Best Mechanical Watch For Men (#10 Picks & Clear Winners)

Quartz watches sure are extremely accurate, but they can’t compare with mechanical watches in one thing: they don’t have an authentic feel. People mostly don’t care about this, but some really value the feeling that a mechanical watch delivers.

If you would also want to enjoy some genuine watchmaking craftsmanship, then you’d want to wear a mechanical watch.

To help you with finding your first (or maybe not first) mechanical watch, we have picked 10 great mechanical watch models for our today’s review. Each of them is unique, so you will most likely find something of interest to you.

Let’s now see if you can find the best mechanical watch with the most authentic feel!

Top Mechanical Watches on Amazon (This Month)

Our 10 Best Mechanical Watch Reviews

Let's start reviewing the 10 best mechanical watches in current market. Of course, the choice might be different and we didn't rank them in terms of price or any one factor. It is a combined collection. You can't really go wrong selecting any of these 10 we discussed.

Let's start.

KDJ STORE Luxury Men's Skeleton Mechanical Wrist Watch

If you are looking for a nice-looking watch but have a limited budget, then KDJ STORE Luxury Men’s wrist watch will probably interest you.

Needless to say, the first thing that catches the eye in this watch is its design. It has got a gold-colored rim beautifully combined with silver stainless steel. Golden accents in the strap also nicely contribute to the watch’s looks.

The dial is also noteworthy: it features a dragon shaped-ornament that is colored in gold as well. Instead of numerals, the watch face comes with small faux jewelry-like stones.

So this watch is sure rather good in terms of looks, but how about its usability?

KDJ Store Luxury Men’s Watch is equipped with a self-winding mechanism that is winded by the natural movements of the wearer. If you don’t just leave the watch to sit somewhere for prolonged periods of time, you won’t be needing to wind it manually.

This mechanical watch is also water-resistant up to 30 meters, but it isn’t suitable for swimming or showering: rather, it is made water-resistant so it doesn’t break down from water splashes and whatnot.

While the dial looks very good on this watch, we didn’t really like it in terms of practicality. It has no numbers and even no minute markings on it, so figuring out the time will probably be uneasy with this watch.

However, if you value looks more than easiness of use in watches, this won’t be an issue for you.

Pros

• Attractive price.
• Water-resistant up to 30 meters.
• Looks really nice.

Cons

• The dial doesn’t have any numbers on it.

BOBO BIRD Men’s Wooden Watch

BOBO Bird watch also looks gorgeous, but it is a different kind of gorgeous than the KDJ STORE watch we’ve just reviewed.

The body of this watch is made from 100% natural Ebony and Red sandalwoods sourced from Europe and Tanzania. Those woods are responsible for the attractive red- and brownish hue of this watch’s body.

The wooden dial with carved minute markings looks a bit rough, but this actually makes this watch more stylish rather than unfinished. If you really like designs that feel raw, then you’ll most likely love this watch.

The skeleton dial of this watch exposes all the clockwork within: if you get really excited seeing complex machinery work, then you’ll certainly like this feature.

We think that this watch would make for an excellent gift. BOBO BIRD even ships this watch in a nice bamboo gift box: they certainly are aware that their watch can serve as a great birthday present!

Aside from looking good, BOBO BIRD is actually more practical than KDJ STORE watch: it still doesn’t have numerals for hours, but it at least has minute markings carved into the dial, as well as markings on its inner dial to make reading time a bit easier.

BOBO BIRD men’s watch is also self-winding, so it won’t need any winding as long as you are moving.

What we don’t really like about this watch is that it is rather heavy: it weighs 8.8 ounces, which isn’t heavy per se, but it’s heavier than typical mechanical watches.

Pros

• Excellent gift choice.
• Beautiful wooden body.
• Packed in a nice bamboo gift box.

Cons

• Rather heavy: weighs 8.8 ounces.

VIGOROSO Men's Classic Leather Band Watch

If you care about practicality more than about looks, then VIGOROSO Men’s Classic watch would probably be a good pick for you. This watch is not only convenient but also very inexpensive.

