Upper (~$600–1,500) watches
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Swiss autos and serious tool watches. We list 46 upper-tier watches. 42 are mechanical (41 automatic, 1 hand-wound) and 4 run on a battery or light. 35 are rated 100m or more, the usual line for swimming. 44 have a sapphire crystal. Cases run from 38mm to 53mm.
| Watch | Movement | WR | Case | Crystal | Style | Tier | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seiko Prospex SPB143 | Automatic | 200m | 40.5mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Seiko Alpinist SPB121 | Automatic | 200m | 39.5mm | sapphire | Field / explorer | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
 Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 | Automatic | 100m | 40mm | sapphire | Everyday / casual | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Tissot Seastar 1000 | Automatic | 300m | 43mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 | Automatic | 100m | 40mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
| Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical | Hand-wound | 50m | 38mm | sapphire | Field / explorer | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Hamilton Khaki Field Auto | Automatic | 100m | 42mm | sapphire | Field / explorer | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Hamilton Jazzmaster Open Heart | Automatic | 50m | 40mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot | Automatic | 100m | 42mm | sapphire | Pilot / aviation | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Nodus Sector Dive | Automatic | 200m | 38mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Baltic Aquascaphe | Automatic | 200m | 39mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Christopher Ward C60 Trident | Automatic | 300m | 40mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Mido Ocean Star 200C | Automatic | 200m | 42.5mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Certina DS Action Diver | Automatic | 300m | 43mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Seiko Prospex Sumo SPB103 | Automatic | 200m | 45mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Seiko Presage Sharp Edged SPB167 | Automatic | 100m | 39.3mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Casio G-Shock GMW-B5000D | Solar / light-powered | 200m | 43mm | sapphire | Everyday / casual | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Casio G-Shock Frogman GWF-A1000 | Solar / light-powered | 200m | 53mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Orient Star Contemporary RE-AU | Automatic | 50m | 41mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80 | Automatic | 30m | 39mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto | Automatic | 50m | 38mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba | Automatic | 100m | 40mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
| Hamilton Khaki Field Murph | Automatic | 100m | 42mm | sapphire | Field / explorer | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Sinn 556 I | Automatic | 200m | 38.5mm | sapphire | Field / explorer | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Baltic Aquascaphe GMT | Automatic | 100m | 39mm | sapphire | GMT / travel | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Halios Seaforth | Automatic | 200m | 41mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT | Automatic | 150m | 39mm | sapphire | GMT / travel | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T JY8078 | Solar / light-powered | 200m | 46mm | mineral | Pilot / aviation | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Citizen Series 8 NB6004 | Automatic | 100m | 40mm | sapphire | Everyday / casual | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Squale 1521 | Automatic | 300m | 42mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Oris Big Crown Pointer Date | Automatic | 50m | 40mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Oris ProPilot | Automatic | 100m | 41mm | sapphire | Pilot / aviation | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Longines Spirit | Automatic | 100m | 40mm | sapphire | Pilot / aviation | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
| Longines Master Collection | Automatic | 30m | 40mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Sinn 104 | Automatic | 200m | 41mm | sapphire | Pilot / aviation | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Junghans Max Bill Automatic | Automatic | 30m | 38mm | acrylic | Dress | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Mido Ocean Star GMT | Automatic | 200m | 44mm | sapphire | GMT / travel | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Christopher Ward C65 Trident GMT | Automatic | 150m | 41mm | sapphire | GMT / travel | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Zodiac Super Sea Wolf | Automatic | 200m | 40mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Marathon TSAR | Quartz | 300m | 41mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Marathon GSAR | Automatic | 300m | 41mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
Bulova Oceanographer Devil Diver | Automatic | 200m | 44mm | sapphire | Dive | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto | Automatic | 100m | 42mm | sapphire | Field / explorer | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Frederique Constant Slimline Automatic | Automatic | 30m | 40mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | Check priceCheck price |
| Mido Baroncelli Signature | Automatic | 30m | 39mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
| Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Powermatic 80 | Automatic | 50m | 39mm | sapphire | Dress | Upper | See price on AmazonCheck price |
Quick answers
Which upper-tier watches have a sapphire crystal?
44 of the 46: Seiko Prospex SPB143, Seiko Alpinist SPB121, Tissot PRX Powermatic 80, Tissot Seastar 1000, Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80, Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical, Hamilton Khaki Field Auto, Hamilton Jazzmaster Open Heart and 36 more in the table. Sapphire resists scratches better than mineral or acrylic. How the crystals compare.
Can you swim with upper-tier watches?
35 of the 46 are rated 100m or more, the usual line for regular swimming: Seiko Prospex SPB143, Seiko Alpinist SPB121, Tissot PRX Powermatic 80, Tissot Seastar 1000, Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80, Hamilton Khaki Field Auto, Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot, Nodus Sector Dive and 27 more in the table. 21 of those reach 200m or more. What the ratings mean.
Are there automatic or hand-wound upper-tier watches?
Yes, 42 of the 46 are mechanical (41 automatic, 1 hand-wound): Seiko Prospex SPB143, Seiko Alpinist SPB121, Tissot PRX Powermatic 80, Tissot Seastar 1000, Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80, Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical, Hamilton Khaki Field Auto, Hamilton Jazzmaster Open Heart and 34 more in the table. Automatic vs quartz.
What is the smallest of the upper-tier watches?
The smallest are the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical, Nodus Sector Dive, Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto and Junghans Max Bill Automatic, at 38mm. The largest is the Casio G-Shock Frogman GWF-A1000, at 53mm. What size fits your wrist.
Head-to-head comparisons
- Christopher Ward C60 Trident vs Marathon TSAR
- Seiko Prospex Sumo SPB103 vs Casio G-Shock Frogman GWF-A1000
- Marathon TSAR vs Marathon GSAR
- Seiko Prospex SPB143 vs Christopher Ward C60 Trident
- Seiko Prospex SPB143 vs Mido Ocean Star 200C
- Tissot Seastar 1000 vs Mido Ocean Star 200C
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