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If you’re looking for a Solar powered watch for under $500, you’ve come to the right place. In general, $500 is more than enough to buy a solar watch and you’ll mostly have your pick of whatever you want. Of course, there are some watches that cost more than $500, but there is really an abundance of choices for anything under this budget.
Solar watches are both practical and environmentally friendly. In the big scheme of things, throwing away watch batteries every few years isn’t a big deal. However, if everyone stopped doing it, we would all have one less problem to worry about.
From a practical aspect, solar watches are great. They will never let you down and you will never have to worry about them stopping. Granted, if you did leave the watch in a dark room for many months, you would need to give it a full recharge. But if you just leave it lying around your house, it will never stop like an automatic watch, neither will it run out of battery after 2 years.
For the cost of convenience alone, solar watches are worth the money. With that being said, typically they do not cost much more than standard quartz watches and are almost always cheaper than automatic models.
As for the history of solar watches, they were first invented in the 1970s but were somewhat unreliable. However, after a decade of research, solar watches had become equally as reliable as any other quartz model. In modern day you would not be able to tell the difference between a solar watch and a standard quartz watch by looking at the dial. You would need to be told which model is which.
Table of Contents
What Does Solar Mean On A Watch?
Solar means pretty much what you’d expect. The watch works in a similar way that a solar panel works. By leaving the watch in a light area – or simply walking around in daylight. The dial will draw in the solar energy which will be stored in a solar capacitor.
Instead of using a traditional battery, the watch draws on the power of the sun and various other light sources.
How Long Will A Solar Watch Last?
In reality, solar watches typically last around 10-15 years. As an example, Citizen offers a warranty of 5 years on their solar models. This should prove to you that they expect their technology to last. If watches are to stop working within 5 years, this means Citizen is on the hook for providing a repair. They would not offer this lengthy period if they were not comfortable with their design and technology.
Can A Solar Watch Battery Be Replaced?
Yes. Even though a solar cell will typically run dry after around 10-15 years – this does not mean that you have to throw the watch away.
Granted, it is a little more expensive and labor-intense to change a solar cell than a battery. Although with that being said, it is still a job that a watch technician can pull off in around 10 minutes. Solar cells are similar to batteries and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They cost around $20-30 and can be replaced for a cost not too dissimilar to that of replacing a battery.
Can You Overcharge A Solar Watch?
No. If the watch is left out in the sun too long, the capacitor will be full and not be able to hold any more energy. Imagine if you were to fill up a cup of water. The cup would not break, but would simply overflow and the excess water would be spilled.
Are Solar Watches Any Good?
Solar watches are really not too different from any quartz-based watch. Their movements are both accurate and reliable, but a lot more convenient as you will never need to change the battery.
In terms of design, there isn’t any reason that a solar watch would look any different from any other watch. They do not require any kind of ugly solar panel. If you weren’t told, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a solar watch and a regular watch.
What To Do When A Solar Watch Stops Working
If your solar watch has stopped ticking due to being in a dark place for too long. Simply pull the crown outwards (as if stopping the watch by yourself) and then leave it in a light place for a few hours. On a sunny day, this can be a window ledge, if you are doing this at night, you may want to place the watch underneath a lamp.
After a few hours, you can push the crown back in and see if the watch starts ticking. If the watch begins with a “double tick” motion, you may need to leave it a while longer. If the watch is still not working after this, you may need to send it to a repair center or find a local watch repairer.
What Is The Difference Between Eco-Drive & Solar Watches?
In reality, there is not much (if any) difference at all. Eco-Drive is a term that has been patented by the brand Citizen. Whereas Casio, Seiko and other brands will often refer to their own watches as “solar” models. There is not any difference in the way in which the energy is drawn in and used to power the watch movement.
The only real difference will be which movement is used. As Citizen owns Miyota, Eco-Drive watches will use miyota based movements. Other watch brands such as Seiko will likely use Epson movements. Although if you didn’t take the case back off the watch and inspect the movement through a loupe – you would never be able to notice.
Who Makes The Best Solar Powered Watches?
Overall it is mostly the three Japanese powerhouse brands, Seiko, Citizen & Casio. The reason for this is that these 3 companies developed the original quartz watches and heavily invested in this type of technology.
These 3 brands pretty much have a stranglehold on the solar watch market and whilst there are other brands using solar power in watches, they are very small in comparison with these 3 companies.
There is really not much to separate these 3 brands and it really will come down to personal preference depending on which model you like the most. All 3 are both reliable, fashionable, and accurate.
Best Solar Watches Under $500
Citizen Eco-Drive
At under $500, the Blue Angels chronograph is near the top end of the budget. Although with that being said, there are only a few models of Skyhawk and Navihawk that would be slightly over $500, with literally everything else being well under this price.
