Best Watches Men
Choosing a men's watch is one of the most personal decisions in menswear. The case sits on your wrist every day — it tells others something about your taste before you say a word. At OD's Jewellers, we stock a carefully chosen range of Swiss-made, Japanese and designer watches across every budget, and we have been helping men in St Helens and across the North West find the right watch since we opened our doors on Barrow Street.
This guide cuts through the noise. Whether you have £80 to spend or £800, whether you want something to wear to the office or on a dive boat, we will point you toward the right watch — and explain the details that actually matter.
What We Stock at OD's Jewellers
- Tissot — Swiss precision across dress, sport and everyday styles
- Citizen — Japanese quality including solar-powered Eco-Drive
- BOSS — Contemporary design for the modern professional
- Tommy Hilfiger — Relaxed American style at accessible price points
Movement Types Explained
Before diving into specific watches, it helps to understand what is powering them. The movement is the engine of the watch — it determines accuracy, maintenance requirements, price and character.
Quartz
Battery-powered. Accurate to within ±15 seconds per month. Requires a battery change every 2–3 years. The most common movement in watches under £500. No servicing needed between battery changes. Reliable and low-maintenance.
Automatic (Self-Winding)
Mechanical movement powered by the motion of your wrist. No battery required. Considered the traditional choice. Typically accurate to ±10–30 seconds per day. Requires servicing every 5–7 years. A watch that connects you to craft.
Eco-Drive (Solar Quartz)
Citizen's own technology. Charges from any light source — natural or artificial — and stores energy in a rechargeable cell. Never needs a battery change. Accurate as standard quartz. A genuinely practical choice for daily wear.
Chronograph
Not a movement type but a function — a stopwatch complication built into any of the above movements. Adds sub-dials and pushers to the case. Signals sporting intent. Available in both quartz and automatic variants across our range.
Which movement is right for you?
If you want zero maintenance and maximum accuracy, quartz or Eco-Drive is the sensible choice. If you value tradition and the pleasure of a mechanical object, automatic is worth the step up in price. Either way, the movement is just one factor — a quartz Tissot PRX is no less of a watch than a mechanical one.
Watch Size Guide — Finding the Right Case Diameter
Case diameter is measured in millimetres and refers to the width of the watch face, not including the crown. It is the single most important dimension when buying online or as a gift. Getting it wrong makes an expensive watch look wrong on the wrist.
| Wrist Circumference | Suggested Case Size | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16cm | 36–38mm | Tissot Gentleman 40mm (borderline) |
| 16–17.5cm | 38–40mm | Tissot PRX 40mm, Citizen Tsuyosa 40mm |
| 17.5–19cm | 40–43mm | BOSS Champion 44mm (suits the upper end) |
| 19cm+ | 42–46mm | Citizen Promaster Diver 46mm |
Beyond Diameter — What Else to Check
- Lug-to-lug distance: How far the watch extends across the wrist. A key fit measurement that diameter alone does not capture.
- Case thickness: Thinner cases (under 10mm) sit elegantly under shirt cuffs. Sport and diver watches can reach 14–16mm.
- Bracelet vs strap: Bracelets feel more substantial; leather straps are more formal and seasonal. NATO straps are casual and sporty.
- Lug width: The width where strap meets case. Standard sizes are 18mm, 20mm and 22mm — relevant if you plan to change straps.
If you are uncertain, come in to 41 Barrow Street, St Helens and try watches on your wrist. We have a full range of sizes available and will take the time to show you what each one looks like before you commit.
Best Men's Watches Under £150
Under £150 does not mean compromise. Tommy Hilfiger and BOSS both produce watches in this bracket that are built on reliable quartz movements, finished with genuine stainless steel cases and presented in quality packaging. These are solid first watches and strong gift options.
Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger watches under £150 lead with relaxed, American-influenced design. Clean dials, bold numerals and strong colour contrasts are the house signatures. Case sizes typically run 44–46mm, making them a confident presence on the wrist.
Tommy Hilfiger Multi-Dial Sport — from around £100
Quartz movement. Stainless steel case and bracelet or silicone strap depending on variant. 44mm case. Chronograph sub-dials add visual interest without overcrowding the dial. Navy and silver colourways suit both casual and smart-casual dress. A reliable and well-priced everyday option.
