Gift Guide: Our Favorite Affordable Chronograph & Driving Watches under $300
Whether you're buying a gift for a car or watch lover, or just looking to step up your style, check out some of our favorite watches for drivers.
Motorsports and watches have a long, happy relationship with each other. There’s a certain aura you experience with a chronograph, a certain look you achieve with a chrome on your wrist and your hand draped over the steering wheel. Or maybe it’s a blessing from those legendary Kings of Cool, guys like Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.
If you’re in the market for a cool yet affordable driving watch, either as a gift or just for yourself, we’ve collected some of our favorite chronographs below. They make a fantastic gift idea for any car lover or driving enthusiast. Best of all, they all cost less than 300 bucks.
Our Favorite Affordable Driving Watches
- best fancy/not fancy driving watch Aviator Slide Rule Bezel Chrono MTP4500D-1AV Casio $55 AT AMAZON Read More $55 AT AMAZON
- Best Driving Watch for Working on cars Weekender Chrono TW2R63200 Timex $49 AT AMAZON Read More $49 AT AMAZON
- Best Midcentury Driving Watch Original 1963 Airforce Chrono RS38-IWAP888 Seakoss $240 AT AMAZON Read More $240 AT AMAZON
- Best Rugged Driving Watch Expedition Field Chronograph TW4B10300 Timex $65 AT AMAZON Read More $65 AT AMAZON
- Best Classic Driving Watch Stauer Co-Pilot Chronograph 35771 Stauer $179 AT AMAZON Read More $179 AT AMAZON
- Best driving watch for endurance Series LZ127 Graf Chrono Zeppelin $299 AT AMAZON Read More $299 AT AMAZON
- Best citizen driving watch Chandler Eco-Drive Chronograph AT0200-05E Citizen $187 AT AMAZON Read More $187 AT AMAZON
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Before tripmeters became ubiquitous, chronographs were used as personal driving timers, helpful for tracking lap increments, fuel supply, driving times, and more. Today, the chronograph function is effectively nullified by smart phones and their built-in stopwatches, but that’s no fun. And it’s nowhere near as cool.
Here are our favorite affordable chronographs—enjoy the consciousness of cool that arrives with the box.
best fancy/not fancy driving watch Casio Aviator Slide Rule Bezel Chrono MTP4500D-1AV
Amazon
Now 35% off
$55 AT AMAZON $64 AT JCPENNEY
- 42mm stainless steel case with mineral dial window
- Water resistant to 50 meters (165 ft)
- Hands are somewhat hard to see at a glance
We’ve liked Casio wristwear for a long time, and this Aviator chronograph is a great entry-level watch that looks fancy but doesn’t cost “fancy.” The face is a bit busy, but the orange hands help you see the important stuff. If you like a lot of information with a clean, stainless-steel look, this is the chronograph for you.
Best Driving Watch for Working on cars Timex Weekender Chrono TW2R63200
Amazon
Now 40% off
$49 AT AMAZON
- 40mm brass case; mineral glass crystal; Indiglo dial; luminous hands
- Water resistant to 30 meters (100 feet)
- Not “fancy” but functional
We love the clean look and value of the Timex Weekender. If you’re not a fan of the black face or leather bracelet, there’s a solid selection of face and strap colors (and materials) to choose from. The Weekender is a fantastic choice for daily use and can handle the distress of a weekend wrench sesh.
Best Midcentury Driving Watch Seakoss Original 1963 Airforce Chrono RS38-IWAP888
Amazon
$240 AT AMAZON
- 38mm stainless steel case; mineral glass domed crystal
- Waterproof to 30 meters (99 ft)
- Midcentury style isn’t for everyone
The Chinese company Seagull originally manufactured the Original 1963, and its clean, beautiful design made it an instant classic chronograph. Today, Seakoss creates these dedicated reissues that feature the same inner workings as the midcentury originals. This mechanical chrono is a manual-wind piece with ST1901 movement. But we’ll gladly wind it over and over to enjoy its beautiful design.
Best Rugged Driving Watch Timex Expedition Field Chronograph TW4B10300
Amazon
Now 18% off
$65 AT AMAZON
- 43mm brass case; mineral glass crystal; Indiglo dial
- Water-resistant to 100 meters (330 feet)
- Sold on Amazon, Timex does not honor manufacturer’s warranties
Another one of Timex’s excellent affordable chronographs, the Expedition Field displays a more rugged look. The face numerals ascend in increments of five to hark back to the watch’s military roots. The 30-minute chronograph is accurate down to 1/20th of a second. This is a great companion for your next outdoorsy road trip.
Best Classic Driving Watch Stauer Stauer Co-Pilot Chronograph 35771
Amazon
$179 AT AMAZON
- 40mm stainless steel case; mineral glass crystal
- Bi-directional slide rule bezel
- Busy face
This “Battle of Britain”-inspired watch has a vintage-style sepia face with orange and black characters, Japanese quartz movement, and a distressed 20mm brown leather strap. With its nautical stats and classic looks, this retro watch makes for a timeless design.
Best driving watch for endurance Zeppelin Series LZ127 Graf Chrono
Amazon
$299 AT AMAZON
- 40mm case; mineral glass crystal
- Water-resistant to 50 meters
- No nighttime illumination
Something about the font on the face of this chronograph makes it all work. Designed to celebrate 100 years of the Zeppelin airship brand, we love the crisp look of the entire piece. The chronograph function can measure elapsed time of up to 12 hours. Yes, hours. Got an endurance race on the agenda? Might be fun to test it out.
Best citizen driving watch Citizen Chandler Eco-Drive Chronograph AT0200-05E
Amazon
Now 32% off
$187 AT AMAZON
- 39mm stainless steel case; mineral glass crystal; canvas band
- Water-resistant to 100 meters (330 ft)
- Band is too short for large wrists
Citizen’s choice in the affordable chronograph foray is military inspired, with big numerals and a rugged green strap. Eco-Drive solar charging technology is present—all it takes is a few minutes under any light source and you’re good to go. When the chronograph is in use, the large red hand displays seconds elapsed, and it is easy to see against the black face. For a daily wrist piece, this is one of the best.
Collin Morgan Associate Commerce Editor Collin Morgan is the Associate Commerce Editor at Hearst Autos, where he presents the best gear for your automotive endeavors. Jon Langston Senior Commerce Editor The Senior Commerce Editor for Hearst Autos, Jon Langston is an avid motorcyclist and gear collector whose work has appeared in Men’s Journal, The Drive, Rider, Iron & Air, Cycle World, and more.