This mechanical watch by no means looks bad, but it doesn’t have anything spectacular in it, though its transparent back looks interesting. It’s just a decent-looking watch that does its job – it shows time.

And thanks to its large watch face, VIGOROSO watch does that perfectly!

The dial of this watch features large numerals to allow you to quickly check the time. The inner rim of the watch face also has 5-minute markings, so you’ll be able to not just check the time but do so precisely.

The watch face also has a date window that seems really small next to the large numerals. Still, the date window does its job pretty good.

When it comes to the hands, VIGOROSO watch doesn’t have anything too remarkable to offer: the hands are very simple and aren’t luminous, so checking the time in the darkness may be a problem.

The body of this watch is also somewhat water-resistant, so it won’t die on you from a couple of raindrops or accidental water splashes.

The main thing that we don’t really like in this watch is the bulkiness of the watch face. It is big and visible, but it may look awkwardly large on tiny arms.

Pros

• Large dial numbers.
• Inexpensive
• Water-resistant.

Cons

• The watch face is a bit bulky.

Mudder Men's Elegant Skeleton Dial Wrist Watch

Mudder Men’s mechanical wrist watch combines practicality and convenience with good looks. We can’t say that this watch looks very elegant, but it certainly is a fancy piece.

And this watch is very inexpensive, which may be a great advantage for you.

The dark casing and band of this watch are combined with the skeleton watch face exposing the gold-colored mechanism very well. This color scheme may look boring at first, but the light brown hue of the inner surface of the band somewhat evens the impression out.

As we already mentioned, the watch face of this watch is see-through, and so is its back side. This certainly allows you to appreciate the complexity of Mudder mechanical watch. And besides, the gold color of the mechanism makes for a significant share in this watch’s attractiveness.

Aside from good looks, this watch also offers a good degree of convenience. It is more practical than the first two mechanical watches we examined, but definitely not as convenient as VIGOROSO watch we’ve just reviewed.

Mudder mechanical watch’s face has large Roman numerals, allowing you to read the time quite easily. This watch is also designed to resist water splashes, so you won’t need to worry about it when out in the rain.

Unlike the previous watches, Mudder mechanical watch doesn’t have self-winding, so you’ll need to wind it manually every once in a while.

This watch is quite bulky and heavy as well: it weighs 16 ounces and has a thick and large case.

Pros

• Very inexpensive.
• Looks quite good.
• Large numerals.
• Resists mild water.

Cons

• Requires manual winding.
• Bulky and weighs 16 ounces: may be too heavy for your liking.

Invicta Men's Pro Diver Automatic Watch

Have you ever seen Rolex Submariner, “the archetype of the diver’s watch”, as Rolex calls it? Well, if you have, then you’ll definitely recognize where the design of Invicta Pro Diver watch comes from.

This watch almost fully copies the design of the Submariner! It is nearly identical with some very minor differences that you’d need to struggle to find.

So, if you’ve always wanted to have a Rolex watch but didn’t have the buck to pay several thousand dollars for one, then Invicta Pro Diver is clearly the right choice.

Needless to say, a watch that costs about a hundred bucks will never be able to come even remotely close to a genuine Rolex watch in terms of quality. However, what Pro Diver does do is making it seem like you are wearing a Rolex Submariner.

The Pro Diver also to some extent offers the features of the original Submarine. As an example, this watch features luminous hands and markers and a magnified date window. The time is easy to read on this watch as well.

The Pro Diver watch is also water-resistant up to 200 meters. In fact, it was engineered to withstand professional marine activity and surface water sports. But it can’t be used for scuba diving.

While the Pro Diver definitely can’t compare with a Rolex Submariner in terms of water resistance, it still is better than most of the watches we reviewed in that regard.

What Pro Diver also does worse than the Submariner is keeping time. Even though this watch is self-winding, it really tends to noticeably lag behind the actual time.

Pros

• Looks almost exactly like Rolex Submariner.
• Beautiful gold & stainless steel tone.
• Luminous hands and markers.
• Magnified date window.
• Water-resistant up to 200 meters.

