The best chronograph watches under £1,000 in the UK (2026)

The best chronograph watch under £1,000 for most people is the Tissot PRX Chrono Quartz: Swiss, timing to a tenth of a second, with a sapphire crystal and 100 metres of water resistance, for well under £500. If you never want to change a battery, the solar Seiko Prospex Speedtimer runs for about six months on a full charge. And under £200, the Q Timex Chronograph is a fun 1970s-style racing watch.

A chronograph is a watch with a stopwatch built in. The two buttons beside the crown start, stop and reset it, and the small dials on the face count the minutes. It's the most popular "complication" in watchmaking (anything a watch does beyond telling the time), and most people buy one as much for the sporty, busy dial as for the stopwatch itself. This guide covers the best chronographs under £1,000, under £500 and under £300, and explains how to use one.

All the watches below are sold new by Goldsmiths, a UK authorised retailer. Prices are Goldsmiths' own on the date shown, and they update when we re-check them.

How we chose

Every watch had to be a working chronograph that costs £1,000 or less new at a UK authorised retailer. We read each brand's own product page for the movement, crystal, thickness and what the chronograph can time, and where the brand's page couldn't be read, we say so. We favoured sapphire crystals (they resist scratches far better than mineral glass), watches in sizes that suit most wrists, and a range of styles, from racing to flying to the office.

Best overall: Tissot PRX Chrono Quartz

Best overallTissot PRX Chrono Quartz T1374171104100 · 41mm · Quartz · 100 m water resistant £430Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The PRX has a built-in bracelet and, according to Goldsmiths' description, a Tissot case shape from 1978. This chronograph version uses Tissot's G10.212 quartz chronograph movement, which, according to Tissot's page, has 30-minute and tenth-of-a-second counters, a central chronograph seconds hand and "ADD and SPLIT" functions (so you can add up several timings, or stop the display to read a lap while the timer keeps running). It also has a sapphire crystal, a date, 100 metres of water resistance and a battery end-of-life indicator. Tissot gives the case as 41mm across and 11.65mm thick.

Good to know: the bracelet has a quick-release system, according to Goldsmiths' description, but the built-in design gives you fewer strap choices than a standard watch. If you want a more classic shape, look at the PR100 below.

Best solar: Seiko Prospex Speedtimer "Youngtimer"

Best solarSeiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC961P1 · 39mm · Solar · 100 m water resistant £670Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Seiko Speedtimer 12 watches at Goldsmiths, £660 to £2,400. Shop the Speedtimer

Seiko's first Speedtimer came out in 1969, according to Goldsmiths. This version has the "panda" look many people love: a white dial with black small dials. Its V192 solar movement is charged by any light, and Seiko's page says it runs for about six months on a full charge and is accurate to within 15 seconds a month. The chronograph times up to 60 minutes in fifths of a second. You also get a curved sapphire crystal and 100 metres of water resistance.

Good to know: at 39mm across and 45.5mm lug to lug (Seiko's figures), it suits smaller wrists well, but it's 13.3mm thick, so it sits taller than the Tissot.

Best under £200: Q Timex Chronograph

Best under £200Timex Q Timex Chronograph TW2V42700 · 40mm · Quartz · 50 m water resistant £190Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

This is a lot of watch for the money. It's based on Timex's 1970s Q Timex, with a black tachymeter bezel (for working out speed, see below), contrasting small dials, a date and a 40mm steel case on a leather strap with quick-release pins, so you can change the strap without tools. Timex gives the case height as 13.5mm and water resistance as 50 metres.

Browse all 29 Timex watches£55 to £280 at Goldsmiths→

Good to know: Timex's page doesn't say what the crystal is made of, so we haven't listed it. 50 metres is fine for rain and washing your hands, but take it off for swimming.

Best smart chronograph: Hamilton Jazzmaster Chrono Quartz

Best smart chronographHamilton Jazzmaster Chrono Quartz H32612741 · 42mm · Quartz · 100 m water resistant £790Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Most chronographs look sporty. The Jazzmaster is the one to wear with a suit: a blue dial with slim baton markers, on a leather strap. Hamilton's page lists the 251.274 Swiss quartz movement, a sapphire crystal, a date, 100 metres of water resistance and a 42mm case that's 12.13mm thick.

Browse all 95 Hamilton watches£375 to £2,265 at Goldsmiths→

Good to know: at 42mm it's on the larger side for a dress watch. Hamilton's guarantee is two years, according to Goldsmiths.

Best value Swiss chronograph: Tissot PR100 Chronograph

Tissot PR100 Chronograph T1504171104100 · 40mm · Quartz · 100 m water resistant £355Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The least expensive Swiss chronograph in this guide. It has the same G10.212 quartz chronograph movement as the PRX, according to Goldsmiths' description, with a sapphire crystal, 100 metres of water resistance and a 40mm case that's 11.26mm thick (Tissot's figure), a little slimmer than the PRX. The bracelet has a polished centre row for a little extra shine.

Good to know: it's a simpler, more classic design than the PRX. If you want a tachymeter, see the PR516 below.

Best for pilots: Citizen Promaster Air Navihawk "Red Arrows"

Best for pilotsCitizen Promaster Air Navihawk CA4666-56E · 40mm · Solar (Eco-Drive) · 200 m water resistant £399Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Made in honour of the RAF Red Arrows, this Navihawk has a slide-rule bezel, a pilot's tool for working out sums such as fuel use and speed. Citizen's page lists the B620 Eco-Drive movement (charged by light, so no battery changes), a 1/5-second chronograph that measures up to 60 minutes, 12/24-hour time, an anti-reflective sapphire crystal and 200 metres of water resistance, the highest in this guide. Citizen's guarantee is five years, according to Goldsmiths.