Tommy Hilfiger Men's Classic — from around £85
Quartz. 44mm stainless steel case. Three-hand dial in silver or blue on a stainless bracelet. Simple, clean and highly wearable. The kind of watch that gets put on every morning without thought — which is exactly the point at this price.
Browse the full Tommy Hilfiger watch collection at OD's Jewellers →
BOSS
BOSS watches just below £150 are typically their entry sport and urban styles. Expect bold case designs, multi-function displays and BOSS's signature modern-masculine aesthetic.
BOSS Intensity / Pioneer Range — around £120–£145
Quartz. 44mm stainless steel case. Date window. Mineral glass crystal. Available on steel bracelet or silicone strap. The silhouette is chunky and purposeful — a watch that reads as confident without being ostentatious.
Gift tip: Under £150
At this level, go for a stainless steel bracelet in silver-tone. It is the most versatile and will photograph well. Box presentation from Tommy Hilfiger and BOSS is genuinely gift-ready — no extra wrapping required.
Best Men's Watches £150–£300
This is where the range expands meaningfully. You access Citizen Eco-Drive — arguably the best value technology in watchmaking — and the upper end of BOSS and Tommy Hilfiger. Swiss-made Tissot enters at the very top of this bracket. At £150–£300, a watch starts to feel like an investment piece rather than an accessory.
Citizen Eco-Drive
Citizen's Eco-Drive watches use solar technology to charge from any light source. The rechargeable cell powers the watch for months even in darkness. There is no battery to change — ever. Couple that with Citizen's Japanese precision and robust build quality, and Eco-Drive represents exceptional value at this price.
Citizen Eco-Drive Classic — from around £160
Solar-powered quartz. 40mm stainless steel case. Sapphire crystal on select models (check individual listings). Date function. Clean three-hand dial. Available in silver, blue and black dial variants. This is the watch you buy for a man who wants a low-maintenance, handsome everyday watch that will simply keep working.
Citizen Tsuyosa — from around £175
Automatic movement — self-winding, no battery. 40mm case with exhibition caseback to display the movement. Available in bold dial colours including blue, green and dark grey. Sapphire crystal. One of Citizen's stronger value propositions in the automatic category. The Tsuyosa name translates as “strength” in Japanese — appropriate for a robust and capable daily wearer.
Browse the full Citizen watch collection at OD's Jewellers →
BOSS — Upper Range
Between £150 and £300, BOSS moves into their more design-led pieces. The Candor and Top models in this bracket feature cleaner dials, more refined bracelets and case finishing that punches closer to luxury.
BOSS Candor / Top — £150–£250
Quartz. 42–44mm case. Integrated or semi-integrated bracelet. Date function. Mineral glass. The case shapes are more considered at this level — flatter lugs, better proportions. A BOSS watch at £200 looks and feels noticeably different from one at £120.
Gift tip: £150–£300
Citizen Eco-Drive is the safe gift at this level — the “never needs a battery” story lands well and feels premium. If the recipient is into fashion, BOSS at around £200 is the natural choice. Avoid guessing dial colour — black and silver are universal.
Best Men's Watches £300–£500
Between £300 and £500 you move firmly into Swiss-made territory with Tissot. The Geneva-based brand, owned by the Swatch Group, produces movements entirely within Switzerland and submits to independent accuracy testing — meaningful standards that justify the price. Citizen Promaster also appears in this bracket, offering specialist dive and sport capability.
Tissot PRX
The Tissot PRX is one of the most praised watches of recent years. Launched in 2021 as a reissue of a 1978 original, it takes direct design cues from the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak — the integrated bracelet, the octagonal bezel — but costs a fraction of the price. Available in quartz (around £350) and automatic (around £495).
Tissot PRX Quartz — from £350
ETA Swiss quartz movement. 40mm stainless steel case with fully integrated bracelet. Sapphire crystal. 10 bar water resistance. Available in steel, blue, green and black dial variants. The bracelet taper and integration are flawless for the price. Arguably the most talked-about watch under £500 in the UK market right now.
Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Automatic — from £495
Tissot's own Powermatic 80 movement with 80-hour power reserve (most automatics offer 38–42 hours). Caseback display. Same integrated case design as the quartz. The 80-hour reserve means you can leave it off for a weekend and pick it up Monday morning still running. A landmark watch at this price.