Cons

• Doesn’t keep time very well.

Bulova Men's 43mm Classic Automatic Watch

Being the priciest watch on the reviews, Bulova Men’s mechanical watch could be a great choice if you have the money to spend on a watch. This watch isn’t that expensive, especially when compared to something like a Rolex Submariner, but it costs considerably more than other reviewed watches.

For the price, you’d expect looks, usability, and durability from a watch. And Bulova Men’s watch delivers all that.

Let’s start with the looks. At first, this watch may look rather boring due to its case and band all colored silver. However, the blue Roman numerals and hand outlines really help dilute the dreariness of the silver color.

With this simple combination, Bulova managed to make a watch that doesn’t look overwhelming: it looks simple yet classy.

Lastly, the skeleton case deepens the impression of the dial, letting you appreciate all the craftsmanship that went into making this watch.

When it comes to usability, Bulova Men’s watch is also top-notch. The huge Roman dials combined with minute markings make it rather easy to check the time on this watch, albeit we can’t say that this watch is the most convenient model we reviewed.

The mechanism of this watch is self-winding as well, so as long as your wrist moves while wearing this watch, you shouldn’t worry about winding it manually.

In terms of durability, this watch is also great. Its case is made from stainless steel that is also water-resistant to 100 meters. You definitely can’t swim with this watch, but it will survive rain and water splashes.

The one downside of this watch is its price. If you want to enjoy Bulova Men’s watch, then you’ll need to have the budget.

Pros

• Huge Roman numerals.
• Visible minute markings.
• Nice looks.
• Durable stainless steel case.
• Water-resistant to 100 meters.

Cons

• Very costly

SEWOR Men's Mechanical Vintage Wrist Watch

SEWOR Men’s Vintage-Style mechanical watch is yet another inexpensive watch that looks very good.

This watch looks fairly simple when compared to some other watches we reviewed. And that’s the beauty of this watch: after all, you don’t need to stuff a watch with colors or various materials to make it attractive.

The large skeleton dial of this watch is the thing that makes SEWOR watch so beautiful. The visible watch mechanism surrounded by a see-through rim imparts a light and clear look to this watch.

This is what makes this watch stand out the most: none of the reviewed watches could boast such lightness of design. But, since looks are subjective, you may either like or dislike such an approach.

SEWOR offers 3 colors options for this watch: silver case + black band, gold case + dark brown band, and silver case + light brown band. And they all look equally gorgeous.

In terms of usability, SEWOR Men’s watch is rather good thanks to its large Roman numerals. The dial may be a little confusing though since some numbers aren’t there: they are replaced by the Roman numeral I, probably in an attempt to make the dial look lighter and less crowded.

All in all, SEWOR is really a beautiful and pretty convenient watch, but it has two downsides that you should know about.

First off, it requires manual winding. Secondly, some users complained that it collects moisture inside it. In dry areas, you probably won’t notice any moisture buildup. But beware if you live in a humid area!

Pros

• Rather cheap.
• Large Roman numerals.
• Nice vintage design.
• 3 color options.

Cons

• Winded manually.
• Tends to collect moisture inside.

ALPS Luxury Classic Skeleton Mechanical Watch

ALPS mechanical watch is yet another classic-style watch that may interest you. Like some of the other watches we reviewed, this watch combines good looks with good usability.

ALPS Luxury classic-style mechanical watch certainly looks nice and sleek, but we feel that it lacks something: this watch looks too clean for its style, in our opinion. Classic-style watches are usually more rough in design, whereas the polished appearance of this watch feels less integral and even makes it look cheap.

But again, looks are subjective, so you may love something that we don’t quite like.

ALPS offers 4 color options for this watch: black, gold, blackgold, and whitegold. The gold options look rather interesting, but they look too sleek and polished for this watch.

When it comes to reading time, ALPS mechanical watch is rather good: it has large Roman numerals on the dial, so quickly checking the time shouldn’t be a problem with it.

ALPS watch is also made water-resistant to 30 meters, so you could be confident that it won’t die from a couple of raindrops.

The downside of this mechanical watch is that it requires manual winding, so keep that in mind.

