How We Choose

A buying guide is only useful if you understand how it was put together. This is how we choose the watches that appear in our guides.

We start with the budget

Most of our guides are organised around a price ceiling, because that is how most people shop. Within a budget we look for the watch that gives the most for the money in the way that matters for that guide: the look, the movement, the materials or the versatility.

We work from listed facts

Prices, movements, case sizes and materials come from each brand's own US website. We describe what a watch looks like from the brand's own product photography, and we say plainly when a feature is only a look, for example a skeleton style dial on a quartz watch, or a dive style bezel on a watch that is not rated for diving.

We do not publish invented test results, scores or statistics. If a brand does not state something, we do not state it for them.

We compare across brands

Our guides set watches from established brands such as Seiko, Citizen, Casio, Timex, Tissot and Bulova next to newer brands that sell online. Older brands often win on movement choice, service networks and longer warranties. Online brands often win on price and on design per dollar. We say which is which, and recommend the more expensive watch when it is the better fit for what you want.

We show the price and the date

Every guide shows when prices were checked. Prices and offers change, sometimes daily, so always confirm the price on the brand's website before you buy. Our price index collects current prices in one place.

We link to stores

Some product names and buttons in our guides link to the store where the watch is sold, so you can check the current price, sizes and colours. Read each store's shipping, return and warranty terms before you order.

Who owns the site

WatchesUnder is owned by BlackRobin Capital Inc. The same line appears next to every Lucky Fours pick in our guides. Picks follow the method on this page and the published Value Score, and prices for every brand are checked the same way.

We update

When a price, a model or an offer changes, we update the guide and the date it shows. If you spot something out of date, tell us.