Automatic watches under $150 compared

The movement is the watch, so read it off the listing

Two of these run on Citizen’s Miyota 8215, the plain automatic with a date: 21 jewels, 21,600 beats an hour, about 42 hours of reserve once wound, and a factory tolerance of 20 seconds slow to 40 seconds fast a day. It winds by hand as well as on the wrist, but it only gained a stop-seconds lever, for setting the time to the second, in 2018 or 2019 ¹ — an older stock movement may not have one.

The DD40’s Miyota 8285 is the same family with the day of the week at 12 beside the date at 3, and the same 42 hours ². The PD-1662 is a GMT, and the movement that makes a GMT useful is one like Seiko’s NH34: 24 jewels, about 41 hours, a seconds hand that stops for setting, and a 24-hour hand you set on its own for the second zone ³. The green Pagani’s title names no movement at all.

What the tolerance means in practice: a watch at the fast end of it gains about 20 minutes a month. That is normal for a mechanical watch at this price, not a fault, and it is why you will set it every week or two.

1. Miyota Caliber 8215 Caliber Corner — 21 jewels; 21,600 bph; about 42 hours; -20 to +40 seconds a day; hand-winding; a stop-seconds (hacking) device only from 2018-2019 on; date
2. Miyota Caliber 8285 Caliber Corner — 21 jewels; 21,600 vph; 42 hours; hand-winding; day of the week at 12, date at 3; made in Japan
3. Seiko Caliber NH34 Caliber Corner — 24 jewels; 21,600 bph; about 41 hours; +40 / -20 seconds a day; hacking; hand-winding; a central 24-hour hand set on its own at crown position 1

“100M” is a test pressure, not a depth

Water resistance on a watch is the pressure its case was tested to, written as if it were a depth. Casio’s own guide puts it plainly: 10 bar is the pressure of a 100-metre water column, and a watch rated to it suits regular swimming or snorkelling, while diving needs a higher rating ¹. Four of the five list 10 bar or 100 m; the silver CADISEN’s title says only “waterproof”. The “Aqua Diver” in one name is a style, not a rating.

1. Resistencia al agua Casio — 10 bar: tested to the pressure of a 100 m water column, suitable for regular swimming or snorkelling; diving needs a higher rating in Casio's table

What the listings say about the glass

Two titles name a sapphire crystal: the DD40’s, with an anti-reflective coating, and the PD-1662’s. The other three listings’ titles do not say what covers the dial. If it matters to you, and on a watch worn every day it should, check the spec lines before you buy.

What these prices mean

Each price here is the one we last checked on that product’s own page, and each page says the date. All five are AliExpress listings: AliExpress quotes new accounts a lower “Welcome deal” price and runs store coupons on top, so you may be shown less than we list.

The struck-through figures are the sellers’ own list prices, and every one of them claims about 65% off. We have not seen any of these watches charged anywhere near its list price, which is why the Deal Meter measures them against the prices we have recorded ourselves.