Top 13 Best Affordable Blue Dial Watches [List & Guide]
There has always been something special about watches with blue dials. In particular, in recent years, blue dial watches have increased dramatically in popularity and virtually all manufacturers have presented blue dial watches in their collections.
The way blue dials are executed and designed can vary, but what partly makes them so popular is their great combination of sportiness and elegance. In other words, blue dial watches tend to be very versatile and appropriate for essentially any occasion. Many of them – but not all – are also executed with a sunburst finish which makes them even more vibrant and appealing, especially when the sunlight hits the dial.
Because blue dial watches have become so immensely popular in recent years, almost all manufacturers in all price categories offer them. From affordable watch brands like Seiko to high-end manufacturers like Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe.
In this article, we will look closer at the best and most popular affordable blue dial watches.
Best Affordable Watches with blue dial
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Citizen AT0200-05E Eco-Drive Chronograph Field Watch
Starting off this list, we have the Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph AT0200-05E. This is a beautiful everyday watch with a military field-watch-inspired design. It is designed to be rugged and sporty, but its beautiful blue dial helps give it more of an elegant look that makes it perfect for everyday wear.
It features a 40mm stainless steel case which works perfectly for many different wrist sizes. It has a simple case design with crown guards which protect the knurled crown. Since it is also a chronograph, it has chronograph pushers on each side of the crown.
The dial is matte blue and has large sword-shaped hands with luminescence applied for good legibility in low-lit conditions. Around the outer edge of the dial, it has applied luminous dots. The blue color has a rich and deep hue to it, which gives a very vibrant and appealing appearance. This is contrasted by a red chronograph seconds hand. Positioned at 4 o’clock, it has a date window, and around the dial, it has large white Arabic numerals which provide excellent legibility.
Another nice and practical feature of this watch is that it is powered by an Eco-Drive quartz movement which gets energy from solar and ambient light. This means you won’t have to replace or change the battery.
The water resistance of this watch is 100m/330 feet which is quite decent for everyday wear.
Specifications
- Diameter: 40mm
- Movement: Quartz Eco-Drive
- Water resistance: 100m/330 feet
Orient Sun and Moon Version 3 Automatic
The Orient Sun and Moon is a very popular choice of affordable watch, and it also happens to have a blue dial. And looking at the price of it and what you are getting, it’s easy to see why it is so immensely popular.
The watch has a classic and dressy design which gives it a look that is perfect for formal occasions. At the same time, we would say that this watch can also work great for everyday wear if you tend to have a more formal style.
The watch is presented with a stainless steel case with a diameter of 41.5mm with a polished finish. As a nice touch to the otherwise simple case design, it has a ”stepped” lug design. Powering this watch is an automatic F6B24 caliber. This movement can also be seen through the open case back, which is something that should be appreciated by watch enthusiasts. The movement offers manual winding and hacking functions which are two features you don’t always find in
The water resistance isn’t the best (which we don’t expect it to be) at 50m/165 feet.
The highlight of this watch is its dial and the functions it has to offer. It has a blue dial with a sunburst finish which reflects the light beautifully. To give it a more classic look, it has white printed Roman numerals around it. As the name suggests, it has a sun and moon phase indicator, and a day and date indicator.
Considering its technical complexity with the different functions and its beautiful design, it’s certainly a blue-dialed watch that offers great value for money.
Specifications
- Diameter: 41.5mm
- Water resistance: 50m/165 feet
- Movement: automatic with hand-winding and hacking seconds
Orient ‘Mako II’ Automatic Diving watch
The Orient Mako II is one of the most popular affordable dive watches on the market. This is understandable due to the great value it offers and the high quality-to-value ratio.
The watch has a stainless steel case with a diameter of 41.5mm and has a classic dive watch design. It has a classic crown guard design and of course a unidirectional rotating bezel with a 60-minute graduation scale. The bezel has a blue aluminum bezel insert which matches the blue dial. On top of the case sits a mineral crystal.
