The best women's watches under £500 in the UK (2026)

Some of the nicest watches for women sit between £150 and £500. At this price you get sapphire crystals, Swiss and Japanese movements and genuinely beautiful dials, without paying for a luxury name.

Every watch here is 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 picked watches under £500 from brands that offer a manufacturer's guarantee, in sizes from 25mm to 37mm. We gave extra credit for sapphire crystals and good water resistance, since a watch you wear every day needs to cope with real life. We chose one watch for each style, from dressy to sporty.

Best overall: Tissot PRX 25mm

Best overallTissot PRX T1370101111100 · 25mm · Quartz · 100 m water resistant £305Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Tissot PRX 55 watches at Goldsmiths, £290 to £1,875. Shop the PRX

The PRX's 1970s steel design scales down beautifully to 25mm. This one has a white mother-of-pearl dial and Tissot's steel integrated bracelet. Tissot's page lists a sapphire crystal, a Swiss quartz movement, a date window and 100-metre water resistance, all in a case just 9.05mm thick.

If you'd like something a little bolder, the 35mm PRX with a green dial is £335.

Best dress watch: Hamilton Jazzmaster 32mm

Best dress watchHamilton Jazzmaster Quartz H32301141 · 32mm · Quartz · 50 m water resistant £390Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The Jazzmaster is elegant without being fussy: a deep blue dial with slim baton markers in a 32mm steel case. Hamilton lists a sapphire crystal, a slim 7.8mm case and 5 bar (50 metres) of water resistance. It looks equally right with jeans or an evening dress.

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

Best automatic: Seiko Presage Cocktail Time "Cosmopolitan"

Best automaticSeiko Presage Cocktail Time SRP839J1 · 33.8mm · Automatic · 50 m water resistant £360Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

Seiko's Cocktail Time watches are known for their glossy, textured dials, and this one is named after the pink cocktail. It's an automatic, so it winds itself as it's worn. Seiko's page lists the 4R35 movement with about 41 hours of power reserve and a box-shaped Hardlex crystal, in a 33.8mm case.

Good to know: it's water resistant to 5 bar (50 metres), so it's fine for handwashing but should come off for swimming. If it isn't worn for a couple of days, it will stop and need resetting.

Best sporty automatic: Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm

Citizen Tsuyosa Automatic NJ0200-50W · 37mm · Automatic · 50 m water resistant £299Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The Tsuyosa has an integrated steel bracelet and comes in bright dial colours, including this purple. Citizen's page lists the 8210 automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve, a sapphire crystal, a date with a magnifier, and 5 bar (50 metres) of water resistance. At 37mm, it's a confident size that still suits a slim wrist.

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

Best solar watch: Tissot PRC 100 Solar 34mm

Tissot PRC 100 Solar T1518221135100 · 34mm · Quartz · 100 m water resistant £450Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

No battery to change, ever. Tissot's Lightmaster Solar movement charges from light, and Tissot's page lists a sapphire crystal, 100-metre water resistance and a 9.14mm case. It's a sporty steel watch with a blue dial that's easy to wear every day.

Best for under £150: Accurist Everyday Solar

Best under £150Accurist Everyday Solar 74016 · 30mm · Solar · 50 m water resistant £119Price at Goldsmiths, 20 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

It's rare to find a sapphire crystal at this price. Accurist's description (via Goldsmiths) says this 30mm steel watch has a sapphire crystal and a mother-of-pearl dial, and runs on solar power. According to Accurist, two minutes of direct sunlight gives a full day's power, and a full charge lasts 120 days in the dark.

Browse all 39 Accurist watches£89 to £219 at Goldsmiths→

Best classic: Tissot Ballade 34mm

Tissot Ballade T1562101135100 · 34mm · Quartz · 100 m water resistant £320Price at Goldsmiths, 28 October 2026 Full specsSee it at Goldsmiths

The Ballade has a light blue guilloché dial (an engraved, textured pattern) in a slim 34mm case. Tissot's page lists a sapphire crystal, a case only 8.25mm thick and 100-metre water resistance, which is unusually good for a dress watch.

More beautiful watches under £500

• Certina DS-2 Lady (£435): a 28mm Swiss quartz watch with a mother-of-pearl dial, water resistant to 100 metres (Goldsmiths' figures).
• Rotary Cocktail (£199): a 25mm rectangular watch with a crystal-set bezel and mother-of-pearl dial. It's 30 metres water resistant, so keep it dry.
• Rotary 1895 (£149): a 28mm watch on a textured "bark" bracelet with a mother-of-pearl dial.
• Citizen Eco-Drive Classic (£190 when we checked, on sale): a 29mm light-powered classic with Roman numerals.

Side by side

How to choose

Size

Small watches (25 to 30mm) look elegant and suit a slim wrist or a dressy style. Mid-sized watches (32 to 37mm) are more versatile and easier to read. If in doubt, 30 to 34mm is the safe middle ground. Our watch size calculator suggests sizes from your wrist measurement.

Quartz, solar or automatic?

Quartz and solar watches are accurate and always ready to wear. An automatic, like the Seiko or Citizen here, is mechanical and winds itself, but stops if left in a drawer. Our movement guide explains the difference simply.

Glass

A sapphire crystal (Tissot, Hamilton, Citizen Tsuyosa and the Accurist Everyday Solar here) resists scratches far better than mineral glass. For a watch you'll wear every day, it's worth having.

Where to next

For every brand at every budget, see our best watch brands for women. With a little more to spend, our luxury watches for women start at about £1,200.