Even though Ingersoll may not have the same brand recognition as some of the other most popular watchmakers around, the originally American-based brand has a history that goes back farther than most.
Ingersoll has been around for well over 100 years, and in that time they’ve had their fair share of success- ever seen one of those classic “Mickey” watches? (of course you have, well, that’s Ingersoll).
And if you’re looking for an affordable watch that looks like it could cost a lot more than it actually does, Ingersoll is a good brand to familiarize yourself with.
With most watches costing under $500, Ingersoll is still going strong as one of the most popular providers of budget friendly watches in the world (on par with brands like Bulova and Fossil).
And to make your job even easier, we’ve brought together the best watches Ingersoll has to offer for men and displayed them nicely in a convenient list. Enjoy.
The 5 Best Ingersoll Watches For Men
#1 The New England Automatic (I00901)
I gotta give Ingersoll credit where credit is due- they come up with some great names for their watches. I mean seriously, look at the names of the watches on this list- awesome.
Their New England Automatic is my favorite, although I’ll admit it’s a close call.
I’m a sucker for a rose gold case- I think it looks great and many of my favorite watches seem to have this color in common. I especially like it when it’s paired with a vintage looking, light brown leather band.
The case here is 44 mm in diameter and made out of stainless steel. The cream colored dial works great with the rose gold case and makes for a soothing background to the rose gold numerals.
As the name implies, this watch has an automatic movement. Besides telling time, the New England displays the month, date, and day of week clearly.
I also think the exposed balance wheel in the front is a nice touch- it gives a little extra detail without going all-in with a skeleton dial.
The dial is protected with a mineral glass, which isn’t as tough as sapphire, but is fairly expected in this price range.
Overall, this is a great looking watch that won’t break your budget. The New England has a full retail price of $625, but you can usually get it for about $100 less on Amazon.
#2 The Regent Automatic (I00303)
This watch is very similar to the The New England, but with a few subtle differences. I’d like to point out that this watch also comes with a great name- “The Regent”, sounds so dapper.
And it looks pretty dapper too.
The case on the Regent is stainless steel, a slightly different shade of rose gold (told ya I love rose gold), and measures roughly 47 mm in diameter.
This is a few mm larger than The New England and quite large for a timepiece- guys with smaller wrists should keep this in mind (and may want to opt for a smaller watch).
The features on this dial are very similar to the watch we just discussed, but cosmetically speaking there are some differences.
The color of the dial here is grey and patterned and you’ll notice that only the 12, 3, 6, and 9 hours were given Arabic numerals. There’s also a tachymeter scale around the outer edge of the dial.
When it comes to specs, The Regent comes with an automatic movement and a mineral glass crystal. It also comes with a great looking brown leather band with push button clasp.
To sweeten the deal, Ingersoll backs this watch with a lifetime warranty.
#3 The Herald Automatic (I00402)
Ingersoll’s The Herald has a completely different look than the 2 previous watches. I actually think this is one of the best skeleton watches in its price range.
The skeleton dial is the star of the show here, but I love the grey strap and silver case combo- it gives it a very clean, elegant look, but it’s still a little different than your run of the mill black watch.
I also like the over-sized crown that adds to the overall dapperness of this timepiece.
The Herald is a much smaller watch, with a case that only measures 40 mm in diameter. There’s an automatic movement inside and the crystal is mineral glass.
Some skeleton watches can be hard to read because the hands get lost in all of the visible inner components.
But I think Ingersoll made a smart choice when they decided to make the hands on this watch solid colored because it helps them stand out.
If you look carefully, you’ll notice there’s actually a small seconds sub-dial at the bottom, which really blends in with the mechanical components (I’ll admit I didn’t notice it at first glance).
Overall, a great looking skeleton watch that’s priced to move.
#4 The Jazz Automatic (I07701)
The Jazz Automatic is another skeleton watch, but with a little more going on in the dial department. The design here is very symmetrical, with the appearance of 4 sub-dials evenly spaced along the face of the watch.
Technically speaking, I guess there are only 2 functioning sub-dials here, because one is implying displaying the Ingersoll logo another is actually an exposed balance wheel (and the gold color really pops against the black dial).
The 2 functioning sub-dials contain a sun/moon phase and a dual time function, which allows you to get time in 2 time zones.
The Jazz also utilizes an automatic movement, so no need to worry about replacing any batteries. The case measures 42 mm in diameter, making it very wearable for most guys.
It’s also 15.5 mm thick, making it a little thicker than your average timepiece. The silver case is paired with a black leather band with a pin and buckle clasp for comfortable wear.
Like all other Ingersoll’s, the Jazz comes with a mineral crystal.
If you’re looking for an elegant skeleton watch that can keep time in 2 different time zones simultaneously, Ingersoll’s Jazz Automatic is a nice choice. It’s also one of the most affordable options on this list (sale price under $400).
#5 The Director Automatic (I08102)
Rounding out our list is Ingersoll’s The Director (another cool name). This watch could work nicely as a formal dress watch (although it’s a bit thick) or for every day wear.
