The best Rolex alternatives: watches like a Rolex, for less (UK, 2026)

The best Rolex alternative for most people is the Longines HydroConquest 39mm: a Swiss automatic diver in the Submariner mould, for under £2,000. Under £1,000, the Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 gives you a Swiss automatic, 300 metres and an 80-hour power reserve for under £700. For a Datejust look, the Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80, and for an Explorer look, the Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition.

Rolex makes some of the most copied designs in watchmaking, and for good reason: the Submariner, Datejust and Explorer are simple, tough and smart. But a new steel Rolex costs thousands, and the popular ones can be hard to find in shops. The good news is that many great brands make watches in the same spirit, at a fraction of the price. Below, we go through each famous Rolex and the best alternatives to it.

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

We matched each famous Rolex with watches that do the same job and share its spirit: size, dial layout, bezel, bracelet and toughness. Every watch here is its brand's own design under its own name: no replicas, and no "homages" that copy a Rolex line for line. We read each brand's own product page for the movement, crystal, power reserve and size, and where we couldn't (Omega, TAG Heuer and Oris for some models), we used Goldsmiths' listing and say so. We earn a commission if you buy through our links; Goldsmiths pays nothing on Rolex or Tudor, so we compare them but don't feature them.

Rolex Submariner alternatives

The Submariner is the dive watch everyone knows: a black dial with round markers, a rotating dive bezel, 300 metres of water resistance and a steel bracelet.

Best Submariner alternative: Longines HydroConquest 39mm

Best Rolex alternative overallLongines HydroConquest L37794966 · 39mm · Automatic · 300 m water resistant £1,925Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The closest thing to a Submariner from a big Swiss brand at this price. Longines' page lists an automatic movement with a silicon balance spring (which resists magnetism) and up to 72 hours of power reserve, a sapphire crystal, a date and a one-way rotating dive bezel. Goldsmiths lists a 39mm steel case and bracelet with a blue dial, water resistant to 300 metres, and a five-year guarantee.

Good to know: this one has a blue dial. Longines doesn't give the thickness on its page.

Longines HydroConquest 35 watches at Goldsmiths, £1,300 to £2,650. Shop the HydroConquest

Best Submariner alternative under £1,000: Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80

Best alternative under £1,000Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 T1208071105100 · 40mm · Automatic · 300 m water resistant £685Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

A black-dial Swiss automatic diver for under £700. Tissot's page lists the Powermatic 80 movement with up to 80 hours of power reserve, a sapphire crystal, a 12.48mm thick case and a one-way rotating bezel. Goldsmiths lists 40mm across and 300 metres of water resistance.

Good to know: the bezel insert is mineral glass rather than ceramic, according to Tissot. See our dive watches guide for more.

Best Submariner alternative under £300: Rotary Seamatic 300

Rotary Seamatic 300 RGB05430/04 · 42mm · Automatic · 300 m water resistant £299Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The cheapest way to the look without a fake. Rotary's page lists a black ceramic bezel, a sapphire crystal and the Miyota 8215 automatic movement with a 40-hour power reserve. Goldsmiths lists a 42mm steel case and bracelet, water resistant to 300 metres.

Browse all 35 Rotary watches£149 to £329 at Goldsmiths→

Good to know: Rotary gives the thickness as 14.7mm, so it's a chunky watch, and 42mm is larger than a 41mm Submariner.

Best luxury Submariner alternative: Omega Seamaster Diver 300M

Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Automatic O21032422001006 · 42mm · Automatic · 300 m water resistant £5,800Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Omega's diver has its own following (James Bond has worn the Seamaster since 1995). Goldsmiths' description lists a 42mm steel case, a black aluminium dial and bezel, and Omega's Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8806, visible through a sapphire case back, with a five-year guarantee and 300 metres of water resistance.

Good to know: Goldsmiths' listing says steel bracelet, but its description mentions an orange rubber strap, so check the photos on Goldsmiths' page before you buy. We couldn't read Omega's own page for this watch.

Rolex GMT-Master II alternatives

The GMT-Master shows a second time zone with a 24-hour hand and a two-colour bezel, most famously red and blue ("Pepsi").

• Rotary Seamatic 300 GMT (£329): the "Pepsi" look for under £350. Red and blue 24-hour bezel, sapphire crystal and 300 metres, according to Rotary.
• Seiko 5 Sports SKX GMT "Blueberry" (£430): Seiko's 4R34 automatic GMT with a blue and purple bezel.
• Longines HydroConquest GMT (£2,650): a Swiss automatic GMT with a ceramic bezel and up to 72 hours of power reserve (Longines' figures).
• TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 GMT (£4,050): a 42mm Swiss automatic GMT with TAG Heuer's calibre TH31-03, an 80-hour power reserve and 300 metres of water resistance, according to Goldsmiths, with TAG Heuer's 5-year guarantee.

