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Christmas is right around the corner and what better gift to give than a classic watch? Watches are a status symbol you wear on your wrist, and some people pay for that price dearly — sometimes up to thousands in the triple digits for a Rolex. You don’t need to sacrifice multiple mortgage payments to have a beautiful piece of jewelry to help you tell the time, though! Rolexes are fawned over for their oyster steel and golds and nifty features like tachymetric scales, but you can find watches that look just as beautifully crafted. And, if you’re not hanging around a bunch of old money heirs in a country club, it’s likely no one will notice the difference anyway.
So, HollywoodLife has rounded up the best Rolex alternatives to help you feel just as posh — on a budget, that is! Obviously, you’re not aiming for real gold with a price cap of $110, but rather quality materials like stainless steel — which won’t leave those nasty green marks on your skin or rust — which can still come in a multitude of colors other than the basic steel color (like gold).
To best mimic a Rolex watch, we sought out watches with that “classic” analog look with some modern flairs as well. As a heads up, when shopping for watches, pay attention to the movement (the engine in a watch that controls the ticking), cases (the pretty part that holds together all the watch’s mechanisms; not to be confused with the band), bezels (which surround the case) and faces (the part that displays time). Now that you’ve completed your crash course, don’t let another minute slip away; check out these amazing watch deals on Amazon now:
Men’s Watches
1. Citizen Men’s Quartz Two-Tone Stainless Steel Chronograph Watch
One word comes to mind when seeing this watch: luxury. It’s the ultimate gentleman’s accessory with a band and case made of silver stainless steel with gold-colored accents. This is a chronograph watch, meaning it’s equipped with three subdials and also has a display for the day. The watch runs on Japanese quartz movement and can be submerged in up to 330 feet of water (this is not meant to be taken scuba diving, though — we have a different watch suggestion for that further down on the list). $105, amazon.com
2. Invicta Men’s Pro Diver Scuba 48mm Gold Tone Stainless Steel Chronograph Quartz Watch
Scuba divers, this is your watch — it’s water-resistant in depths up to 660 feet! It’s a gorgeous chronograph-style watch, offering 30-minute, 60-second and 1/10th of a second stopwatches. It features a gold-tone stainless steel case and a band made of the same material and color, and a unidirectional bezel (meaning it moves in a counter-clockwise direction). This gold and navy blue watch also features scratch-resistant flame fusion crystal and operates on Japanese quartz movement. The watch and case parts are gold-plated. $70, amazon.com
3. BIDEN Mens Watches Chronograph Stainless
Presenting the most affordable option in our men’s category of watches, but no less pretty: this stainless steel watch with an emerald green face from BIDEN! As an added bonus, it even bears the name of the U.S.’s new president elect. This chronograph-style watch offers stopwatch and date calendar features, and the bezel even rotates! The dials are also powered through Japanese quartz movement. If green’s not your shade, this watch is offered in an assortment of color combinations on Amazon, which over 1,500 customers headed over to write overwhelmingly positive reviews. $43, amazon.com
Women’s Watches
1. Peugeot 14K All Gold Plated Big Face Luxury Watch
For ladies who have a soft spot for Louis Vuitton and Cartier, this is your watch. With its roman numerals and gold-plated material, this watch will automatically add an element of leisure to any outfit. This Peugeot watch, which operates on quartz movement, even displays the name of the day at the very top (as well is in digits to the side). It is especially ideal for our readers who aren’t a fan of all the subdials that come with chronograph watches and prefer a more simple, clean face. $80, amazon.com
2. Rebecca Minkoff Women’s Quartz Watch
If you prefer something more minimalistic over ornate details, this watch from Rebecca Minkoff is perfect! The all-silver design is sleek and the link bracelet band will blend with any outfit (although it’s far from boring). It’s a chronograph watch, coming with three subdials — one of which shows the days of the week! Your various dials are kept safe beneath a mineral crystal face, and the watch runs on a quartz movement. It’s water-resistant in up to 30 meters of water, just in case you want to take a brief dip into the ocean or pool. $87, amazon.com
3. XOXO Women’s Analog Watch
This is the cheapest watch on this entire list — and yet, it’s the highest reviewed, with over 1,500 Amazon customers leaving ratings that averaged out to 4.3 out of 5 stars! This is your standard fashion watch, dressed up with alluring yellow and rose-gold colors with Roman numerals and three subdials, and a bezel encrusted with glittering crystals. The three-link alloy bracelet will look so chic on your arm, too! $17, amazon.com
4. Invicta Women’s Pro Diver 24.5mm Stainless Steel Quartz Watch
We’re adding another Invicta piece to this watch roundup! It’s also the most lithe piece on the whole list, with a thin band and relatively small case and bezel — perfect for our readers who don’t want a chunky piece of jewelry sitting on their wrist. The bracelet and case are made of a pretty silver-colored stainless steel, and the face is crafted of a mineral crystal. As an added bonus, you can go diving deep into the depths of the ocean with this watch — up to 660 feet! This is another highly-rated watch, with nearly 1,000 reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. $42, amazon.com
