Japanese watches under €500
At this price, the most interesting watches in the world are mostly made in Japan. These are the ones we'd start with.
19 September 2026
There is a particular kind of value in a Japanese watch at this price: an in-house movement or one from a sister company, a case that has been refined over decades, and designs that aren't afraid of colour or strangeness.
This list isn't a ranking. It's a starting shelf — divers, dress watches, digital icons and a few oddballs — chosen because each one does something the others don't.
Citizen
Tsuyosa Automatic
The Europe-only salmon Tsuyosa swaps sunray for a vertically brushed dial, giving the integrated case a softer, dressier character.
40 mm, 8210, €299