Guys, we’re living in a special era.
Our father’s generation, our grandfather’s generation, none of these guys had online services curating wordly timepieces on their behalf. They had to make a trip down to the local watchmaker and shop wrist pieces the good ol’ fashion way.
Although, they didn’t have to worry about fake watches or online scammers, either.
If you’re like most guys, you recognize that quality watches are a worthy investment and a timelessly stylish addition to your wardrobe.
But, you’re likely deterred from ever pulling the trigger on a watch as choosing the right style, make, and price point is ridiculously daunting.
A watch subscription service handles all the details for you and helps you build a repertoire and understanding of watches that suit your preferences and tastes.
Here are the very best watch subscription boxes to try out today.
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Best Overall: Watch Gang
Watch subscriptions boxes are by all means a new concept.
Yet, Watch Gang has already amassed over half a million subscribers since being founded in 2016, cementing itself as the most popular, comprehensive watch subscription in the game.
The Brand
When Watch Gang’s founder, Matthew Gallagher, inherited his father’s 1953 vintage Rolex after he passed away, he suddenly understood the enduring, sentimental value of a watch.
Gallagher founded Watch Gang to help guys mix up their style, embrace unique watches, and become part of a larger community.
In an effort to provide a special timepiece that could be passed down for generations, Gallagher also launched a weekly giveaway awarding one lucky Watch Gang member with a Rolex every Friday.
The Subscription Service
With a Watch Gang subscription, you get to keep every watch sent your way, quickly building your collection of unique timepieces.
Watch Gang partners with and buys from watch brands and sellers all over the world to deliver watches to subscribers at well below their retail prices. Most watches will be Japanese Quartz or Swiss Automatic movements and may include brands like Seiko, Villandry, Thomas Earnshaw, Deep Blue, Heritor, Tag Heur, and others.
Watch Gang offers three subscription levels that renew at the beginning of each month, the Original Tier, Black Tier, and Platinum Tier.
The Original Tier costs $74 per month and delivers watches valued up to $150.
The Black Tier (read our review) costs $149 per month and delivers watches valued up to $500.
The Platinum Tier (read our review) costs $399 per month and delivers watches valued up to $1,500.
Members can also opt for monthly, quarterly, and on demand plans. If you’re curious what previous watches look like, Watch Gang also updates a gallery of all the past watches delivered at all three subscription tiers to browse through.
A unique and exciting feature of Watch Gang’s service is the weekly giveaways available to members at all tiers. Every Tuesday, a Tag Heuer is given away, along with a Seiko every Saturday. On Fridays, one member will be selected to receive the ultimate prize, a Rolex.
I like how the weekly giveaways add a little thrill to your subscription as you’re always in the running to win a high-end watch for free.
As a follow-up to their weekly giveaway, Watch Gang launched a brand new service called The Wheel in which subscribers can spin a virtual wheel and win a selection of items including, but not limited to watches.
If you've got a watch addiction problem like us, taking just one watch on vacation just isn't on the cards. When I want leather, I look to leather experts, and renowned Spanish shoemaker Morjas makes my favorite watch roll. It has a soft removable cushion to fit up to three watches, has a really elegant feel, and is perfectly small enough to not take up too much space in my luggage.
What I Like
3 different tiers and monthly, quarterly, and on-demand subscriptions give guys great flexibility in choosing frequency and price point.
Watch Gang boasts more subscribers than any other watch subscription.
The weekly high-end watch giveaways add a layer of excitement and value.Â
There’s no cancellation fee at any time to end your subscription.
Unlike Breitling Select, you keep each watch delivered to you.
What I Don’t Like
As is the case with any mystery subscription service, you don’t get to choose which watches you receive.
If you have a particularly small wrist, you may get the odd watch that is too big for you if you don’t like the oversized trend.
If you don’t like the watch you receive, there are no refunds or returns available.
What Other Reviewers Say
Watch Gang boasts thousands of exceptional reviews with a majority of guys finding it to be a legitimate service that delivers watches well below their typical retail price. A lot of guys who weren’t sure how to go about buying a watch found solace in the service and were pleased with the selection of watches they received.
Some guys pointed out that if you’re subscribing to a lower tier, you shouldn’t expect expensive watches unless you win one of the three weekly giveaways.
