Seven Great Men's Watches for Less Than $30

Bargain Watches that Make Great Stocking Stuffers

Many watches deliver excellent value for very low prices. These inexpensive watches are the perfect buy for Christmas stocking stuffers, office party gift exchanges, or birthday bonus gifts.

[This is reprinted from my Yahoo Contributors Network articles.  However, most of the watches mentioned are still great deals and are still less than $30. ]

While most watch enthusiasts focus on expensive, luxury, watch brands, many low end watches offer high end features and deliver excellent value for very low prices. At low price points, watches really make the perfect Christmas stocking stuffers, office party gift exchange, or birthday bonus gifts. Here are seven really nifty watches that cost less than thirty dollars.

1. Casio Men's Digital Watch (W-201). The Casio W201 is a capable little watch that offers all the expected digital functions in a retro 80's style package. The W-201 provides the time, date, dual time, 12/24-hour time display, stop watch with split times, an LED light for night, and even 50-meter water resistance. When people think of a digital watch, they probably envision this exact model. While this watch is a rather small band, the W-201 remains the perfect nostalgia watch gift for older nerds and geeks.

Casio W-201 on Amazon

2. Timex Expedition (Model T18581). The Timex Expedition watch series is the backbone of the Timex watch line. The watches are available in a variety of forms from low end to high end. At every price point, the Timex delivers good value. If you are looking to stay under $30, check out the camper Timex Expedition. This classic military-style watch has a black face and black strap that will satisfy any low budget commando.

3. Mossimo Digital Watch. Mossimo is a designer and design firm with close ties to Target. Mossimo has many innovative watch designs and they all retail for about $20 at your local Target store. I particularly like the Mossimo Digital Watch. However, you can find many Mossimo Watches at Target.

Mossimo Digital Watch

4. Casio Forester. If you are ready for adventure, but don't have a big budget, check out the analog Casio Forester. It's a rugged, well protected, watch with an internal backlight and a case that fits into most camouflage schemes.

5. Casio Telememo 30 World Time Ana-Digital Watch. If your adventures are more jet set than jungle, check out the amazing Casio WorldTime Ana-digital watch. It has a data bank for storing phone numbers and can display multiple timezones. Plus, it has a ten year battery and very cool retro-futurist styling for a low budget timepiece. [As of 2024, this watch cost a little more than $30, but it was still inexpensive on Amazon.com.]

6. Precision by Gruen Diver Style Watch. Kohl's offers a series of "Precision by Gruen" watches for less than $30. I particularly like the Diver-style watch with a rotating bezel. If you swap the cheap velcro band for an inexpensive rubber watch band like I did, this watch will look like a million dollars. It offers a great diver-style look in a bang-around watch. However, I wouldn't go in the water with it.

Precision by Gruen

7. Casio HD-Series Men's Analog Watch. The Casio HD-Series watch presents a rich, golden, champagne-colored, face for shoppers on a beer or soda budget. Once upon a time, you could find this watch for less than $20 at Walmart, the Casio HD-series analog watch offers an amazing 10-year battery, a date window, luminescent hands and markers, and an endlessly fascinating face.

A Casio HD Series Watch

These watches certainly show that there are a lot of cheap watches that look great and offer cool features. Each of these bargain watches would fit into a tight gift-giving budget.

[This article was updated with new photos and links in 2024]