We often get asked the question “what should I look for in a dress watch?” so today we are going to provide a basic overview on what makes one! The aim here is to provide some essential knowledge of what makes up a dress watch, some items to consider when looking to buy and some options for the different collector. This is not a complete buying guide but stay tuned for one in the future!
The dress watch is key in any collection and can serve many purposes depending on your lifestyle. This watch is meant to accompany you in situations that require formal attire, this can be something as common as your nine-to-five, as special as your wedding day and anything in between.
Lastly, before we get started we must add that the number one rule in watches (in our opinion) is that there are no rules! At the end of the day if you like the way a watch looks on your wrist regardless of the outfit or occasion that is all that matters. If you are looking to add a dress watch to your collection just to check that box, your money would much better be spent on something that would make you happy.
All of this said, lets begin!
The Case
- Stainless steel, gold or platinum case material with a highly polished mirror like finish that catches light
- Average to modest case diameter (34mm-40mm) that fits flat on wrist
- Slim case design that allows the watch to slide underneath a cuff or sleeve
- The most common case shapes are circular or rectangular
- Petite intricate crowns with a unique shapes, engravings or precious gems
- High polished slim bezel that can be either smooth or patterned
The Dial
- Subtle colored dial that can compliment any outfit, typically some variation of white, black, silver, gold or blue.
- Non-lumed simple hand design in some variation of stick, sword, breguet or dauphin
- Non-lumed simple marker/indices in a highly polished metal or hand painted roman numerals on the dial
- A slim seconds hand can exist in its traditional position, small minute track or not at all
- Absent of complications featuring time only dials that may have a date window
- As the price begins to increase so do the complications that can include calendars, moonphase and others
The Strap
- Commonly found on a high quality leather band that is not distressed
- Can also exist on a thin metal band that does not add additional bulk to the watch
- Buckle can be standard pin and buckle but are mostly found on a deployment clasp
Our Picks
To help provide some context and guidance as to what watches to look for when you are ready to pull the trigger here are some that we recommend checking out. We plan to create a comprehensive buying guide so stay tuned!
The First Dress Watch
Our entry level picks feature a couple great watches from the most well respected entry level brands in automatic watchmaking. Orient and Seiko are two Japanese manufacturers that do an amazing job at producing nicely finished automatic watches at an affordable price point. Both of these are for sale on Amazon check out our Affiliate Links below!
The Cultured Collector
For the cultured collector we are looking at two dress watches that represent both the new school watchmaking chops of Nomos and the cool and classic styling of Cartier.
The Refined Collector
In this category we cross over from timepiece to work of art. The models below from F.P. Journe and A. Lange & Söhne are two of the most distinguished watch manufacturers who obsess over the details, boy does it show!
The Throwback
Once thought of as sports watches many vintage pieces can scratch the itch as a dress watch given their modest case sizes, simple complications and polished cases. This Universal Geneve and Omega are not only beautiful but they are pieces of history.
