As you forge ahead into the new year, acquiring a new watch may very well be on your mind, especially if you’ve got some holiday bonus money and are determined to make 2021 a better year than 2020 by refreshing your daily routine in a small but significant way. To help you in your search, we’ve assembled a list of five “budget” picks, i.e., sub-$1,000 watches ? by no means a comprehensive list of fantastic watches within this price range, but a showcase of a few that caught our eye last year, ones we feel are worthy of a second look in 2021.

Timex Marlin California Dial

Timex has come a long way in the eyes of many watch collectors, ever since the release of its original mechanical Marlin in 2017, which is now regarded as a solid entry point into the world of vintage-influenced mechanical watches. Last year, the brand started on a high note, unveiling its M79 Automatic as a follow-up to the ever-popular Q Timex, and to close the year it unveiled another praiseworthy vintage-influenced model, the Timex Marlin California Dial.
The new model takes the 1960s-inspired Marlin case and adds a ?30s-inspired ?California? style dial, complete with a mixture of Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, and geometric hours markers atop a sunray dial and within a railroad-style minute ring. The watch is certainly one of the most affordable mechanical pieces to feature this style of dial, and for that reason has accrued a wide swath of praise within the co...