The watch has a nicely executed and beautiful blue dial with a sunburst finish. It has applied hour markers filled with luminescence. It also has sword-shaped hands which luminescence which helps improve legibility. Positioned at 3 o’clock, it also has a day and date window which is practical considering the fact that most people will wear this as an everyday watch.
This is not just a watch with a dive-watch-inspired design, but it also has the performance to reflect that in the form of water resistance of 200m/660 feet. In other words, it is suitable for swimming and diving.
All in all, this is a stylish and versatile watch with a sporty design that works perfectly for everyday wear and even on more formal occasions.
Specifications
- Crystal: Mineral
- Diameter: 41.5mm
- Water resistance: 200m/660 feet
Victorinox Swiss Army Maverick
If you want a blue dial watch and enjoy dive watch designs, the Victorinox Swiss Army Maverick is a great watch that is worth considering.
It has a relatively large and sporty case made in hypoallergenic stainless steel with a diameter of 43mm and is also beautifully finished and well throughout-out. As a nice touch, the watch has beautifully polished beveled lugs, and for a sportier look, it has large and pointy crown guards which protect the relatively large crown.
As a dive watch should, it has a unidirectional rotating bezel with a teeth edge. To match the blue dial, it has a blue bezel insert which is also a bit domed. At 12 o’clock, it has a luminous pip which makes it easier to use in low-lit environments.
The dial is of course blue and has lots of interesting details and subtle details, such as raised and recessed elements and a sloped reheat. The dial features applied metal hour markers and a date window at 6 o’clock. To provide excellent legibility, it also has large hands with luminescence applied to them. The dial is dark blue and goes very well together with its naval theme. It is presented on a sporty three-link Oyster-style bracelet. This watch has a sapphire crystal which is scratch-resistant and triple-coated with an anti-reflective coating.
The watch is powered by a Swiss quartz movement which is robust, durable, and reliable. This movement also has an end-of-life indicator so you can know when the battery is running of out power.
The water resistance is 100m/330 feet which is not the best, but suitable for swimming.
Specifications
- Movement: quartz
- Water resistance: 100m/330 feet
- Diameter: 43mm
Seiko 5 Automatic SRPD51
The Seiko 5 SRPD51 is the successor of the perhaps most popular affordable dive watch ever made, the SKX. This watch is a reworked version of this and has slight upgrades and changes to its design, but it still retails Seiko’s iconic SKX dive-watch look.
The watch features a stainless steel case with the crown positioned at 4 o’clock, protected between crown guards. It has a unidirectional rotating bezel with a blue aluminum bezel insert which matches the dial perfectly. On top of the case sits a Hardlex crystal.
The watch has a matte navy blue dial with applied hour markers filled with luminescent. It has large contrasting hands which ensure great legibility. As we can expect from all Seiko 5 watches, it also has a day and a date window positioned at 3 o’clock.
Since it is part of the Seiko 5 collection, it is powered by an automatic movement. The movement beats at 21600 BPH, has a power reserve of 41 hours and has 24 jewels. An upgrade from the SKX is that this movement has both hacking seconds and a manual-winding function. Also, the open case back allows you to see the movement beating inside.
All in all, this watch continues to build upon the huge success of the Seiko SKX and has a stylish and versatile design with a sporty design that makes it perfect for everyday wear, as well as on sportier occasions.
To find a stylish watch with a robust automatic movement at this price point is not very common.
Specifications
- Power reserve: 41 hours
- Jewels: 24
- Frequency: 21600 BPH
- Water resistance: 100m/330 feet
- Movement: Automatic
- Crystal: Hardlex
Seiko 5 Automatic SNK807
The Seiko 5 SNK807 is a blue dial watch that also happens to be one of the most popular affordable automatic watches on the market. It has a clear vintage-military-inspired design so you know exactly what you can expect. It has a matte 37mm stainless steel case with a simple design and the crown is positioned at 4 o’clock. On top, it uses Seiko’s signature Hardlex crystal. The thickness of this watch is also only 11mm which means that it is a relatively small watch that will fit many different wrists.
