10 Best Watch Brands for Women, From Affordable to Luxurious

The best watch brands for women, much like in the case of designer handbags or fine jewelry, aren’t just beloved for their dedication to construction, functionality, and durability; the lore they carry and the status they impart are just as important. “A brand’s reputation stems from heritage, innovation, craftsmanship, and cultural significance,” says Stephen Watson, contributing editor at Watches of Switzerland.

Truth is, we don’t need mechanical watches to tell time. Our phones and smartwatches do that for us in an instant, and with a far higher degree of accuracy. In today’s tech-dominated world, the presence of finely crafted ladies’ watches becomes a statement about who we are and what we value. “A watch is a forever object,” says Brynn Wallner, founder of Dimepiece. “If the watch is well made, it won’t disintegrate in a landfill and, with proper servicing, will keep the time long after all of our smartphones are hacked and we’re living off the grid during the apocalypse.”

From Marie Antoinette and her Breguet No.160 to Rihanna and her Rolex Day-Date, some of the most influential figures in history have been passionate collectors of women’s watches. And if you’re looking to join the world of horology, we’ve curated a guide of our favorite brands in the industry, along with a handy 101 to peruse before making a purchase. When it comes to the best watch brands for women, it is always the right time to invest.

The best watch brands for women, at a glanceFossil Raquel Bracelet Watch

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Citizen Eco-Drive Corso Classic Watch in Two-Tone Stainless Steel

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Hermès Medor Watch

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Timex Easy Reader Watch

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Cartier Tank Louis Cartier 22mm Small 18-Karat Gold and Alligator Watch

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Best Value: TimexTimex is a brand for the people. From 1854, when the company began as a clock manufacturer in Waterbury, Connecticut, it produced relatively affordable timepieces. It sold pocket watches for 35 cents and then partnered with the Walt Disney Company in the ’30s to create wristwatches that featured Mickey Mouse, one of the first examples of a brand collaborating with the entertainment industry. Today, the company manufactures a wide range of styles, including licensed collections from Versace and Salvatore Ferragamo. Plus, it’s readily available on Amazon.

Timex Disney Cardiff Watches

Timex Easy Reader Watch

Best for the Office: FossilDoes Fossil sound familiar? The brand is known for licensing the names of fashion labels like Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Giorgio Armani. It also creates buzzy timepieces under its own name, offering sleek, classic designs that are great for wearing to work. Like a blazer or trousers, there’s something sleek and buttoned-up about what the brand has to offer.

Fossil Raquel Bracelet Watch

Fossil Harlow Bracelet Watch

Best for Travel: CitizenSwiss-based companies are generally regarded as the leaders in watchmaking, but Japanese brands have steadily climbed the ranks. One of the OGs to step up was Citizen, the first to introduce timekeeping that automatically synchronizes to the wearer’s timezone (handy for frequent travelers). In 1976, the company introduced Echo-Drive technology, which is the first time that a timepiece’s battery was charged through solar panels under the face, meaning that it’s powering up while you’re out sightseeing or enjoying an après-ski cocktail.

Citizen Eco-Drive Corso Classic Watch in Two-Tone Stainless Steel

Citizen Dress Classic Watch

Best Luxury: HermèsFew labels can rival Hermès’s reputation in the world of luxury leather. So it shouldn’t be surprising that the label’s expertly made watches hark back to the brand’s equestrian roots. While still an investment, a luxury watch is a great first step into the world of the brand, especially for someone who’s always loved the brand’s (more expensive) leather bags. One editor favorite is the Heure H watch, a distinct design with an H-shaped bezel that highlights Hermès’s reputation for offering clean and classic pieces.

Hermès Medor Watch

Hermès Heure H Watch

Best for Gifting: CartierThe fabled French jewelry house has created too many iconic pieces to count, from a number of England’s Crown Jewels to the Love bracelets you’ve seen everywhere. But the leopard, or panthère in the brand’s original language, is probably its best mascot. The Panthère de Cartier watch collection, which debuted in 1983, has become a highly coveted signature. If you’re looking for a gift to mark a special occasion—an anniversary or graduation, for example—Cartier is an iconic choice (along with other iconic luxury labels like Rolex and Bulgari).

Cartier Tank Louis Cartier 22mm Small 18-Karat Gold and Alligator Watch

Cartier Panthère De Cartier Small 23mm Stainless Steel Watch

Best Borrowed-From-the-Boys: ShinolaTom Kartsotis, the man behind Fossil, opened the Shinola watch factory in Detroit—a city that had been struggling in the wake of the domestic automotive industry’s decline—in 2011. The modern heritage brand debuted with the Runwell, a watch that combines luxury components like crystals and sapphires, but at a price point that makes high-end craftsmanship accessible to a broader audience. The brand’s sturdy styles add a tomboyish touch to the wrist of anyone who likes a more androgynous look, a style that’s particularly trendy right now.

