20 Best Solar-Powered Watches Under $300

In a time where waste has become a big problem that humanity faces, it is always a good idea to invest in more eco-friendly solutions. You may not realize it, but the watchmaking industry also contributes to a good amount of waste, especially when it comes to disposable batteries.

Luckily, solar-powered watches exist and they are here not only to provide an eco-friendly solution to watch battery waste but also to give watch wearers everywhere an awesome experience.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of going solar and the 20 best solar-powered watches out there.

What Are Solar-Powered Watches?

Typically,  watches, except the mechanical ones, get their power from disposable batteries. However, these batteries only last a couple of years or so and would need to be discarded and replaced. So, in the typical lifespan of a quality wristwatch, many batteries would come and go. And that results in a lot of waste. To somehow remedy this, the watchmaking industry was able to innovate and create a sustainable solution through the invention of solar-powered watches.

Solar-powered watches make use of solar energy to power the watch movement instead of disposable batteries. They minimize waste since solar-powered watches either do not need a battery at all or have one that does not need changing and only requires exposure to light for it to work.

How Do Solar-Powered Watches Work?

To understand how a solar-powered watch works, we must first discuss the phenomenon of light conversion. To put it simply, there is a scientific phenomenon called the photovoltaic effect that allows for light energy to be converted into electric energy through the presence of a solar cell. Solar cells are found within solar-powered watches and are basically what substitutes the typical disposable watch battery. 

For these watches to function, a good amount of light must shine upon the watch for a given amount of time. Specifics on the duration of light exposure depend on the particular watch model, so it’s best to take a look at the instruction manual. Now, as the light shines on the watch, the energy is being converted into electric energy and is stored in the watch’s power reserve. Think of it as charging your device, but instead of wires and a port, you only need a light source.

Because the watch automatically “charges” when exposed to light, it collects a lot of energy that is then stored in the power reserve. This is why solar-powered watches continue to work even in complete darkness. And often, a fully charged solar-powered watch can go months in the dark while still ticking.

Advantages of Solar-Powered Watches

If you’re still hesitant about purchasing your own solar-powered watch, here are some advantages of having a solar-powered watch that will hopefully convince you.

1. Eco-Friendly

Because a solar-powered watch uses renewable energy to power itself, it causes lesser damage to the environment than the ordinary watch. This is because solar-powered watches eliminate the reliance and use of disposable watch batteries that eventually end up in the dumpsites. If a lot of people around the world only used solar-powered watches, then that would mean lesser waste caused by disposable batteries.

2. Low Maintenance

Solar-powered watches are one of the easiest watches to use since they take little effort to maintain. If you use your solar-powered watch daily, or at least regularly expose it to sunlight, then you would have no problem maintaining it. No more changing of batteries every few years. And you also don’t need to wind it daily unlike the classic manual wind watch. And if you have an atomic solar-powered watch, then that means even less maintenance since the watch automatically sets its time through radio waves daily. 

3. Large Power Reserve

As mentioned, the watch stores the extra converted light energy in the watch’s power reserve. Solar-powered watches actually have a larger power reserve compared to other watches. While some watches can solely run on their power reserve for several hours, the solar-powered watch can go as long as six months just relying on its power reserve. So, the watch can go for several months with no exposure to light at all and still function throughout.

Best Solar-Powered Watches Under $300

So now that you’re hopefully convinced on getting a solar-powered watch of your own, you might be wondering where to start. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of the 20 best solar-powered watches, and they won’t cost you more than $300.

1. Casio G-Shock Rangeman GW-9400

The G-Shock Rangeman is the perfect watch for the adventurous soul. It’s equipped with many cool features such as a compass, barometer, thermometer, altimeter, sunrise and sunset date, countdown timer, and alarms. The thermometer, however, can be a bit inaccurate at times according to users. But generally, it isn’t that much of a bother. The watch also has atomic timekeeping which ensures the accuracy of time.

The Casio G-Shock Rangeman is a pretty good watch. However, if the users could change anything about it they’d make the illumination time last longer. Reviews have mentioned having trouble flipping through the features in the dark because the light switches off every time you press a button.

Pros Atomic timekeeping Many cool features

Cons Inaccurate thermometer reading Short illumination time

2. Casio G-Shock Quartz GWM5610-1

The Casio Men’s G-Shock is littered with cool features such as a battery indicator, power-saving function, shock resistance, full auto-calendar, world time, stopwatch, countdown timer, and alarms. It also has atomic timekeeping so you’ll have no doubt when it comes to your watch’s accuracy.

This watch also has quite a large power reserve, lasting about ten months on a full charge with zero light exposure. It’s quite a nice watch to own. However, some reviewers complain about the strap, stating that it’s uncomfortable on the wrist and made of less than ideal quality.