The watch is powered by a workhorse automatic movement which can also be viewed through the see-through case back. If you want an affordable and stylish timepiece with a rugged design, automatic movement, and great quality at an affordable price, this is one of the best options out there. After having owned this for many years, it’s still one of my favorite affordable watches, and I have yet to find one that has as good of a value-to-price ratio as this one.
The dial has all of the classic military field watch design features that you would expect from one. It has large and white contrasting hands with luminescence as well as luminous dots around the dial. It has white-printed Arabic numerals on the dial as well.
The water resistance is 30m/100 feet which means it can handle water splashes, but it is not made for swimming or diving.
It is powered by a durable and robust automatic movement which can also be viewed through the see-through case back. The movement has a power reserve of 40 hours.
Specifications
- Diameter: 37mm
- Thickness: 11mm
- Power reserve: 40 hours
- Crystal: Hardlex
- Water resistance: 30m/100 feet
Seiko 5 SNK793 Automatic
The Seiko 5 SNK793 is a stylish and affordable everyday timepiece that is designed for great versatility. It has a great balance between sportiness and classic which makes it perfect for everyday wear. A contributing factor to this is its small size of 36mm which makes it great for many different wrist sizes and even women. It is its smaller size combined with its relatively sporty design that results in a watch with the best of both worlds.
The steel case has a polished bezel with relatively short lugs with a brushed finish. The crown is positioned at 4 o’clock for a more comfortable wrist presence. It is also a signature design feature of many Seiko watches. Of course, it uses Seiko’s Hardlex crystal on top.
The dial is the highlight of this watch with its vibrant sunburst finish and navy blue color. It has classic sword-shaped hand luminescence and applied metal hour markers. At 3 o’clock, it also has a day and date window.
Inside this watch is an automatic movement that has proven to be a robust and durable workhorse. It may not be the most accurate movement out there, but it has proven to be a robust workhorse.
The watch is water-resistant to 30m which means it can withstand water splashes.
With this said, if you’re looking for an affordable and versatile affordable automatic watch with a blue dial, this is one of the best choices out there. It is sporty, but not too sporty for formal occasions, and it is also not too dressy for everyday wear.
Specifications
- Diameter: 36mm
- Water resistance: 30m
- Movement: Automatic
- Crystal: Hardlex
Bulova Classic Quartz 96C125
The Bulova Classic offers exceptional value for money, primarily via the quality it has, but also the finishing and attention to detail. It has a 39mm case with a beautifully finished case with brushed elements and polished beveled edges. It is also presented on a stylish stainless steel bracelet with a fold-over double-push clasp. On top of the case, it has a domed crystal.
The watch features a mesmerizing dark blue dial with a stunning sunburst finish and a beautiful texture. The dial also has applied rectangular metal hour markers with a brushed finish that goes perfectly together with the brushed finish of the dial. Positioned at 3 o’clock, it has a date window and at 12 o’clock, it has a day window – both with metal frames around them.
The hands have a matching classic sword-shaped design with luminescence applied to them. Powering this watch is a reliable quartz movement.
The water resistance is 30m.
Its design makes it a perfect everyday watch that works great on both formal and casual occasions, with a striking blue dial that you can never get bored of.
Specifications
- Diameter: 39mm
- Water resistance: 30m
- Movement: quartz
- Crystal: domed
Bulova Marine Star Chronograph 96B256
If you want a sporty watch with a robust wrist presence and a dive-inspired design, you may prefer the Bulova Marine Star Chronograph 96B256. This is a watch that has a lot to offer and quite frankly is the opposite of a minimalistic watch.
It has a stainless steel case with a diameter of 43mm with a fixed stainless steel bezel with teeth and crown guards on both the right and the left side of the case which adds to the case’s bulky appearance. The thickness of the case is 12.2mm.
