Overwhelmed by the sheer number of watches out there?
It’s hard to know which watches have the function and quality that you’re looking for.
Never fear though, because, in this guide, I’ll be breaking down the best watch options in the £100-£300 range for:
- adventurers
- professionals
- casual wearers
- men and ladies
In general, the more you spend on a watch, the better quality it is, although there are exceptions. If these watches are a bit out of your budget, take a look at our watch buying guide of £0 to £100 watches.
Watch Buying Guide
Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Nighthawk
Who it’s for: Someone looking for a modern, sleek watch for most casual and professional settings.
Price: £219+
Type: Solar Powered
Options: Choose from the all black model or titanium case and strap
The black Nighthawk watch pictured above is one of many Citizen watches in this price range. This watch has a modern design, but is more sleek than flashy. To any bystander, it will appear about as pitch black as possible, making it a unique timepiece. However, it remains easy to read by you thanks to the smart shiny contour design.
All the watches in this guide are high quality, including this one; That’s one of the main things you’re paying for. It’s not going to scratch or be damaged easily because it has a solid stainless steel case.
The size of this watch is extra interesting. It has a pretty typical case depth of 13 mm, and a great weight to it. What’s interesting is that it looks much thinner due to the all black color. It’s a great option if you’re looking for a thin watch but don’t want to sacrifice feel or robustness.
Not familiar with Eco-Drive technology? It’s Citizen’s famous solar-power technology. This means that there’s no battery to worry about replacing. This watch should last many years without a problem, which is why you can get a 6-year guarantee when you buy it in the store and register online.
Click here to see the Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Nighthawk in the store.
Casio Edifice Wave Ceptor Pilot
Who it’s for: Travelers who want a beautiful watch that also has a wide array of functionality.
Price: £179+
Type: Solar Powered
Casio has one of the most extensive watch lines out there, designed almost exclusively for adventurers and travelers. Their cheaper watches have a ton of great features but typically lack the aesthetic to be proudly displayed in social settings.
The Edifice Wave Ceptor has all the same features (and more), but also has a classy appearance that makes it suitable for just about any situation while traveling.
Here are the features that the watch has:
- Countdown timer
- Power reserve indicator
- 24 hour subdial
- Glowing markers
- Display backlight
- Date display
- Atomic timekeeping
- Perpetual calendar
- Glowing hands
- Day display
Pretty much anything you could ever need in a watch is included. However, the one main drawback of this watch is that it’s fairly complicated. It comes with a fairly thick manual that you’ll have to dig into.
If you’re like me, discovering all the features of a new watch is actually really fun and an added bonus. However, if you’re looking for a simpler “sit-and-go” watch, think about going with one of the other options in this guide.
There’s one feature that I’d like to elaborate on because it’s fascinating: the atomic timekeeping. The watch keeps its time based on radio waves, which is a complicated way of saying that it’s extremely accurate. In addition, when you switch time zones, it will adjust automatically.
Click here to see the Casio Edifice Wave Ceptor Pilot in the store.
Rotary Gents Mechanical Skeleton
Who it’s for: Anyone who wants a traditional watch for casual settings
Price: £164+
Type: Mechanical
Options: A similar automatic skeleton model
This watch falls right around the middle of this price range but delivers exceptional value.
The first thing you will notice, that may not be evident from the picture above, is that you can see right through the dial, hence the term “skeleton” model. This is a fairly uncommon feature, but something that will intrigue most people that are not watch fanatics.
This watch, product code GS02519/09, has a distinctive traditional appearance and feel. It has a quality leather strap, accompanied by a gold-coloured steel case. What may surprise you is that this watch has a “diving” certified water resistance, meaning that you could actually wear it swimming.
Note that this is a mechanical watch, so you will need to wind it often. This isn’t difficult or time-consuming, but if you’ve never had a traditional mechanical watch, you should consider this factor before buying.
Overall, this is a beautiful watch that has a classic look. Rotary is known extremely well in Britain for their high-quality products, and there’s a lifetime guarantee offered with this model.
Click here to see the Rotary Gents Mechanical Skeleton in the store.
Seiko Kinetic Dive Watch
Who it’s for: Recreational divers that want a good looking, robust watch
Price: £229+
Type: Kinetic Powered
Options: Also comes with a red/blue/black dial
Seiko is one of the best manufacturers when it comes to combining looks and function. What they are especially famous for is their kinetic power technology. In this dive watch, all three of these factors come together to produce an all-around fantastic timepiece.
