Best watches of 2024 for all budgets

The urge to splurge on a new watch can strike at any time of the year, but it’s especially strong during mid-year when your resolve to not acquire yet another one starts wearing thin. Which means that our curated list of some of this year’s hottest releases is not exactly what you should be reading right now. (Also read: Impressed by Shah Rukh Khan's stunning new blue watch? Brace yourself for the price tag...)

Audemars Piguet (Re)Master 02: The big purchase

The 1950s and ‘60s marked a golden age for horology, with the holy trinity of watchmaking – Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin – creating timepieces with gorgeous asymmetrical cases, elaborate lugs, and striking dials. Audemars Piguet’s recently released (Re)Master 02 harks back to those free-spirited, less-corporatised times. The 41 mm timepiece is a hat-tip to the Brutalist-inspired 5159BA, and features a rectangular case that is crafted from an 18-carat sand gold alloy whose hue alternates between white and pink gold. The minimalist dial, in AP’s trademark dark blue shade of ‘Bleu Nuit, is divided up into 12 triangular elements, each decorated with a linear satin finish. Under its hood is the pleasantly thin 2.8mm self-winding Calibre 7129 with a 52-hour power reserve. Both the hour and minute hands as well as the caseback are made of sand gold. €47,800

( ₹43 lakh approx.)

Piaget Polo 79: Go for gold

Piaget has always been an outlier among luxury watch makers. In its 150-year history, the jewellery and watch maker has created stand-out ultra-thin movements, introduced gorgeous dials made of, among others, lapis lazuli and jade, and even worked on a collection with the great Salvador Dali. But the watch that got everyone’s attention was the Polo. Launched at the beginning of the 1980s, the Polo, made entirely out of 18-carat gold and with its bracelet seamlessly integrated into the case, was a timepiece that symbolised the exuberance of the decade. Over 40 years later, the Polo 79, Piaget’s tribute to the original jewellery sports watch, is made of 18-carat gold, but unlike the 1980s timepiece, this one gets a strikingly thin, in-house automatic movement. If you are tired of the ‘quiet luxury trend’, the Polo 79 is a great way to announce your defiance.

$73,000 ( ₹66 lakh approx)

Tissot PR 516 Chronograph: The VFM mechanical chronograph

Back in 2021, after rummaging through its back catalogues, Tissot got the spotlight back on itself with the PRX collection. The affordable line offers a bunch of heritage reissues with both mechanical and quartz variants that have found favour with watch nerds as well as the average consumer. The recently launched PR 516 is yet another vintage-inspired, ninja move from the brand that pushes all the right buttons. The 41mm watch’s robust ETA/Valjoux hand wound chronograph movement delivers a power reserve of 60 hours, the orange hands are visually arresting, and that multi-scale bezel, a carryover from the ‘70s, is decidedly cool. Protection duties are handled by a glassbox-style sapphire crystal dome and the watch is water-resistant up to 100 metres.

₹1,74,000

Doxa SUB 200T: The compact diver

Always wanted a Doxa you could wear to work? Well, the Swiss dive watch specialist has heard you. Earlier this year, the company released a slimmed down version of their iconic SUB 300, which now comes in a compact 39mm case. To make things more tempting, they’ve also added a green dial, which has been on trend this year. The Doxa SUB 200T is powered by the reliable Sellita SW200-1 movement and is available in either a FKM rubber strap or the signature beads-of-rice bracelet.

€1590 ( ₹1,42,000 approx)

Brew Metric Titanium: Light is might

Brew is among the stars of the microbrand world, and the titanium version of their popular Metric Chronograph is further evidence of their capabilities. The striking dial layout – running seconds display at six o’clock and chronograph minutes counter at 10 o’clock – remains largely the same, except for the restrained use of colours that lends it a more industrial look. The 36mm watch is powered by the same Seiko meca-quartz movement that also features in the original. But the use of Grade 4 titanium, which is 40 percent lighter than stainless steel, lends the well-proportioned timepiece a more premium feel. And all of this comes at a stunning price.

₹42,000

Timex Marlin Jet: Cheap but chic

Brushed stainless steel case. Silver-white concave dial with crosshair pattern. 24-hour format sub-dial. Miyota automatic movement. Woven perlon strap. Unlike most of the other watches in this list, the Timex Marlin Jet Automatic doesn’t come with a ponderous, adjective-laden press release, but then, it doesn’t really need to. As has been the case with a majority of the other models in the American legacy brand’s Marlin range, the Jet Automatic is a winner from the word go. Inspired by the mid-1960s, its space-age aesthetic comes complete with a domed hesalite crystal that covers the polished silver bezel. And, at 38mm, it’s just the right size for an age that has seen watches across the board go in for a fair bit of downsizing.

₹26,995