Tested: The 9 Best Solar-Powered Watches for Everyday Wear

Despite the tech being around for nearly 50 years, solar-powered watches remain a niche subset of the watch industry. Enthusiasts prefer mechanical watches, while budget-minded consumers tend to reach for inexpensive quartz. That leaves solar watches on the outside looking in despite their convenience, with less romance and novelty compared to mechanical pieces and higher prices than standard quartz. Here’s our guide to the best solar-powered timepieces on the market where we got to test out our favorites.

How We Tested

As things stand, almost all solar watches sold today are produced by the big three Japanese watchmakers: Seiko, Casio (makers of G-SHOCK), and Citizen. Citizen especially is associated with solar power, thanks to their innovative Eco-Drive technology that runs on any light. Eco-Drive movements power the bulk of Citizen’s catalog, and as a result, you’ll spot a number of their offerings among our list of the best solar-powered watches. But despite solar-powered watches’ small market share, there are still plenty of great examples out there that are worth picking up, even outside of Citizen — including a few that may surprise you.

For this guide, we sourced our favorites and surveyed the market for other impressive options, looking at aesthetic, power reserve, size, and brand reputation to compile a shortlist. We spent time with each solar-powered watch, paying close attention to comfort, wrist presence, and overall functionality. These results and more are detailed down below in our guide.

Wrist Size: We should also mention that our tester has a wrist diameter of around 8″, so keep that in mind when comparing it to your own wrist.

How Solar Watches Work

There are a number of ways in which a watch can be powered. Mechanical watches use a centuries-old system of springs, levers, and gears that must be wound with a crown or through the motion of your wrist via an oscillating weight. Quartz watches utilize an electric current powered by a small battery. And smartwatches run on rechargeable batteries that make use of the latest technology. Then there are solar-powered watches, which need only the light of the sun — or, in some cases, any light — to power a battery that keeps their hands moving. But what are the best solar-powered watches on the market today?

We’ve all seen old timepieces (and calculators) with exposed solar cells on top of the dials or cases. In modern watches, those cells are usually placed underneath the dials, which can then be converted into energy and stored in a rechargeable electric battery.

Solar Vs. Non-Solar

Pros: The advantages of solar-powered watches may be obvious when you consider that it eliminates waste compared to certain times of Lithium-ion-powered pieces. The sun simply doesn’t run out of juice (at least it won’t for a billion more years). Likewise, the batteries used to store solar energy require less maintenance and can also go longer before needing to be charged up. However, let’s also look at the money you save by purchasing these watches, which come significantly cheaper than mechanical movements.

Cons: Just like the pros, the negatives of owning a solar-powered watch are just as obvious. For one, you’ll only have power as long as you have access to light, which won’t be a problem unless you spend most of your time in darker places or indoors without many windows. Likewise, a lot of the solar options out there aren’t really conducive to fancier outings and will often need to be swapped out if you’re trying to impress.

How Long Do Solar Watches Last?

Compared to mechanical movements which last days to rechargeable watches which can last mere hours depending on its usage, solar-powered units average around 30 days or more with a single full charge. As far as replacing the capacitors, you can expect a few years out of them. However, certain brands, such as Casio’s G-SHOCK, promise upwards of a decade.

What to Look For

Aesthetic: The first thing you should always look at when it comes to buying a watch, especially a solar-powered one where the mechanics of the movement aren’t at the forefront, is what it looks like. Aesthetics will determine how often you wear a timepiece and what you wear it with.

Use/Style: The other side of the coin from aesthetic is the purpose of your watch, which will typically dictate its style. For instance, a diver will have a different appeal than a dress watch. However, most solar watches are sports timepieces in some regard.

Water Resistance: Like every other type of watch, the ability for it to withstand moisture is an important facet to look at. Most of these watches will be water-resistant to at least 50m or 100m underwater.

Case Size: Case size doesn’t just determine the wrist presence of a watch but can largely affect its wearability. If you have a small wrist, you’ll want something a bit smaller (40mm or under). A large watch on a small wrist can be very uncomfortable.

G-SHOCK GAB2100-1A

G-SHOCK has plenty of awesome solar-powered pieces, many of which are among the most rugged watches on Earth. However, for our money, we love the classic 2100 series models (aka the CasiOak for its resemblance to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak). Equipped with the brand’s Tough Solar movement, the GAB2100-1A is a no-fuss, budget-friendly watch with a ton of style and an octagonal shape that provides you with some serious wrist presence. It also features Bluetooth smartphone integration and a 45.4mm carbon-infused resin case with shock-resistant Carbon Core Guard construction.