The watch has a beautiful blue dial with large applied hour markers and big sword-shaped hands with luminescence applied to them which gives excellent legibility. At 4 o’clock, it also has a date window. The dial also has subtle orange details which work perfectly together with the blue. This is a dive watch, but where is the rotating bezel, you may ask? This watch actually has an internal rotating bezel in the form of an inner bezel that rotates by using the crown at 10 o’clock. A clever solution that gives a cleaner look to the case by removing the bezel.
It is powered by a quartz movement which has been tested to be three times more accurate than standard quartz. It has a water resistance of 100m/330 feet.
This is definitely a blue dial sport watch that stands out from the ordinary with its large case and striking dial with interesting dial details, including the chronograph sub-dials positioned on the dial.
Specifications
- Water resistance: 300m/1000 feet
- Movement: quartz
- Crystal: curved mineral
- Thickness: 12.2mm
- Diameter: 43mm
Fossil Townsman Chronograph
If you’re looking for a blue dial watch with a more traditional and casual style that can work on many different occasions, you may want to opt for the Fossil Townsman.
This watch has a simple and minimalistic case design with a stainless steel case that has a diameter of 44mm. On top of the case sits a Hardened mineral crystal.
This is a chronograph watch that has chronograph push buttons on its sides and two sub-dials on the dial. The movement powering this watch is quartz.
Overall, the watch has a simple and refined design with a matte blue dial with applied metal hour markers and matching hands with luminescence. The sub-dials on the dial are slightly recessed as well.
In Fossil’s own words, it takes cues from 1960s-Era architectural and automotive design and has a clean, symmetrical style and elevated construction. ”Elegantly vaulted hands, beveled indices, and a shapely case make this timepiece a classic for decades to come. ”
The water resistance is 50 meters/165 feet.
I really love this watch due to its simplicity yet the well-thought-out design that works for virtually any occasion.
Specifications
- Diameter: 44mm
- Water resistance: 50m/165 feet
- Movement: Quartz
- Crystal: mineral
Citizen CA0648-09L Eco-Drive
The Citizen Eco-Drive CA0648-09L is a retro-inspired chronograph inspired by motorsport. It has a stainless steel case with straight, rectangular lugs, and a blue aluminum bezel that catches your attention immediately. On the bezel, you find a tachymeter scale, which is appropriate considering the purpose for which it is built and the concept behind it. On top of the case, it has a mineral crystal. As for the chronograph, it is a 1/5 second chronograph that measures up to 60 Minutes, 12/24 Hours.
It is powered by Citizen’s signature Eco-Drive quartz movement which gets energy from solar and ambient light, meaning you will never have to replace its batteries. It is also water-resistant to 100m which is quite good for this type of watch.
The dial is matte blue and has large white markers and large white sword-shaped hands. At 3 o’clock, it also has a date window Because of the size of the markers, date window, and sub-dials in different colors and sizes, the dial has a lot going on and is very intriguing.
Specifications
- Movement: quartz Eco-Drive
- Water resistance: 100m/330 feet
- Crystal: Mineral glass
Tissot Seastar Chronograph 660/1000 T1204171104100
Next up, we have the Tissot Seastar T1204171104100. This is a highly popular blue dial dive watch with an iconic design and great build quality made by Swiss watchmaking experts. It has a relatively large steel case with a diameter of 45.5mm and a thickness of 12.82mm. The crown is protected by a crown guard, and because this is a chronograph, it has chronograph push buttons on each side.
As a true dive watch, it has a unidirectional rotating bezel with a knurled edge. The bezel has a blue aluminum bezel insert which pairs with the blue dial perfectly. Speaking of the dial, it has a nice blue dial with an emphasis on legibility with large hands with generous amounts of luminescence on them. The hour markers are applied and filled with luminescence as well. Between 4 and 5 o’clock, it has a date window discreetly integrated into the dial as well. And since this is a chronograph, it of course has chronograph sub-dials positioned on the dial.
This watch is powered by a Swiss quartz movement and has a water resistance of 300m/1000 feet which is very impressive, making it actually suitable for diving.
This is a great summer watch, or if you enjoy blue dive watches with a slightly larger size.
