Despite the simplicity of wearing only one watch for virtually every occasion (casual, dress, and sport), most watch guys don’t really try to pull off that hat trick. When it comes to getting gussied up for a special occasion, a casual every day watch might look out of place beneath a crisp button-up shirt cuff. A sport watch might be too thick or have an overly large diameter to clear that cuff. A proper dress watch is moderately sized (35-41mm) and relatively thin (13mm or less) not just because it needs to physically accommodate your shirt cuffs, but because dress watch shouldn’t overwhelm a refined look. Touches of refinement may include colored and textured dials, thinner hands, and glints of polished metal.
It’s Time To Invest In a Bespoke Suit. Here’s Why.
While packing for a recent trip to New York City, I had my sweatpants for the plane, a jacket, and an overabundance of underwear. But this trip was a special occasion — meeting with a book publisher and a few people behind notable menswear shops — so I needed something…
Baltic MR Roulette Salmon
Baltic capitalizes on its MR-01 with a very modest 36mm 316L stainless steel case, a roulette wheel-styled grained dial, an outside minute track, gorgeous Dauphine hands, and a guilloche seconds subdial. The salmon hued dial is my favorite choice in the MR Roulette line, and the high-domed hesalite crystal give the watch a vintage look and feel that no sapphire glass could. Underneath it all is the Hangzhou CAL5000a micro-rotor (MR) with a power reserve of 42 hours. Details like a horizontally brushed and polished case provide even more sophistication to this beauty.
Buy: $594
VAER A3 Atlas Olive USA Auto 36mm
You might not think that the A3 Atlas Olive would qualify as a dress watch, and there you’d be wrong. Its subtle dial color looks like nothing else I’ve come across. Combine it with simple markers and baton hands, a tapered date window at the 6 o’clock position, a polished bezel, and chamfered lugs, and you have a summer suit-friendly timepiece. The optional three-link stainless steel bracelet is a must, of course. The American assembled A3 Atlas Olive keeps time with a Miyota 9015 automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve, and the 36mm diameter x 10.4mm thick case is perfectly sized for dressy duties. It’s a watch that can go from bachelor party to wedding without skipping a beat.
Buy: $619
Citizen Tsuyosa Small Seconds
The Tsuyosa line from Citizen marks a new era of sophistication from the popular Japanese brand. The Small Seconds takes it up another notch with its 40mm case, polished bezel, integrated bracelet, green guilloche dial, and a small seconds subdial with a contrasting orange hand. The Caliber 8322 mechanical automatic movement provides a full 60 hours of power reserve. It’s also ready for more than just dressy duties with its 50-meter water resistance and sapphire glass.
Buy: $595
Zelos Nova 37mm Aventurine Launch Special Microbrand
Zelos specializes in dive watches for the most part, but one of its latest timepieces is for dressy occasions on dry land. Set within the high-polish stainless steel case is the most prominent aspect of the Nova: an iridescent Aventurine glass inner dial with colored metallic flecks embedded within. The outer dial has a guilloche pattern with applied silver Arabic numerals that match the dial and subdial trim. The suit-ready size measures 37mm in diameter by a mere 7mm in thickness. The movement is a hand-wound Swiss ETA 7001 that’s viewable through the sapphire glass caseback. The Nova comes on a handsome black Horween leather strap with contrast stitching.
Buy: $799
Seiko SPB465 Presage Classic Sensaicha
This new Seiko Presage line model is a stunning dark green classic. The deeply hued and wonderfully textured dial is actually inspired by Sensaicha, a traditional Japanese color found in silk and heritage decor. The simple baton markers and flat Dauphine hands keep the face focused on the amazing dial. Aside from the green dial, the only other ornate details is the tapered screw down crown. The 40mm diameter x 13mm thick case is right-sized for shirt cuffs, and the five-link bracelet provides excellent articulation. The Calibre 6R55 automatic movement also has manual wind capability and a substantial 72-hour power reserve. This is a dress watch that’s low on the radar but utterly fetching when you lay your eyes on it.
Buy: $950
Orient Bambino Version 4
There isn’t a better, more classic bargain dress watch than the Bambino dress watch, but now it comes in a wider array of colors. The rose gold case with the green dial is my favorite because it provides both pop and sophistication. The 42mm case pushes the dimensions of a dress watch, but it’s a thin 11.8mm for easy sliding under the cuff. I love the subtle green pastel color of the curved piepan dial, which is complemented by thin dart markers and Dauphine hands. The automatic movement provides 40 hours of power reserve, and the mineral crystal glass is both impact and scratch resistant. For semi-formal duties, I’d swap out the more casual brown suede strap with a two-piece leather croc print strap with gold hardware.
Buy: $270
Jack Mason Ellum Manual Wind
New-ish watch brand Jack Mason brings the dress watch goods with the very vintage-styled Ellum, which was inspired by watches from the ‘50s and ‘60s. The bronze-colored linen textured dial takes center stage, and it’s set in a round goldstone case. The thin gold hands match the beveled markers wonderfully, and Jack Mason even gives the second hand French flag colors on the tail. You can view the workings of the Sellita SW210 Swiss manual wind movement through the transparent caseback, and the pebble grain Epsom brown leather strap finishes off this dress piece perfectly.
Buy: $949
Timex Giorgio Galli S1 Automatic 38mm
This is not the Timex watch that’s stuck in your mind as a cheap hunk of plastic. This one is an artful dress watch that will turn heads. The Galli S1 is named after the brand’s Italian design director, Giorgio Galli, and it puts on display materials and designs unseen on any Timex before it. The custom-designed case is perfectly sized at 38mm in diameter and 11mm in thickness. Turn the stainless steel case on its side, and you’ll find it has beautiful hollow lugs that allow you to peer through to the inner case. The Atlantic Blue dial evokes the deep sea with its rich color, and the bisected markers add elegance to the equation. The synthetic sapphire jewel above the 6 o’clock marker points to the decorated 24-jewel self-winding Japanese Miyota 9039 caliber movement that’s viewable through the caseback. It also gets double-domed sapphire glass and a synthetic rubber strap.
Buy: $450
Frédérique Constant Slimline Gents Small Seconds
For less than a grand, the Slimline Gents Small Seconds is almost shocking. From a renowned Swiss watchmaker, the Slimline exhibits details that warrant a much higher price tag. This dress watch has an elegant stainless steel case, an inner guilloche dial, hand-polished Breguet hands, an onion crown, and a profile that measures in at a wafer-thin 5mm. It’s powered by an FC-245 quartz caliber and is water-resistant up to 30 meters. The croc print leather strap complements it perfectly. Onlookers will think you paid thousands more.
Buy: $950
Bulova Frank Sinatra My Way
A Cartier tank watch will set you back thousands, but you can get a stunning tank watch from Bulova for much less. The Sinatra My Way puts gold, silver, and black together in a fresh way while remaining properly Art Deco. The combination of dart markers, a rectangular chapter ring, and a small seconds subdial makes the dial pop. It’s capped off by a curved sapphire glass crystal and a crown with Frank Sinatra’s fedora logo. The finishing touch is a gray textured leather strap that has a high-end deployant clasp.
Buy: $750
