Derek O'Neil
In the world of watches, Japanese watches are a standout for their highly accurate timekeeping, making them highly sought-after goods for those who value reliability as well as style.
Best Japanese Watches for Men 2017
Seiko Men’s SNE098 Solar Analog Japanese Watch
The Seiko Men’s SNE098 Solar Analog Japanese Quartz Silver Watch is a highly durable analog watch that is water-resistant down to 100m (which is 330ft). While this isn’t suitable to wear while scuba diving, it’ll handle great while swimming, water polo and any other water sports that don’t involve swimming to great depths. It’s made with a 38mm stainless steel case with a Hardlex dial window for durability. The watcher features Japanese quartz movement and, interestingly, is powered by light energy, so you don’t have to worry about batteries.
Both the stainless-steel band and watch are two-tone, providing a modern interpretation of a classic aesthetic. The sunray dial is gunmetal and discreetly displays the Seiko logo at the twelve o’clock mark, along with a date window. The band features a pushbutton deployment classic, showcasing the watch’s smart design in a very functional way.
Aposon Business Casual Fashion Wristwatch
The Aposon Business Casual Fashion Wristwatch is an analog watch featuring classic Roman numerals on the otherwise modernly stylish dial, lending that classy juxtaposition of old-meets-new that makes businessman look both sharp and smart in the boardroom. It’s waterproof down to 30m (or 98ft), so you can shower and swim with it. For precise timekeeping, the watch features Japanese CITIZEN Quartz Movement. Meanwhile, the dial’s cover is made of German High Hardness Mineral Glass, and the watchcase is made of stainless-steel—both to up the watch’s durability factor.
The band is brown leather with an alligator pattern and has a stainless-steel buckle to match the watch; multiple holes accommodate all wrist sizes while two matching alligator pattern bands hold the band neatly in place. A date window in the dial caps off the retro-modern hybrid vibe and functionality of the Aposon watch.
Bulova Men’s 98B215 Analog Display Japanese Watch
The Bulova Men’s 98B215 Analog Display Japanese Black Watch is a statement-making watch, appearance-wise; to be blunt, it’s the watch that Bruce Wayne would choose to wear as he looks in the mirror in the morning and says to himself, “I’m Batman.” Both the watch and the band are stainless steel in black ion plating.
The sunburst dial is black enamel. The overall result is a watch aesthetic made mainly of various shades of black (that work well together), with only the hands, logo and subdial numerals contrasting with an elegant natural steel finish. Instead of being overkill, the mainly monochromatic watch comes off as stylish in a highly masculine way. There are three hands as well as three subdials, in total.
There’s also a date window that is discreet and doesn’t put a damper on the watch’s overall character. The Bulova logo is tastefully displayed at the top of the dial, and the dial cover is mineral domed crystal. The movement on the watch is Japanese quartz, and its water-resistant down to 30m (98ft). The Bulova watch comes with a 3-year warranty.
Citizen Men’s BM8180-03E Eco-Drive Japanese Watch
The Citizen Men’s BM8180-03E Eco-Drive Analog Japanese Quartz Green Watch is an energy-powered watch, meaning that it can be powered by both natural and artificial light, making it a very eco-friendly choice—plus you never have to worry about batteries. The watch case is stainless steel with a mineral crystal dial window for durability.
The dial is black and features Hindu-Arabic numerals rendered in the Roman script (in other words, the standard 1, 2, 3 numerals commonly used in the US and English-speaking world) for the hour and smaller subscript numerals for the minutes, giving the dial a decidedly modern look. The movement is Japanese quartz, and the watch is water-resistant down to 100m (330ft) so you can use it in regular swimming activities, though not for diving. The canvas watchband is green and stitched for a slightly outdoorsy vibe, perfect for those fans of eco watches. A date window rounds off the watch’s set of features, adding extra utility.
Invicta Men’s 8926OB Pro Diver Japanese Watch
The Invicta Men’s 89260B Pro Diver Analog Japanese-Automatic Stainless-Steel Watch is essentially the dream of every diver who also enjoys looking sharp. It’s water-resistant down to 200m (660ft), making it one of the most dive-appropriate watches featured in this roundup for best Japanese watches for men. The watch features Japanese automatic movement.
Unlike other movement types, automatic movement is very effortless on your part—you don’t even have to be in light to keep it powered. The watch is literally wound as you go about your day wearing it on your wrist. Through complex mechanisms, it feeds the energy of your movements through the watch to power it, meaning there are no batteries or solar energy involved whatsoever, making it highly practical for someone who’s eco-friendly but stays indoors a lot.
The watch case and band are both stainless steel, with a corrugated unidirectional bezel adding a touch of intrigue to the aesthetic. The dial is black and features a mineral cover. A big piece of interest is the exhibition caseback. The hands are luminous and there is a magnified date window to round out the impressive specs.
Bulova Men’s Black Ion-Plated Watch
The Bulova Men’s Black Ion-Plated Watch is a water-resistant watch that’s good for depths up to 30m (98ft). Both the watch case and the band are made from black ion-plated stainless steel for durability and a sophisticated nod to masculine style. The sunburst dial is also black with the hands, subdials, etc. being silver-toned for a nice contrast. There are three subdials, including one for the day of the week so you’re always on your game, as well as three hands for readability. The dial case is flat mineral crystal and the watch movement is Japanese quartz.
Top Recommendation
There are many solid contenders featured in this roundup of top Japanese watches for men, but ultimately, the winner was an easy choice: Bulova Men’s 98B215 Black Watch. With sharp, masculine black looks that make it the Batman of the watch world, as well as great utility and quality, it was an easy choice to make.