As with most G-SHOCKs, this 2100 blends both form and function, with a striking appearance that’s made it an undeniable favorite the world over and some insane ruggedness that allows you to take it anywhere. The subtle sunburst dial pattern gives it just a touch of complexity against the matte case. As for its Tough Solar movement, the caliber is able to power every feature of the watch with the power of the sun and even most artificial light sources. While the case might be large for some, its construction allows it to shed significant weight in the process.

Timex Expedition North Field Solar 36mm

While not as extensive in their solar use as Casio, Timex recently revamped their outdoor-focused Expedition range with new models that now include a solar-powered version of the field watch. At just 36mm, this timepiece is the smallest in the series and an easy one to wear, although some larger-wristed individuals may opt out of such a small case size. Proportioning down the existing 41mm Field Post Solar, the Expedition North Field Star is also only 8mm in thickness with a 44.5mm lug-to-lug that’s more true to the traditional Dirty Dozen fiel watches issued to GI soldiers during wartime.

With an attractive military-inspired design, the Expedition North Field Solar is reminiscent of the iconic Khaki Field watch from Hamilton and still boasts 100m of water resistance despite the smaller dimensions. Providing 4 months of power reserve, the solar quartz movement beats at 2-second increments instead of one in order to save energy when the battery is low, letting you know to go outside and give it a good charge. Despite the fantastic price point, the eco-friendly leather is very well executed, punching way above its price tag, also featuring a quick tool-less swapping capability.

Citizen Nighthawk World Chronograph A-T

A lot of watches call themselves pilot’s watches, but pilots aren’t really wearing most of them. Do you think the guy manning your JetBlue flight to La Guardia is rocking a Flieger? Maybe, but probably not. The Nighthawk World Chronograph A-T, on the other hand –– a take on the legendary Skyhawk –– has long been a favorite of actual pilots thanks to the fact that it’s as much of a feature-packed aviation tool as it is a watch, with a slide rule bezel, UTC display, atomic world time tracking for 26 cities, a countdown timer, and a 1/100th of a second chronograph. We especially love version celebrating the Blue Angels of the U.S. Navy is especially popular.

Sporting a fully-analog display opposed to the Skyhawk hybrid, the Nighthawk utilizes Citizen’s phenomenal Eco-Drive caliber, which doesn’t just harness power from the sun but from any light source. In terms of accuracy, the watch gets regular radio updates from 4 atomic clocks around the globe, which only adds serious utility to this useful tool watch with an admittedly busy dial. While the 43mm case diameter is a big one, the hefty wrist size gets partially mitigated by the smaller lug-to-lug of 48mm, allowing the 12mm thickness to slip under the cuff easily.

Seiko Prospex “Arnie”

Your Arnold Schwarzenegger impression is guaranteed to improve tenfold while wearing this watch.* Why is that? Because the Austrian Oak wore the ‘80s version of this rugged Seiko ‘Arnie’ watch in some of his best action films, like Predator and Commando. Arnold’s version wasn’t solar-powered, but the modern-day reissue is. It also has an ISO-standardized 200m water resistance, two methods of illumination, and the classic hybrid dial that combines an analog watch with a digital readout, displaying the day of the week and month, along with alarm and stopwatch capabilities. It’s a great watch to wear when you’ve been “pushing too many pencils” and need to “let off some steam, Bennett.” OK, we’re done with the movie quotes.

Seriously though, the Arnie watch from Seiko is a legend for a reason. Similar to yet distinctively different from other Prospex pieces, this watch still keeps it retro spirit while retaining what made it so beloved to begin with. Be warned though, it’s quite large at 47.8mm across, helping significantly with wrist presence, up by about 2mm from the original, yet remaining faithful to the ’80s blueprint. On the other hand, the lug-to-lug is well proportioned to the case size, thanks to the low protrusion, allowing this watch to wear much smaller. We also loved the process of setting the time, which requires you to pull out the crown and use it to cycle through the hours and minutes displayed on the digital readout, after which the info is synced with the analog interface.

*Not an actual guarantee.

Citizen Promaster Dive “Orca” BN0230-04E

The Seiko SKX series of mechanical divers is one of the most iconic dive watch designs ever, but they’re sadly no longer in production. Thankfully, Citizen is still very much making their similarly-styled Promaster Diver, and it’s very much an icon in its own right. The watch boasts everything you’d want in a solid diver: a unidirectional rotating bezel, great lume, 200m water resistance, and a waterproof polyurethane strap. And since the watch never needs a battery, you won’t have to worry about compromising your depth rating by opening up the caseback.

Benefitting from Citizen’s amazing Eco-Drive movement, the Orca looks slightly different than your standard Promaster Diver, with a more assertive design language that evokes the look of an actual killer whale, including the patchy black-and-white styling, chunky hands, swooping bezel, and unusual ovaline hour markers. Not the indents on the bezel also, which are glove-friendly for underwater use. We also felt the Orca had a lot more wrist presence than the traditional Promaster. On the other hand, our biggest gripe is the strap setup, which makes it difficult to swap for a 3rd-party option, simply because of the challenges posed by the 14mm lug width.

