The Complete Buying Guide to Fossil Watches

Fossil, an American-founded company, carried the generational baton from Timex in the horological relay race for market share. To reinforce the significance of Fossil in the marketplace, it’s best to let its competition do the talking: During Apple Events, the benchmark for Apple Watch sales is those of Rolex, The Swatch Group, and Fossil. Fossil continues to be relevant and should be in the conversation. Today, it remains one of the largest watch manufacturers in the world by volume, generating much of the Fossil Group’s $2 billion of annual revenue.

Fossil’s watch offerings vary from quartz to mechanical and from traditional to smartwatches, and can be found in almost every major department store for $100-300. The combination of availability, price accessibility, and variety of styles make Fossil’s watches ubiquitous, found on countless wrists around the world. If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer variety of the brand’s offerings, this guide should help you out.

Brand History

Fossil was founded in 1984 by American entrepreneur Tom Kartsotis, with their first watch made available to the public for sale by 1985, near the tail end of the Quartz Crisis. This period marked a time when upmarket European brands that produced mechanical watches had seen over a decade of declining sales as customers shifted buying preferences towards more affordable battery-powered timepieces. Fossil saw an opportunity and leveraged mid-century American watch aesthetics combined with low-cost overseas manufacturing and quartz movements. It was a hit.

US Department of Labor, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Affordable quartz watches, such as Fossil, gained popularity in the mid-1980s — especially as they became a fixture in department stores’ jewelry sections. It took less than ten years for Fossil to reach $20 million in annual sales. To further disrupt the traditional watch industry, in 1990 Fossil began participating in the iconic watch and jewelry trade show Baselworld alongside traditional Swiss watch brands. Fossil’s highly stylized quartz timepiece offerings created a popular market by providing a less expensive alternative to luxury European timepieces.

The popularity of Fossil watches continued to grow in the 1990s, with increasing annual revenue leading the brand to becoming a publicly traded company (FOSL) on the NASDAQ. The increase in operating capital allowed the brand to diversify its offerings into leather accessories, sunglasses, and handbags. It sustained the trajectory of growth throughout the 1990s, opening Fossil-branded stores to solidify its position as a lifestyle brand. By the mid-1990s Fossil began acquiring the rights to manufacturing and distribution of watches made for fashion brands such as Emporio Armani and intellectual property giants such as Disney.

Fossil eventually departed from midcentury designs in favor of more modern ones, such as their patented “BIG TIC.” (This design uses traditional hour and minute hands; however, instead of a seconds hand, the dial contains a large LCD digital displaying the seconds.) Other innovations during this period include the 2003 launch of the (pre-smartwatch) Fossil Wrist PDA that ran Palm OS. These innovations were only part of the growing Fossil brand, now part of the Fossil Group. The Fossil Group continued to acquire other watch brands, most notably Zodiac and Michele, as well as license watch design and manufacturing from fashion brands such as Burberry, Diesel, Michale Kors, and the National Football League.

Fossil

While building a juggernaut to increase its product offerings, Fossil bought suppliers and manufacturing facilities to combine with state-of-the-art warehousing, distribution, and retail stores. The Fossil Group was able to fully integrate its supply chain by founding Swiss Technology Production (STP) to manufacture its watch movements — this allowed it to break away from buying movements from outside suppliers such as ETA or Stellita. Fossil even began offering a Fossil Swiss line to move upmarket, which it did by placing the Fossil watch design studio in Biel, Switzerland — the same town in which Rolex is headquartered.

Fossil founder Tom Kartsotis developed a close friendship with Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards and has since served on the board of directors there since 2004 (while serving as CEO of Fossil Group). Kartsotis and Carpenter’s entrepreneurial stories have similar paths, with roots in American design that leveraged overseas manufacturing to grow their companies into full lifestyle brands. Jake Carpenter loved watches, and he’d only been known to wear Rolex, selections from the Fossil Group, and Shinola.

Kartsotis stepped down as CEO of Fossil in 2010 to re-launch Shinola as a lifestyle brand focused around watches, and also has a financial stake in American outdoors and leather goods company Filson. The Fossil Group is currently run by Tom’s brother, Kosta Kartsotis, with headquarters in Richardson, Texas.

Smartwatches

Fossil

Gen 5E Smartwatch Brown Leather

fossil.com

$249.00

The 5E Smartwatch by Fossil is powered by Wear OS, Google’s smartwatch operating system. Users interface with the watch through the color touchscreen display and manipulation of the crown. Wear OS allows you to access preloaded apps, utilities, personal health/fitness tracking, and notifications.

Dimensions: 44mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 30m

Strap: Leather 22mm

Movement: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Wear 3100 / Wear OS by Google

Gen 5 Smartwatch The Carlyle HR Black Silicone

fossil.com

$295.00

Carlyle HR takes Fossil’s smartwatch features from the Gen 5E and adds a heart rate monitor for additional personal health analytics. The operating system, Wear OS by Google, links to any phone running Android™ 6.0+ or iOS 12.0+. Additional user interfaces can be found by using the chronograph pushers.

Dimensions: 44mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 30m

Strap: Silicon 22mm

Movement: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Wear 3100 / Wear OS by Google

Hybrid Smartwatches

Fossil

Hybrid Smartwatch Neutra Luggage Leather

fossil.com

$155.00

Appearances may be deceiving: The Fossil Hybrid Smartwatch Neutra offers many of the functional features of a smartwatch. but uses traditional analog watch aesthetics to tell time as well as perform basic smartwatch alerts. Benefits include long battery life (up to 6 months) and a compelling price point. Robust smartwatch features of the Fossil Hybrid Smartwatch are synced with your phone via low-energy Bluetooth and are accessed through the Fossil Smartwatch App.

Dimensions: 44mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 30m

Strap: Silicon 22mm

Movement: Neutra Hybrid

Hybrid Smartwatch HR Everett Stainless Steel

fossil.com

$219.00

The Fossil Everett is a hybrid smartwatch that borrows design elements from high-end horology — specifically the integrated stainless steel bracelet and angular lines of the case. The Fossil Everett Hybrid Smartwatch does require charging every week, though it can reach 80% of its battery life on the charger in less than one hour. The negative display makes the Fossil Everett easy to read in bright sunlight.

Dimensions: 45mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 30m

Strap: Bracelet 18mm

Movement: Neutra Hybrid

Mechanical Watches

Fossil

Townsman Automatic Black Leather Watch

fossil.com

$219.00

The open heart of the dial displaying the Fossil Townsman Automatic’s mechanical movement is fun and makes a great conversation piece. It also demonstrates that the watch is mechanical, not quartz. A gold-colored PVD coating and Roman numerals on the dial make it a great choice for a formal occasion.

Dimensions: 45mm

Material: PVD-coated stainless steel

Water Resistance: 50m

Strap: Leather 22mm

Movement: Automatic

Inscription Automatic Brown Leather Watch

fossil.com

$219.00

The Fossil Inscription line offers a modern, squared case shape with a traditional automatic movement — a skeletonized dial allows it to be on full display. It also makes a great vacation watch, especially if you add a blue silicone strap.

Dimensions: 42mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 50m

Strap: Leather 22mm

Movement: Automatic

Leather Watches

Fossil

Forrester Chronograph Luggage Leather Strap

fossil.com

$129.00

The Fossil Forrester Chronograph is highly legible thanks to Arabic numerals at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions, while three subregisters feature running seconds, a 30-minute chronograph timer, and a 24-hour hand. Fossil offers classic colors for the Forrester such as blue, brown, white, and gray, though gunmetal and gold PVD cases are also available if you have a proclivity for a little extra flair.

Dimensions: 46mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 50m

Strap: Leather 24mm

Movement: Quartz

Everett Chronograph Brown Leather Watch

fossil.com

$149.00

The brown leather strap and complementing dial give the Everett Chronograph a soft and earthy feel. Fossil balances the design with a black PVD coating on the steel case, though if you prefer something even more monochromatic, the Everett Chronograph is also available in gunmetal.

Dimensions: 42mm

Material: PVD-coated stainless steel

Water Resistance: 50m

Strap: Leather 18mm

Movement: Quartz

Stainless Steel Watches

Fossil

FB-01 Three-Hand Date Stainless Steel Watch

fossil.com

$129.00

The FB-01 Three-Hand Date is one of Fossil’s most popular watches for a reason: The modern-but-not-too-large 42mm size combined with traditional dive watch styling has broad appeal. 100m of water resistance makes it fully capable of recreational swimming. And there are multiple colorways for dial and bezel options, “Pepsi” (Red/Blue) being a fan favorite. Even when adding an extra strap, the total package is under $160.

Dimensions: 42mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 100m

Strap: Bracelet 22mm

Movement: Quartz

ARC-02 Multifunction Stainless Steel Watch

fossil.com

$149.00

Complications don’t have to be complicated. At a glance, the Fossil Architect (ARC-02) Multifunction appears to have the three sub-register layouts of a traditional chronograph. However, the subdials display different information such as a 24-hr hand, the day of the week, and the date. The slick format along with a black dial gives the Fossil Architect a place among the brand’s cleanest designs.