Tissot Gentleman
Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 — from £495
Swiss automatic. 40mm case. Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. The Gentleman is Tissot's dedicated dress proposition — a slimmer case profile designed to sit under a shirt cuff. Silver or sunray blue dial. A watch for the office and beyond.
Citizen Promaster
Citizen Promaster Diver Eco-Drive — from around £350
Solar-powered quartz. 200m water resistance. Rotating dive bezel. Large crown for use in gloves or underwater. 46mm case. Luminous hands and indices. ISO 6425 dive watch standard compliance on select models. This is a genuine tool watch — built to perform in demanding conditions, worn to the pub, the pool and everywhere in between.
The case for Tissot at £300–£500
Tissot is a genuine Swiss manufacture at a price point that used to only buy fashion watches. Sapphire crystal (versus mineral glass), Swiss movements and five-year official movement accuracy standards are not marketing — they are measurable differences. For milestone gifts — 30th birthday, promotion, retirement — this is the bracket to aim for.
Best Men's Watches £500+
Above £500, you are in automatic Swiss territory. Tissot's upper range — the Seastar and higher-spec PRX variants — offers serious capability and finishing. The price-to-specification ratio at this level is compelling: watches with sapphire crystal, in-house-derived movements and 300m water resistance that would cost three times as much from other Swiss manufacturers.
Tissot Seastar
Tissot Seastar 1000 Automatic — from around £550
Swiss automatic movement. 42.5mm stainless steel case. 300m water resistance. Unidirectional rotating bezel. Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. Available on rubber, stainless steel or NATO strap. The Seastar is Tissot's sport dive watch — serious depth rating, chunky build, legible dial. It wears as well with shorts as with chinos.
Tissot Seastar 1000 Quartz Chronograph — from around £500
Swiss quartz with chronograph function. 45mm case. 300m water resistance. Tachymetre bezel. This is the chronograph version — sub-dials for elapsed time measurement. If wrist presence and sport functionality are the priorities, this delivers both with Swiss credentials.
Citizen Promaster Sky Eco-Drive — from around £500
- Solar-powered. Radio-controlled time-setting (self-corrects to atomic time signals).
- World time function across multiple time zones.
- Perpetual calendar. Never needs manual date adjustment.
- For the man who travels for work — this watch manages itself.
Above £500 — the right conversation to have
At this level, the right watch depends heavily on lifestyle and taste. We carry stock in store and encourage you to visit, try them on and take your time. A watch above £500 is not an impulse buy — and we do not treat it as one. Call us on 01744 730985 or come into the shop at 41 Barrow Street, St Helens, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
Best Dress Watches for Men
A dress watch should disappear under a shirt cuff, read clearly at a glance and complement formal clothing without competing with it. The rules are simple: thin profile (under 10mm), simple dial, no busy sub-dials, leather strap or restrained bracelet.
Tissot Gentleman
40mm, slim profile, sapphire crystal, sunray dial. Designed for exactly this purpose — the office, evening events, suit occasions. Swiss automatic or quartz. Available with steel bracelet or leather strap.
Tissot PRX (Steel Bracelet)
The PRX sits at the intersection of dress and modern sport. The integrated bracelet and clean dial make it exceptional for smart occasions. The 40mm case does not overwhelm a dress shirt cuff. One watch, many occasions.
BOSS Candor
Contemporary and slim. Quartz. Refined case with flat dial surfaces. Works well in business settings. Available in rose gold-tone and steel variants. A fashion-led alternative to Swiss-made for those who prioritise brand identity alongside design.
Citizen Eco-Drive Classic
Slim, uncluttered dial, solar-powered so no battery crown disrupts the case profile. Available with leather strap. An understated choice for the man who prefers function-led design over fashion branding.
Best Sport & Chronograph Watches for Men
Sport watches are built for activity and adventure — water resistance, rotating bezels and legible dials in low light. Chronographs add stopwatch functionality via pushers on the case flank. Both categories tend to run larger (42–46mm) and wear more casually.
Tissot Seastar 1000 Quartz Chronograph
The standout sport chronograph in our range. 300m water resistance, tachymetre bezel, large case presence. Three sub-dials for hours, minutes and seconds of elapsed time. Swiss quartz accuracy. This is a proper sport watch that happens to also work for weekend wear.
Citizen Promaster Diver Eco-Drive
200m water resistance. ISO 6425 compliant on select models. Solar-powered — a genuine advantage for a watch used in outdoor or aquatic environments where battery access is impractical. Unidirectional dive bezel. Luminous everything. The Promaster is built to be used.