Specifications
- Diameter: 45.5mm
- Thickness: 12.82mm
- Movement: Swiss quartz
- Water resistance: 300m/1000 feet
Tissot Powermatic 80 T1274071104100
Last but not least, we have the Tissot T1274071104100 which is a relatively new model, but definitely one of my favorite affordable blue dial watches. The catch is that it is slightly more expensive than some of the other watches on this list, but the value you are getting for that is really reflected in the watch. This watch is built with great quality and has a number of features that make it so appealing.
It is presented with a modest and classic size of 40mm which should work well for many different wrist sizes. The case has a classic design and combines brushed and polished elements, giving it an appearance that looks both elegant and sporty. As a result, this watch is perfect for everyday wear and works just as well with jeans as with a suit. The thickness is also quite reasonable at 11.5mm. On top of the case, it has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
The highlight of this watch is the innovative and new automatic movement from Tissot, the Powermatic 80 which has a silicon mainspring and a power reserve of 80 hours! This is not just any basic movement that you find in many affordable automatic movements, but rather a high-quality, durable and well-performing movement made and developed with Swiss ingenuity.
The dial goes very well together with the purpose of this watch combining versatility with elegance. It has a dark blue color and a beautiful sunburst brushed finish with a date window at 3 o’clock. The hands are sword-shaped with luminescence, and the hour markers are in metal and applied onto the dial.
The watch has a water resistance of 100m/330 feet which is also quite appropriate for an everyday watch.
All in all, this is an impressive and stylish timepiece that offers exceptional value for money, despite its slightly higher price.
Specifications
- Diameter: 40mm
- Lug width: 21mm
- Thickness: 11.5mm
- Movement: Swiss automatic
- Water resistance: 100m/330 feet
Why buy a blue dial watch?
The simple answer to that question is that blue dials are beautiful in watches! Another good reason is that blue dial watches are classic and generally quite discreet and work for most occasions and styles of watches.
They are a good alternative to plain and boring black dials: With that said, blue dials can be a great contrast to black dials which are found in most watches. If you build a watch collection, chances are, most of your watches will have a black dial. But whilst you can never go wrong with a black dial, blue dials are much more interesting and striking.
They are available in all kinds of different designs: You can find blue dial watches in all kinds of different watch designs, from sports watches to dress watches, to chronographs, to everything in between. This is great news for everyone who loves blue-dial watches. Whilst black dial watches are the most common and classic, brands adapt to the market, and blue dial watches have become more common and more popular than ever. Regardless of your budget, taste, needs, and wants, you will be able to find a blue dial that suits your preferences best.
Blue dials can be designed in many different ways: For black dials, you can usually only find them in one or two styles, meaning either a smooth/lacquered style dial or with a sunburst effect. Blue dial watches, on the other hand, come in all kinds of different tones. For more discreet and classic alternatives, most people opt for a dark blue/navy blue dial which is similar to black but has a lot more personality. But if you want something much more striking and eye-catching, there are plenty of light-blue dials that truly pop and are simply stunning to look at.
Are blue dials suitable for dress watches?
Yes most certainly! Blue dials have a sophisticated and masculine style that goes extremely well on formal occasions as well. Just keep in mind that it’s most suitable with dark blue/navy blue dials as they are more discrete than some super bright baby blue dial that can be spotted from a mile away. As long as you opt for a blue dial watch that is minimalistic and most importantly toned-down, they are most certainly suitable as dress watches.
Brands like Patek Philippe, Jaeger-Lecoultre, and more all make blue-dial dress watches. Frankly, they don’t need any explanation – just look at them and you’ll see why blue is both suitable and extremely popular for dress watches.
Are blue dial watches good?
Blue is among the most popular dial color in the world, along with black and white. And what makes blue stand out is the broad selection of hues available – from discreet navy blue to a striking baby blue. The wide selection of colors also means that you can find them in all kinds of different watches – from dive watches to sports watches, and dress watches.
If you want something more interesting than a black dial, but at the same time want something that doesn’t stand out too much, a navy blue dial is undoubtedly the best choice.
