Best Watches

We did the research to find the best watches made right here in the USA, looking across a variety of categories from casual to formal and more. Below are our recommendations, in-depth details about each of our top picks, and the methodology behind our research and testing.

Our Findings

Overall, we were pleased to find that there are a ton of great American watchmakers making high quality timepieces. The city of Detroit shined brightly with Shinola and Detroit Watch Co. both crafting products from their own facilities there. Devon and Vortic Watches are two watchmakers in the United States that are on the higher end of the market, but make really unique and valuable watches that could even be seen as collector’s items. Hager is also a newcomer to the industry that is producing great products. Read more below! Also be sure to check out our guide on the best American made wallets.

Top Recommendations

Recommendations: Going Deeper

Below, we go into more detail about each of our top recommendations with extensive product details, why we think it’s the best, what we liked about each one, and what we didn’t like.

Best Leather Strap Watch

Shinola: The Runwell, Men’s Leather Watch

Shinola is a relatively new watch factory out of Detroit, MI. They have only been making wristwatches for men and women since 2011, but they have gotten darn good at it over that time period. The Shinola Runwell men’s watch is the best one we’ve seen for leather strap watches. It has a wonderful cream-colored dial, a fixed stainless steel bezel, and luminescent hands and markers. The Runwell also comes in a black watch face, which we’ve provided the link to below. This watch is perfect for the casual everyday use. The leather band width is about 20mm and the watch face diameter is about 41mm – important to note to make sure it fits well around your wrist.

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Things we like:

• Sapphire crystal face, which is scratch resistant
• Water resistant at about 165 feet
• Casual, simplistic, and aged look
• Quartz crystal clock (regulates the electronic oscillator inside the watch for more precise time keeping)

Things we don’t like:

• None

Best Travelers Watch

Hager GMT Traveler

Hager Watches was founded in 2009 with the mission to make high quality automatic watches at an affordable price. The GMT Traveler watch is the best one we’ve found for frequent long-distance travelers – allowing you to quickly tell time for where you are and the time back home. Especially for business travelers, this watch is both functional and stylish to pair with your suit at the next big meeting. The GMT Traveler comes in several different options for the watch face and dial colors; the most popular are the navy blue and black, which pair well with just about any apparel. The watch face measures in at 42mm and the band width at 22mm – both fairly standard to fit most men’s wrist sizes. Note: there is currently a waiting list for this watch!

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Things we like:

• Stylish look for both casual and formal settings
• Water resistant up to 660 feet
• Scratch resistant sapphire crystal on the watch face, with an anti-reflective treatment inside
• Quick time adjustment capabilities

Things we don’t like:

• This watch is so popular that you have to get on a waitlist to purchase one

Best Automatic Self Winding Watch

Detroit Watch Co 1701 Series

The 1701 Series is a limited edition by the Detroit Watch Company, a relatively new company on the watchmaking scene, founded in 2013. They only made 125 watches for this model, and it was the best we saw of all the limited editions on the market. This watch has automatic self-winding functionality, so it “powers up” as you move throughout the day. Towards the top of the face, it even has a power reserve indicator. The leather band is made of high quality calfskin, and you have a few different color choices, which you specify when you order. Like many of the other top watches on the market, the watch face is made of sapphire crystal, which is generally scratch resistant. They also treated it with an anti-reflective coating, so it’s easy to read. The watch face measures 44mm wide and the watch band is 22mm wide.

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Things we like:

• Water resistant up to 165 feet
• Self winding functionality with a 40 hour power reserve
• Stylish clasp on the leather strap with the Detroit Watch Company logo
• Silver, white, and black tones on the watch face
• Pays homage to Detroit in subtle places around the dial

Things we don’t like:

• None

Most Unique Watch

Devon Tread 1D

Devon is a U.S. manufacturer that makes some of the most unique watches on the market, and they don’t even call them watches! The Tread 1D is one of the signature “time belts” that Devon produces, along with many other stylish designs. Rather than having dials run clockwise, Devon uses essentially conveyor belts moving horizontally and vertically across the watch face to display the time, as you can see in the photo. What we love even more about this watch is it’s all exposed, giving the piece a robotic and innovative feel to it. They even have a watch themed after Darth Vader from Star Wars. If you want your watch to stand out in the crowd, this is the “time belt” to do it with – and it will cost you.

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Things we like:

• Exposed mechanics of the watch
• Unique and innovative style
• Stainless steel construction

Things we don’t like:

• Not a downside, but something of note – must be charged every 20 days or so

Best Handmade Watch

The Boston 287 from Vortic Watches

The timepieces from Vortic Watches are truly one of a kind. Since they are all handmade, each one has its own unique style to it. Once they are sold, they are gone forever. We love the Boston 287 style from this company because it is incredibly classic and well-made. This watch doesn’t really have any frills with it, and we are okay with that. The finished case of the watch is the natural color of raw titanium and the strap is a quality leather (you can choose the color you want). In terms of function, it’s a manual wind, so you’ll want to make sure you do that every morning when you get up. Overall, we were really impressed with Vortic Watches and their Boston style will last you a lifetime.

