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Is an automatic worth it?

Are automatic watches worth it?

An automatic is worth it if you want a watch that can be rebuilt indefinitely and you will pay for that every few years. Here is the number to decide with.

By Sawyer V. · Published

The short answer

Yes, if you value a watch that can be rebuilt indefinitely and you budget for servicing: Seiko publishes $176 for a 4R overhaul and recommends one about every three years. The Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB317 is the automatic to buy. If you want the lowest running cost and the best accuracy, a solar quartz is the better watch.

An automatic watch is the one kind of watch that can outlast everything around it. There is no battery and no module; every part can be cleaned, lubricated or replaced, which is why a well-kept automatic can run for generations. That is the whole case, and it is a good one.

The cost is just as specific. Seiko recommends servicing about every three years and publishes the price by caliber: $176 for a 4R, $296 for a 6R. Over twenty years that is $1,056 or $1,776 — more than many of these watches cost to buy. The cost of ownership guide does the full arithmetic, and automatic vs quartz sets the two side by side.

On prices: we publish no figure we have not verified today, so every buy button reads "Check price on Amazon". Service prices quoted here are the manufacturers' own published figures.

How we picked

We have not worn these watches. What follows is what we checked instead, on documents you can open yourself — the same criteria, in the same order, on every roundup on this site. The full method is on the methodology page.

  1. 01What it gives you

    A movement any watchmaker can take apart, clean and rebuild, for as long as parts exist.

  2. 02What it costs

    Seiko publishes $176 (4R) and $296 (6R) overhauls, about every three years; Tissot publishes $210.

  3. 03Accuracy

    Seiko publishes +25/-15 seconds a day for the 6R. Quartz is far more accurate.

  4. 04A named caliber

    An automatic is only worth it if you can look up what the movement is — and what keeping it costs.

Disclosure · Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not decide what goes on this page or in what order — here is exactly how that works.

Quick picks

Ranked on the Keep Score below — six published specifications, weighted identically on every page. The last row is the one we would not buy.

#WatchBest forKeep ScorePrice
1

Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB317J1

Sapphire, 200m, 70 hours, $296 overhaul.

The automatic most worth buying9.6/10
Check price
2

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

In-house, hacking, hand-winding, sapphire, 200m.

The most automatic for the money9.0/10
Check price
3

Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm H70455533

80 hours, Nivachron, sapphire, 38mm.

The automatic that survives a weekend off8.6/10
Check price
4

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 40mm T137.407.11.041.00

80 hours, sapphire, 100m, $210 service.

The Swiss automatic with a known service price8.0/10
Check price
5

Seiko 5 Sports SRPD55

4R36, 100m, $176 overhaul.

The cheapest automatic worth keeping8.0/10
Check price
—

Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

An unnamed automatic under acrylic, rated 50m.

Skip this one

Not an automatic to keep6.5/10
Check price

Keep Score is arithmetic, not opinion — six published specifications, weighted the same way on every page. The formula is on our methodology page, so you can re-run it yourself.

01

Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB317J1

Best for: The automatic most worth buying

9.6/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

A named, in-production 6R35 with a published accuracy tolerance and a published $296 overhaul, behind sapphire and rated 200m — the automatic whose cost of keeping you can read before you buy.

41mm with a 46.9mm lug-to-lug, and three years of warranty.

This is where Seiko starts publishing an accuracy figure (+25/-15 seconds a day) and fits sapphire. A 6R35 overhaul is $296 against $176 for a 4R36 — a real difference, and one you can plan for.

Manufacturer specifications for the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB317J1
MovementSeiko 6R35, automatic with manual winding, 24 jewels, +25/-15 sec per day
Power reserve70 hours
Case41mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46.9mm
Thickness12.3mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance200m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Seiko Watch Corporation product page, SPB317J1.

02

Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B

Best for: The most automatic for the money

9.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.5/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

An in-house Orient caliber that hacks and hand-winds, behind sapphire and rated 200m, with three years of warranty.

Orient publishes no US service price list, so the upkeep is a quote rather than a number.

On paper this is the best value in the category and it is not close: sapphire and a hacking, hand-windable in-house caliber at a price where Seiko still fits Hardlex. Orient's three-year warranty is longer than Hamilton's or Tissot's.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Kamasu RA-AA0004E39B
MovementOrient F6922 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case41.8mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46.8mm
Thickness12.8mm
Lug width22mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance200m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AA0004E39B.

03

Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm H70455533

Best for: The automatic that survives a weekend off

8.6/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
0.7/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.8/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

80 hours of reserve and a Nivachron antimagnetic hairspring — the two things that make an automatic easy to live with — in a 38mm case with sapphire and 100m.

Two years of warranty; Hamilton publishes a European service list but no US price.