Dimensions: 44mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 50m

Strap: Bracelet 22mm

Movement: Quartz

Minimalist Watches

Fossil

The Minimalist Two-Hand Black Leather Watch

fossil.com

$129.00

The Minimalist Two-hand Black Leather Watch is Fossil’s sleekest design, so if busy and chunky watches turn you off, start here. The subdial with a running seconds hand at 6-o’clock balances the midcentury design with a modern color palette. And adding Fossil’s 22mm Stainless Steel Mesh Bracelet ($49) is always an option for those who don’t care for leather.

Dimensions: 44mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 30m

Strap: Leather 22mm

Movement: Quartz

The Minimalist Three-Hand Brown Leather Watch

fossil.com

$129.00

The creamy beige dial of the Fossil Minimalist Three-Hand watch is extremely versatile — by experimenting with different strap colors and materials, you can make it compliment any wardrobe. Fossil also offers free case back engraving, making the Minimalist a great gift for grads or groomsmen.

Dimensions: 44mm

Material: Stainless steel

Water Resistance: 30m

Strap: Leather 22mm

Movement: Quartz

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The 50 Greatest Watches of All Time

Watches are far too subjective to rank, you say? We did it anyway. For this list of the 50 Greatest Watches of All Time — GWOAT, if you will — we identified timepieces with a combination of compelling features, influence and lasting popularity, as well as a few overlooked but exceptional models. Deriving from all watch categories and from the past hundred or so years, this ultimate tally culminates in the single greatest, most iconic, most beautiful, most utilitarian, most … eh, you get it.

50. Timex Weekender

Timex

Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Quartz
Price: $45

A design classic, the Timex Weekender is the humble and affordable watch that’s led to many an illustrious collection. It just might be the ultimate everyman, everyday watch.

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49. Casio Databank

Casio

Diameter: 33.1mm
Movement: Quartz
Price: $51

Decades after their introduction, calculator watches are still somehow cool, and Casio’s Databank is easily the most iconic. (Michael J. Fox wore one in Back to the Future.) For very little money you can still get a watch with a useful feature and scads of nostalgia.

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48. Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical

HODINKEE

Diameter: 38mm
Movement: ETA 2802 handwound
Price: $475+

One of the most basic and rugged mechanical watches you would actually want to wear every day, the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical is a contemporary classic. A thoroughly modern product, it references Hamilton’s history of producing military and field watches.

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47. Seiko SKX007

Seiko

Diameter: 43mm
Movement: Seiko 7S36 automatic
Price: $347

The cult following surrounding Seiko’s SKX series (and the SKX007 in particular) is nothing short of a phenomenon. Its solid specs and personality have won over minions of watch enthusiasts and regular Joes alike, and its basic characteristics still underpin the Japanese brand’s image today.

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46. Doxa SUB 300T

Doxa

Diameter: 44mm
Movement: ETA 2852 automatic (modern: 2824-2)
Price: $1,890

Created in 1967 with input from none other than Jacques Cousteau, Doxa’s Sub 300T epitomizes a brand known for its dive watches. It was the first watch to offer a unidirectionally rotating bezel and the first with a bright orange dial. The Conquistador version featured the first commercially available helium escape valve.

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Watch How-To’s

What are Flieger Watches?

How to Use a Dive Watch Bezel

How to Buy An Omega Speedmaster

45. Nomos Metro Datum Gangreserve

Nomos

Diameter: 37mm
Movement: DUW 4401 manual
Price: $3,780

The Nomos Metro Datum Gangreserve was designed by Mark Braun and introduced the brand’s in-house movement with Swing System escapement technology. One of Nomos’s most notable models, it also stands out visually, with a quirky design featuring minty green highlights and an off-center power reserve indicator.

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46. Bell & Ross BR03

Bell & Ross

Diameter: 42mm
Movement: Sellita SW300-1 Automatic
Price: $2,990

Few modern watches are as recognizable and iconic as Bell & Ross’s smaller flagship design, first released in 2005. Based on cockpit instruments, the concept was introduced in the large BR01 series, but the 42mm BR03 makes it the wearable success that it is today.

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43. Oris Big Crown Pointer Date

Oris

Diameter: 40mm
Movement: SW 200-1 Automatic
Price: $1,250+

Based on an Oris pilot watch from 1930s, the Big Crown Pointer Date offers a watch with formal styling but a shot of aviation influence. Its centrally mounted hand that indicates the date at the dial periphery is an uncommon feature that adds an unusual twist.

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42. Parmigiani Fleuerier Ovale Pantographe

Parmigiani

Diameter: 37.7mm
Movement: Parmigiani PF111 handwound
Price: $55,000

The Parmigiani Ovale Pantographe solves a basic watchmaking problem in a wonderfully over-engineered way. In order for the hands to reach their respective markers on this elegantly elliptical dial, they extend and contract like accordions as they travel around it. Inspiration was taken from a 19th-century pocket watch.

Manufacturer Info

41. Urwerk UR105

Urwerk

Diameter: 39.5mm
Movement: Urwerk UR 5.03 Automatic
Price: ~$70,830

Urwerk seems to break all the “rules” of watch design and aesthetics and yet, somehow, the result is captivating. The UR 105 is perhaps the brand’s most representative model, with a bizarre case and hands that themselves display the hours while pointing to the current minute along a track.

Manufacturer Info

The Best Leather Watch Straps

Black Leather Watch Strap

hodinkee.com

$155.00

Navy Blue Watch Strap

molequin.com

€105.00

“Everett” Light Grey Suede Watch Strap

basandlokes.com

$180.00

40. Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope

Junghans

Diameter: 40mm
Movement: ETA 7750 Automatic
Price: $1,995+

No watch better represents the German design philosophy of Bauhaus than the Junghans Max Bill collection, designed by its namesake in the 1950s. With clean and functional but captivating aesthetics, the Chronoscope is a masterpiece that still looks fresh today.

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39. Sinn EZM1

Sinn

Diameter: 43mm
Movement: Modified ETA 7750 automatic
Price: $4,860

The Sinn EZM 1 “mission timer” is a professionally oriented chronograph watch that displays its stopwatch features on its main dial rather than via a more typical subdial layout. It’s visually striking, tough as nails and one of the most notable watches from the German brand known for making no-nonsense, function-first tools.

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38. Seiko Prospex Turtle

Seiko

Diameter: 45mm
Movement: Seiko 4R36 automatic
Price: $495

Affectionately nicknamed the “Turtle,” this affordable dive watch is one of the most popular modern Seiko’s for good reason: It recalls the brand’s past and makes for a bold but comfortable daily wearer just bursting with character.

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37. Tutima M2

Tutima

Diameter: 46mm
Movement: Modified ETA 7750
Price: $6,500

With roots in military timepieces, the pragmatic, technical M2 by German brand Tutima is one of the most distinctive pilot’s chronographs available. Produced in titanium at 46mm on an integrated bracelet, it’s not for the faint of heart or wrist.

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36. Rolex Datejust 1603

Bobs Watches

Diameter: 36mm
Movement: Rolex 1570 automatic
Price: ~$4,200+

The Rolex Datejust is neck and neck with the Submariner among the most recognizable and iconic watches of all time. In 1945, it was the first automatic watch to feature a date window, changing the watch industry forever. The ref. 1603, with its engine-turned bezel, epitomizes what’s made the Datejust so swanky and versatile and beloved the world over.

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35. Tag Heuer Monaco

Amazon

Diameter: 37-39mm
Movement: Various
Price: $2,150+

The Heuer Monaco is notable for several reasons: Not only is it a unique-looking sporty chronograph in a square case, but it housed the brand’s famous automatic Calibre 11 movement. It’s best known, however, for its iconic silver-screen appearance on the wrist of Steve McQueen. Modern versions span a wide arrange of prices.

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34. Omega Seamaster Diver 300

Omega

Diameter: 42mm
Movement: Omega 8800 automatic
Price: $4,900+

Omega’s flagship Seamaster Diver 300m stands out among a crowded field not only for the prestigious name on the dial and its contemporary looks, but because of its associations with a certain fictional spy: Yes, it’s the watch choice of the modern James Bond, and that’s a cool factor that’s hard to beat.

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33. Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight

Tudor

Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Tudor MT5402 automatic
Price: $3,700

The Tudor Black Bay is one of the most popular modern sports watches on the market, and the downsized Fifty-Eight model is arguably its best iteration. Rolex’s sister company offers an exemplary level of quality, incredible value and a remarkably compelling package.

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32. Universal Genève Polerouter

Analog Shift

Diameter: 34mm
Movement: Various Universal Genève automatic
Price: $1,200+

One of the earliest watches by design luminary Gerald Genta, the Universal Genève’s Polerouter was made to promote the first trans-Atlantic flights over the North Pole. A remarkably well made and well designed watch featuring a micro-rotor to help keep it thin, the Polerouter remains notable today many decades after its debut.

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31. Seiko 62MAS

HODINKEE

Diameter: 37mm
Movement: Seiko 6217A automatic
Price: ~$5,500+

Seiko is renowned today for its dive watches, a story that began in 1965. Basic principles and design elements established with the release of the 62 MAS in that year continue to inform the modern Japanese brand’s highly capable, fun, affordable and deservedly popular dive watch range, as well as more upmarket models.

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The Best Rubber Watch Straps

TROPIC Dive Watch Strap

tropic gearpatrol.com

$63.20

ISOfrane Watch Strap

isofrane gearpatrol.com

$129.00

Curved End Rubber Strap

everestbands.com

$235.00

30. Longines Hour Angle

Longines

Diameter: 47.5mm
Movement: ETA A07.111 automatic
Price: $5,000

The first Hour Angle watch was produced by Longines and developed with the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh in 1931 for navigational use in his aeronautic adventures. The brand today produces a modern interpretation with an automatic movement.