The Verdict
If you want to start assembling a diverse, lasting collection of watches at any price point, or simply find out what your tastes are via discovery, Watch Gang is your best bet for a set-it-and-forget-it subscription that delivers a watch to your door every month and gives you the chance to win high-end timepieces on a weekly basis.
The Black tier subscription at $149 per month is a stellar option for guys who know a thing or two about watches and want to build a collection of classic, sport, and military-style watches. Receiving a monthly watch valued between $150 to $500 opens up tons of possibilities for both quartz and automatic movements from various brands.Â
With thousands of reviews, Watch Gang remains the most sought-after watch subscription box on the market today. To get more information including a breakdown of specific watch models, check out our in-depth review of Watch Gang.
If you can let go of the need for total control over what you receive in a subscription box at this price point, Watch Gang is a lot of fun, and a convenient way for you to organically develop your own sense of watch style alongside tens of thousands of fellow watch enthusiasts.
Best Luxury: Breitling Select
You might think a subscription service would only serve newcomers to the world of timepieces. Think again.
BreitlingSelect is a watch subscription service from luxury watchmaker Breitling. A Swiss brand that’s been around since 1884, Breitling launched their subscription service in 2021, enabling guys to sport their watches without coughing up for the often lavish price tags.
On average, Breitling watches cost around $4,000, but depending on the model, can cost anywhere from $1,000 up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Brand
Breitling is a tried-and-true watchmaker that has been producing elegant timepieces for generations and was originally known for making chronometers for pilots and aviators.
Today, Breitlings can be seen in Hollywood films, on the wrist of celebrities like Brad Pitt, and in countless entertainment, sports, and fashion partnerships.
Like most of the world’s most quality watches, Breitling makes durable watches with automatic Swiss movements, though they also produce quartz movements as well.
The Subscription Service
As a BreitlingSelect member, you’ll get up to three Breitling watches over the course of a year to wear and try out on a rotating basis. This service does not allow you keep any of the watches, but offers you special offers to purchase a watch should you choose to by earning 1,000 redeemable Squad Points per month.
BreitlingSelect only comes at one subscription level which can be paid one of two ways. You can choose to pay a subscription fee of $450 along with a monthly fee of $129 per month, or a yearly fee of $1,884, which perfectly matches the year Breitling was founded and saves you a little over $100 on the year.
The watches available in the subscription service come from an assortment of refurbished watches and ensure a quality experience. This includes most of Breitling’s most popular models including the iconic Navimeter, Avenger, Superocean, Premier, and Aviator 8.
Each watch may be worn between one to six months before it’s rotated out for another and should you choose to purchase one of the watches in your subscription, your subscription will end.
What I Like
Getting access to high-end brands like Breitling for cheaper than retail cost is quite rare.
This gives guys a real chance to wear a luxury watch and see how they like for several months before they purchase one.
Getting to rotate up to three different Breitlings in one year.
What I Don’t Like
Since you don’t get to keep any of the watches delivered, you’re essentially paying to lease a watch each month.
The cost of a yearly Breitling Select subscription is similar to buying and owning one of Breitling’s lower-end watches.
You only get to wear Breitling watches and won’t get to try out other brands.
What Other Reviewers Say
While some guys were genuinely intrigued at the chance to sport a Breitling for less than retail cost, many of them found the nearly $2,000 per year cost was not equal to the value of getting to try out a few Breitlings.
The Verdict
Luxury isn’t cheap, and neither is the BreitlingSelect subscription.Â
While BreitlingSelect earns you 1,000 Squad Points per month which give you a discount on a Breitling should you choose to purchase one, the points seem a bit ambiguous and don’t offer a sizable discount.
This subscription service gives you access to high-end Breitling watches, but comes with a high annual cost and doesn’t allow you to keep any of the watches you test out.
BreitlingSelect may be a great choice for you if you’re in the market for buying a Breitling, but have no idea which model best suits you and want to test out a few different watches before making your purchase.
This subscription service gives you access to high-end Breitling watches, but comes with a high annual cost and doesn’t allow you to keep any of the watches you test out. BreitlingSelect may be a great choice for you if you’re in the market for buying a Breitling, but have no idea which model best suits you and want to test out a few different watches before making your purchase.
