Why I’m More Excited About $5K Watches Than $50K Watches Right Now

There’s a particular kind of fatigue to the high-end watch world in 2025.

It isn’t the watches; many are brilliant. It’s everything orbiting them: the velvet-rope logistics, the back-channel whispering, service invoices that read like major-car maintenance, and the nagging doubt that lingers even when your name finally gets called. For a while, I mistook that hassle for part of the hobby. I played along.

Lately, I’m finding the pulse somewhere else: under $5,000. Not as a consolation prize, but because that’s where the curiosity lives. These are watches you can actually buy, wear hard, and service without a VIP hotline. The joy-per-dollar is absurd. You start noticing proportion and texture again, clever dials and honest bracelets, heritage pieces and independents trying things because they can, not because a waitlist tells them to.

The best part is the immediacy. You can say yes today, wear it tomorrow, and let the watch earn its place on the wrist. That’s not settling; that’s more of what got me into watches in the first place: less choreography, more time. Chris Salih, collectors and host of @WatchChris on YouTube, agrees: “Watch collecting should be fun. These new affordable indies like Albishorn and Alterum offer you a watch that looks and feels like a high-end watch,” he said. “I find something about that satisfying.”

Independents Are Owning This Price Point

This isn’t about settling for less. It’s about the right brands showing up at the right time.

Kollokium’s Project 1 is a perfect example. It’s bold, a little weird, and unlike anything else at that price. Anoma’s A1 looks like nothing else on the market. Toledano & Chan are putting out thoughtful, design-led pieces that feel more architecturally driven than commercially safe. Atelier Wen continues to impress with every release, especially when you factor in finishing and creativity.

Salih said this level of creativity is exactly what sets the price segment apart. “I would 100% agree with this statement,” he said when asked if the $1K–$5K range is where the most creative or interesting watchmaking is happening right now. “Brands in this range have consistently done more with less in recent years. Mainly due to the customer becoming more educated and scrutinizing their purchases, which in turn is putting the crunch on brands in this range to offer more. More unique, creative, interesting and intriguing options.”

He pointed to examples like Space One and Christopher Ward, brands that have adopted high-end design cues and complications without the pricing baggage. “They have managed to open up high-end watchmaking to everyone, almost,” he said.

Legacy Brands Are Still In Play Here

This price range isn’t just for niche indies. If you’re willing to buy pre-owned, you can find icons like a secondary market Omega Speedmaster Professional, a steel Tudor Black Bay, or even certain Panerai Luminor models.

These are watches with real heritage, plenty of wearability, and the kind of proven longevity most microbrands can only hope for. The trick is knowing where to look and having the patience to avoid hype and focus on condition and value.

Chris highlighted a few lesser-known names making waves in the space. “I love what Albishorn is doing with watches like the Type 10. It’s a super creative concept. Also love Alterum Worldtimer and their unique take on a world timer. Both brands deserve a lot more attention,” he said.

Less Pressure, More Perspective

There’s less drama here. That’s what I keep coming back to.

I don’t have to worry about how a $50,000 watch affects the next few purchases. I don’t have to second-guess whether it’s grail worthy or if it’ll look out of place next to something from an independent. I just get to enjoy the watches.

And strangely, it’s made me appreciate my bigger pieces more, not less. When you collect widely and not just at the top, you see where the joy lives. It’s not always in the high polish or the six-figure auction result. Sometimes it’s in a $2,800 watch with a strange dial that makes you smile every time you check the time.

That’s something Salih also emphasized. “The appeal of creative affordable independents is also the price. When I bought my Space One Tellurium, I felt like I was getting a lot of watch for the money. Not only that, it looked great and felt special,” he said.