Two Broke Watch Snobs
Best Starter Watches Under $250: Hands-On Reviewed Picks
These are the best starter watches under $250 we’ve reviewed hands-on, chosen for real-world wear, comfort, accuracy, durability, and long-term value.
19,453 articles · 167 videos found · page 29 of 654
Two Broke Watch Snobs
These are the best starter watches under $250 we’ve reviewed hands-on, chosen for real-world wear, comfort, accuracy, durability, and long-term value.
Worn & Wound
“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Liberum Watches Finding new ways to stand out in the watch market doesn’t have to be limited to a new silhouette, a new strap, or colorway. Sometimes, it’s about being innovative with materials. Take Liberum’s RE-XHAUST, a new release coming from the Italian brand through its Kickstarter campaign. As Liberum notes, traditional stainless steel production relies on mining raw materials and an energy-intensive manufacturing process. By working with Termignoni (an Italian brand that specializes in motorcycle exhausts) Liberum recycles the exhaust material into the RE-XHAUST’s watch cases. In doing so, Liberum has added a sustainable – and perhaps competitive – angle to its release, coming later this month. Keith Haring Auction This week, Sotheby’s began auctioning off a series of works by Keith Haring, from the private collection of his friend Kermit Oswald. With a friendship that originated in their childhood, Oswald’s selection of items on the block show an intimacy with the Haring that few were able to achieve within the artist’s short life (Haring died when he was 31 due to complications with AIDS). Within the collection, Oswald has included some fasc...
Teddy Baldassarre
Breaking down the best tool watches under $5,000 on the market today, from rugged divers to GMTs and beyond.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Explore compact skin diver-inspired watches we’ve reviewed hands-on, with vintage charm, wearable proportions, and practical dive-watch details for daily use.
Fratello
Mechanical watches were once essential tools for pilots, divers, scientists, race car drivers, etc. You’ve probably seen the advertisements in old National Geographic magazines, showing spelunkers proudly wearing their Rolex Explorers or a pilot checking his Breitling Navitimer, using it to calculate fuel consumption. For many years (decades) now, this has been handled digitally, as […] Visit Fratello Talks: There Are No Tool Watches Above €500 to read the full article.
Video
Watches & Wonders 2026 was an absolute movie. From running into Nico Leonard on Day 1 to spotting Patek Philippe's Thierry Stern at an underground club, this is the unfiltered, brutal truth about the biggest watch sho...
Hodinkee
This week on The Business of Watches, we sit down with Akio Naito, the President of Seiko Watch Corporation. Seiko's Credor brand, the ultra-premium offering showcasing artisanal creations, unique craftsmanship, and design, made its Watches and Wonders debut this year. We discuss Credor's positioning within the Seiko Group and its expansion into international markets. Photo credit: Mark Kauzlarich The biggest challenge for Credor, Naito says, will be increasing production for more markets, as the skills required to produce the timepieces are highly specialized and take years to master. We also get an update on Grand Seiko. Naito says the brand has increased its international sales by more than 15x over the past decade, driven largely by success in the U.S. market. Grand Seiko is continuing to update and improve its offerings, including a new ultra-accurate and ultra-luxurious dive watch in a more compact size that clients have been asking for. We also hear about the growing interest and awareness of Grand Seiko's class-leading 9F quartz movement technology, which is increasingly popular with some clients. But first, Hodinkee Senior Editor Mark Kauzlarich drops in for a fresh analysis on some of the record watch auction results from the spring sessions in Geneva. Pocket watches were hot, Journe was surging, and Patek showed continued strength with a record result for a rare Patek 2523. So what isn't hot right now? Tune in to find out. There's plenty of watch business and...
Teddy Baldassarre
The duo plays to their strengths with a fleet of Bioceramic pocket watches packed with a new movement and endless styling possibilities. More
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Cheap dive watches can be great, but too many start to feel the same. These 6 tested divers show what value, compromise, and upgrading really look like.
Time+Tide
Our British Watchmaker's Weekender event finally came to NY, with 400 ticket holders coming to check out some of the best in British watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Explore affordable dive watches with real history under $1,000, based on hands-on testing, daily wear notes, and the stories behind each model.