Best Budget: Wrist Mafia
If you’re brand new to watches and simply want to get a feel for which types of styles you like best, you might want to start with a cheaper watch subscription and work your way up.
Wrist Mafia starts at just $33 per month, under $400 per year, and sends you a brand new watch to keep every month that’s guaranteed to have a retail price of $100 or more.
The Brand
Wrist Mafia is a straightforward brand that claims to partner with watch brands across the globe to be able to offer watches at the low prices that they do. Like WatchGang and other subscription services, they operate on a mystery model in which you don’t get to select what you’re getting ahead of time.
Wrist Mafia has over 250,000 followers on Instagram and a simple website highlighting their single-tier offering with limited information on the brand, how it began, and how many total subscribers are signed up.
The Subscription Service
Wrist Mafia only offers one monthly subscription that costs $33 and grants you with a brand new watch that gets processed on the 15th of each month and shipped out to you to keep.
You get the choice of paying for an ongoing monthly subscription, or a 3-month or 6-month subscription. Opting for the 3-month subscription saves you $16.50 and opting for the 6-month subscription saves you $42, both sizable discounts when considering the monthly subscription cost.
Wrist Mafia is free to cancel at any time without any fees or penalties.
At this low of a price point, expect to receive fairly cheap time pieces such as Deus and other brands.
What I Like
Wrist Mafia offers an extremely affordable price point.
Many of the watches have elegant faces, hands, and dials.
What I Don’t Like
With such a low monthly price point, expect these watches to be fairly low quality.
You’re stuck with only one subscription level and a limited selection.
You may be better off saving the yearly subscription fee to purchase one quality watch, rather than accumulating 12 low-end watches.
What Other Reviewers Say
Guys who purchased a Wrist Mafia subscription have been pleasantly surprised by the quality, noting that the watches looked and felt a bit more valuable than the price point they paid for them.Several guys commented on how nice the leather bands felt and enjoyed the lightweight feel of their watches. While Wrist Mafia lacks a substantial number of reviews, the ones they do have are hugely positive.
The Verdict
At $33 per month for a brand new watch, Wrist Mafia comes in as one of the most affordable watch subscriptions out there.Â
While each watch is guaranteed to have a retail price of $100 or higher, you’re going to be stuck with a small selection of watches that will undoubtedly pale in comparison to the quality of the watches in Watch Gang’s Black and Premium tiers and every single watch in Breitling’s lineup.
If you’re brand spanking new to the watch game and just want a shiny piece of metal to slide onto your wrist to check the time, this might be a good start for you.Â
However, keep in mind that for only a couple hundred dollars more, you can purchase a durable, highly reputable automatic timepiece that will last you for decades.
At $33 per month for a brand new watch, Wrist Mafia comes in as one of the most affordable watch subscriptions out there. If you’re on a tight budget and brand spanking new to the watch game and just want a shiny piece of metal to slide onto your wrist to check the time, this might be a good start for you.
Ready, Set, Sign Up?
Watches elevate not only your wardrobe, but your entire appearance and make you look and feel more put together. They’re the jewellery staple of a man’s wardrobe and the good ones are worth investing in.
If you want to start better understanding various watch styles, makes, and models, a watch subscription service is one of the best and most affordable ways that you can do so.
Whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur, or a total newbie, Watch Gang is your best pick offering three different tiers of subscription and a comprehensive catalogue of watches at ranging price points.
If you can let go of the need for total control over what you receive in a subscription box at this price point, Watch Gang is a lot of fun, and a convenient way for you to organically develop your own sense of watch style alongside tens of thousands of fellow watch enthusiasts.
If you’re in the market for a Breitling and want to give a few of them a solid
FAQs
Is a watch subscription box worth it?
If you want to avoid getting scammed online and start building a collection of curated timepieces, a watch subscription service might be a perfect entry point into the world of watches. We recommend Watch Gang as the best overall option.
How do I trade or resell watches online?
There are dozens of watch resale sites online. To avoid getting scammed, do your research and only use sites that have positive reviews and use legitimate forms of payment.
How much is a watch subscription service?
Watch subscription services have different price points based on the quality of watches you receive. Watch Gang offers three tiers of subscription for $49, $99, and $299 per month.
