for vintage but also love the spare UFO-like design of the IKEPOD range, originally penned by Marc Newson. All unnecessary accoutrements are removed, and what you’re left with is a futurist essence of wristwear. Within a button-shaped pod of 42mm on the softest of rubber is a watch that will remain timeless while being quite the style chameleon. Match up to those satsuma hands with a trainer swoosh or stripe and you’re set.

A not-so-subtle nod to Rolex’s now discontinued ‘Hulk’ Submariner, Citizen’s Promaster Diver retains plenty of aquatic charm itself. Not least because it won’t set you back the best part of £19k to obtain. More proof, if ever it was needed, that green is good.

If you are up for fully embracing the indulgent big fits and glitz of the late ’80s and ’90s, this is your ticket to wrist-based excellence. Frenchies Herbelin celebrated the 75th anniversary of its Newport last year, and this very wearable 40mm shows exactly why it remains a mainstay among the IYKYK watch crowd. We’re big fans of the deep blue dial, the très chic case design and matching the insouciant redefinition of the lugs. You can be the judge of whether it’s retro or future-proof. Either way, we fancy the pants off it.

The storied brand Certina plays a pivotal value role in the big-boy world of Swatch Group, and the DS series of dive watches have all the right Swiss traits of a mini grail. With PVD gold details, the three-linked oyster-style bracelet spells out its sporty intent, while sword-and-arrow hands make you understand that this is a really f-ing tough sports watch. Perfectly mid-sized at 38mm, the 300m depth-rating points to its legit diver status.

Few watch brands have as richer back catalogue as Swatch, and so the Clearly Gent is a revival of one of its earliest hits: the transparent Jellyfish. Such was that timepiece's iconoclasm, it even earned itself a spot in MoMa's permanent collection. With a case that's made from bioceramic – a plant-derived plastic and ceramic hybrid – the Clearly Gent has some sustainably-minded credentials for the modern day too.

Ok. So it’s not quite a Hublot Big Bang, but Fossil’s Grant Automatic showcases the same skeleton aesthetic for a much more reasonable price. Combined with the use of Roman numerals around its dial, its winning clash of past and present makes for a timepiece with plenty of personality.