Video
Monochrome
Although the vast majority of mechanical watches are still made in steel, there are plenty of alternative materials, of course. One of the oldest and most widespread ones is gold, followed by titanium and perhaps platinum. On the more uncommon end of the spectrum, we find watches made in other types of metals, cutting-edge composite […]
Worn & Wound
“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Space Jam 30th Anniversary x Q Timex Limited Edition I can only imagine the experience I had seeing Space Jam for the first time, at five-years-old and living in Kentucky, is akin to others’ experience seeing Casablanca or Star Wars: A New Hope. Having previously grown up on a diet of Barney and Disney VHS tapes, I thought that Space Jam was pure cinema (so much so, I used to cover the fact that I was gay by saying that Lola Bunny was my first crush on a girl). Having since revisited this classic in recent years, I can now only assume there was a gas leak at Warner Bros. And yet, I’m happy to say that others must similarly hold a soft spot for this movie, since Timex has just released a limited-edition Q Timex to celebrate the film’s thirtieth anniversary. What’s particularly lovely about this release is how they didn’t try to modernize or upgrade the graphics or design language of Space Jam – this watch could have easily been released in 1996. Bugs is seen shooting a hoop at 9 o’clock while a basketball attached to the second hand slowly rotates around the dial, coming into contact with a basket at 3 o’clock. With this edition limited to just 1,000 pie...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Explore the weird watches collectors secretly love, with hands-on analysis on watches from Russia, Japan, the U.S., the U.K., and Switzerland.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Explore the vintage-style dive watches that stood out most in our hands-on reviews, balancing retro character with real-world wearability.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Discover less-obvious watches for enthusiasts, with hands-on reviewed picks that favor personality, real wrist time, and hidden-gem appeal over the usual recommendations.
Video
James Bond is most famous for wearing the Rolex Submariner and the Omega Seamaster, perhaps more than all his other watches in the franchise. His creator Ian Fleming wore the equally iconic Rolex Explorer 1016, and he...
Hodinkee
This week on The Business of Watches, we're in Hölstein, Switzerland, near Basel, at the peach-rose colored headquarters of Oris to talk to Rolf Studer, the brand's Chief Executive Officer. One of the 50 largest Swiss brands by sales, Oris is a true independent, making mechanical watches at fair prices, conveying the brand's unique spirit. Its history dates back to 1904, with boom times in the 1960s that were kick-started by the tireless legal and lobbying work of Dr. Rolf Portmann, an Oris executive (and honorary chairman today), whose efforts led to overturning the Swiss Watch Statute in 1966 that had prevented Oris and many other brands from using Swiss lever escapements in their watch movements. Oris CEO Rolf Studer. Photo courtesy Oris. Some 60 years later, Oris is marking that milestone with its Star Edition, an updated version of the Star, the first Oris watch to use a Swiss lever escapement after the law was changed. Portmann and Ulrich Herzog (now the Chairman) went on to lead a management buyout of Oris in 1982, which solidified the company's position as an independent brand. Studer, who has been co-CEO since 2016 and was appointed CEO last month, discusses Oris' positioning and strategy in the current market, where the strong Swiss franc is challenging it and fellow watchmakers. Oris has responded with models that not only offer value to customers but also draw on its storied history and the unique community culture it has fostered. Studer makes the case f...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Stowa's new Terra Collection brings three automatic watches in Soil, Forest, and Desert colorways with gray PVD cases and Sellita movements.
Worn & Wound
From the imposing astronomical clocks of Tudor England to the exquisite pendant watches of Victorian Britain, timekeeping has long been a symbol of power, prestige, and technological marvel within Europe’s royal courts. This new series explores the fascinating evolution of clocks and watches crafted specifically for royalty, tracing how these intricate masterpieces reflected the tastes, ambitions, and innovations of monarchs. Through the lens of craftsmanship, artistry, and historical significance, we reveal how these royal timepieces marked the passage of dynasties and empires. Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519–1574), the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, is remembered as a masterful statesman who unified Florence’s power. Yet behind his political authority lay a profound curiosity for the sciences, especially the study of the heavens and the measurement of time. The Medici family rose to power in Florence primarily through their wealth and strategic use of the Medici Bank, which became the largest and most powerful bank in Europe during the 15th century. They leveraged this financial power to influence Florentine politics, eventually establishing themselves as the de facto rulers of the city, although they maintained the appearance of a republic. They used their wealth and influence to transform Florence into a leading capital of trading and a place for the greatest creators to work and develop incredible scientific instruments, such as the clock in the Cathedral of Santa...
