7 Of The Best Affordable Minimal Watches Brands 2015

Inspired by the grey but glorious locale of the British seaside, Shore Projects is a home-grown success story. A partnership with the Marine Conservation Society gives a little back to the same environment Shore Projects idolises, while the timepieces are kept simple and classic.

Named after the quintessential British gent, Filip Tysander launched Daniel Wellington in a bid to popularise a unique idea: pairing weathered NATO straps with hyper-modern timepieces. Over time, the brand has quickly become a go-to for style-conscious gents, particularly those that like to dress in a smart, preppy fashion.

Inspired by the brand’s home cities of Stockholm and London, Larsson & Jennings produces contemporary timepieces that fuse a classic British aesthetic with Swedish minimalistic design.

While strong branding is often considered an advantage, Uniform Wares built their stellar reputation by avoiding such a mantra. In 2009, founders Patrick Bek and Oliver Fowles set out with an ambitious objective: to create an alternative to the ubiquity of over-embellished statement watches. The result was a new breed of modern, minimal timepieces that has arguably inspired many of the other names on this list.

As a pillar of the Swiss watch industry, Mondaine offers all the associated craftsmanship at a more accessible price point. The timepieces themselves are modelled after the Swiss railway clocks prominently displayed at every station, and through the brand’s adoption, these are now considered a core part of the country’s culture.

Germany is renowned for its skilful engineering and Junghans is a brand partly responsible for this image. Every timepiece is designed with classic craftsmanship in mind without trying too hard; instead, a statement is created through an almost scientific watchmaking process that has been in place since 1927.