Pros

• Cost effective
• Nice classic design.
• Water-resistant up to 30 meters.
• 4 color options.

Cons

• Needs manual winding.

Seiko Men's SNK805 Stainless Steel Watch

Yet another mechanical watch that aims at usability rather than looks! If you value convenience in watches, then you’ll probably like Seiko Men’s SNK805 watch.

Now, this watch by no means looks bad, but its main purpose is to show time, not accentuate your sense of style.

When it comes to design, Seiko SNK805 looks plain and simple. Its design is inspired by military watches, and Seiko did a good job making SNK805 look like one.

The strap is the weakest part of this watch both figuratively and literally. It is made a bit rough and doesn’t look too good. And besides, its seams are weak, so you would probably want to replace it as soon as possible.

At the heart of the sleek silver case is the dark green dial with minute and hour numerals. The minute numerals are made really big, which should allow you to check the time down to minutes very quickly.

Seiko SNK805 also has date and day functions built into the dial, which is a handy feature, but not everyone will find a use for it.

Other features of SNK805 that should be noted are its 30-meter water resistance and self-winding mechanism.

If you liked this watch, keep in mind that it may tend to run slow or quick after a few weeks, which is a bigger problem for such a pricey watch than for cheaper models. If you don’t mind resetting the watch every once in a while, then this won’t be a big deal for you.

Pros

• Easy to read dial.
• Has day/date functions.
• Water-resistant to 30 meters.

Cons

• Tends to lose/gain time.
• The strap isn’t very durable.

AMPM24 Men's Steampunk Wrist Watch

Closing off our reviews with another gorgeous watch! In fact, we think that AMPM24 Men’s Steampunk wrist watch is the most beautiful cheap watch we examined today.

The name “Steampunk” suits this watch very well thanks to its expressive vintage design. And this is the thing that we liked about this watch the most.

While this watch looks very similar to almost any other classical-style watch, it has many small details that really make it stand out. Namely, this watch isn’t polished to the degree of sleekness: instead, it has an intentional rough feel to it.

Have a look at its dial and case. It feels like that they’ve been made with old machinery rather than modern technology. The skeleton dial area also significantly adds to the vintage feel of this watch. The Steampunk doesn’t look perfect, and that’s what its charm is about.

The combination of colors in this watch is also very apposite: the case and small elements like the numerals or the closure speak very well with the dark chocolate-colored strap. The same goes for the model that has a black strap.

If you really like to suit up and wear classical attire, then the Steampunk watch may be a very good addition to your wardrobe. You’d just need to make sure that its colors fit your clothing!

When it comes to practicality, the Steampunk watch also has a couple of things to boast like large Roman numerals and a self-winding mechanism.

Sadly, the strap that makes for a huge share in this watch’s design is its weakest part. It feels flimsy, so you may want to look for a more durable alternative.

Pros

• Cost is moderate
• Gorgeous vintage design.
• Large Roman numerals.

Cons:

• Flimsy band

What is a Mechanical Watch?

There are two watch types – mechanical and quartz.

A mechanical watch uses a clockwork mechanism to measure the passage of time. Mechanical watches are driven by a wound mainspring. While unwinding, the spring releases energy to move the components of the watch and measure time. Mechanical watches are purely mechanical.

A quartz watch contains a tiny quartz crystal. The crystal vibrates about 33 times per second, powering an electronic motor to move the hands of the watch. The motor requires battery power to operate as well.

A mechanical watch is a pure example of classical watchmaking. This is the attractive thing in mechanical watches: they feel much more authentic to their owners.

Aside from that, a mechanical watch embodies the craftsmanship and the skill that went into its making. The mechanism of a watch is one of the most intricate machines in the world, and while it has been mastered over the centuries, modern watchmakers still introduce ever so elegant clock mechanisms.

Because of this, mechanical watches can cost thousands of dollars and much, much more.

Quartz watches, on the other hand, while representing modern technological innovations, aren’t perceived as luxurious. Part of the reason for that is their cheapness and that they make up the vast majority of the world’s watches.

