The Best Quartz Watches Under $100

There is a certain snobbery about quartz in watch circles, and under $100 it does buyers real harm. The argument goes that a mechanical watch, ticking along on springs and gears, is the real thing, and a battery powered quartz watch is a gadget. At $2,000, that is a matter of taste. At $80, it is simply bad advice. A mechanical watch at this price has to cut corners somewhere, usually in accuracy and finishing. A quartz watch at the same price does not have to cut corners in the movement at all, because a good quartz movement is cheap to make. The savings go into the parts you see.

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Watch Index · prices checked October 9, 2026

The watches in this guide, ranked

Every watch this guide mentions, ranked by Value Score or by what one watch costs today with each store's current offer counted.

Why is quartz the smart choice under $100?

A quartz movement uses a battery to send current through a tiny sliver of quartz crystal, which vibrates at a precise frequency. A circuit counts the vibrations and drives a small motor that moves the hands once a second. That is the whole trick, and it has five consequences that matter at this price.

1. Accuracy. A few seconds a week, without trying. Even good automatic watches drift that much in a day.
2. Grab and go. A quartz watch keeps running in a drawer. An automatic stops after a day or two off the wrist and needs setting again.
3. Thinness. Quartz movements are slim, so the watch sits lower on the wrist and slides under a cuff.
4. Durability. Fewer moving parts means less to go wrong if you knock the watch.
5. Where the money goes. Because the movement costs little, a quartz watch at $80 can afford a steel case, a solid bracelet and a textured dial. An $80 automatic usually cannot.

The trade off is a battery change every couple of years and, for some people, the lack of romance. If the romance matters more than the money, our guide to quartz vs automatic lays out the case for both.

The best quartz watches under $100, by type

Three hand: Casio MTP1302D

The simplest quartz watch is hours, minutes, seconds and perhaps a date. Casio's Casio MTP1302D Dress Watch at $89.95 is the best example under $100: a black sunburst dial, a date window and a steel bracelet in a 38.5mm case. It is a dress watch by intention and an everyday watch in practice, and it shows what quartz is best at, which is disappearing on the wrist until you need it.

Day date: Lucky Fours Fortuno

Adding a day of the week to a quartz watch costs almost nothing, and it is one of the most useful complications there is. The Fortuno puts a day and date window on a teal sunray dial, in a minimal steel sports case with an integrated style bracelet, for $79.99. The sunray finish shifts from pale to deep teal as the light moves, which gives a very simple watch a lot of life. There are 5 colorways, including green, blue, white and black. For more watches of this type, see our guide to day date watches.

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Chronograph: Lucky Fours Chronometer

The chronograph is where quartz most clearly beats mechanical at low prices. A mechanical chronograph movement is complex and expensive; the cheapest serious ones cost several hundred dollars. A quartz chronograph adds a stopwatch for very little. The Chronometer has three subdials, a contrasting blue bezel ring and a white dial in its panda version, on a steel bracelet, for $89.99. The name refers to the look; it is a quartz watch, which at this price is exactly what you want in a chronograph. Our guide to how a chronograph works explains the pushers.

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Analog digital: Casio AQ230GA or Lucky Fours Viceroy

Only quartz can put hands and a digital display on the same dial, and the combination is having a moment. The Casio AQ230GA Vintage Gold at $79.95 is the classic version: a compact vintage case, half gold and half silver, with a small digital window under the hands. The Lucky Fours Viceroy at $89.99 goes the other way, with an oversized rectangular case and two digital displays beside the analog dial. One is discreet, the other is a statement; both are only possible with quartz.

Digital: Casio AE1200WHD

A digital watch is quartz in its purest form, and Casio has been making the best cheap ones since the 1970s. The Casio AE1200WHD World Time at $54.95 has world time, several alarms, a stopwatch and a countdown timer on a steel bracelet. It is the watch to wear when you would rather not wear a watch you care about.

Classic: Timex Easy Reader

The Timex Easy Reader 35mm at $69 is a reminder that quartz can be old fashioned in the best way. A 35mm round case, a white dial with big numerals and a leather strap. It is one of the most legible watches you can buy.

All six compared

*as listed on each brand's US website, October 2026

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How do you look after a quartz watch?

• Change the battery promptly. When the seconds hand starts jumping in two or four second steps, many movements are warning you the battery is low. A dead battery left in a watch for months can leak and damage the movement.
• Use a watch shop or a proper kit. Opening a caseback with a knife scratches the case and can damage the gasket that keeps dust out.
• Reset the chronograph after a battery change. On some quartz chronographs the stopwatch hands need realigning to zero; the manual explains how.
• Treat it like any other watch. Quartz is robust, but a hard knock can still dislodge a hand.

Lucky Fours watches carry a 12 month warranty, and with the brand's buy one, get one free offer a quartz day date and a quartz chronograph together cost $89.99. For more choices across movement types, see the best watches under $100.

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