Tommy Hilfiger Chronograph Sport
Quartz chronograph at an accessible price. Larger case (44–46mm). Bold dial design with sport sub-dials. Silicone strap options. If the chronograph function is mainly aesthetic — sub-dials add visual interest to a plain dial — Tommy Hilfiger delivers the look at a sensible price.
BOSS Sport Chronograph
BOSS's sport interpretation — quartz chronograph with a more urban design language. Typically 44mm. Works as well at the gym as at the restaurant. The BOSS logo at 12 o’clock is a deliberate style statement.
Chronograph — function or fashion?
- Most chronograph wearers never use the stopwatch. That is fine — the sub-dials add complexity and visual interest to the dial.
- If you genuinely intend to time things — lap times, cooking, intervals — consider whether the pushers are easy to operate.
- Automatic chronographs cost significantly more than quartz versions. Unless the mechanical movement is important to you, quartz chronographs are more accurate and much more affordable.
Best Everyday Men's Watches
The best everyday watch is the one you reach for without thinking. It needs to be robust, water-resistant, comfortable on the wrist across a full day and visually versatile enough to work from the school run to the office to a casual evening out.
Tissot PRX — the everyday standard
40mm. Integrated bracelet. 10 bar water resistance. Swiss quartz or automatic. The PRX is the watch most people who visit us end up buying when they want a single watch that does everything. It is handsome without demanding attention. It keeps time accurately. The bracelet is genuinely comfortable over long wear. Highly recommended.
Citizen Tsuyosa Automatic
40mm automatic with exhibition caseback. Strong colourway options. 10 bar water resistance. Sapphire crystal. At around £175–£200, this is the everyday automatic for those who want the mechanical experience without the Swiss price tag. The movement is visible through the caseback — a small but satisfying detail.
BOSS One / BOSS Reason
Reliable quartz everyday pieces. Clean two or three-hand dials. Date window. Stainless steel case and bracelet. BOSS's everyday proposition sits at a price point that feels comfortable to wear daily without anxiety — which is exactly the right mindset for an everyday watch.
Tommy Hilfiger Classic 3-Hand
Simple quartz. 44mm. Steel bracelet. Uncluttered dial. A comfortable, reliable daily wearer for men who want something presentable and low-maintenance. Available in silver, black and navy dial options.
The everyday watch litmus test
Put the watch on in the morning and forget it is there. If it passes that test — comfortable, not drawing unwanted questions, reading well at a glance — it is the right everyday watch. Water resistance of at least 5 bar (50m) is sensible for daily wear, even if you never go swimming.
Best Dive Watches for Men
Dive watches are the most functional category in watchmaking. Defined by their water resistance (100m minimum, 200m+ for genuine diving use), rotating bezels for tracking elapsed underwater time, luminous hands and indices for low-light legibility, and robust case construction. They are also the most wearable everyday watches — the chunky build and sporty aesthetic suits casual and smart-casual dress equally well.
Tissot Seastar 1000 Automatic — 300m
The benchmark dive watch in our range. 300m water resistance. Screw-down crown. Unidirectional rotating bezel. 42.5mm case. Automatic movement. Available on stainless steel bracelet, rubber strap or NATO. Genuinely built for dive use, worn by people who have never dived. Both audiences are served.
Citizen Promaster Diver Eco-Drive — 200m
200m water resistance. Solar-powered — never needs a battery. ISO 6425 dive watch standard compliance. 46mm case. Screw-down crown. Unidirectional bezel. Super-luminova indices. The Eco-Drive powertrain is an advantage for a dive watch — no battery means no water ingress risk from crown manipulation. A considered choice for actual water sports use.
Water resistance — what the ratings actually mean
- 3 bar / 30m: Splash resistant only. Not for swimming.
- 5 bar / 50m: Swimming fine. No diving.
- 10 bar / 100m: Snorkelling. Light surface diving. Most Tissot and Citizen everyday models.
- 20 bar / 200m: Recreational scuba diving. The Citizen Promaster.
- 30 bar / 300m: Professional diving. Tissot Seastar 1000.
Even if you never get closer to the sea than a beach walk, a dive watch rated at 200m+ carries that extra robustness into everyday life — showers, swimming pools, rain, accidental splashes. There is a reason dive watches are the most popular watch category in the world.