I like the gold case and black dial combo and the silver accent around the gold case contrasts perfectly with the black leather strap.
The dial here is a little simpler than some of the other Ingersoll’s we’ve discussed so far.
There isn’t a lot going on other than a little bit of exposed components at 6 o’clock. In terms of function, this watch is solely for keeping time (and looking good of course).
The case on The Director is stainless steel and 46 mm in diameter. There’s an automatic movement under the hood and a mineral glass crystal protecting the face.
The black leather strap comes with a pin and buckle clasp which is also gold colored to match the case.
If you’re looking for a simple watch that isn’t lacking in class, The Director may be the right watch for you. On sale, you should be able to get it for well under $500.
What To Expect From An Ingersoll Watch
When it comes to budget watches, you can never be too sure of what you’re getting. After all, there are reasons some watches cost $200 and others cost $2,000.
When looking for quality, yet affordable, timepieces, it’s a good idea to go with a trusted brand. That way, at least you have that brand’s history and reputation to help you decide whether or not they’re worth investing in.
When it comes to Ingersoll, they’ve got a fairly respectable history to speak of.
They’ve never been considered an elite watchmaking brand or anything like that, but they’ve always been pretty honest about what they’re offering- solid watches that are priced so that most people can afford one.
I hate it when obviously cheap watches pretend to be “Swiss craftsmanship” – I mean who do they think they’re kidding?
There’s nothing wrong with budget friendly watches- there are tons of great looking watches out there that work just fine. Not all watches need to be Swiss made either.
Ok, sorry, I regress…back to Ingersoll.
Anyway, what I think I was trying to get at is that Ingersoll is pretty honest about who they are. They seem to be pretty up front about the fact that their watches look nice, but aren’t made out of the best materials in the world.
Speaking of which, I want to quickly go over a few of the common features you should expect from these watches. Let’s start with the movements.
Outsourced Movements
The movement is the heart of the watch- it’s what powers everything the watch has to offer. Generally speaking, movements come in 2 varieties- mechanical or quartz.
Mechanical watches only use springs and gears to power the watch. They can be manual (you have to wind them regularly) or automatic (self-winding as you wear it).
Quartz watches are powered by a battery, so there is no winding (but you’ll have to replace that battery every few years).
Mechanical watches are usually more expensive than quartz because it takes more craftsmanship and know-how to create watches that operate without electricity.
Most watchmakers are going to automatic movements these days, but you can still find some manual watches out there if you look hard enough.
Higher-end watchmakers often design and create their own movements in house. This is one of the biggest things that sets brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe apart from more affordable brands.
Ingersoll watches were once manufactured in the U.S.A., but those days are long gone.
Now, Ingersoll outsources their automatic movements to China (as do many watch companies in this price range). Remember- there are reasons affordable watches are affordable.
Chinese movements are mass produced, allowing them to be purchased for much lower costs. These cheap movements had their issues in the beginning, but the quality of them has improved over the years.
Personally, I have no problem with Ingersoll or any other budget brand outsourcing their movements because if they didn’t, there would be no way for me to get an automatic watch for under $500.
Ingersoll offers quartz watches too, by the way, which are even a little cheaper than the ones that made this list.
Mineral Crystals
One way Ingersoll and brands like them keep prices low is going with outsourced movements. Another way is to use mineral crystals instead of sapphire.
A watch’s crystal is the clear “glass” piece that protects the dial from damage. It allows you see what’s going on beneath without exposing the watch to any danger.
Watch crystals come in 3 varieties: acrylic (a type of plastic), mineral glass, and sapphire.
Acrylic crystals are the cheapest kind and scratch easily. Sapphire crystals are the most preferred because they’re super scratch resistant (artificial sapphire is one of the most scratch resistant materials on the planet).
Mineral glass crystals fall in the middle.
Most affordable brands like Ingersoll will use mineral glass on their watches to keep costs down. There’s nothing wrong with mineral glass, but keep in mind it isn’t as scratch resistant as sapphire.
More expensive watches should come with sapphire crystals and every once awhile we do see watches in this price range that come with them, but Ingersoll uses mineral glass on all of their timepieces.
Lifetime Warranty
I promise I’m not hating on Ingersoll here, I’m just going over some of the common features on all their watches. Outsourced movements and mineral glass crystals help them keep prices down, which allows us to purchase them at great prices.
On a positive note, Ingersoll also just so happens to offer lifetime warranties on their watches.
Yeah, I know, awesome right?
If you read the fine print, you’ll notice that this lifetime guarantee only applies to the watches that came out after 2016- previous models will be covered by their 2 year warranty (which is still pretty good in this price range).
I think you have to keep your receipt to have access to the lifetime warranty, so if you purchase one of their watches you might want to store proof of your purchase in a safe place just in case.
Overall though, you can’t be a lifetime warranty. It’s pretty unheard of in this price range, so way to go Ingersoll!