Pros Large power reserve Many cool features

Cons Band can be uncomfortable to wear

3. Citizen Watches Eco-Drive Nighthawk BJ7000-52E

This Citizen Nighthawk watch is equipped with the signature Citizen Eco-Drive technology, the company’s innovative light conversion technology. It has an indicator that warns you when your watch is on low charge. It also looks quite nice on the wrist. The downside, however, is that the crystal tends to scratch easily.

Pros Low-charge warning Good design

Cons Crystal tends to scratch

4. Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph AT2141-52L

Yet another Citizen Watch makes it to our list with this Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Chronograph Stainless Steel Watch. With this watch, you don’t have to worry about overcharging it since it is equipped with an overcharge prevention feature. It is also quite comfortable to wear for a big watch. 

Pros Overcharge prevention feature Comfortable to wear

Cons Lacks instructions

5. Seiko Women’s Jewelry-Solar Classic SUP173

This beautiful Seiko Women’s Jewelry-Solar Classic Watch sports a nice silhouette and is adorned with Swarovski crystals to add to its elegance. Although it’s quite a classy watch, it can actually be both worn dressed up or down, and would still look good and not out of place.

However, you should note that the bracelet could be a bit too large for smaller wrists so you’d have to make some adjustments to make it fit.

Pros Beautiful design Can be dressed up or down

Cons Could be a bit too big on smaller wrists

6. Casio G-Shock Tough Solar Atomic Sports Watch MTGM900DA-8CR

Shock-resistant and equipped with atomic timekeeping, this Casio Men’s G-Shock Watch is an absolute wonder to have. It comes with a storage battery, but no worries, you don’t need to replace them like normal disposable batteries. The storage battery is simply there to store excess converted light energy and is rechargeable through light exposure. It also has a battery power indicator and a power-saving function.

Overall, users love the watch but pointed out that it could be quite troublesome when pressing the backlight button since it’s pretty recessed into the case.

Pros Battery power indicator Power-saving function

Cons Recessed backlight button

7. Casio  Pathfinder Triple Sensor Multi-Function Sport Watch PAG240-1CR

True to its name, the Casio Men’s Pathfinder Triple Sensor Multi-Function Sport Watch is equipped with many cool functions. These include a thermometer, low-temperature resistance, compass, barometer, altimeter, world time, city code display, full auto-calendar, alarms, and a stopwatch. The watch also has a battery level indicator and a power-saving function.

The watch also shows sunrise and sunset times. However, you’d need to choose a city on the list for this. Reviewers find the list of cities to be limited, so often choosing the closest city would mean inaccurate sunrise and sunset times. 

Pros Many cool features Battery power indicator Power-saving function

Cons Limited list of cities for sunrise and sunset times

8. Casio G-Shock Quartz GST-S110-1ACR

Another G-Shock makes it to our list with this Casio Men’s G-Shock Watch. This is a pretty durable solar-powered watch and is also equipped with a battery level indicator and a power-saving function. It has a nice weight to it. However, reviewers say that the watch tends to scratch through time.

Pros Battery power indicator Power-saving function

Cons Tends to scratch

9. Casio Pro Trek Tough Solar Digital Sport Watch PRW2500R

Equipped with atomic timekeeping, you can be sure that your Casio Men’s Pro Trek Tough Solar Digital Sport Watch will almost always show accurate time. However, since atomic timekeeping works by receiving radio signals, troubles in synchronization might occur depending on your location or the weather. Inaccuracy in some of the features such as the barometer and altimeter are also reported by some reviewers. 

Pros Atomic timekeeping

Cons Accuracy of some features might be off

10. Casio G-Shock GST-S100G-1BCR

This Casio Men’s G-Shock is equipped with some good features such as world time and 31 time zones. It also has a battery power indicator and a power-saving function, ensuring efficient and sustainable use. Some reviewers commented that the digital time can be somewhat difficult to read in dim light. However, the analog time can be read just fine.

Pros Battery power indicator Power-saving function

Cons Can be somewhat difficult to read in dim light

11. Seiko Sports Solar-Powered Watch SNE329

You’ll definitely get good value for the price when purchasing this Seiko Men’s Sports Solar-Powered Watch. It’s quite easy to read and also easy to set the time. There is, however, a minor inconvenience when it comes to this watch. At midnight, the date window automatically changes, but the day calendar only changes after a few hours. This is very minor and would only be troublesome if you are on the night shift.