Casio Edifice Windflow ECB2200DC-1A

If you aren’t aware by now, solar watches comes in all shapes, sizes, and purposes. For those looking for a racing-inspired version, check out the Casio Edifice Windflow, which serves as a great alternative to the slew of vintage mechanical racing watches available that are being reissued lately with great fervor. Taking a page from modern motorsports, the Formula 1-inspired design comes in a carbon fiber case and uses angular vent-like notches that look like air flow currents on an actual F1 vehicle.

Popular in motorsports, carbon fiber is known for its high strength-to-weight ratio. Contributing to the complexity of this timepiece, it’s paired with a gauge-like dial design with tons of sharp angles and metallic finishes. On the wrist, you’ll notice the 48.2mm diameter but luckily this watch wears a bit smaller thanks to the 47.6mm lug-to-lug and case material. Like the G-SHOCK models we tested, this features Casio’s own Tough Solar movement, giving you low maintenance throughout the years. We also loved the G-SHOCK-esque features such as the Bluetooth connectivity and analog-digital hybrid interface. If we could change one thing, we’d prefer an upgraded bracelet, which falls short compared to the attention to detail given to the rest of the watch.

G-Shock GMWB5000GD-9

As G-SHOCK has branched out from its outdoor origins to more cosmopolitan fare, it has thankfully brought its solar tech along for the journey. The Full Metal 5000 line comprises some of the flashiest and most stylish watches that G-SHOCK makes thanks to their full-metal case and bracelet construction. But just because the watch looks like a million bucks, that doesn’t mean you’re not still getting the classic G-SHOCK experience. Powered by the brand’s Tough Solar movement, the 5000 has 200m water resistance, atomic and Bluetooth timekeeping, and G-SHOCK’s trademark shock protection.

If you’ve been paying attention up until now, you’ll know what to expect from G-SHOCK and Casio. However, what makes us love this Full Metal 5000 is the retro aesthetic that takes us back to the 1980s. While this ion-plated gold option is our favorite of the Full Metal options, there are currently 15 other versions available, including more subtle all-black or camo iterations as well. We admit that $600 is pricey for a 5000 series G-SHOCK, but this really is as tough of a metal watch as you will find out there, especially if you want full digital.

Seiko Speedtimer 1/100 Second Solar Chronograph SFJ001

Paying tribute to the world’s first-ever analog quartz chronograph, the Seiko 7A28, is this solar-powered analog quartz model, dubbed the Speedtimer SFJ001. Keeping the 1/100-second stopwatch function pioneered by its ’80s-era progenitor, the SFJ001 is a highly unique-looking chronograph with a rare four-subdial configuration. Housed in a brushed stainless steel case measuring 42mm across and boasting 100m of water resistance, the chronograph is powered by the latest solar chronograph 8A50 movement from Seiko with around 6 months of power reserve on just 1 hour of daily sun exposure, which is pretty impressive.

Despite the extra functionality, this is a surprisingly straightforward creation with a fun and quirky side that admittedly slightly limits your ability to tell the actual time. It’s powered by We do love the bracelets on the Speedtimers but they’re not really anything we haven’t seen from Seiko before and could allow for more micro-adjustments on the clasp and screw-pin links to make sizing a bit easier. And for nearly $900, these are reasonable requests.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph Titanium

You’ll notice that most solar-powered watches are relatively affordable, staying far away from luxury territory. On the other hand, you have TAG Heuer, a brand that always seems to subvert expectations of what onlookers may expect from them. Though it’s been around since the 1980s, the Aquaracer got a solar movement in 2022, which is a natural evolution of the outdoor-focused timepiece. Built from grade 2 titanium, this 40mm iteration is highly lightweight and anti-corrosive, which only goes along with the low-maintenance movement.

Sporting perfect proportions all around, the watch features a 10mm thickness with a 46.5mm lug-to-lug measurement. However, our favorite aspect is how well it handles even the most extreme activities with rugged, masculine appeal, while also being able to transpose the watch for wearing on casual or dressy occasions, and with a comfortable strap to boot. As for the movement, it can achieve 6 months of full power with direct sunlight for 20 hours straight. While $3,000 is a lot for a solar piece, you still get TAG’s expertise from a watchmaking perspective, which is enough for the price tag itself.

Tested: The Best GPS Hiking Watches

As you no doubt noticed, a fair number of these solar-powered watches are engineered for outdoor activity. But if you prefer something that has more mapping capabilities for your outdoor escapades, then you should have a look at our guide to the best GPS hiking watches.