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29. Beobachtungsuhr (B-Uhr)

b-Uhr

Diameter: 55mm
Movement: Various handwound
Price: $6,000+

In the 1930s, the watch companies IWC, A. Lange & Söhne, Wempe, Laco and Stowa made incredibly durable, accurate, and legible watches for the German air force. Known as B-Uhr, many of the same brands still produce modern versions, most of which are smaller than the originals’ 55mm cases.

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28. Bulgari Octo Finissimo

Bulgari

Diameter: 40mm
Movement: BVL 138 automatic
Price: $12,200+

The complicated case design of the Bulgari Octo watch was conceived by Gerald Genta, and today it’s one of the edgiest luxury sport watches on the market. The busy case is offset by a simple dial and thin profile for a dramatic, luxurious look that immediately grabs your attention.

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27. Grand Seiko SBGJ235

Grand Seiko

Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Grand Seiko 9S86 automatic
Price: $6,300

Grand Seiko is one of the few companies offering the somewhat exotic feature of a “hi-beat” (5Hz) movement. The SBGJ235, with a hi-beat movement, handy GMT feature and impressive balance of colors, design and features, makes for a grail-worthy watch.

Manufacturer Info

26. Rolex Day-Date 1803

Bobs Watches

Diameter: 36mm
Movement: Rolex 1555 automatic
Price: $6,500+

A symbol of luxury and status, the Day-Date is only produced in precious metals and is instantly recognizable as a Rolex. Building upon the design and date window of the Datejust, the Day-Date was released in 1956, adding the day of the week spelled out in full at the top of the dial. It’s at its most iconic on its “President”-style bracelet.

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25. Breguet Type 20

Breguet

Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Breguet 582 automatic
Price: $9,500

Produced for the French air force following WWII, the Type XX is one of the most notable pilot’s watches available. It featured a a flyback chronograph, which allows the stopwatch function to be restarted without stopping it. While several companies made watches to the government’s specifications, Breguet is the most notable and maintains a modern collection.

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24. Ressence Type 3

Ressence

Diameter: 44mm
Movement: Modified ETA 2824-2 automatic
Price: ~$40,130

Ressence is one of the most unique and innovative watch brands in the world, presenting traditional mechanical horology in a strikingly novel way. The Type 3 represents the brand’s vision best, with a dial that revolves to display the time and an oil-filled case that does wonders for legibility.

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23. Patek Philippe Calatrava

Collectability

Diameter: 37mm+
Movement: Various in-house Patek Philippe
Price: $20,870+

The understated Patek Philippe Calatrava debuted in 1932 with reference 96 and established the blueprint for a collection that continues to this day. Though it stems from a brand known for highly complicated watchmaking, many consider the Calatrava to be the ultimate dress watch.

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22. IWC Portugieser

Phillips

Diameter: 40-44mm
Movement: IWC in-house calibers
Price: $7,250+

Restrained and classic in style, the IWC Portugieser is a dress watch staple. Introduced in 1939, the reference 325 was unusually large at 41.5mm at at time when much smaller watches were the norm, but it set the tone for a collection that today includes a range of watches, from three-hand models to chronographs and more.

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21. Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 “Paul Newman”

Rolex

Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Valjoux 72 handwound
Price: $238,000+

While nearly any Cosmograph Daytona with an exotic dial is more valuable than its standard-dial brethren, the 6239, which Paul Newman himself wore, blows them all out of the water. Newman’s personal Rolex hammered for more than $17M in 2017, but even non-Newman owned variants are worth hundreds of thousands, and it’s not hard to see why — they’re some of the most beautiful watches ever made.

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The Best NATO Watch Straps

Phoenix G10 NATO Strap

cwcwatch.com

£12.99

Maratac Mil-NATO Band

countycomm.com

$17.00

Supreme NATO Strap

crownandbuckle.com

$34.00

20. Zenith El Primero

Zenith

Diameter: 37mm
Movement: Zenith El Primero automatic
Price: $7,000+

The groundbreaking 1969 Zenith El Primero movement, introduced in the reference A384, was among the first automatic chronographs in the world. Operating at the unusually high frequency of 5Hz, Zenith’s movement is still produced today and powers a variety of watches.

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19. Heuer Carrera

Tag Heuer

Diameter: 36-41mm
Movement: Various
Price: $2,500+

This well-known watch from Heuer and then TAG Heuer has taken many different forms over the years, but all draw upon the Carrera introduced in 1964 as the reference 2447. This might still be the most perfect of them all, and a modern remake captures its charms well while adding updates like a slightly larger diameter.

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18. Casio G-Shock

Casio

Diameter: 43mm
Movement: Quartz
Price: Varies

When Casio employee Kikuo Ibe smashed his prized watch, he was inspired to create one that simply “wouldn’t break when you dropped it,” and the first G-Shock debuted in 1983. Today, the DNA of the original reference DW-5000C carries on in the 5600 series and others and remains one of the toughest, coolest watches in existence.

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17. A-11

Courtest mywatchmart

Diameter: ~32mm
Movement: Various handwound
Price: $150+

The A-11 has been called “the watch that won the war.” Made by several American companies for Allied soldiers in WWII, it had to be durable, legible and accurate, traits that still define the best watches today. Despite its utilitarian purpose, it’s somehow attractive — and one of the most notable watches ever made.

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16. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Diameter: 21mm+
Movement: Quartz, handwound and automatic
Price: $4,150+

Even at first glance, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, introduced in 1931, is an Art Deco design masterpiece, but it’s even more unique for featuring a case that can be reversed on the wrist — originally conceived to protect it from knocks when being worn by polo players. Today it’s made in both simple and complicated versions.

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15. A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk

A. Lange Sohne

Diameter: 41.9mm
Movement: A. Lange & Söhne L043.1 Manual
Price: ~$88,300

A. Lange & Söhne’s Zeitwerk was controversial at its introduction for its avant-garde looks, but quickly became one of the most unique and notable watches in recent history. It helps that every Lange watch is refined to exceptional standards, but it also signifies that the brand’s take on classical German watchmaking incorporates room for creativity and daring.

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14. Cartier Santos

Cartier

Diameter: 35.1-43.3mm
Movement: Various handwound or automatic
Price: $6,250+

Officially the first purpose-built, serially produced wristwatch and simultaneously the first-ever pilot’s watch, the Cartier Santos was made for a pioneering aviator in 1904. It remains one of Cartier’s most popular collections and has an utterly distinctive personality.

13. Grand Seiko Snowflake

Grand Seiko

Diameter: 41mm
Movement: Seiko Spring Drive 9R65 Automatic
Price: $5,800

Probably Grand Seiko’s most notable model, the Snowflake combines a multitude of features that make the brand unique: It uses an innovative Spring Drive movement, features “zaratsu” polishing and places emphasis on the beautifully textured execution of its dial.

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12. Breitling Navitimer

Breitling

Diameter: 41mm
Movement: Breitling B-09 handwound
Price: $8,600

The ref. 806 is perhaps the model that best encapsulates the history and signature features of the storied Breitling Navitimer, with a slide rule bezel that was used by pilots for a range of necessary calculations at a time before cockpits went digital. A modern remake offers much of the same appeal but with updated materials and construction.

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11. Rolex GMT Master ref. 1675

chrono24

Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Rolex 1570 automatic
Price: ~$14,000-$35,000

Produced from 1959 through 1980, the Rolex GMT Master ref. 1675 is one of the longest-produced models from the brand and has come to define the iconic GMT Master look. The GMT Master is so culturally potent that any watch with the blue and red bezel will be called “Pepsi,” but it’s Rolex that coined the style, of course.

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10. Apple Watch

Apple

Diameter: 34mm or 38mm
Movement: WatchOS
Price: ~$399+

The Apple Watch can also do far, far more than any watch in history, and continues to dominate the smartwatch segment itself. Apple studied the Swiss watch industry in developing its smartwatch and the result is a wearing experience that watch enthusiasts should appreciate — even if many are too stubborn to do so.

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9. Patek Philippe Nautilus

Patek Philippe

Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Patek Philippe 26‑330 S C automatic
Price: $30,620+

Persistently in-demand, the Nautilus is the steel sport watch from Patek Philippe, typically selling for far above its retail price. Designed in 1976 by the luminary Gerald Genta following the success of his Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet, the Nautilus is one of the most prestigious watches but offers a casual wearing experience and sporty specs.

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8. A. Lange & Söhne Datograph

A. Lange Sohne

Diameter: 41mm
Movement: A. Lange & Söhne L095.1 handwound
Price: ~$51,570

Among the several models that debuted the modern incarnation of A. Lange & Söhne’s revival in 1994, it’s the Lange 1 that catapulted the company to success. With an asymmetric layout featuring a subdial for the main time, a small dial for the seconds, a large digital date display and a power reserve indicator, it’s not only striking and original, but its strong personality and thoughtful details make it a masterpiece in many collectors’ minds.