Teddy Baldassarre
An in-depth guide to the microbrand dive watches that are setting the tone in the category, from Lorier to Baltic and beyond.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Explore the best affordable luxury dive watches under $5,000, with hands-on insight into the models that deliver serious build quality, everyday wearability, and real enthusiast value.
Video
If you’re buying a Rolex or another luxury watch, preowned, there’s a good chance you’re overpaying—and it’s not your fault.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
After reviewing a wide range of smaller watches, these are our favorite 36mm picks for fit, comfort, design, and everyday wear.
Worn & Wound
“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Small Luxuries: Watches, by David Von Bader Veteran watch writer and Worn & Wound contributor, David Von Bader, has just released his new title Small Luxuries: Watches. Within its 128 pages, Von Bader takes the approach of accessibility and education versus any sort of pretense in watch collecting, giving readers insight into top watch brands, the historical context for various types of watches, and a starting point just starting out in their horological journey. Of course, for any enthusiast, it’s equally valuable to reignite and reaffirm the passion behind this shared little hobby of ours, too. Todd Snyder x Timex Collaborate Once More The beauty of Todd Snyder is that it toes the line between being a fashion fashion brand and being an everyman fashion brand. Sure, they have runway shows and sponsored events at Pitti Uomo and play the high fashion game well; but they’re equally happy selling a sub-$200 Timex collab and making it their own. Released last week, the Todd Snyder x Timex 1976 Lexington has already sold out, due in part to the brand’s keen ability to tap into various zeitgeisty pockets of social media. This is, of course, very much to the disappo...
Fratello
As Fratello writers, my colleagues and I always have this article in the back of our minds as we work our way through the Watches and Wonders peak workload. We all know that sooner rather than later, Head of Content Nacho will schedule a Watches and Wonders 2026 favorites article for each of us, so […] Visit Thomas’s Watches And Wonders 2026 Favorites: Conservative Classics Catch My Gaze to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Universal Genève means a lot to us at Hodinkee. It's been one of my favorite brands since the early days of our publication—one that's been with me through various moments in my career, through my growth in knowledge and passion for vintage watches, and a brand I've watched with anticipation, hoping it would come back. And today, we are sharing a conversation between myself and Georges Kern, former Breitling CEO and recently appointed CEO of House of Brands, which includes Breitling, Universal Genève, and Gallet, to chat over the recent results of a long-term project to bring Universal Genève back to the forefront. I don't think there's been a more hotly anticipated brand relaunch than that of Universal Genève. The announcement that Breitling (now House of Brands) had secured the rights to the dormant brand sent shockwaves through the industry. We—both in the industry at large and at Hodinkee—had high hopes for the relaunch, but the proof would come with the first releases. Let me tell you, I don't think anyone thought Universal Genève would go this far to knock it out of the park. Just before Watches and Wonders 2026, Universal Genève essentially stole the show before it began by launching a few dozen of its most iconic watches in both heritage-styled and reimagined forms. The Gerald Genta-designed Polerouter? Returned, not just in one size but two, and in multiple materials, dials, bracelets, and more. Oh, and a brand-new microrotor (well, three-quarter rotor...
SJX Watches
Episode 37 of the SJX Podcast recaps the biggest releases from the brands officially exhibiting at Watches & Wonders 2026. Rolex marked a century of the Oyster case with an enamel-dialled Daytona and new Oyster Perpetuals, but also revised the ugly duckling of the catalogue — the Yacht-Master II — transforming it into an appealing and interesting chronograph. Patek Philippe arguably overshadowed the 50th anniversary of the Nautilus with a new Celestial that’s capable of tracking sunrise and sunset year-round (at least in Geneva). Vacheron Constantin and Grand Seiko introduced titanium sports watches many had been waiting for, and TAG Heuer reinvented the chronograph with a fascinating compliant mechanism. Highlights from the independent brands exhibiting around town will be covered in our next episode. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Video
Welcome to the watch releases update for the third week of April 2026. We will talk about some new watch releases this week as well as some watch releases from Watches and Wonder 2026 that I didn't cover in the previo...
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