Shinola Runwell Leather Strap Watch

Shinola Derby Bracelet Watch

Most Sporty: Tag HeuerFounded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, Tag Heuer has built its brand based around an active lifestyle. It revolutionized chronographs for speedsters and made great innovations with water-resistant cases for divers. (The company also produces time-measuring instruments for automobiles, boats, and aircraft.) If you’re looking for a sporty watch—but not a sport watch; that’s something different—to wear with your favorite jeans and T-shirt, this style has the sleek look you want. Opt for two-tone for a more modern look, or a stainless steel case for a classic option. If you’re making a bigger splurge, Omega is another great choice.

Tag Heuer Carrera Stainless Steel and White Mother of Pearl Automatic Dial Watch

Tag Heuer Aquaracer Watch

Most Classic: LonginesLongines has been a major player in aquanautics, sporting events, and most notably aviation; its pieces were owned by Howard Hughes, Amelia Earhart, and several distinguished fighter pilots. (That’s quite a list!) It’s a brand known for impeccable quality and classic designs, so if you’re on the hunt for an iconic timepiece to start your watch journey, this brand has timeless investment pieces you’ll wear for years to come.

Longines La Grande Classique Bracelet Watch

Longines Mini DolceVita Leather Strap Watch

Most Accessible: SeikoThe first wristwatch with a commercial quartz movement was introduced by Seiko in 1969 in Tokyo, meaning this brand stands among the icons. For anyone looking for a watch that will stay in style for decades to come, this is a classic choice. (Its higher-end watches go by Grand Seiko, by the way.) The brand is also known for raising the popularity of battery-powered watches, effectively leading to a decline in the sales of Swiss-made, hand-wound products.

Seiko Essentials Watch

Seiko Presage Watch with Diamonds

Best Newcomer: MVMTAt just under 10 years old, MVMT is the new kid on the block. It fills the niche for sleek, quality watches at a relatively affordable price point. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced watch that still feels fancy—especially for special occasions—this brand offers luxe-looking styles for under $250. What more can you ask for?

MVMT Nova Ceramic

The best watches for women are usually big purchases. Here’s what to know and look for.Watchmaking is as much an art as it is a masterclass in engineering. From the type of movement (the internal system that makes a watch tick) to the choice in metals, to the design of the numerals, to the color of the leather straps, the best watches are the sum of many, many parts. To help you sift through all the jargon, we narrowed down the key factors to always keep in mind when shopping.

Watches range from extremely affordable (some costing less than a standard cocktail) to shockingly expensive (exceeding the value of home mortgages). Consider your budget before you start shopping and plan accordingly. “If resale value is important, some [luxury] brands—like Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet—hold value far better than others,” Watches of Switzerland’s Watson says.

Heritage and craftsmanship

Denim from Kojima, wine from Bordeaux, and bagels from New York: There are certain locations that are synonymous with creating a product par excellence. When it comes to watches, Switzerland is the center of the industry; many of the best companies have originated and are operating in cities and towns like Geneva, La Chaux-de-Fonds, and Vallée de Joux. So when you see that a watch is Swiss-made, it automatically carries admiration. “It’s nice to buy a watch from a brand that has that built-in staying power,” Dimepiece’s Wallner says. “Something that was important 50 years ago and will continue to be 50 years from now.”

Another clear distinction is between the more expensive automatic movements, which are self-winding, and the economical quartz movements, which are battery-powered.

Watches are made of a variety of materials, which can also run the gamut when it comes to price. The usual suspects, as Watson lists, are “stainless steel, titanium, yellow gold, platinum, and modern composites like ceramic or carbon fiber.” There’s also rose gold, white gold, and an assortment of leathers (from cowhide and ostrich to alligator and shell cordovan) used for the straps. Last but not least are the choices between mother-of-pearl dials, white dials or black dials made of brass, silver dials, and more. Each has their own properties that make them unique, some being rarer than others, boosting the cost.

This term basically describes the features that go beyond the basic time-telling function of watches. They could include perpetual calendars, which mark days, dates, and moon phases; chronographs, which serve as a stopwatch; and tourbillons, which are stylized rotating cages that increase accuracy. Complications can increase the functionality of your piece, but also run the risk of making the overall look more cluttered.