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7. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

Blancpain

Diameter: 38mm+
Movement: Various
Price: $9,500+

Dive watches as we know them today were born in 1953 when, alongside important releases from Rolex and Zodiac, Blancpain introduced its Fifty Fathoms. Originally designed for the French navy’s elite Nageur de Combat, the watch was reissued back in the 2000s and the result is one of the most notable modern luxury dive watches available.

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6. Cartier Tank

Cartier

Diameter: 24.4mm+
Movement: Various handwound, automatic and quartz
Price: $2,410 – $35,400

Cartier pioneered the wristwatch with a square-shaped Santos in 1904, but it was the 1917 Tank that catapulted the men’s wristwatch into popularity. The collection is alive and varied today and constitutes the archetypical formal, elegant watch.

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5. Panerai Luminor

Panerai

Diameter: 40mm-50mm
Movement: Handwound or automatic
Price: $5,500-$149,000

The history of its use by Italian navy divers, its swaggering panache, its simple but masculine style, its captivating luminescence, its distinctive crown guard and locking mechanism…these all contribute to what makes the Panerai Luminor an enduring icon.

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4. Patek Philippe ref. 1518

Patek Philippe

Diameter: 35mm
Movement: Heavily modified Valjoux handwound
Price: $260,000+

Patek Philippe’s perpetual calendar chronograph watches are legendary in part because they were the first company to ever produce such a watch serially. In 1941, the reference 1518 introduced this combination of perpetual calendar and chronograph — though highly complicated, it exemplifies refinement, elegance and wearability.

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3. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

chrono24

Diameter: 37-44mm
Movement: Various AP automatic
Price: $19,300+

When Gerald Genta designed the Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet in 1970, not even he could have imagined its future success or influence. It single-handedly introduced the concept of the luxury steel sport watch with integrated bracelet to the world, but even nearly 50 years after its 1972 release it’s as fresh and desirable as ever, if not more so.

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2. Omega Speedmaster Professional

Omega

Diameter: 42mm
Movement: Various Omega handwound calibers
Price: $5,350+

There’s nothing quite as seductive as a chance to wear the same watch that passed NASA’s stringent tests and went to the moon. The Omega Speedmaster’s solid build and versatile looks further helped it become one of the most popular watches today, and it doesn’t hurt that modern versions remain relatively accessibly priced.

1. Rolex Submariner ref. 5513

Bobs Watches

Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Rolex 1520 and 1530 automatic
Price: $11,000+

Uncontroversially, the Rolex Submariner is the most recognized and influential watch in history, and the 5513 is the model that established the form that defines the Sub as we know it today. Introduced in 1962 largely fully formed, it was produced for around 25 years. Simple and legible but eminently versatile, the watch world without this watch as its nucleus would look radically different.

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France, America and Switzerland Meet in This Watch

Some watch collabs are a mere co-branding exercise or tweaked colors, but the new Semper & Adhuc Immédiate Transatlantique is a rarer breed: It’a a deeper collaboration combining the design DNA and expertise of a French watchmaker, the input of an American watch enthusiast website and a vintage movement that was itself also a collaborative effort. The result is a strikingly original watch with a ton of backstory.

Founded in 2016 by watch industry veteran Colin de Tonnac, Semper & Adhuc creates new watches using restored vintage movements. It’s among a few brands with this approach, but very much offers its own vision, story and look. The new collaboration watch lives in the brand’s Immédiate collection, which is defined by its dial design and a dressy, cushion-like case shape.

Semper & Adhuc began the Immédiate Transatlantique project with “a small selection of Bulova movements in a drawer,” including the company’s Series 5. These are small, manually wound and beautifully decorated movements produced between 1936 and 1975. Though “designed and drafted” in Switzerland, the movements were “completed and assembled” in the United States. The brand then worked with founder of the website Beyond the Dial — and Gear Patrol’s own freelancer extraordinaire Allen Farmello — to develop the concept as well as to get Bulova’s blessing to use the movements. You can see where the Transatlantique name comes from — a red, white and blue theme for the dial equally represents French and American national colors.

Courtesy

Courtesy

Like other watches in the Immédiate collection, the Transatlantique has a 37mm steel case that’s water resistant to 30m, and, notably, customers can specify a right- or lefthand orientation for the crown. The Bulova Series 5 movements have a 35-hour power reserve and are partially visible through a case back “eyecup.” Aside from the movements, every part of the brand’s watches is sourced from suppliers in France.

Watches like this feel special for a number of reasons, but even more so because they’re naturally limited — not only by the work required of making them to order but also by the number of movements available: specifically, 20. That means that if you want one of the 20 examples you’ll have to act quickly when they become available for pre-order today, September 14, 2021, at 2pm EST for around $2,465. If you don’t get a chance to grab one of these but like Semper & Adhuc’s approach, it’s well worth checking out their other watches or waiting for the next collab watch.

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The Best Watches Spotted at the US Open

Millions were glued to their televisions as Daniil Medvedev beat Novak Djokovic in an intense US Open Men’s Singles final on Sunday. In addition to all the drama, you might have noticed some interesting wrist-wear on the players as well as on those in the stands. The champ himself wore an unexpected watch for a tennis player as he held his trophy aloft, but celebrities in the crowd also presented some watch-spotting opportunities. Check out the most notable watches at the US Open Men’s Singles final below.

Daniil Medvedev: Bovet OttantaSei

Matthew StockmanGetty Images

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Daniil Medvedev didn’t wear a watch during the match, but as he received the trophy on his wrist was the kind of watch that makes you look twice. It’s from the high-end Swiss brand Bovet — Medvedev is a Bovet brand ambassador — and is probably a bit delicate for the types of shocks a professional tennis player would subject it to. (There are Richard Mille watches for that.) The OttantaSei is like a sporty version of Bovet’s Virtuoso collection, and it features a highly skeletonized movement, a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock and a 44mm case made of titanium with a blue finish.

Price: $165,000

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Novak Djokovic: Big Bang Hublot Mecha 10 Ceramic Blue

Matthew StockmanGetty Images

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It was a tough loss for Novak Djokovic. The Serbian player was a longtime ambassador for Seiko but recently made the switch to Hublot — the model he wore for the tournament was the Big Bang Mecha 10 Ceramic Blue. With a 45mm ceramic case with a blue finish, it almost seems coordinated with Medvedev’s choice, but is somewhat sportier. It also features an in-house skeletonized movement with chronograph function. (Also like Medvedev’s Bovet, it features a 10-day power reserve.)

Price: $22,000

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Brad Pitt: Breitling Chronomat B01

KENA BETANCURGetty Images

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In the stands, you couldn’t help but notice (and neither could the cameramen) that Brad Pitt and Bradley Cooper attended the match together. Cooper didn’t wear a watch, but Pitt as a brand ambassador in Breitling’s “Cinema Squad” (movie star ambassadors) wore a Chronomat B01. That bracelet is unmistakeable, and it looks like the 42mm version (rather than 44mm) since it wears so slim. It was tough to make out the color, but it’s a fantastic chronograph watch with an in-house automatic movement — like everything else, Brad Pitt made it look even better.

Price: $8,250

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If You Love Watches, You Should Get to Know This Man

William Massena has been around the horological block. Several times, actually.

From moderating TimeZone during the early days of the internet to becoming the COO of famed auction house Antiquorum, Massena has been — and remains — on the cutting edge of the watch industry. His collection (or part of it, anyway) is now internet-famous, having been featured in an early episode of HODINKEE’s Talking Watches. But it’s his latest venture, which he dubbed Massena LAB, that has this seasoned watchaholic most excited.

Massena LAB is more than just a boutique watch brand — it’s a sort of horological think tank, a place where Massena and his partners and friends can explore the “what ifs” of industrial design, horological history, and art. From affordable collaboration watches to high-end haute horlogerie, the LAB has turned out some of the most compelling watches of the past few years.

But don’t let me talk your ear off — let’s hear from the man himself as he explains his origins, his journey through the watch industry, and his latest horological venture.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Massena LAB

The Interview

Where were you born and where did you grow up, and where did your interest in watches come from?

I was born in the south of France and went to School in Switzerland. So I spent my summers on the French Riviera and my winters in Switzerland — not the worst places to grow up. I was very lucky. I received my first watch at 7 and I was immediately hooked. My first watch was followed by digital Seikos of the early 1980’s. I bought a Rolex with my first job and from there started my collector journey.

You were the managing director of TimeZone (a prominent online watch forum) for many years. Was this something you fell into alongside a full-time job in another industry?

In early 1995 I was a banker working for a large investment bank in Manhattan. I had a Bloomberg terminal at work and my employer got me an internet account with a 14.4kbps modem at home. The first search I did on Alta Vista was “Rolex Sea Dweller” — TimeZone.com was then a single web page on a Singaporean Rolex dealer website. I started participating in asking and answering questions among two dozen collectors — this was the prehistoric ages of watches on the internet. It was just a fun place to learn about watches for me.

Massena LAB

At what point did you decide that perhaps watches were going to become your full-time gig? How did you come to be in the sales/auction side of the business?

After I left banking, I started a real estate company with two other partners. I was traveling extensively in the USA and Europe, and I was getting tired of it. In 2001 I decided to sell my shares to my partners and I opened a small watch store in Miami which was an authorized dealer for a few brands such as Hamilton, Bell & Ross, and Breitling. A few years later I opened a vintage store on Madison Avenue. I was still involved with Timezone, first as a moderator, then as a Director of Strategy. In 2006, I had an offer to buy the store in Miami and I closed the store in New York. TimeZone had just been purchased by Antiquorum, the watch auction house, and I became TimeZone Managing Director. A year later, Osvaldo Patrizzi, the founder of Antiquorum was ousted by its board of directors. I was asked to join the company and became the company COO and moved to Geneva while remaining at TimeZone.

