Best Minimalist Watch Brands Under 1000
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Minimalist watches are a popular choice, given their uncluttered design and versatile styling. If you’re after a do-it-all watch that can suffice for a variety of occasions, then these Bauhaus-inspired designs will serve you well.
It’s hard to find a good minimalist watch among the plethora of cheap brands like Daniel Wellington and MVMT, who provide really poor-quality products for their asking price; however, this curated list highlights some of my personal picks. Each of these watches look fantastic and are built to last, so you don’t end up with that buyer’s remorse.
Sea-gull Watches
The Tianjin Seagull watch company is the most reputable Chinese watch brand under £1000. They have been making watches since 1958 and are the world’s largest manufacturer of mechanical watch movements. Many modern watch brands have their products made in China anyway, so opting for a full-Chinese brand like Seagull can be a good way of obtaining a watch with a high-performance movement for a low price. This Simple Style Automatic isn’t the slimmest piece on this list, but has the least cluttered dial, along with a great high beat ST2130 movement, which retails for well over £60 just by itself. This is awesome considering the retail price of the watch.
Seagull ‘Simple Style’ Bauhaus Automatic
Notable features:
- Excellent movement
- Sapphire crystal
- 40mm diameter
- Low quality strap
Value Rating: 4/5
Junkers Watches
A brand that marvellously encapsulates Bauhaus design principles is Junkers. Manufactured by Point Tec in Germany, these are extremely stylish and available for a surprisingly low price point. I’d say these have a similar aesthetic to Junghans watches and while they do lack some of the finer details, they still give a great first impression. The new 100 Year Bauhaus series is their best range yet, offering their beautiful designs in a sub-£200 quartz package. I’d say these are the best-looking dress watches below £200.
Junkers 100 Years Bauhaus Special
Notable features:
- Beautiful Bauhaus design
- Quartz movement
- Multiple sizes available
- 5ATM Water Resistant
- Made in Germany
The Dessau watches, named after the former location of the Bauhaus, offer a similar look to that of Daniel Wellington, but provide far better value for money.
Junkers Dessau
- Slim 8mm design
- Sapphire crystal
- Made in Germany
- Miyota Quartz movement
The 6050 series kits out your Junkers watch with an automatic movement. Less practical than quartz, but much more pleasing for those of you looking for a sweeping second hand.
Junkers 6050 Series Bauhaus
- Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movement
- Made in Germany
- Domed Hesalite glass
- Attractive design featuring flying man Bauhaus logo
Value Rating: 4.5/5
Junghans
The holy grail of minimalist watches – Junghans offers the most desirable true Bauhaus watches on the market. Whilst they demand a higher price tag, I think they look phenomenal and I’m not surprised they are the ultimate dress watch for some men out there. If your budget stretches to it, you may never need to upgrade from a Junghans watch. Their Max Bill models in particular are as minimalist as it gets and have been crafted with unparalleled finesse.
Junghans Max Bill
Notable features:
- Exquisite design & quality
- Several variants & movements available
- Made in Germany
- More expensive than other options on this list
Value Rating: 4.5/5
Orient
A great budget Bauhaus choice is the Orient Bambino. I reviewed the V3 version, it includes a really nice minimalist design, combined with an impressive in-house mechanical movement. For around £100, it really is unbeatable value. If you liked domed crystals, the heavily domed mineral on this one might be a deal maker; if not, then alternative options may better suit your preferences.
Orient Bambino Gen2 V3
Notable features:
- Low price
- In-house automatic movement
- Domed mineral glass
- 40.5mm diameter
Value Rating: 5/5
Sternglas
I recently reviewed the Sternglas Naos Automatik watch and was surprisingly pleased by what the microbrand had to offer. This watch features an interesting take on the minimalist look, with unusual staggered hour markers. Personally, I really like the appearance of the watch. It stands out from the many similar-looking pieces out there. These come fitted by default with domed sapphire glass – one of the few to feature such on this list. Aside from the Miyota automatic movement, they also offer a Swiss quartz version, which is significantly slimmer in profile. That may be a better choice for smaller wrists.
Sternglas Naos
Notable features:
- Domed Sapphire Glass
- Choice of movements
- Microbrand exclusivity element
- Standalone design
Value Rating: 4/5
Timex
If you’re looking for the cheapest way onto the minimalist watch ladder, you can’t go wrong with the Timex Fairfield. This simple watch provides an attractive dial for an easily affordable price tag. This could be the best option if you’re looking for a piece that you can afford to treat roughly, retailing between £35 and £80. There are several versions of the Fairfield available, including an attractive sub-second and chronograph pair. I’ve owned the 37mm and 41mm versions of the regular Fairfield and have been pleased with the performance of both. They do have a loud tick, though they are incredibly affordable; the sub-second version is notably quieter if the noise concerns you.
Timex Fairfield
Notable features:
- Lowest price
- Mineral glass
- Quartz movement
- Several variants to choose from
Value Rating: 4/5
Parnis
Parnis are a brand who essentially replicate famous designs and reproduce them for an affordable price. While their craftsmanship is hardly top tier, you can get some nice-looking watches, with solid specifications. One of their models is essentially a Nomos rip-off, that comes fitted with an automatic movement and sapphire glass. If you’re not bothered by brand prestige, then Parnis may be the way to go.
Parnis Automatic
Notable features:
- Sapphire glass
- Nomos-style design
- Automatic movement
- Not the highest level of finishing/quality control
Value Rating: 4/5
Hamilton Watches
For the most-part American brand Hamilton are known for their substantial Khaki field watches, though they do have a wider reaching repertoire than you might think. There have a large variety of dress watches, including the American Classic Intra-Matic vintage-styled pieces. These are super-minimalist and offer a retro look, in two different sizes. I think for the most part, Junghans watches look slightly better, though this aesthetic may be better suited to your wardrobe, should you like a touch of vintage. This seems to be an under-appreciated line of watches, rarely talked about online.
Hamilton Intra-Matic
Notable features:
- Swiss made
- Automatic movement
- Heritage brand
- Retro look
- Great build quality
Value Rating 3.5/5