Our best GMT watches guide covers these in detail, with how to use the GMT hand and bezel.

Rolex Datejust alternatives

The Datejust is the classic smart steel watch: a date window, a polished case and a bracelet that works with a suit or jeans.

Best Datejust alternative: Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium

Best Datejust alternativeTissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium T1274071109101 · 40mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £800Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

A smart everyday automatic with a date, for under £1,000. Tissot's page lists the Powermatic 80 movement with a silicon balance spring and an 80-hour power reserve, a sapphire crystal and an 11.5mm thick case. Goldsmiths lists 40mm across and 100 metres of water resistance, on a steel bracelet.

Good to know: there's no fluted bezel or magnifier over the date, the two Datejust signatures. It looks like a Tissot, not a copy, which we think is a good thing.

Best luxury Datejust alternative: Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 38mm

Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Co-Axial Master Chronometer O22010382003003 · 38mm · Automatic · 150 m water resistant £6,200Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

A dressy steel sports watch with a date. Goldsmiths' description lists Omega's 8800 calibre, Master Chronometer certification by METAS, a 38mm steel case with an integrated bracelet and 150 metres of water resistance, with a five-year guarantee.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual alternatives

The Oyster Perpetual is the simplest Rolex: time only, no date, a clean dial and a steel bracelet, in sizes from 28 to 41mm.

• Tissot Gentleman Automatic 38mm (£690): a clean blue dial, the Powermatic 80 movement with 80 hours of power reserve and a sapphire crystal (Tissot's figures). It has a date, unlike the Oyster Perpetual.
• Longines Conquest 38mm (£1,300): a blue sandblasted dial, sapphire crystal and steel bracelet, water resistant to 10 bar (Longines' figures). It's quartz, so it's accurate and simple, but lacks the automatic movement of a Rolex.
• Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 (£640): not an Oyster Perpetual lookalike, but the watch many people buy instead: a steel automatic on an integrated bracelet, 10.93mm thick (Tissot's figure).

Rolex Explorer alternatives

The Explorer is a tough, plain watch for adventure: a black dial with large 3, 6 and 9 numerals, a smooth bezel and a steel bracelet.

Best Explorer alternative: Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition

Best Explorer alternativeHamilton Khaki Field Expedition H70315130 · 41mm · Automatic · 100 m water resistant £1,035Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

A black dial with large Arabic numerals and luminous hands on a steel bracelet: the Explorer formula. Hamilton's page lists the H-10 automatic movement with an 80-hour power reserve, a sapphire crystal and a 41mm case that's 11.5mm thick, water resistant to 10 bar (100 metres). Goldsmiths adds a screw-down crown.

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

Good to know: at 41mm it's larger than the Explorer's classic 36mm, so if you have a small wrist, look at the 38mm Seiko Alpinist below.

More Explorer alternatives

• Seiko Prospex Alpinist (£670): a 38mm explorer-style automatic with a sapphire crystal, about 70 hours of power reserve and 200 metres of water resistance (Seiko's and Goldsmiths' figures), 46mm lug to lug.
• Longines Spirit (£2,350): a 40mm Swiss automatic pilot's watch with the L988.4 calibre, a 72-hour power reserve and 100 metres of water resistance, according to Goldsmiths. Plain, readable and tough, like the Explorer.
• Hamilton Khaki Field Auto (£640): a 38mm automatic field watch on leather, for a smaller budget.

Rolex alternatives for women

• Oris Aquis Date 36.5mm (£2,000): a Swiss automatic diver with a pink mother-of-pearl dial, water resistant to 300 metres (Goldsmiths' figures). A sporty alternative to a smaller Submariner or Oyster Perpetual.
• Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 35mm (£640): a steel automatic with an 80-hour power reserve and sapphire crystal (Tissot's figures).
• Longines Conquest 38mm (£1,300): a unisex size, and the kind of watch that goes with everything. See our luxury watches for women guide for more.

Side by side

Why buy an alternative instead of a Rolex?

Price

On 19 October 2026, rolex.com listed the steel Submariner at £8,450 and the Explorer 40 at £6,950. A Rolex is a wonderful watch, but the brands above give you much of the same experience (a Swiss or Japanese automatic, sapphire crystal, steel bracelet, real water resistance) for a fraction of the cost.

You can actually buy one

A new Rolex is bought in person: rolex.com sends you to an official Rolex retailer. Every watch here is sold new by Goldsmiths and can be bought online, and each watch's page shows whether it was in stock when we last checked.

Something a little different

A Rolex is instantly recognised, which isn't for everyone. A Longines, Tissot or Hamilton carries plenty of history of its own, without the attention.

What to avoid: fakes and "homages"

Replica Rolexes are illegal to sell and often poorly made inside, and "homages" copy a design line for line under another name. Neither holds its value. Every watch in this guide is its brand's own design, sold new by an authorised retailer with the brand's guarantee.