Can you explain a bit about Massena Lab and how it began?

In 2015, TimeZone was celebrating its 20th anniversary and I wanted to celebrate by releasing a limited edition of 20 watches. I approached Habring, the Austrian watch company, to make a monopusher chronograph — it was a very successful edition. We followed up in 2016 with the TZ21, a deadbeat 39mm watch that was even more successful. Both watches were my idea, and I had a few more ideas — I also wanted to work with a few more people. Massena LAB was born.

Massena LAB

Massena LAB has partnered with diverse brands at very different price points. How do you decide who you’d like to work with, and on what type of project?

Massena LAB’s philosophy is centered around the concept that we are enthusiastic about an idea we have or that has been pitched to us. I feel that my job is very similar to (that of) a movie producer: I pitch an idea of a watch (script) to a watch brand (director) — they talk to their watchmakers (actors) and we decide if everyone likes the project. Massena LAB then finances the project and makes sure that the watch (movie) is as per the idea that we had. We then do the distribution and sell the watch to collectors. You have famous producers who are also movie directors, and finally you can have a huge stable with your own directors and actors, which is a studio. I’d rather produce small indie movies than large studio blockbusters.

If there is a unifying “theme” to a Massena LAB collaboration watches — from a sub-$1K watch to something costing many thousands of dollars — what would it be?

I follow my gut based on my experience as a watch collector. I also think that I have a sense of aesthetics that people will perceive in the offerings over the years. I am a stickler for small details that most people don’t notice but that are important to me.

Massena LAB

The Uni-Racer, your first standalone watch, is an extremely faithful recreation of a particularly rare Universal Genève that’s prohibitively expensive on the vintage market. Do you intend to pursue other such projects that rethink rare vintage references?

To keep the analogy to movies: The Uni-Racer was a remake of the famed Uni-Compax — I needed to start with that watch to see if I could handle a watch project by myself. The script was written for me and that was difficult because I could not go along and say, “Well, I cannot surmount this problem, therefore my watch will look like this.” The blue hands of the Uni-Racer are really tough to reproduce and that challenge was important for me to achieve. Will I revisit other rare vintage references? I hope so, because it is something I really enjoy and it makes me appreciate the original even more, but I will do it with the original brand involved.

You’re a noted collector and have been featured on HODINKEE’s Talking Watches, in which you showcase a wide variety of pieces, from military watches to haute horlogerie. What informs your collecting these days? Are you focused on any particular theme, or is it more about the individual watch?

My focus is on Massena LAB. I make the watches I want to put on my wrist and I am taking 250 or sometimes 200 collectors along with me on that ride.

Massena LAB

You’ve accumulated an enormous amount of insider industry knowledge in your career and have truly “seen it all.” What’s exciting to you in watches right now? What do you look forward to going forward after the upheaval of 2020?

COVID has flipped the script in watch collecting. The last ten years since the financial crisis, we saw the rise of vintage watches in general and vintage Rolex in particular. With COVID, we are now back into modern watches. Rolex is there again, but also the independents and modern sports watches from makers such as Audemars Piguet and Patek. If this holds for a while we may see a new generation of independent brands from younger watchmakers. This is really exciting.

Are there any new projects — whether at Massena Lab or otherwise — that are on the horizon that you’re excited about?

We are about to launch a project with watchmaker Luca Soprana — this will be an exclusive Massena LAB movement made by hand. We called this project Old School and I am very excited about it. I literally call or text him every day to get updates. I cannot wait to wrap that watch around my wrist.

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One of Seiko’s Best Dials Yet Is More Affordable Than You Might Think

Seiko’s got some of the strongest dial game in all the watch industry: You might find captivatingly textured Grand Seiko dials based on snow, bamboo, cherry blossoms or other natural themes, but the brand also looks to traditional culture as well as modern, urban sources of inspiration. Unexpected but compelling is the new limited-edition SPB259 watch with a dial mimicking the pattern of cobblestone streets, but done up in a contemporary-feeling blue tint. It’s creative and eye-catching, to say the least.

The underlying watch is the brand’s Modern Re-interpretation (part of the name) of its 1959 Alpinist field watch just released this year — a 38mm tool watch with an otherwise down-to-earth feel and a rugged 200m of water resistance, just like most watches in the Prospex line. The new limited edition with its special dial, on the other hand, seems to inject some of the elegance that’s usually reserved for the brand’s dressier Presage family.

Seiko explains that the cobblestone pattern is based on the streets of Ginza, Tokyo, where the company was founded 140 years ago and maintains a strong presence today. The bluish tint is meant to simultaneously reference the modern glass architecture of the district — perhaps like you’re viewing the cobblestones through a tinted window. It’s a lot going on conceptually, but the result is unlike just about anything else in watches that readily comes to mind.

“Inspired by this, inspired by that…”This can get a bit old, especially when watches always seems be inspired by the same sources, like vintage watches, race cars, airplanes and ocean themes. Seiko’s dials in particular, however, feel genuinely like the work of an artist who saw something around him or herself that sparked their creativity. Just as is the case with this particular model, Seiko mostly sticks to textures and patterns that provide contrasting backdrops and don’t distract from the ability to read the time. Other watchmakers could learn a lot from them.

The 1959 Alpinist Modern Re-interpretation lives in a tier above the brand’s most entry-level-priced automatic watches, but still comes in well under $1,000. It features a modern, 70-hour-power-reserve automatic movement operating at 3Hz (rather than the more common 4Hz) and all the features you expect at its price point, such as sapphire crystal. (It debuts alongside another watch featuring the same dial style but based on sporty presage models, and which unfortunately features dial cutouts and a quirky off-center seconds subdial.)

The Seiko Prospex 1959 Alpinist Modern Re-interpretation 140th Anniversary Limited Edition SPB259 will be available from Seiko’s USA website in November 2021 for a price of $750 — the same as that of non-limited versions.

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Why Are Watches So Expensive?

After I tell people that I write about watches, the question inevitably arises: why do some watches cost so much? (This after the incredulity that one can actually make a living doing what I do.) There is always the guy in the group who says he’d never spend $5,000 on a watch; never mind that he has a $40,000 SUV that costs $100 a week to fill up with gas.

The easy way out of this discussion is to shrug and mumble something about brand prestige and high margins, at which point said guy flashes his $50 Ironman watch and says it keeps better time than his buddy’s Rolex. By then, it’s time to change the subject. After all, if you don’t “get” watches, the price question is largely a rhetorical one, anyway.

But in fact, the question of watch pricing is worth exploring. We’re not snobs. There are great watches to be had at nearly all price points, from sub-$1,000 dive watches to $30,000 or $100,000+ dress watches, and we try to celebrate all the good ones out there. But there is clearly a point at which the price curve goes more vertical in relation to a watch’s features. Here the value question comes into focus.

A. Lange & Söhne

First of all, let’s get the obvious out of the way: there is a considerable markup on wristwatches. Since Swiss brands are notoriously tight-lipped about things like production numbers and costs, we can’t say for certain what the markup is, but we’re pretty confident it’s well north of 100%. Mind you, we’re talking merely about cost of producing the watch itself, not the overall overhead of R&D, marketing, etc. We’ll get to that in a moment. Established brands can tout their reputations and the cachet of the “Swiss Made” (however watered-down that may be these days) emblazoned on dials to charge a premium for their watches.

The corollary to this is that people are still willing to pay top dollar for watches. The luxury timepiece industry is booming and shows no sign of letting up; those of us “consuming” watches are partially to blame for the high prices. After all, companies will price their products for what the market will bear. If none of us forked over $6,000 for an IWC Aquatimer, they wouldn’t sell for that price. Period.

The second reason watches are so expensive is the overhead incurred to produce them. We’re not just talking about the raw materials here, though those can sometimes be more considerable in price for watches with precious metal cases. Overhead for a watch company, like any other industry, includes materials, production, custom machinery, prototyping, design, and research and development.

Hunter D. Kelley

A brand that outsources many of these functions, having cases made in Asia and sourcing off-the-shelf movements from third-party providers like ETA or Miyota, can avoid these costs and typically can sell watches for far less than companies that devise in-house movements, make cases and push the boundaries of what is possible in watchmaking. If you think it’s easy to make a split-second mechanical chronograph starting with a blank sheet of paper, think again.

It takes a team of watchmakers years to design complicated movements, create working prototypes and even build custom machinery to make specific parts before ramping up into production. And at the higher end, there’s the hands-on, time-consuming finishing of movements, dials and cases that is nothing less than art — and something you don’t see on more affordable timepieces. All of this doesn’t come cheap.

An extreme example here is a company like Rolex, who for years has operated its own foundry to alloy its own gold and forge its own cases. The Big R is an example of a vertically integrated company that covers all aspects of watchmaking from soup to nuts, or rather from bezel to hairspring. This complete control of its products is what helps Rolex maintain a sterling reputation for quality, but it also helps keep prices high.

