Six beautiful watches from €450 to €1,000 for Christmas!
Forget ugly Christmas jumpers: give beautiful watches and movement. A watch under the tree is happiness dancing to the rhythm of the ticking and the gears that make enthusiasts' eyes sparkle. Here is a very interesting selection for less than €450 to €1,000 to celebrate a watchmaker's Christmas without necessarily breaking the bank. Casio, Tissot, Citizen, Certina, Le Forban and Hamilton... the choice is yours, depending on your style.
CASIO, Edifice – EFK-100XPB-1AER
Casio is shifting into automatic gear, a historic first, and for less than €1,000. Yes, yes, Casio — the empire of quartz, digital and indestructible chronographs — is finally venturing into traditional mechanics. And for this great leap forward in watchmaking, it is the Edifice line, known for its ‘Speed & Intelligence’ concept, that is taking the wheel.
Always inspired by the automotive world, this collection continues to borrow its codes: carbon fibre, high-tech materials and sleek design. The star of this new mechanical pole position? The EFK-100XPB, an all-black model that dares to use forged carbon on the dial and case. Another first, and a direct nod to sports cars, whose robustness and muscular aesthetics it echoes.
The brand unveils a total of five automatic models, all powered by a mechanical movement offering a 40-hour power reserve. The transparent case back – a little horological treat that Casio had never indulged in before – reveals the gears in action, like a miniature engine. The EFK-100CD has a forged carbon dial, but in a steel version with different finishes: brushed, mirror polished, metallic sheen… a truly premium body for the wrist. Three other colour variations (green, blue, white) complete the starting line-up, reproducing the texture of carbon using electroforming, a technique worthy of a high-precision workshop.
Each model features a three-hand dial, date display at 6 o’clock, raised hour markers and hollowed-out hands with phosphorescent tips for optimal readability in all circumstances. Add to that a sapphire crystal, water resistance to 100 metres and a urethane strap with a triple folding clasp, and you have a little watchmaking marvel.
€449
View the technical details of the Casio Edifice EFK-100XPB-1AER.
CERTINA, DS Action Diver 40,5 mm Powermatic
In the watch market, where prices are rising faster than the hands of a chronograph, the Certina DS Action Diver 40.5 mm stands out as one of the best value-for-money watches in the Swiss diving watch segment. Although offered at a reasonable price, it ticks all the boxes of a professional instrument, starting with its water resistance to 300 metres and its ISO 6425:2018 certification, a standard that many much more expensive watches do not even display.
This model marks an important milestone for the company: it is the first watch to incorporate the New DS Concept – Extreme Shock Resistance, a major evolution of Certina’s renowned protection system. Designed to absorb the most severe shocks, this device reinforces the durability of the watch, which is already machined from 316L steel, a material renowned for its corrosion resistance, essential in a marine environment. The ceramic bezel offers high scratch resistance while providing an elegant finish. The hands and hour markers are coated with Super-LumiNova BG W9, ensuring perfect readability in dark waters thanks to a long-lasting blue glow. Beneath the anti-reflective sapphire crystal, the watch houses the Powermatic 80 calibre: a Swiss automatic movement offering a comfortable 80-hour power reserve. Equipped with a Nivachron hairspring, it is insensitive to magnetic fields.
Certina has not neglected comfort: with a diameter of 40.5 mm, a height of 14.10 mm and a lug width of 20 mm, the watch fits all wrists. The NATO strap, originally designed for the military, complements this robustness with exemplary resistance to tearing and moisture, while maintaining a sober and versatile aesthetic.
€895
View the technical details of the Certina DS Action Diver 40.5 mm Powermatic 80.
CITIZEN, Super Titanium Zenshin
The watch brand celebrates 55 years of Super Titanium™ and unveils Zenchin, a collection of stylish automatic watches. Some anniversaries are more significant than others, and this is clearly one of them. In 1970, Citizen shook up the watchmaking industry by launching the world’s first titanium watch, the X-8 Chronometer. This aesthetic and technical breakthrough paved the way for more than half a century of innovation based on a material that has become iconic.
Since then, the Maison has continuously honed its expertise to offer the wrist the very best that titanium has to offer: lightness, comfort and robustness. At the heart of this expertise lies Super Titanium™, an exclusive material. Its secret? A solid titanium alloy enhanced by Duratect, the Maison’s proprietary hardening technology. The result is a material that is 40% lighter than steel but up to five times more resistant. In short, the kind of combination that would make a superhero blush. To celebrate this small metallic revolution, the line is aptly named: ‘moving forward’ in Japanese. A promise kept with models made entirely of Super Titanium™, hypoallergenic and ultra-resistant.
In terms of design, the 40.5 mm timepiece stands out with its sleek and original dodecagonal bezel and textured dial in vibrant turquoise (also available in deep blue, luminous sand or intense green). It features an off-centre small seconds dial between 4 and 5 o’clock — a detail that gives the watch its own unique identity.
On the mechanical side, the automatic calibre provides a power reserve of 60 hours, visible through a sapphire crystal case back. Finally, the watch is water-resistant to 100 metres.