First off is the looks. The watch features a clean stainless steel case and strap with a black dial. It’s not going to win any style awards, but at the same time, it’s one of the best looking dive watches you can find. It certainly won’t look out of place at a business or casual situation either.
Next is the function, and this watch is packed with features. Here are the most important ones:
- One-Way rotating bezel
- Scratch resistant Hardlex crystal
- Deployment clasp
- Water Resistant at 200 Meters (660 Feet)
- Large hour markings for easy readability
This watch is rated for water sports at 200 meters, which means that it is fine for most recreational diving situations. If you’re doing any seriously deep diving, it might be time to invest in an upper-end diving watch.
The third draw of this watch is the kinetic power system. Instead of winding the watch by hand or using solar power, this watch stays charged using your natural motion. As you move your arm for various reasons, the energy from that movement gets converted into usable energy for the watch. Seiko has perfected this technology over time to create reliable watches.
Click here to see the Seiko Kinetic Dive Watch in the store.
Bulova Marine Star
Who it’s for: Someone looking for a unique, luxurious watch that will attract attention
Price: £269+
Type: Quartz Battery
Options: Stainless steel strap and black dial
The Bulova Marine Star is an absolutely gorgeous watch near the top of this price range. It’s also the only watch from an American watch manufacturer included in this guide.
In addition to having a modern and classy look, it’s also fairly unique, which is why it stands out so much, even among these other great watches.
It is a chronograph, which does provide some advanced functionality, but other than that this is a watch primarily designed for appearance and drawing attention.
It’s a pretty typical size, with a 44mm case width and a 13mm depth. The dial is extremely clean, with large Roman numerals as hour markers. The black and gold contrast also makes it simple to read.
Click here to see the Bulova Marine Star in the store.
Seiko Gents Kinetic Titanium
Who it’s for: Someone looking for a simple, lightweight, good looking watch for business and casual environments
Price: £239+
Type: Kinetic Powered
Options: Also comes with a silver titanium strap
Here’s another of the most popular Seiko watches in this price range. Note that it is also kinetic powered like the dive watch we looked at earlier, which means that it will work off of your natural movement – convenient.
The number one aspect of this watch is how light it is, mainly because of the titanium construction. It has subtle gold outlines that add to the look without making the overall watch too flashy.
Overall, it’s a simple watch, it tells the time and looks great doing it. There’s no complicated setup or maintenance, just put it on your wrist. It’s highly readable due to the black dial face and contrasting silver markings. If you’ve never had a luxury watch before, this is a great place to start.
Click here to see the Seiko Gents Kinetic Titanium watch in the store.
Citizen Ladies Regent 28 Diamonds
Who it’s for: Any woman looking for a stunning watch for professional and casual settings
Price: £245+
Type: Solar Powered
Options: Comes in steel and gold strap (pictured above), and just gold strap
Ladies, I didn’t forget about you. There are some beautiful upscale women’s watches that fall in this price range, and it would have been a shame to have missed them.
The name of this watch kind of gives the surprise away. The Citizen Ladies Regent 28 Diamonds has 28 beautiful white diamonds.
In addition to the diamonds, this watch features a beautiful gold and steel strap and case.
Like all other Citizen watches, this watch also features Eco-Drive (solar powered) technology. This means your watch will run for many years as long as you get a normal amount of sun and the watch isn’t damaged. It’s a very minimalistic dial design that lends itself to easy readability. Finally, it has a fairly small case depth of 9mm, with a case with of 26mm, so it won’t look or feel bulky on most wrists.
Speaking of damage, the sapphire crystal glass makes the Regent difficult to scratch or break. It also has water resistance rated to 100 meters, which means you don’t have to worry about it when washing your hands.
Click here to see the Citizen Ladies Regent 28 Diamonds in the store.
Citizen Ladies Ciena Collection Grey Leather Strap
Who it’s for: Women looking for a traditional, non-flashy watch
Price: £124+
Type: Solar Powered
I have one more option for the ladies out there, that is also a Citizen watch.
If you like flashy watches, like the Regent above, then you have more than a few options, but there’s a pretty limited array of options when it comes to traditional, simple watches.
This watch from the Ciena collection retains a lot of classic elements from traditional men’s watches, but has a few tasteful feminine touches. Note the beautiful thin diamond dial outline, and the minimalistic dial face.
This piece in particular is very versatile, perfect for casual settings, and even many workplaces. It comes with Citizen’s standard 6 year guarantee, but is likely to last much longer than that.
Click here to see the Ladies Ciena Collection Grey Leather Strap in the store.
If you enjoyed this watch buying guide then please let us know in the comments below!