Accuracy is not a concern with a radio-controlled watch. This means that this Citizen model will sync every night with the nearest atomic clock. You really cannot get any more accurate than this as atomic clocks are by far the closest thing we have to “real” timekeeping.
The case and glass of the watch are also super durable. The dial has a raised sapphire crystal meaning that any scratches you get will be minimized or brushed off entirely. In addition to this, the watch is 200m water-resistant. Meaning if you get caught in a downpour or even drop the watch whilst doing some washing, it’s going to have no effect on your timepiece.
Timex Expedition – Budget Choice
If you’re looking for the best value budget solar watch – Timex could be the best option for you. The expedition is a well established model within the Timex brand and is made precisely for its given name. Although the watch is not digital, nor as tough as a G-shock, do not let that fool you. Timex makes very durable watches that are designed to never let you down.
This particular model has a green dial, although you will be able to find this in various different colors if that is not your style. Typically Expedition watches are always made to be both rugged and durable. They will therefore always have a stainless steel case with a Nato strap. Whilst the design will not win any prizes for the most beautiful or original watch ever. It will easily survive any knocks or drops that you inflict upon it.
Casio Tough Solar
The tough solar is a good option for those who want something that is not quite as expensive or bulky as a G-Shock, but are looking for a solid solar digital watch. Aptly named the “tough solar”, you couldn’t really pick any other two words that provide a more accurate description of this watch.
One main selling point of the tough solar series is the price. Available on Amazon for well under $50, the tough solar comes in 90% under budget. If you’re looking for something more expensive, at the very least, the tough solar is an extremely reliable backup watch. You should know by now that Casio will never let you down and offers a variety of features such as light, chronograph and alarms.
Seiko Solar Adventure
Seiko is one of the biggest producers of watches in the world. The main reason for this is that they offer watches at every single budget price point, from luxury to budget. At just under $500, the solar adventure fits right in where it should.
This watch is designed to be an everyday wear and is suitable for both weekends as well as the workplace. Granted it is a little oversized at 42mm, but this is really not too giant at all for a modern watch. The dial is easily readable thanks to the well lumed hands and hour indicators. There is also an alarm subdial at the bottom should you ever need it. Of course, there will be no worry that your battery will run out and ruin your alarm since the watch is solar-powered.
Behring
Behring are not the first brand that springs to mind when you think of solar watches. With that being said, they do have their own place within the solar watch market. There are really not many other fashion brands who bother to produce solar watches due to the cost of construction compared to traditional quartz.
Therefore, if you want something that is both solar and fashionable, your choices will be severely limited. Granted, Seiko and Citizen do make some nice fashion solar watches for women. But in terms of men’s watches, there are not many models which could be considered modern or useful as an everyday dress watch.
In terms of features, Behring is pretty minimalist and doesn’t offer too much. It should however be noted that the brand does always use sapphire crystal, so is of higher quality than its fashion competitors.
Pulsar
In case you weren’t aware. Pulsar is a brand that is owned and run by its parent brand Seiko. Typically Pulsar is used to try out new designs and various designs before they are converted to Seiko after a long period of success.
The Pulsar sport range offers some chronograph dials which are very modern to look at, as well as being stylish and not too garish. Perhaps the main selling point of buying a Pulsar solar is that it is going to be around the same quality as a Seiko, but for around a 40-50% discount. This brings the Pulsar in well under budget. Whilst it doesn’t have quite the same brand name pull as other Japanese brands. It is by far one of the best value solar brands for money.
Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical
Available in a variety of different colors, the Garmin Instinct is pretty much the first reliable solar smartwatch. Up until fairly recently, this did not exist. Smartwatch had poor battery life and needed to be recharged for every 12~ hours that they were active. The instinct changed all of this.
Although the watch will still need charging. It is far superior to other smartwatches and can last for weeks without needing anything. If you consider the fact that this watch has other apps such as a GPS, heart rate monitor, and sleep monitoring, this is pretty incredible.
Of course, this technology comes at a price and the Garmin Instinct is at the top end of the budget. With that being said, it’s not really any more expensive than other smartwatch brands such as Suunto or Apple, yet has a solar powered battery on top of everything else.
Casio G-Shock
If you don’t know about Casio G-Shock by now, I will assume you were living in a cave during the late 1990s and early 2000s. This watch burst onto the scene with various advertisements showing it being run over by a truck and thrown off buildings.
The advertisements were 100% true. This is the toughest solar watch you can find. Although the technology has been updated since its original release, the G-Shock is still as tough as ever. This particular model is an atomic watch meaning that you won’t have to set the time, it will just find the nearest atomic clock (Colorado if you are in the US) and automatically sync to it.
At well under $200, this model is also really great value for money and doesn’t come close to breaking the bank. In fact, you could buy two and still be well under the budget of $500.