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Things we like:

• Manual wind
• Raw titanium look
• Handmade construction
• Comfortable
• Interchangable straps

Things we don’t like:

• None

Best Modern Style Watch

The Martenero Edgemere

The Martenero Edgemere is our top pick for a more modern style watch that has a bit of a nautical flavor to it. The red hour ring is raised above the rest of the watch face, making it really pop when it’s on your wrist. The Edgemere is water resistant up to 50 meters, has a stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, and screw down crown so you can adjust the watch as needed. The back of the watch is very cool as well, which has an etching of a nautical compass. The Edgemere is one of Martenero’s most popular styles, so availability can vary, especially during the holiday season. They recently released an Edgemere Reserve style that they currently have a Kickstarter campaign going for to get the lineup up and running.

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Things we like:

• Automatic
• Modern look and feel
• Water resistant
• 40 hour power reserve

Things we don’t like:

• None

Best Square-Face Ladies Watch

Shinola: The Cass, 28 Mm Ladies Watch

Shinola, as we’ve mentioned before, is one of the best American-born watchmaking companies, and they have no shortage of quality styles for both men and women. The Cass is a 28mm ladies watch that is perfect for casual everyday use, and even a few formal events. The stainless steel case fits well with the other features of the watch, especially the leather strap which we saw was a pretty comfortable fit. The quartz crystal inside the watch helps keep timing very precise, compared to some other mechanical models. The square face goes well with tons of different styles! They offer a few different band colors, so be sure to find the one you like best. We personally like the light and dark brown leather versions shown here.

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Things we like:

• Stylish, elegant square face
• Water resistant up to 164 feet
• Stainless steel case and scratch resistant watch face
• Comfortable fit

Things we don’t like:

• None

Best Round-Face Ladies Watch

Fragment 1.0 from Throne Watches

Throne Watches is producing some of the best watches in America right now and they are doing it all out of their facilities in New York City. The newly redesigned Fragment 1.0 watch from Throne is a truly classic timepiece. The simple use of color and design makes this watch perfect for both women and men. It features a black leather strap, gold on the case and strap buckle, and a simple white and black on the watch face. One of the coolest features about Throne watches is what happens when the clock strikes midnight – the 12 at the top of the watch face gets replaced by a 13 for a short period of time. The crystal that protects the watch face is slightly domed and anti-scratch, so we found it to be a pretty durable option as well.

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Things we like:

• Gender neutral
• Classic aesthetic
• Durable
• Affordable

Things we don’t like:

• Has a Swiss movement in it

Recap: Best American Made Watches

• Shinola: The Runwell, Men’s Leather Watch – Leather Strap
• Hager GMT Traveler – Traveler Watch
• Detroit Watch Co 1701 Series – Automatic Self Winding
• Devon Tread 1D – Most Unique
• The Boston 287 from Vortic Watches – Handmade
• The Martenero Edgemere – Modern Style
• Shinola: The Cass, 28 Mm Ladies Watch – Square-Face Ladies Watch
• Fragment 1.0 from Throne Watches – Round-Face Ladies Watch

Factors We Considered

Style

Style is important when you’re considering buying a new watch. In our research, we looked for watches that are versatile, with the ability to wear them in both casual and more formal settings. We eliminated a few watches from consideration that did not pass our style guidelines.

Here are some of the major styles we made sure to look at:

• Diving
• Dress
• Aviator
• Action
• Minimalist
• Pocket watches

Functionality & Movement

Functionality is also really important – you need a watch that will work well, is easy to strap on, adjust dials, and simply be hassle-free for your everyday lifestyle. Durability was a big consideration in this category as well. A watch is a large investment, so we eliminated several watches that were made from cheaper materials that would not last a long time.

A big part of functionality is learning how a watch operates, or the movement. The movement is the engine that powers the ticker of the watch, and there are two variations that are most popular in American watching making – quartz and automatic. The first uses an oscillator powered by a battery and regulated with a piece of quartz to keep time. An automatic movement uses the movements of the wearer’s wrist to power the mainspring of the watch. The quartz variations are typically slightly more accurate than their automatic counterparts, however the latter is typically considered more “classic” and costs a little bit more.

Preciseness

A watch that isn’t precise in its timekeeping is immensely frustrating. We mostly looked for quartz clocks, which has a quartz crystal to help regulate an electronic oscillator, which creates a signal with very precise frequency and allows you watch to consistently stay on time without lagging behind or jumping ahead. However, the automatic movements have such classic style, that we wanted to include some of those as well.

Materials

There are a bunch of different types of material that a watch and its band can be made from – stainless steel, carbon fiber, rubber, gold, leather, and more. For the watch face and components inside it, we looked for materials that are going to be durable in the long term and also not fade. For the band around your wrist, full grain leather is the best option because it’s durable, stylish, and comfortable.

Value

Value is as important to us and it is to you – we’re consumers too! We chose American watch brands that we felt had a price tag that was representative of the quality you’re getting. Overpaying for stuff is annoying – we want to eliminate that frustration.