When many people think of luxury watches, Rolex is the first name that comes to mind — though in the overall spectrum of brands, it is decidedly middle of the pack, price-wise. Given its reputation for high prices, Rolex created its “affordable” line (brand), Tudor, which at one time seemed to offer Rolex alternatives with sourced movements, but has in recent years developed its own personality — and in-house movements. So while the iconic Rolex Submariner (No-Date) costs over $8,000, the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight can be had for just under $4,000, both possessing similar features.

Hunter D. Kelley

The third reason watches cost so much is because watch companies are largely marketing machines. It’s not enough these days to just say your watch tells time accurately. We’ve got smartphones for that. Now brands have to compete with each other to peddle lifestyle stories that make one watch more appealing than the next, regardless of its objective merits.

Ad budgets are astronomical, while press launches and annual watch fairs costs millions. We’d all like to think that we’re immune to marketing, able to cut through the hype to discern a quality timepiece from a lot of glossy photos and breathless ad copy. But what red-blooded male can resist lingering in IWC’s Manhattan boutique, with its flight simulator, dive locker and leather sofas, intermingled with vitrines of shiny chronographs?

Finally, the watches people typically think of as “expensive” are, after all, luxury products. By definition, they are completely unnecessary and have countless more affordable alternatives. Those of us working stiffs who save and scrimp to afford that nice Omega are merely playing in a realm that is really occupied by an upper class who buy watches like we might splurge on a new pair of shoes or a nice dinner out. Watches used to be more necessary, and mechanical watches were what everyone wore. Nowadays, they are emblems of quality, of tradition, of craftsmanship, and yes, sometimes of wealth, taste and prestige.

None of these reasons are justifications or excuses. We’d love it if watch prices were lower and we could afford that Jaeger-LeCoultre on an editor’s salary. At the same time, if luxury timepieces were affordable, they might not hold the same allure, and there is something to be said for holding those aspirational pieces, those “grails” that we covet and scheme to one day own. That said, hopefully now you can have a better answer for that guy who asks why your watch costs so much. Or you can take the easy path. Just smile and ask him why his watch costs so little.

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Luxury Smartwatches vs. the Premium Apple Watch

A watch can do more for you than tell the time, and a smartwatch can be more than a gadget: one represents a timeless connection to the past, while the other is a tiny computer that connects you to the ephemeral present. They seem diametrically opposed and in competition for the same wrist real estate, but is it possible to have the benefits of both in a single product? Both watch and tech companies believe so.

The Apple Watch remains the best of what the tech world can currently put on your wrist. Its sleekness and smooth user interface are thanks in large part to a platform that’s totally integrated into its design from the ground up — an “in-house movement,” in watchmaking parlance, if you will. The Apple Watch outsells any other watch in terms of both units and revenue, and is deservedly the standard against which other smartwatches will be measured.

The success of the Apple Watch is why brands like TAG Heuer, Montblanc, and Louis Vuitton felt pushed to get in the game, though they offer a different perspective on the smartwatch. These luxury companies are better known for making elegant and refined goods such as watches with in-house mechanical movements, which often merely tell the time — and cost thousands of dollars. Their smartwatches claim to leverage generations of experience in the likes of their design and case construction, offering their unique visions, but built around the same operating system developed by Google.

Is the history, craftsmanship and prestige of traditional watchmakers compatible with a touchscreen, software updates, notifications and inevitable obsolescence? What do these brands have to offer the world of wearable tech? And how do they stack up against the Apple Watch? We put them to the test.

Traditional horology in the Apple Watch

Historic watchmakers might have the heritage, but Apple has shown that it’s far from horologically ignorant. The tech company enthusiastically points out that they’ve incorporated a host of elements aimed specifically at fans of traditional watches. “Did you notice?” they seem to be saying directly to watch enthusiasts with a wink. We did.

Ergonomic Apple Watch features are the result of Cupertino directly and intensely studying the watch industry — after all, industrial designer and watch industry veteran Marc Newson was deeply involved in its initial development. Turn an Apple Watch over in your hand, inspect its finishing and construction, operate its Digital Crown, and notice the round charging station with sensors on the case back where so many traditional watches also put their power source on display…fans of traditional watchmaking will find a lot of familiar echos. The software reveals even more.

Henry Phillips

The watch industry’s influence is most readily apparent in the screen (“face”) options based on watchmaking archetypes like chronographs (stopwatches) and GMTs (second time zone displays). Those Apple Watch faces where half the hour indices are in Roman numerals and the other half Arabic? Watch nerds call the design a “California dial” — they’ve been around since the 1940s. Apple calls the customizable bits of information integrated into watch faces “complications,” a term borrowed from the watch industry despite the fact that many lay people are unfamiliar with it. Of course, seconds hands are animated to sweep smoothly like those of mechanical watches, as well.

The list of traditional watches’ influence on the Apple Watch goes on, and it shows that the Apple Watch is designed as much more than simply a shrunken version of a smartphone or tablet. It also shows that Apple’s sights are set on conquering the wrists even of traditional watch lovers, and luxury watch companies have two ways of fighting back: by charming customers with traditional watchmaking, or by producing smartwatches of their own.

Smart tech in a traditional watch case

Within the case of a traditional mechanical watch are typically over a hundred parts. They can comprise everything you see from the dial and hands to applied elements like indices and other components, as well as the intricate clockwork inside called a movement. These tiny parts are often, to varying degrees, carefully designed, produced, finished and applied (in many cases by human hands) and they’re a significant part of such watches’ appeal.

In a smartwatch, all this is replaced by the batteries, circuitry, sensors and other tech needed for the amazing things modern gadgets can do. Every luxury smartwatch of note runs on Google’s Wear OS, so despite some software and features proprietary to each brand, the user interface is similar. What you’re primarily left with that’s still got the feel of a watchmaker’s touch is the case and strap — but these can also represent impressive feats of engineering, construction, finishing, design and refinement.

Take the TAG Heuer Carrera, for example: its angular case in no small part helped spur the brand’s success in the 1960s and continues to enjoy an iconic status among watch collectors to this day. That’s all there, in modern form, in TAG’s Connected watch. Note its confident lines, multiple surfaces and facets, contrasting brushed and polished finishes, grooved pushers and their solid operation: the TAG Heuer Connected is comfortable to use and beats the Apple Watch for case details.

Henry Phillips

Google Wear OS is designed for a round dial (screen), so even affordable smartwatches using it naturally have a more traditional-watch look. A couple of pushers flanking the crown further echo familiar watch types like chronographs. (The Montblanc Summit Lite features these, too.) Known for chronographs in particular, TAG built the Connected with several proprietary applications such as timers and stopwatches that are indeed useful, elegantly designed and fun to operate.

Expanding upon its Tambour watch collection, Louis Vuitton, on the other hand, goes for elegance first and forgoes pushers — without noticeably sacrificing functionality — in the Tambour Horizon smartwatch. Measuring 42mm wide at its base with a subtly curved inward slope toward the dial, this unique case design is the standout feature of a collection that includes a range of traditional mechanical watches as well. It offers a genuinely interesting look and ergonomic feel that one can appreciate aside from whatever notifications or animations are popping up on its screen.

Henry Phillips

First known for very high-end pens, Montblanc took its approach to craftsmanship and details to its expansion into watches and other products, and eventually into smartwatches. The “Lite” version of its Summit smartwatch offers a relatively basic and affordable wearable featuring an aluminum case and a price ($860) starting around that of the Apple Watch’s current most premium Edition. Like Louis Vuitton, it also offers straps featuring its famous leatherwork.

Like any luxury product, the value of such features is relative and controversial — in other words, it depends on your needs, tastes, lifestyle and budget whether heritage and premium details are worth it in a smartwatch.

Who are luxury smartwatches for?

The basic functionality of smartwatches can be highly useful — especially for health and fitness — and it’s mostly available in relatively affordable packages. Only a small percentage of people who are interested in owning a smartwatch will be interested in owning a fancy, premium version of one.

Apple might offer the most premium-feeling user interface, but not everyone is an adopter. If you prefer smartphones running Google’s Android mobile operating system, you’ll have a smoother smartwatch experience and will be best served by choosing among Wear OS devices (even though it’s also possible to use them with an iPhone). That means you have a lot of choices, and luxury companies simply represent the top tier.

Henry Phillips

That range of options is yet another point for smartwatches offered by traditional luxury brands vs the Apple Watch: Apple Watches, for all their available materials, finishes, faces, easy-changing straps and generally excellent design, mostly look like, well, Apple Watches. If you’ve seen one, you more or less seen them all. Something from Montblanc, TAG Heuer, Louis Vuitton or even an $11,000 Hublot smartwatch covered in diamonds might feel more like an “interesting choice” that goes further to express the wearer’s individual taste and personality.

Make no mistake, however, that image and prestige are a big part of the luxury smartwatch equation. These brands have reputations built on a history of quality materials and workmanship, exotic crafts and refined designs. People who know the companies, own their other products and feel a connection with the brand persona are ideal potential customers — and each of these companies have dedicated followers.

That means that some of these customers will also invariably be watch collectors, possibly with a safe at home full of traditional and even high-end watches. And though one might cost multiples more than the most premium Apple Watch, even a luxury smartwatch might be far from the most expensive timepiece such consumers own. Such a watch might be but one in the rotation that comes out for, say, fitness or travel.

There’s no single profile of luxury smartwatch consumers, but they surely also include those with an appreciation of advanced technology as well as something that feels personal, natural and human. Whether tech or watch companies are succeeding at delivering this is up to each consumer to judge.

