The best luxury watches for men in the UK (2026), from £5,000

The best luxury watch for most men is the IWC Pilot's Watch Mark XX: IWC's own movement with a 120-hour power reserve and up to 8 years' guarantee, for about £5,000. For a chronograph, the IWC Portugieser or the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch. For something no one else will be wearing, the Panerai Luminor.

Every watch here is sold new by Goldsmiths, a UK authorised retailer. Prices are Goldsmiths' own on the date shown and update when we re-check them. We earn a commission if you buy through our links, which never changes the price you pay.

How we chose

We looked at every men's watch from £5,000 at Goldsmiths and picked the best from each great name on what you actually get: the movement (and whether the brand makes it), the power reserve, water resistance and guarantee. The facts come from Goldsmiths' and the brands' own descriptions. The guide starts at £5,000 and works up. Under £5,000, see our best watches under £5,000.

£5,000 to £6,000: IWC and Panerai

The best luxury watch overall: IWC Pilot's Watch Mark XX. IWC's Pilot's Watches are clean, readable and beautifully made. This 40mm Mark XX uses IWC's own calibre 32112, which Goldsmiths says has a 120-hour power reserve: take it off on Monday and it's still running on Saturday. It's water resistant to 100 metres, and IWC gives 2 years' guarantee plus 6 more when you register with IWC Care, according to Goldsmiths.

Best overallIWC Pilot Mark XX Le Petit Prince IW328221 · 40mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £5,000Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Discover IWC 91 watches at Goldsmiths, £4,400 to £47,900. Discover all 91

Panerai Luminor. Goldsmiths says Panerai was founded in 1860. The Luminor is its icon: a big 44mm polished steel case with a black dial and Panerai's hand-wound in-house calibre P.6000. It's water resistant to 100 metres. Panerai gives 2 years' guarantee plus 6 more when you register with Pam.Guard, according to Goldsmiths.

Most distinctivePanerai Luminor PAM01084 · 44mm · Manual Winding · 100 m water resistant £5,400Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Browse all 77 Panerai watches£4,300 to £32,600 at Goldsmiths→

£6,000 to £8,000: Omega, Zenith, IWC, Cartier and Breitling

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch. The most famous watch here. Goldsmiths' description says it was part of all six Moon landings. It's hand-wound, with Omega's Master Chronometer calibre 3861 and Omega's 5-year guarantee. Our best Omega watches guide covers every Omega.

The iconOmega New 2021 Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Co-Axial Master Chronometer O31030425001001 · 42mm · Manual Winding · 50 m water resistant £6,600Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

IWC Portugieser Chronograph. One of the most elegant chronographs you can buy, with the IWC-manufactured calibre 69355. This 41mm version has what Goldsmiths calls a "Dune" dial, inspired by the golden light of the setting sun. It's water resistant to 30 metres, so it's a watch for the office, not the pool.

Browse all 320 Omega watches£2,800 to £91,300 at Goldsmiths→

Best chronographIWC Portugieser Chronograph 41 Dune IW371624 · 41mm · Automatic · 30 m water resistant £7,700Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Zenith Pilot Automatic. Goldsmiths says it's reminiscent of early pilot's watches: 40mm, with an oversized crown, Zenith's El Primero 3620 high-frequency automatic with a 55-hour power reserve, and 100 metres of water resistance.

Zenith Pilot Automatic 03.4000.3620/21.I001 · 40mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £7,200Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Cartier Santos de Cartier. The dressiest watch here that you can still swim in: 40mm, with Cartier's automatic calibre 1847 MC and 100 metres of water resistance. Goldsmiths says the Santos was first made in 1904. See our best Cartier watches.

Browse all 47 Zenith watches£6,090 to £28,000 at Goldsmiths→

Best dress-sports watchCartier Santos De Cartier WSSA0071 · 40mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £7,900Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Breitling Navitimer B01. The pilot's chronograph with a slide-rule bezel, first introduced in 1952 according to Goldsmiths, with Breitling's in-house B01 and a 70-hour power reserve. See our best Breitling watches.

Browse all 165 Cartier watches£3,200 to £91,500 at Goldsmiths→

Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Stainless Steel AB0138241G1P1 · 43mm · Automatic · 30 m water resistant £7,950Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Browse all 322 Breitling watches£2,900 to £72,400 at Goldsmiths→

£8,000 and over: Zenith Defy Extreme Diver

Zenith Defy Extreme Diver. The serious diver of the group: a 42.5mm titanium case, water resistant to 600 metres, with Zenith's El Primero 3620 SC automatic and a 60-hour power reserve, according to Goldsmiths.

Best dive watchZenith Defy Extreme Diver 95.9600.3620/21.I300 · 42.5mm · Automatic · 600 m water resistant £10,600Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

For more at this level, the TAG Heuer Monaco and Omega's Seamaster Planet Ocean are both worth a look.

What about Rolex?

Rolex is the most famous luxury brand of all, but you can't buy one online from Goldsmiths, and Goldsmiths pays us nothing on Rolex, so we don't feature it. We've compared Rolex with Omega, model for model and with Rolex's own UK prices, in Omega vs Rolex.