Pros Good value for the price Easy to use

Cons Inaccuracy in the date and day calendar

12. Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive AW1236-03A

Sporting a nice classic design, this Citizen Men’s Eco-Drive Watch is a timepiece you can wear both dressed up and down. Aside from looking good, it also feels good on the wrist since it is quite lightweight. A minor downside to this watch, however, is that it can be a bit difficult to read under direct sunlight because of a slight glare. 

Pros Can be dressed up or down Lightweight

Cons Slight glare when viewing in direct sunlight

13. Pulsar Chronograph PZ5057X1 

A new brand contender on this list, we have this chronograph watch from Pulsar. This solar-powered watch looks rugged with its 44mm stainless steel case and matching bracelet. The blue dial displays silver indexes and hands, as well as three sub-dials for chronograph functions. 

The watch also features day and date functions and is water-resistant up to 100 meters. Wearers particularly love its luminosity, which makes the watch easy to read even at night.

Pros Great luminosity Affordable chronograp

Cons A bit bulky for slim wrists

14. Citizen Eco-Drive Chandler BM8180-03E

This Citizen Men’s Watch is quite lightweight and feels good on the wrist. However, some complain that the band can be quite a bit stiff but eventually would feel better in time. Although it does not have a battery level indicator, you’ll be able to know when your watch needs charging when the second hand moves in 2-second intervals instead of one.

Users also love it because the movement is pretty quiet. So if you’re particular about that in your watches, this Citizen Watch is a good bet.

Pros Lightweight Quiet movement

Cons No battery power indicator Problems with the band

15. Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph AT0200-05E 

This Citizen Eco-Drive Chronograph offers good value for the price. Users love the watch because of how low maintenance it is due to the Eco-Drive technology. It also gives a pretty accurate time. Overall, it’s a nice watch but could be a bit too small for those having quite big wrists.

Pros Good value for the price Accurate time

Cons Band may be too short for larger wrists

16. Citizen Eco-Drive Avion AW1361-10H

The Avion from the Citizen Watches Eco-Drive collection is quite a handsome watch to have on the wrist. It has a nice and sleek design with a black dial and brown leather strap. The cream and orange hour markers also contrast well with the dark dial.

Although the brown leather strap adds well to the watch’s classy look, some reviewers complain about how thick it is. The thickness makes it a bit difficult to strap on.

Pros Good design Can be dressed up or down

Cons Strap too thick

17. Seiko Prospex SSC017

The Seiko Men’s Prospex Analog Dive Watch looks pretty cool, displaying a black dial with a blue accent against the sleek stainless steel strap. It is also quite durable, with some reviewers saying their watch has gone through a lot of abuse yet still works perfectly fine. A minor inconvenience, though, is the rotating bezel could easily be moved on accident.

Pros Good design Durable

Cons Rotating bezel could be moved by accident

18. Casio Solar Sport Combination Watch AQS810W-1AVCF

Another Casio watch makes it on our list with the Casio Men’s Solar Sport Combination Watch. Aside from its cool features like world time and multilingual day of week display, the watch also has a battery level indicator and a power-saving function. It also has quite a large power reserve, lasting ten months on a full charge with no light exposure. A minor inconvenience regarding this watch is that the interface can be a bit complicated when setting it up.

Pros Battery power indicator Power-saving function Large power reserve

Cons Not that easy to set up

19. Casio G-Shock Atomic Solar GW2310

The G-Shock Atomic Solar stays true to the G-Shock reputation of durability. It’s also quite comfortable despite being a much bigger watch. The downside, however, is that it can be somewhat difficult to read the negative display, especially in the glare. 

Pros Comfortable to wear Durable

Cons Negative display is hard to read

20. Seiko Solar Dress Watch SNE325

Lastly, we have the Seiko Men’s Dress Solar Watch. This watch is quite sleek and handsome on the wrist with its monochromatic design. But because of the low contrast in the monochromatic design, it can be somewhat difficult to read in the dark or low light. Other than that, though, it’s a great watch to have and it feels nice on the wrist since it has some good weight on it.

Pros Good design Nice weight on the wrist

Cons Can be somewhat difficult to read in low light

Final Thoughts

Solar-powered watches definitely exemplify the innovation within the watchmaking industry. There’s a lot of reasons to go solar when it comes to watches. Solar-powered watches are not only eco-friendly, but they also require minimum effort to maintain which is a huge plus.

Since the creation of solar-powered watches, many companies have made their own line of solar-powered watches, and a lot of these are equipped with even more helpful features. In this day and age where waste is a huge problem to the Earth, it is definitely a good idea to invest in a solar-powered watch to help minimize the number of disposable watches that end up in dumpsites.

If you want to take a look at even more solar-powered watches, check out our brand review on Citizen Watches where we also discuss their Eco-Drive Technology.