Apple Watch Series 6 ‘Edition’

Henry Phillips

Apple Watch Series 6 Edition

apple.com

$849.00

The Series 6 is the most current culmination of the Apple Watch’s ongoing evolution and refinement, and the Edition is its most premium version alongside the Hermes collaboration. Like other Apple Watch Editions, it’s primarily distinguished by its case material, which has previously been the likes of premium materials like ceramic and even 18k gold. The Series 6 Edition has a titanium case with a brushed finish and scratch-resistant treatment. Like the steel version, it also uses scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Titanium is lightweight and interesting with its own kind of luster, but doesn’t make the Edition feel like a huge step up from other versions.

Henry Phillips

Henry Phillips

An always-on display is now standard on Apple Watches since the Series 5 (though not for the affordable SE version), and this means you can now check the time at a glance and not feel like you’re walking around with a lifeless slab on your wrist. Like other Apple products, the Apple Watch (Edition or otherwise) has a premium feel in every sense, from its user-friendly interface to its ergonomics, finishing and construction. Most crucially, compared to smartwatches from traditional luxury companies, it offers strong value for its price.

Diameter: 40mm or 44mm
Water Resistance: 50m
Operating System: Apple iOS

Montblanc Summit Lite

Henry Phillips

Montblanc Summit Lite

montblanc.com

$930.00

Montblanc introduced the Summit Lite as a more affordable version of its flagship Summit smartwatch. The Lite features a recycled aluminum case with more basic finishing compared to the contrasting brushed and polished finishes of the stainless steel Summit smartwatches, which cost a couple hundred dollars more — and not much more than the Apple Watch Edition. Montblanc seems committed to being a player in what it calls “New Tech” and, before its full-on smartwatches, introduced an interesting concept of a smart module integrated into the strap of traditional watches.

Henry Phillips

Henry Phillips

Like nearly all smartwatches, the Summit line is focused on fitness features and offers several proprietary apps. They largely make use of heart rate and other sensors to guide you in the likes of cardio training, sleep, stress management and “energy levels.” Unlike other brands, Montblanc doesn’t offer a smartphone application specifically for interacting with the watch — which is maybe bloatware you don’t need, anyway, as the Wear OS and Google Fit are probably more than sufficient.

Diameter: 43mm
Water Resistance: 50m
Operating System: Google Wear OS

TAG Heuer Connected

Henry Phillips

TAG Heuer Connected

tagheuer.com

$1,800.00

TAG Heuer was among the earliest to the smartwatch game and has been one of the most visible traditional watchmakers in the space. In a bid to address the inevitable question of software obsolescence, the brand even introduced a Modular concept in which you could swap smartwatch and traditional watch heads, sold together, between a single case — the idea being that you’d only need to update the smartwatch head when it became outdated.

Henry Phillips

Henry Phillips

The Connected, however, is a straightforward smartwatch, but it’s an impressively refined one. The Carrera case feels edgy, serious and well integrated into the overall image of a smartwatch made for actual use, and for sports in particular. Its proprietary apps feel like they were designed by watchmakers. Lastly, it offers not only the level of finishing you’d expect of a luxury sport watch, but its pushers and crown — which also operates as a scroll wheel — are as smooth and sturdy. Even its haptic feedback feels premium.

Diameter: 45mm
Water Resistance: 50m
Operating System: Google Wear OS

Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon

Henry Phillips

Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon

louisvuitton.com

$3,505.00

Louis Vuitton is a sister brand to TAG Heuer in the LVMH corporate group (along with Hublot, which also makes a high-end smartwatch), but has quite its own approach to wearable tech. The other products featured here — and just about every current smartwatch — are heavily focused on fitness. The Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon is different in that it only offers 30m of water resistance and doesn’t include a heart rate sensor. It will count your steps and such, but as it’s on a leather strap, you’ll probably want another smartwatch to swap out specifically for the gym.

Henry Phillips

Henry Phillips

Inevitably, the prestigious name and recognizable look is part of the significant premium Louis Vuitton is charging compared to other smartwatch makers. The brand, however, offers a genuinely interesting and unique experience with its distinctive Tambour case in sandblasted steel and the brand’s famous leather for the straps. Proprietary faces make the package feel cohesive, including special travel-oriented apps, designs taken from traditional Louis Vuitton watches as well as new ones designed especially for the watch by Louis Vuitton Studios.

Diameter: 42mm
Water Resistance: 30m
Operating System: Google Wear OS

The future of luxury smartwatches

Is there a luxury smartwatch that outright beats the Apple Watch for premium feel and refined user interface? No. Do such watches offer interesting alternatives to the ubiquity of Apple products? Certainly. For some consumers, the traditional European approach and Google Wear OS might be an appropriate and satisfying choice, but what can luxury companies do to be more competitive?

Wearables lay bare the issue that what tech does is as important as integrating it in a way that enhances the user’s life. Consumers and developers no longer expect smartwatches to do everything smartphones do — people don’t really want to read news or browse Instagram on a tiny screen. What smartwatches are good at is providing limited and specific information and conveniences, but they’ve proven most practical for health and fitness applications.

A smoother, sleeker operating system from Google — one that mirrors the intuitiveness of Apple’s — would be one way to improve the experience on non-Apple smartwatches. At this point in the evolution of wearables, however, it doesn’t seem like more features is necessarily the way forward. Rather, it’s all about selectively integrating available functionality in clever ways, and this is exactly the kind of thing that traditional watchmakers are good at. If Old-World watchmakers can creatively combine a smooth, focused experience with the craftsmanship that gives horology its “soul,” they’ll be in their element again.

Tons of New Watches Are Coming Out This Week. Here Are Our Favorites So Far

It’s been a bumpy ride for watch industry trade shows in recent years, but that’s not going to stop the new watches from coming. While many brands have already introduced major new products during Watches & Wonders and smaller shows this year, they’ve got more up their sleeves (so to speak) for 2021.

Now, it’s time again for a slate of new releases as watch brands come together to make a collective splash — but this time, in a form called Geneva Watch Days that’s running this year for only its second time.

While there are physical events in Geneva, Switzerland, for brands to present their wares, the concept is a hybrid one relying heavily on digital formats as well — it’s phygital. This, year it goes from August 30th to September 3rd, 2021, and includes over 20 participating brands that’ll be announcing products throughout the week. Here are some of the standouts.

Bulgari Octo Roma Worldtimer

Courtesy

There’s no other watch quite like the Octo, with its unnecessarily complex but captivating case architecture. The super thin Octo Finissimo is easily Bulgari’s flagship watch, but the Octo Roma is a close (if not as slim) cousin, and new models now combine that unique case design with one of the most popular and compelling complications of all: the world timer. This offers not only plenty of function for traveling (or just living in an internationally connected world), but also a captivatingly busy look with a ring of world cities that allows you to check the time in any of them at a glance. It comes in steel with a blue dial on a steel bracelet, or as a black DLC-coated version with a black dial on a fabric strap for the same price.

Notable Features: World time
Winding: Automatic
Price: $8,350

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Gérald Genta Arena Retro Mickey Mouse Disney

Courtesy

What do we have here? This is much more than just a Mickey Mouse watch like those you may have seen before. First of all, it features a retrograde display so that Mickey’s hand snaps back to zero when it reaches 60 on its minute scale. Secondly, the hours, displayed digitally in a window, should jump at the same instance that the minutes reset. These are both complicated features for a mechanical watch that together have a very cool effect, but this watch is notable for even more reasons. It references a range of Mickey and other Disney character watches made by the famous designer Gerald Genta (also known for his use of the retrograde display) starting in the 1980s. After his company was acquired by Bulgari, however, most Gerald Genta watches were had either Bulgari branding or co-branding. Although still owned by Bulgari, the brand says that this watch marks a return to Gerald Genta as a standalone brand.

Notable Features: Retrograde minutes, jumping hours, standalone Gerald Genta branding, Mickey Mouse!
Winding: Automatic
Price: ~$19,520

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H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Perpetual Calendar

Courtesy

In 2020, H. Moser & Cie introduced a sportier side to their brand than its fans had previously known with the Streamliner collection. Now, the independent Swiss watchmaker has combined its steel-cased, integrated-bracelet watch with another concept its become renowned for: a brilliantly minimalist perpetual calendar — so minimalist you might think you were looking at a basic time-only watch if you didn’t know better. Therein lies the appeal, as this is the type of watch with details, finishing and clever touches that deserve to be examined closely and understood in greater depth. The Streamliner is striking on its own and so is the brand’s perpetual calendar concept, but the combination is all the more so.

Notable Features: Perpetual calendar
Winding: Manual
Price: $54,900

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Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Collection

Courtesy

Celebrating 25 years since its founding, Parmigiani Fleurier has introduced a new aesthetic for its Tonda collection for Geneva Watch Days, and we’re instant fans. A minimalist and modern style characterizes a set of models that share a basic case design and guilloche dials, but range from an almost dressy time-only watch and a sporty chronograph to more complicated split second chronographs and annual calendars (shown above). Of course, they all feature the totally in-house production and masterful finishing of every Parmigiani watch.