When it comes to timekeeping, quartz watches are far superior to mechanical watches. For time tracking purposes, quartz watches are bettered by none. However, what they lack is the feel of authenticity and exclusiveness that is present in even the cheapest mechanical watches.

Things to look for in a Mechanical Watch (Your Mechanical Watch Buying Guide)

Self-winding vs manual-winding

Mechanical watches require winding to keep measuring the time. Some mechanical watches do the winding automatically, while others require manual winding.

Self-winding mechanical watches use the natural motions of the wrist for automatic winding.

Manual winding watches require winding by hand, as evident from the name. You do the winding whenever you need it.

If you can afford it, go for a watch that has a self-winding mechanism. Besides, you would definitely want to go for a self-winding watch if you don’t have much time throughout the day. You should probably spend your time on other things than winding your watch.

A self-winding watch is going to be pointless if you won’t be moving while wearing it. Due to the lack of movement, you may wind a self-winding watch as frequently as with a manual winding watch. Keep this in mind as well when choosing a mechanical watch.

Numerals and minute markings

The practicality and convenience of the watch largely depend on the numerals and markings on the dial. If a watch has no markings and numerals on its dial, then reading time will be much more difficult.

Ask yourself a question: how much do you care about the readability of your mechanical watch?

If you care about that a lot, then you would want to go for a watch that has large numerals on it at least. Choose between either Roman or Arabic numerals based on your preference. We’d recommend Arabic numerals since people deal with them most of the time.

A convenient watch would also have minute markings on it. Some even have numbered minute markings. If you do need to read the time precisely, then you should definitely look for a watch with minute markings.

Hands

Mechanical watches usually have hour, minute, and second hands. Some watches may lack the second hand and even the minute hand.

If you are going to be needing a watch that shows time down to seconds, you’d definitely want to get a watch with a second hand. This may sound banal, but you really should know what you are going for. Some people go for the looks while actually needing usability and end up getting the wrong watch. Don’t make such a mistake.

It would also be nice if the hands of the watch were luminous. However, if you won’t be working in low-light environments, you won’t be needing luminous hands.

Date feature

If you are really forgetful about dates, then you’d probably appreciate if your mechanical watch had the date feature. Watches with this feature have a window on their dial showing the day of the month. Some watches also show the day of the week.

Water Resistance

Depending on what kind of activities you’ll be wearing the watch for, you may want some water resistance to it. Some watches aren’t water-resistant at all, some are resistant to just mild water, while the rest can be submerged for a long time without any damage.

Even if you won’t be swimming with your watch on, you should pick a watch that is at least somewhat water-resistant. After all, you don’t want your watch to die after some water accidentally splashes on it.

Design

The design is important for any mechanical watch. Would you want to wear an ugly watch? Probably not.

However, some people value looks much more than the usability in mechanical watches. For them, it doesn’t really matter how readable the dial is or how well the watch keeps time. Those people just want to wear a watch so it complements their style.

Other people want to have a mechanical watch to actually keep track of time, and the design isn’t a priority for them.  If you are such, then you’d want to look for readable numerals and markings rather than looks.

Anyone should get the watch they like. However, choosing the right kind of a watch requires you to find the right balance between looks and usability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do mechanical watches need a battery?

No, they need winding. Some watches do that automatically as you move, while others require manual winding.

How long does a wind last?

This depends on the watch. Typically, winds last for about 24 hours, but some winds may last more and some may last less.

Can you replace the straps on a mechanical watch?

Yes, you could do that if you wish. You don’t really need to though unless the strap is too long/short for you or if the strap breaks down.

Where can you buy a band for the watch?

You could look up them on Amazon, for example. You could also pay a visit to the manufacturer’s website to see if they offer any.

Conclusion...

Have you found that best mechanical watch? If so, then you should probably go and get it!

If you like a watch, then it’s most likely the right one for you. After all, you not only need to get the lightest, the most durable, or the most convenient watch, you also need to like what you are wearing.

So when choosing a mechanical watch, feel free to follow your subjective feelings. But don’t forget why you are buying a watch in the first place!