Men's Watch Gift Buying Tips
A watch is one of the most considered gifts in menswear. It lasts years, sits visibly on the wrist every day and carries the memory of who gave it. That weight is worth getting right. Here is our in-store advice distilled.
Buying for Someone Whose Taste You Know
- Check what they already wear. Current watch, jewellery and clothing all signal preference. A man in a suit likely wants something thinner and more refined. A man in outdoor gear wants something robust.
- Note their wrist size. Grip their wrist as if shaking hands and estimate — or measure at home with a tape measure.
- Ask indirectly. “If you could have any watch what would it be?” in a casual context tells you more than a direct question.
Buying Without Knowing Their Taste
- Silver-tone stainless steel bracelet, white or blue dial. This is the universal safe choice.
- Avoid rose gold unless you know they wear it already.
- Avoid very large cases (over 44mm) unless you know their wrist is large.
- Avoid leather straps — sizing and colour preference are both personal.
- Mid-size at 40–42mm works across most wrists.
Occasion-Led Recommendations
| Occasion | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 18th or 21st birthday | Tommy Hilfiger or BOSS, £80–£150 | Brand recognition, age-appropriate, accessible |
| 30th birthday | Tissot PRX Quartz, £350 | A milestone watch at a milestone moment |
| 40th birthday | Tissot PRX Automatic or Seastar, £495–£550 | Swiss automatic is the right statement |
| Father's Day | Citizen Eco-Drive, £160–£250 | Practical, quality, “never needs a battery” story lands well |
| Christmas | BOSS or Tommy Hilfiger, £100–£200 | Great in-box presentation, accessible and stylish |
| Retirement | Tissot Gentleman, from £495 | A watch for a new chapter — dress and understated |
| Promotion / work milestone | Tissot Gentleman or PRX Automatic | Swiss manufacture signals genuine investment |
Come In and Let Us Help
- We have been selling watches in St Helens for years and have helped hundreds of people choose the right one.
- We will never push you toward a more expensive option unless it genuinely makes sense for the recipient.
- If you describe who the watch is for, we will make a shortlist of three options and explain each one clearly.
- Visit us at 41 Barrow Street, St Helens, WA10 1RY, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, or call 01744 730985.
Top Picks at OD's — In Stock Now
Three best-sellers our customers are choosing this month — all in stock, ready to ship from St Helens, available to try in our St Helens store before you buy.
All available in-store at 41 Barrow Street, St Helens, WA10 1RY — try before you buy.
Browse the full jewellery range at OD's.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good watch budget for a first serious men's watch?
£150 to £300 is an excellent starting point. At this level you access genuine Swiss-made movements (Tissot) and Japanese precision (Citizen Eco-Drive), both of which offer strong longevity and recognisable brand names. If budget allows, the £300–£500 range opens up mechanical automatics and sapphire crystal glass.
What watch case size should I choose for my wrist?
As a starting point: wrists under 17cm suit 38–40mm cases, 17–19cm wrists suit 40–42mm, and wrists over 19cm can carry 42–46mm comfortably. Case thickness matters too — a slim 40mm watch can look larger than a chunky 38mm. Visit us in store and we will hold watches on your wrist before you decide.
What is the difference between quartz and automatic watches?
Quartz watches are battery-powered, accurate to within a few seconds per month, require minimal maintenance and are typically more affordable. Automatic watches are powered by the motion of your wrist, contain no battery, and are considered the traditional mechanical choice — they require servicing every few years. Eco-Drive by Citizen is a third option: solar-powered quartz that never needs a battery change.
Which Tissot watch is best for everyday wear?
The Tissot PRX is our most popular everyday choice. Its integrated bracelet, 40mm case and Swiss quartz or automatic movement make it equally at home with a suit or casual clothing. The Tissot Gentleman is a close second for a more formal feel. Both are part of our Tissot collection at OD's Jewellers.
Is a men's watch a good gift?
A watch is one of the most appreciated gifts for men — practical, lasting and personal. For gifting without knowing the exact preference, a mid-tone dial in silver or blue on a stainless steel bracelet is the safest choice. BOSS and Tommy Hilfiger watches make strong gifts at accessible price points, while Tissot and Citizen suit milestone occasions. Come in and speak to us — we will help you choose without any pressure.