Mechanically identical to the Murph and usually cheaper, because it does not carry a film's name. 47mm lug-to-lug on a 38mm case is a genuinely versatile footprint.

Manufacturer specifications for the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38mm H70455533
MovementHamilton H-10, automatic, Nivachron balance spring
Power reserve80 hours
Case38mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug47mm
Thickness11mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance100m
Warranty2 years

Specifications read from Hamilton product page, H70455533.

04

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 40mm T137.407.11.041.00

Best for: The Swiss automatic with a known service price

8.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
0.7/1.5
Strap standard
0.2/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

An 80-hour Powermatic 80 with Tissot's published $210 complete service and 24 months of warranty on the work.

The integrated bracelet uses a 12mm fitting that no standard strap fits.

Tissot publishes a US complete-service price of $210 for a mechanical two-or-three-hand watch, which makes this the most predictable Swiss automatic here to own. The 12mm lug width is not a strap size — the bracelet is part of the case.

Manufacturer specifications for the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 40mm T137.407.11.041.00
MovementSwiss automatic, Powermatic 80
Power reserve80 hours
Case40mm 316l stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness10.93mm
Lug width12mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance100m
Warranty2 years

Specifications read from Tissot product page, T137.407.11.041.00.

05

Seiko 5 Sports SRPD55

Best for: The cheapest automatic worth keeping

8.0/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.3/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
1.1/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
1/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The 4R36 is the most commonly serviced mechanical caliber in the United States, with a published $176 overhaul — the lowest-cost way into an automatic you can keep.

Hardlex, and 41 hours of reserve.

The 4R36 is the most commonly serviced mechanical caliber in the United States and Seiko publishes a flat $176 price to overhaul it. That single fact does more for a twenty-year horizon than any spec on the case.

Manufacturer specifications for the Seiko 5 Sports SRPD55
MovementSeiko 4R36, automatic with manual winding, 24 jewels
Power reserve41 hours
Case42.5mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug46mm
Thickness13.4mm
Lug width22mm
Crystalhardlex
Water resistance100m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Seiko Watch Corporation product page, SRPD55.

Skip this one

Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

Best for: Not an automatic to keep

6.5/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.8/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
0.35/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.2/1
Check price on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price we have not verified today

The Marlin has the look people want from an automatic: a mid-century dial and a crystal that polishes back to new.

Timex does not publish the caliber, so the one question that decides whether an automatic is worth it — what will keeping it cost? — cannot be answered before you buy. It is rated 50m, with a one-year warranty.

For the automatic experience at the lowest known cost, the Seiko 5 Sports above has a published price.

Acrylic reads as a downgrade and mostly is not: it scratches easily and polishes out with a cloth and a tube of paste, which sapphire does not. On a watch you intend to keep for decades, that is a feature.

Manufacturer specifications for the Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600
MovementAutomatic (caliber not published by Timex)
Power reserveNot published
Case40mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness13mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalacrylic
Water resistance50m
Warranty1 year

Timex's one-year warranty explicitly excludes the crystal, strap, case and battery.

Specifications read from Timex product page, TW2V44600.

Who should not buy an automatic

  • If you want the most accurate watch. Seiko's 6R tolerance is +25/-15 seconds a day; quartz is far closer.
  • If you will never service it. An automatic that is never serviced wears itself out; a solar watch needs nothing.
  • If you will wear it once a month. It will stop between wears unless you wind it or own a winder.

What a service buys

A service is not a repair; it is the reason the watch lasts. The movement is taken apart, cleaned, re-lubricated and adjusted. The servicing and costs page lists every price the makers on this site publish, and how long automatic watches last explains why parts supply, not the movement, sets the limit.

Questions people actually ask

Are automatic watches worth it?

If you want a watch that can be rebuilt indefinitely and will budget for servicing — Seiko publishes $176 to $296 per overhaul, about every three years — yes. For the lowest cost and the best accuracy, quartz wins.

How often does an automatic need servicing?

Seiko recommends about every three years. The published prices are here.

Is an automatic better than quartz?

Neither is better; they fail differently. An automatic can be rebuilt forever at a cost; a quartz watch is more accurate and cheaper to run. Automatic vs quartz compares them in full.

What is the best automatic watch to start with?

The Seiko 5 Sports SRPD55 for the lowest published running cost, or the first automatic picks for the full list.

Sources

Every specification and figure on this page came from one of these documents. Where a manufacturer does not publish something, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Read next

Two wristwatches placed side by side

Automatic vs quartz

The two movement types compared on accuracy, servicing and twenty-year cost.

Watch repair tools and tweezers on a bench

Automatic watch servicing and what it costs

Published service prices by caliber, what a service includes, and when to skip one.

A watch movement partly disassembled on a repair bench

What a watch actually costs to keep

Published service intervals and prices, computed over 10 and 20 years. The number nobody else publishes.