Browse all 90 Citizen watches£190 to £895 at Goldsmiths→

Good to know: the slide rule takes some learning, and the dial is busy. If you just want a clean, light-powered chronograph, the Seiko is easier to read.

Best racing chronograph: Tissot PR516 Chronograph

Tissot PR516 Chronograph T1494171104100 · 40mm · Quartz · 100 m water resistant £475Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The sportiest of the Tissots, with a tachymeter on its bezel, according to Tissot's page. Inside is the same G10.212 quartz chronograph as the PRX, with tenth-of-a-second timing, a sapphire crystal (anti-reflective on the inside), a date and 100 metres of water resistance, in a 40mm case that's 12.16mm thick.

Best for smaller wrists under £300: Timex Waterbury Heritage Chronograph

Timex Waterbury Heritage Chronograph TW2Y19300 · 39mm · Quartz · 50 m water resistant £245Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

A neat, vintage-style chronograph in a 39mm case, with a silver dial, a black tachymeter bezel and a perforated leather strap with quick-release pins. Timex's page lists a "meca-quartz" chronograph movement: a meca-quartz watch keeps time with quartz but has a mechanical stopwatch part, so the hand snaps straight back to zero when you reset it, much like a mechanical chronograph.

Good to know: the crystal is mineral glass, not sapphire, and Timex's page doesn't list a date. Water resistance is 50 metres, so it's not for swimming.

More chronographs worth a look

• Seiko Prospex Speedtimer "Racing" (£690): the same solar V192 movement as our pick, with a green dial, a two-colour tachymeter bezel and a slightly larger 41.4mm case (Seiko's figures).
• Certina DS-7 Chronograph (£590): a sporty Swiss quartz chronograph with tenth-of-a-second timing and a tachymeter, according to Goldsmiths' description. We couldn't read Certina's own page.
• Citizen Nighthawk Chronograph (£379): an all-grey, light-powered pilot's chronograph on a nylon strap, weighing just 84g, with a sapphire crystal and a 60-minute bezel (Citizen's figures). 42mm across.
• Hamilton Khaki X-Wind GMT Chrono (£920): a chronograph, a second time zone and a crosswind calculator for pilots, all in one. At 46mm across and 13.75mm thick (Hamilton's figures), it's only for large wrists.

The best chronographs under £500

• Tissot PRX Chrono Quartz (£430): our pick overall.
• Tissot PR516 Chronograph (£475): the racing look, with a tachymeter.
• Citizen Promaster Air Navihawk (£399): solar, 200 metres, five-year guarantee.
• Citizen Nighthawk (£379): solar, on a light nylon strap.
• Tissot PR100 Chronograph (£355): the best-value Swiss chronograph, and the slimmest here.

The best chronographs under £300

Under £300, both our picks are from Timex. The Q Timex (£190) has a date and a sportier look; the Waterbury Heritage (£245) is smaller, more classic and has the meca-quartz snap-back reset. Neither has a sapphire crystal listed, and both are rated to 50 metres. If you can stretch to the Tissot PR100, you get sapphire, 100 metres and Swiss quartz.

Side by side

What about an automatic chronograph under £1,000?

Automatic (self-winding mechanical) chronographs are much more complicated to make than quartz ones, so they usually cost more. Among the watches we checked at Goldsmiths, we didn't find an automatic chronograph under £1,000, which is why every watch in this guide is quartz or solar. Watch out for names: Seiko's "Prospex Speedtimer Automatic" is a three-hand automatic with a countdown ring, not a chronograph. If you'd like a mechanical watch under £1,000, see our guide to the best automatic watches under £500.

How to use a chronograph

Starting, stopping and resetting

On almost every chronograph, the top button (at 2 o'clock) starts and stops the timer, and the bottom button (at 4 o'clock) resets it to zero. The long central hand counts the seconds, and the small dials count the minutes and, on some watches, hours or tenths of a second. Only reset the timer when it's stopped.

Chronograph vs chronometer

They sound alike but mean different things. A chronograph has a stopwatch. A chronometer has passed an official accuracy test; Swiss chronometers are tested by the COSC. A watch can be either, both or neither.

What the tachymeter on the bezel does

A tachymeter scale works out average speed over a known distance. Start the chronograph as you pass a marker, stop it after one kilometre (or one mile), and the number on the bezel next to the seconds hand is your speed in kilometres (or miles) an hour. It only works for timings under a minute. In practice, most people never use it, but it's part of the classic racing look.

Should you leave it running?

No. On a quartz chronograph, running the stopwatch all day uses the battery faster, and on a solar one it uses the stored charge. Start it when you need it, then stop and reset it.

What to check before you buy a chronograph

Size and thickness

Chronographs are thicker than simple watches, because the stopwatch needs more parts. If you want one to fit under a shirt cuff, look for one under about 12mm, like the Tissot PR100, PRX or Hamilton Jazzmaster. For smaller wrists, the 39mm Seiko and Timex Waterbury are the best fits here.

Crystal

Sapphire resists scratches far better than mineral glass. Every watch we've featured from about £350 upwards has sapphire, according to its maker (except the Certina, whose page we couldn't read). The two Timex models under £300 don't list it.

Battery or solar?

A battery quartz chronograph needs a new battery every few years, ideally fitted by a jeweller who can check the seals. A solar one, like the Seiko or the Citizens, is charged by light and doesn't need battery changes (see our guide to the best solar watches). Our movement guide explains the difference, and our guides to the best men's watches under £1,000 and the best Swiss watches under £1,000 have more ideas if you decide a chronograph isn't for you.

Where to next

For the classic racing chronographs, see our best TAG Heuer watches (Carrera and Monaco) and best Breitling watches (Navitimer). For the Speedmaster, best Omega watches.