The wonderful counter to rising prices at the very top end of the watch world is that, frankly, things have never looked better for those seeking proper mechanical watches on a budget. Entry-level timepieces keep getting better and cheaper—and this isn't just from newly established microbrands hoping to make a name for themselves, but from the major players, too.
\n\nRecently, I was asked to pick a couple of wallet-friendly watches for WIRED's Gear newsletter, and it sent me down a glorious rabbit hole where I was genuinely surprised by superb timepieces well below what WIRED has previously set for affordable watches (the sub-$1,000 bracket). Far from dropping three figures on a decent automatic, you can now get almost anything you desire from a watch for far less than $500.
\n\nTo check my math and make sure I wasn't going slightly crazy, I reached out to WIRED's wider circle of watch experts with a devilishly tricky, unenviable challenge: Pick their favorite mechanical watch for less than $400, the sort of price where quartz watches dominate. It was a hard ask, but they delivered. Here's the list—all are exceptional value, and watches we'd be delighted to sport on our wrists.
\n\nCaravelle has…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/