The best watches for students on a budget cost between $25 and $80, run on a quartz movement you never think about, and survive being thrown in a backpack. This guide is for anyone heading to class with a phone that dies by 3pm and a budget that does not stretch to a watch they have to baby. Every pick below is in stock at One Good Watch as this is written, and most of them are stocked in quantity, so they will still be there after the next exam.
What to look for
Quartz, first. A battery lasts years, there is nothing to wind, and the watch keeps time whether you wore it yesterday or not. Digital is the practical choice if you want an alarm and a stopwatch, and analog is the choice if you want it to pass in an interview. Water resistance of 30m covers rain and hand washing; 50m means you stop worrying about it. Weight and strap matter more than people think. A nylon, resin or rubber strap shrugs off sweat and gets replaced for a few dollars, while a leather strap on a $30 watch is usually the first thing to fail.
If you want a mechanical watch on a student budget, there is one automatic below under $70. Just know it needs to be worn or wound, and that at this price it is a fun object, not an heirloom.
Our picks
KASTAR K7101 Day-Date Field Quartz Watch, 41mm
The classic student field watch. A 41mm alloy case at a slim 9.5mm, quartz movement, day and date on the dial, and a 21mm nylon strap in NATO or two-piece form. Six dial-and-strap combinations including a full-lume dial. Manufacturer-rated to 30m. We keep plenty of these in stock. $29.99.
SKMEI 1426 Large-Display Digital Sport Watch, 46mm
The exam-day watch. A 46mm resin case that weighs only 50g, with a display large enough to read at a glance, alarm, stopwatch, chronograph, day and date, and a backlight. Manufacturer-rated to 5 ATM, so showers and rain are not a decision. Green or black strap. $29.99.
TPW K5013 Diver-Style Quartz Watch, 41mm
A diver-style bezel gives a thirty-dollar watch some structure. 41mm alloy case, 11mm thick, glass crystal, PC32 quartz movement, complete calendar with day and date, and luminous hands and markers. Blue dial on silver mesh or black dial on green or black nylon, all on a 20mm band that is easy to replace. $29.99.
Mark Fairwhale World-Timer Quartz Watch, Rubber Strap
For the student who wants something with a bit more going on. A world city ring runs around a layered dial with full luminous coverage on the track, in a 43mm case at 10mm thick on a 22mm rubber strap. Quartz, manufacturer-rated to 30m. Blue on blue, or black with yellow accents. Reads large, so it suits a medium wrist upward. $49.99.
SKMEI 9184 Skeleton Automatic Watch, 41mm
The one automatic. A real self-winding movement, open-worked so you can watch it run, in a 41mm rounded square case on a stainless mesh bracelet, with luminous hands. Six case and mesh combinations from all black to rose gold. No battery, ever. Buy it because you want the mechanical side, not because it is practical. $69.99.
Casio MTP-1370L-7A Day-Date Analog Watch, Black Leather
The interview watch. Japanese quartz, a stainless steel case, a silver sunburst dial with the day spelled out in full at twelve and the date at six, and a black crocodile-grain leather strap. Manufacturer-rated to 50m. It sits flat under a cuff and looks like it cost more than it did. $79.
How to choose between them
If you need an alarm and a stopwatch, buy the SKMEI 1426 and stop reading. If you want an analog watch for every day, the KASTAR field watch and the TPW diver-style are the same price, and the choice is nylon and lume versus a bezel and a mesh option. The Mark Fairwhale World-Timer is for someone who wants a bigger, busier dial. The SKMEI 9184 is the pick if a mechanical movement is the whole appeal. The Casio is the one to own if you have one watch and it has to work in a job interview as well as a lecture hall.