As we’re now eschewing the tracksuit bottoms and T-shirts of the past three years for a more stylish dress code – or so the fashion cops are telling us – it’s also time to strap a more elegant timepiece to the wrist than that chunky 45mm diver. Here are nine beautifully understated men’s dress watches whose classic style should prove an ideal match for a business suit or tuxedo.
Rolex Perpetual 1908 Collection
The year 2023 was a milestone for the Swiss manufacture, with the unveiling of an entirely new collection of classic watches.
The annual announcement of the latest novelties from that powerhouse of watchmaking, Rolex, is always a major event, and that of 2023, which coincided with the opening of the Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva in late March, was no exception. Indeed, it’s fair to say that this year’s launches served as a milestone for the brand, in that they included the unveiling of an entirely new Perpetual collection of dress watches.
Named for the year in which the company’s founder, Hans Wilsdorf, registered the Rolex trademark, the new Perpetual 1908 is a svelte timepiece in a 39mm case of either white or yellow gold that combines both classic and contemporary design elements. Especially outstanding are the bezel that’s both domed on the upper part and finely fluted below, the sleek dial that’s finished in either intense white or black dial, and the Arabic numerals 3, 9 and 12, which along with the indexes and hands are all in gold that matches the case material. Also of note are the small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock, with the words “Superlative Chronometer” discreetly displayed in an arc above it, the distinctive circle beneath the tip of the hour hand and the sword-shaped minute hand.
Elegant, understated but distinctly luxurious, the Perpetual 1908 also features a transparent caseback that reveals the new self-winding Superlative Chronometer Calibre 7140, its skeletonised gold oscillating weight and Rolex Côtes de Genève-finished bridges. Boasting all Rolex’s latest technologies, including a Chronergy escapement, Syloxi hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers, the calibre provides superb accuracy and a power reserve of around 66 hours.
In keeping with the Perpetual 1908’s character, the watch is fitted on a matte alligator-leather strap, which comes in brown or black depending on the dial colour, which is attached with a double-folding Dualclasp in either white or yellow gold that ensures the watch always at the centre of the wrist. Because whichever angle you look at it from, Rolex’s new Perpetual 1908 subtly epitomises both perfection and elegance.
#Perpetual #Prestige #Rolex
A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin
In the rarefied realms of A Lange & Söhne, the Saxonia Thin qualifies as “entry-level”, though judged by any other criteria this gorgeously simple two-hand timepiece, which comes in a 40mm case of pink or white gold that’s just 5.9mm thick and features slender gold baton markers on a solid silver argenté dial, is fabulously luxurious. Flip it over and be equally awed by the manually wound L093.1 calibre, whose solid-silver three-quarter plate and balance cock are decorated and polished by hand. A hand-stitched alligator strap, black for the white-gold version and reddish-brown for the pink-gold model, serves as a suitably elegant attachment.
FP Journe Chronomètre Souverain
Somewhat more complicated than the average dress watch in that it features a retrograde power-reserve indicator as well as a small-seconds hand (the latter at 7.30), the latest version of FP Journe’s Chronomètre Souverain is also unusual in that it features a Havana dial, a shade of brown achieved by painstakingly mixing gold and ruthenium until the desired hue was achieved. Available in a 40mm case of either rose gold or platinum, the Havana Chronomètre Souverain takes its power from the rose-gold, manually wound, double-barrel Calibre 1304, which features four inertia weight and beats at a frequency of 3Hz for a 56-hour reserve. To carry this one off you’d need a full brown ensemble, especially as the watch comes with a caramel alligator strap.
Grand Seiko SBGD202
Among the multiple interpretations of classic watch style purveyed by Grand Seiko’s Masterpiece Collection, the SBGD202 is as beautiful as it’s technically advanced, in that its 43mm Zaratsu-polished rose-gold case houses a 9R01 Spring Drive movement with three mainspring barrels, which not only provides eight days’ worth of power but also promises supreme accuracy. In keeping with the case material, the dial features rose-gold hands and faceted hour markers, all of which catch the light and sparkle enticingly against a black background dusted with minute gold particles to resemble a night sky. Luxurious and exceedingly rare, the watch, which is a product of Grand Seiko’s Micro Artist Studio, is presented on a deep-brown crocodile leather strap.
Omega Seamaster 1948
Omega delved deep into the corporate archives for the Seamaster 1948, which was released in 2018 to celebrate the model’s 70th anniversary and features many of the design codes of the original. However, within the 38mm case – and it’s available in either stainless steel or ultra-luxurious platinum 950 – Omega has inserted a thoroughly modern Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre in either central- or small-seconds variations. Dials vary according to the case material: with the steel model it’s opaline silver with white-gold markers, while the platinum version gets a dial in opaline Pt and pink-gold furnishings – as well as a decorated pink-gold oscillating weight that’s visible through the caseback, which is engraved with a 70th-anniversary logo and silhouettes of a period Chris Craft boat and Gloster Meteor fighter jet.
Chopard L.U.C XPS Twist QF
The offset small-seconds dial at 7 o’clock is just one of the unusual features that enable Chopard’s L.U.C XPS Twist QF to live up to its name. A contemporary take on the men’s dress watch, this 250-piece limited edition in a 40mm Fairmined white-gold case also features circular satin-brushed dial finishing that radiates from the sub-dial and contributes to the watch’s subtle asymmetry, the latter complemented by the dial’s intriguing blue-grey hue. Power is provided by a Fleurier Quality Foundation-certified self-winding Calibre 96.26-L, which has twin stacked barrels yet still measures just 3.3mm thick. The movement and its engraved 22k gold micro-rotor can, of course, be seen through the caseback crystal.
Patek Philippe Calatrava
No selection of dress watches would be complete without at least one piece from Patek Philippe, and though we’re seriously spoiled for choice, this Calatrava 5227J in yellow gold whispered so insistently in our ear we couldn’t resist it. If the aesthetics and proportions of its 39mm case, curved grooved lugs and warm ivory lacquered dial, dauphine hands, markers and even minute dots are a class apart, there’s virtually no other watch in this category that can offer a hinged case-back dust cover (and especially not one that’s less than 10mm thick). Open the cover and you encounter the self-winding Calibre 324 in all its glory, which means Côtes de Genève stripes and a beautifully engraved oscillating rotor in solid gold. Dazzling.
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronomètre
Parmigiani Fleurier’s more traditional offerings may have been overshadowed of late by the flurry of incoming Tonda PF models, but when it comes to a luxurious men’s dress watch, the brand’s original Toric line – the name derives from the Doric columns of Greek antiquity – has few equals. A case in point (and a watch we’re in absolute awe of) is this Toric Chronomètre Qualité Fleurier Rose Gold, a 40.8mm beauty with elegant proportions and a silver guilloché grains de riz dial with rose-gold hands and numerals, and a curved, gold-framed date window at 6 o’clock. Turn it over to inspect the double-barrel PF331 movement through the rear sapphire, and you’ll find the finishing on the bridges and 22k-gold rotor are just as exquisite.
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony
Blue and pink gold has always been a colour combination made in heaven, and when it’s the work of Vacheron Constantin you can expect the results to be even more sublime. We’re talking here about the three-hand, time-and-date Patrimony Manual Winding, whose timeless design purity – unadorned case and bezel, square lugs, slender hands and curved applied gold hour markers – are matched by the almost perfect dimensions: 40 x 8.55mm. The open-worked caseback reveals Vacheron’s self-winding Calibre 2450 Q6/3, whose 22k-gold oscillating weight is engraved with the brand’s Maltese Cross motif. Pair it with a midnight-blue tuxedo – though frankly, it looks fabulous in just about any context.