€499
Technical details:
Diameter: 40.5 mm
Thickness: 11.3 mm
Super Titanium™ case and bracelet
Water resistance to 100 metres
Turquoise dial
Luminescent hands and hour markers
Automatic movement – Accuracy – 20 ~ 40 sec/day
60-hour power reserve
Frequency: 21,600 vph
21 jewels
Stop-second function
Transparent case back
WHERE TO BUY THE NEW CITIZEN SUPER TITANIUM ZENSHIN MODELS.
HAMILTON, Khaki Field Power Reserve
The watch brand presents the new Khaki Field Power Reserve Mechanical, the first watch in the collection to feature a power reserve indicator on the dial. An aesthetic detail? Not only that. Here, the indicator becomes a true technical complication, recalling the utilitarian purpose of the military watches that inspired it.
The dial echoes the line’s characteristic codes – understated, raw design, hands filled with Super-LumiNova® in a vintage radium tone – and features a power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock. The red ‘F’ (Full) and “E” (Empty) markers frame the display, while the words ‘Power Reserve 80 hours’ proudly proclaim the movement’s endurance. Behind this indication lies a mechanism that is much more complex than it appears. The complication is powered by a differential mechanism, a key but delicate element that operates thanks to controlled friction between its internal plates. This ingenious system translates the tension of the mainspring into information that can be read on the dial. The problem is that a significant shock can cause the differential elements to slip slightly and distort the power reserve indication, a common risk in mechanical field watches.
To overcome this limitation, Hamilton has introduced its new H-23 calibre, developed by ETA. It incorporates a sliding spring in the barrel, which automatically resynchronises the indicator as soon as the user winds the watch. No intervention or servicing is required: the mechanism corrects itself. This spring also acts as protection against excessive winding, preventing the crown from stopping abruptly and ensuring a smoother user experience. The result is an ultra-reliable power reserve display.
The 40 mm diameter case has a sandblasted finish. With a black or white dial, a three-row steel bracelet with EasyClick or a green NATO strap with leather loops, this watch is just as suited to urban trekking as it is to a getaway in the great outdoors.
€915
View the technical specifications for the Khaki Field Mechanical Power Reserve.
HERBELIN, Perles
There are watches that you wear to tell the time… and then there is LA Perles, the new creation from Herbelin, which you wear above all to remind yourself that you are a brilliant woman. Miniature, delicate and intensely refined, this new model seems to have come straight out of a jewel box where time passes gracefully. With a diameter of 22 mm, its yellow gold-plated 316L PVD steel case is designed to enhance even the slimmest of wrists. On its genuine white mother-of-pearl dial, four diamonds play hide-and-seek with the reflections of light, positioned at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock, like so many chic little markers to punctuate the day.
But the real highlight is its woven steel bead bracelet. A precious ribbon, supple and glamorous to perfection, with its four perfectly orchestrated rows. Water-resistant to 50 metres, the watch ticks to the rhythm of a beautifully crafted quartz movement.
€680
View the technical details of the Perles d’Herbelin watch.
CHERRY ON TOP
LE FORBAN, La Marseillaise “Made in Frank”
Frank Sans C unveils a new collaboration, presenting its interpretation of the ‘Marseillaise’ model from watchmaker Le Forban Sécurité Mer. Protected by flat sapphire crystal, this 40 mm edition in polished and brushed 316L steel in the colours of the watchmaker features a navy blue sunray dial signed ‘Made in Frank’, paired with a new navy blue Dive Bund® strap stamped ‘Frank Sans C’.
This model incorporates the aesthetic and technical features of the collection model. Inspired by the legendary 1979 ‘Monnin’ diver’s watch, it revives the DNA of the original timepiece while benefiting from significant technical upgrades. Its case has been reduced from 42 to 40.8 mm, its thickness has been refined to less than 12 mm and its length from lug to lug has been set at 46 mm, offering greater comfort on the wrist without betraying the vintage spirit of the original design. Water-resistant to 250 metres – a notable improvement on the 200 metres of the historic piece – the Marseillaise adopts all the codes of a diving watch: a unidirectional bezel (120 clicks), an ultra-legible dial with arrow-shaped hands, a Lollipop seconds hand and hour markers coated with luminescent material. The watch is powered by a Sellita SW200 automatic movement and has a power reserve of approximately 38 hours.
Let’s take another look at the Dive Bund® strap, which transforms the legendary military ‘Bund’ strap into a genuine diving strap. Made from FKM rubber, it revisits an accessory that originated during the Great War, became popular in Vietnam but was never adapted for underwater conditions. Modular, it can also be worn without its central pad as a classic strap. Thanks to its 20 mm lug width, it fits many watches and will be available separately as an accessory on the brand’s website.
€940
Technical details:
Case diameter: 40.8 mm
Case length: 46 mm from lug to lug
Case thickness: 11.75 mm (without glass), 11.95 mm (with glass)
Case material: 316L steel
Dial: navy blue sunburst
SuperLuminova: C3
Bezel: unidirectional (120 clicks), aluminium insert
Glass: flat sapphire
Crown: screw-down
Water resistance: 250 metres
Lug width: 20 mm
Strap: Dive Bund® in navy blue FKM rubber, engraved with Frank Sans C x Le Forban
Movement: Sellita SW200
View the technical details of the new Marseillaise ‘Made in Frank’
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