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Ten 2020 watches for under CHF 5,000
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Ten 2020 watches for under CHF 5,000

Thursday, 17 September 2020
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Marie de Pimodan-Bugnon
Freelance journalist

“One must be absolutely modern.”

Arthur Rimbaud

It takes passion, a healthy dose of curiosity and a sense of wonderment to convey the innumerable facets of watchmaking…

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5 min read

Sporty, elegant, classic or vintage chic, whatever your style, the top watch brands have you covered and for under CHF 5,000. Quartz or mechanical, colour or black and white, the choice is yours.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Date COSC

An in-demand sport-luxe style plus an in-house chronometer-grade movement… the Clifton Baumatic Date is the watch to wear, whatever the occasion. Keeping the beat with COSC-certified precision is the Baumatic automatic calibre whose decoration is yours to admire through the sapphire back of the 40mm steel case. Sealing the deal: a generous five-day power reserve. (CHF 3,000)

Clifton Baumatic Date COSC © Baume & Mercier
Clifton Baumatic Date COSC © Baume & Mercier
Breitling Endurance Pro

This laidback addition to the brand’s collections takes its cue from the Breitling Sprint, an ultra-light 1970s model with a pulsometer, designed for athletes. In this spirit, the robust 44mm case of the Endurance Pro is made from Breitlight®, a proprietary material that is 3.3 times lighter than titanium, as well as non-magnetic and hypoallergenic. Sealing the deal: the thermo-compensated SuperQuartz™ chronograph movement. COSC-certified, it is ten times more precise than conventional quartz. (CHF 2,950)

Endurance Pro © Breitling
Endurance Pro © Breitling
Bulgari Aluminium

Aluminium and rubber? Graphic black and white? What else but the sport watch that Bulgari introduced in 1998, back centre-stage this autumn as the new-generation Aluminium. For these 2020 versions, quartz gives way to a mechanical automatic calibre. The aluminium alloy for the 40mm case is more resistant while the rubber for the bezel and strap has also been upgraded. Sealing the deal: a contemporary design that says sport-luxe Italian-style. (EUR 2,950)

Aluminium © Bulgari
Aluminium © Bulgari
Hermès Cape Cod Martelée

This new rendition of the Cape Cod is both the same as the design sketched by Henri d’Origny in 1991, and radically different. The same in that its case, in steel, retains the Cape Cod’s emblematic rectangular form that connects to the strap by two “Anchor Chain” half-links. Different for the dimples of the hammered (“martelé”) metal, created using a technique borrowed from the jeweller’s bench. This same effect appears on the dial beneath a thin layer of translucent lacquer in a gradient of shades from anthracite to black. Sealing the deal: an eye-catching look that in no way detracts from an elegantly classic style. (CHF 3,350)

Cape Cod Martelée © Hermès
Cape Cod Martelée © Hermès
Louis Erard Excellence Regulator

In its more than 90-year history, Louis Erard has never given carte blanche to a designer. Until now, as the uniquely talented watchmaker and architect Alain Silberstein puts his stamp on the brand’s iconic Excellence Regulator. Inspired by the Bauhaus movement, which celebrated its centennial in 2019, this collab – a limited edition of 178 – separates the different time indications into a playful as well as intuitive display. The long, arrow-shaped blue hand shows the minutes; a red triangle points to the hours, while a yellow serpentine hand tracks the seconds. Sealing the deal: a pleasing composition of geometric shapes and primary colours in true modernist style. (CHF 2,800)

Excellence Regulator © Louis Erard
Excellence Regulator © Louis Erard
Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph

Neo-vintage fans, this one is for you! The latest addition to the 1858 line, this chrono is a true time machine, replete with details from the tool watches Minerva was producing in the 1920s and 1930s for the military and explorers. Set into a 42mm steel case on a patinated calfskin strap, the black and beige two-tone dial, punctuated by a telemeter scale and two chrono counters, harks back to our grandfather’s day and beyond. All with the benefit of twenty-first century features such as 100-metre water-resistance and a new-generation in-house automatic movement. Sealing the deal: the user-friendliness of a single pusher to start, stop and reset the chronograph. (CHF 4,700)

1858 Monopusher Chronograph © Montblanc
1858 Monopusher Chronograph © Montblanc
Nomos Ludwig Neomatik 39 175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte

A pristine white enamel dial, Roman numerals combined with slender indexes, railroad minute markers, blued leaf-shaped hands and discreet subsidiary seconds… the Ludwig Neomatik 39 is the archetypal classic watch, which Nomos revisits in a limited edition of 175 pieces corresponding to the 175th anniversary of watchmaking in Glashütte. A beauty to behold, the slender silhouette of this 39mm model in steel recalls pocket watches of old. Sealing the deal: the chronometric precision delivered by Neomatic’s DUV 3001 calibre, visible through the sapphire back. (EUR 3,300)

Ludwig neomatik © Nomos Glashütte
Ludwig neomatik © Nomos Glashütte
Omega De Ville Prestige

What more fitting name for a collection whose classic elegance has been gracing wrists for more than 25 years. Among the latest additions, who could resist this discreet 39.5mm model whose steel case opens onto a black grained dial and is worn on a comfortable steel bracelet. Sealing the deal: the Omega Co-Axial 2500 movement, the guarantee of reliability and precision. (CHF 3,500)

De Ville Prestige © Omega
De Ville Prestige © Omega
TAG Heuer Aquaracer

Make the most of these last days of summer and dive into the latest iterations of the Aquaracer, in sizzling hot shades. The tortoiseshell pattern on the bezel that tops the 43mm steel case comes courtesy of an innovative resin. On the blue version, light to dark nuances ripple across the sunray dial and the alligator pattern of the rubber strap. Sealing the deal: the reliability of a Calibre 5 automatic movement and water-resistance to a depth of 300 metres. (CHF 2,650)

Aquaracer © TAG Heuer
Aquaracer © TAG Heuer
Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue

As watch brands continue to wow us with seemingly infinite shades of blue, we’ve fallen for the navy hue of the dial, bezel and woven Jacquard strap (with silver stripe) that adorns the Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue. A nod to the very first Tudor dive watch to provide a 200-metre depth rating – the “Big Crown” 7924 from 1958 – this Black Bay comes with the characteristically 1950s proportions of a 39mm case, in steel, that will sit comfortably on any wrist, from the most slender to the burliest. Sealing the deal: COSC-certified precision and robustness thanks to the MT5402 in-house calibre. (CHF 3,200)

Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue © Tudor
Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue © Tudor
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