Notable Features: Guilloche dials, micro rotor, chronograph, split second chronograph, annual calendar
Winding: Automatic, manual (split second chronograph only)
Price: $22,900-$171,600

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Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Chronometry Collection

Courtesy

This year, Ulysse Nardin is 175 years old, and in that time the brand has made a name for itself in several ways, but its history of marine chronometers continues to focus the brand’s identity and aesthetics. Celebrating its anniversary is a collection of watches in its Marine Torpilleur collection which emphasize the aesthetics and technical achievements of those historically significant watches. The new models span a range of complexity and features, but they share a basic design and in-house movements featuring silicon balance springs (and sometimes other parts). Some models offer enamel dials and others have a cool “panda dial” motif, meaning dark subdials on a light main dial. The most basic models feature time, date, a seconds subdial and power reserve indicator, while others offer moonphases (shown above), a chronograph and annual calendar combo or a tourbillon.

Notable Features: Silicon balance springs, enamel dials, power reserve indicator, moonphase, annual calendar, chronograph, tourbillon.
Winding: Automatic,
Price: $8,200-$42,400

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The Timex Q Now Comes in Green and Blue

The Q Timex, everyone’s favorite affordable quartz watch, now comes in green, blue and, for those who can’t commit to just one color, a lively combo featuring a green and burnt-orange bezel and black dial.

All three versions bring the same characteristics we know and love from the Q Timex line — 38mm steel case; matching, integrated steel bracelet; day-date display; quartz movement; 50m of water resistance. These watches ooze pure ’70s, so if you can’t afford a solid-gold Submariner to go along with your mustache and your chest hair, you should rock one of these instead.

Timex

Timex

Something tells me that after 12 different colorways, Timex is going to keep spinning the color wheel until this watch has been made in every Pantone shade currently known to Man. Then they’re going to start making up new colors and making this watch in those. And you know what? Good for them. This watch is cool. It’s affordable. It’s inoffensive. And it draws people into the watch hobby. I’m all for it.

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This Is a Big Step for American Watchmaking

Many have perhaps heard the term “chronometer” or seen the words “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” cluttering up a Rolex dial without fully understanding it. What does it mean, exactly?

“Chronometer” has been used in a range of different scenarios in horological history, which makes its definition understandably a little unclear. Not to be confused with “chronograph” (a watch with a stopwatch function), a chronometer is generally a watch that’s guaranteed to be very precise. Now, there’s a new kid on the block among organizations offering brands and watchmakers their chronometer testing and certification: the Horological Society of New York (HSNY). (The New York-based HSNY offers lectures, classes and other events on watchmaking.)

There are a number of outfits around the world with such services. The most widely recognized is the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute or “COSC”) in Switzerland, which is where the majority of modern wristwatches bearing the chronometer designation have been certified. There are others, however, such as METAS and local organizations, and the HSNY now joins them.

Though the chronometer designation entails additional cost for watch companies, it offers a unique selling point and has long been associated with higher-end watches. As watch production has improved over the years, however, the criteria of the likes of COSC have become easier to meet. Those like the HSNY are offer alternatives with criteria that surpass the baseline requirements for chronometer certification as stipulated by the ISO 3159 standard.

A watch certified as a chronometer by the HSNY will go through 15 days of testing. Fully cased, it’ll be subjected to extreme environments meant to simulate actual wear in the world, including different positions and temperatures, and it’ll remain accurate within -4/+5 seconds per day — better than COSC’s well known standard of -4/+6. Rather than measuring the rate of a watch using a microphone and machinery that gives an instant readout, as is standard and common, the HSNY says its visual-only rate testing is more reliable.

While COSC only accepts watches qualifying for the Swiss Made designation, the HSNY will test watches from all over the world. Those that pass will get a physical certification with the test results as well as the right to display HSNY chronometer certification details on the likes of dials and movements. Debuting along with HSNY’s announcement is the first watch to feature the certification, a collaboration between Habring2 and Massena Lab.

This is an interesting new role for the over-150-year-old HSNY and for the American watchmaking scene. We can’t wait to see more excellent mechanical watches bearing a recognized mark of quality originating close to home.

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The Best Bronze Watches to Buy

Bronze has been around almost as long as horology. First used in weaponry and decorations around 4,000 BC — roughly when the first water clocks appeared — it’s mankind’s oldest alloy. Concocted of varying combinations of copper and tin, bronze can pack a Vickers hardness rating higher than that of wrought iron and stainless steel combined.

Bronze is also antimagnetic and resists corrosion — especially that caused by seawater. By generating a patina of copper oxide, bronze actually shields itself from further contamination. These characteristics, along with its ability to stand out in the seas of stainless steel wrist-wear, make it an ideal alloy for your wrist. Here are some of our favorite bronze watches.

Baltic Aquascaphe Bronze

baltic-watches.com

€750.00

French watchmaker Baltic is a favorite for its “neo-vintage” style, moderate sizing and strong value. All that’s present in the various steel iterations of their Aquascaphe dive watch, but a version in bronze adds yet another level of interest. The handsome and traditional vibes make it a great alternative for those who like the Panerai Bronzo look but can’t quite cop the price or size.

Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Miyota 9039 automatic
Water Resistance: 200m

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Bronze

hamiltonwatch.com

$825.00

This Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical watch has all the basic but charming character we at Gear Patrol, frankly, can’t shut up about — but a bronze case makes this a significantly more premium and interesting version of that beloved beater. Bronze is a fitting material for such a fundamentally unfancy watch and will only become more so as it develops a patina over time for an even more rugged look. Like other current versions, the Khaki Field Mechanical features an updated manually wound movement with 80 hours of power reserve.

Diameter: 38mm
Movement: ETA 2801-2 manual
Water Resistance: 50m

Christopher Ward C60 Trident Bronze Ombré

christopherward.com

$1,150.00

The Ombré is a bronze interpretation of the British brand Christopher Ward’s popular C65 Trident dive watch. Like many of its steel counterparts, the Ombré features a 41mm-wide case, but this edition also boats a COSC chronometer-certified Sellita SW200 automatic movement. Its dial features an interesting “hand-distressed” texture that’s different on each example.

Diameter: 41mm
Movement: Sellita SW200 Automatic
Water Resistance: 150m

Yema Superman Heritage GMT Bronze

yema.com

$1,390.00

Green and bronze tend to be a winning combo, and French watchmaker Yema’s Superman dive watch wears it perfectly. The look is all the more striking with an otherwise almost monochromatic look thanks to a fully bronze case and bezel. It’s a capable diver powered by the brand’s own designed and assembled automatic GMT movement.

Diameter: 39mm or 41mm
Movement: YEMA3000 Automatic
Water Resistance: 300m

Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date

oris.ch

$2,100.00

The Oris Big Crown Pointer Date offers a handsome style and uncomplicated design in a decidedly retro package from one of our favorite independent brands. A bronze case, however, lends it a different character and more warmth than previous versions. At 40mm, the Big Crown Pionter Date is ideally sized, and features the ubiquitous Sellita SW 200-1 automatic movement visible through a display case back with Oris’s signature red rotor.

Diameter: 40mm
Movement: Sellita SW 200-1 Automatic
Water Resistance: 100m

Tudor Black Bay Fifty Eight Bronze

tudorwatch.com

$4,525.00

The Tudor Black Bay is nothing short of a modern icon offering incredible construction, an in-house movement and a shockingly reasonable price point. Done up in bronze, it’s more rugged than ever and yet remains refined and compelling as a daily wear. A gray dial that suggests a faded “tropical” effect that will continue to look good even as the bronze picks up its patina.

Diameter: 39mm
Movement: Tudor MT5400 Automatic
Water Resistance: 200m

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Bronze

bellross.com

$3,990.00

Matching a bronze case with a blue dial and bezel, the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver has a unique look and a deliberate feel. That combination delivers a visual punch, backed up by the brand’s typically solid construction, attention to detail and signature square case, here in the form of a dive watch. Housing a sturdy Sellita SW300 automatic engine to power the whole handsome package, it’s also available in other colors that each pairs interestingly with bronze.

Diameter: 42mm
Movement: Sellita SW300 Automatic
Water Resistance: 300m

Panerai Submersible Bronzo PAM00968

panerai.com

$17,000.00

Panerai’s first experiment with bronze was an instant success. While following in the footsteps of the PAM00382 is no easy feat, the brand’s proven up to the task with an expanding range of Bronzos. The soft warmth of the PAM00968’s hulking 47mm case plays immeasurably well against the chocolate color of its dial and bezel. Water-resistant to 300m, it’s powered by Panerai’s in-house P.9010 calibre carrying a 3-day power reserve. Bellissimo.

Diameter: 47mm
Movement: Panerai P.9010 Automatic
Water Resistance: 300m

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Big Date Spitfire

iwc.com

$17,100.00

The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch has been the canvas for a range of complications and variations, and this particular edition isn’t the first time it’s been manufactured in bronze. A “Big Pilot’s Watch” indeed, its case measures 46.2mm wide and features an outsized onion crown and even a digital “Big Date” — each digit changes separately, allowing for a more prominent display. Its in-house movement is partially visible through the case back, as is an eight-day power-reserve indicator.

Diameter: 46.2mm
Movement: IWC 59235 Manual
Water Resistance: 60m

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How to Buy a Watch Strap

Editor’s Note: So you’re ready to make a watch purchase? Not so fast. Before committing, it’s worth thinking carefully about your needs to make sure you’re truly buying the right timepiece for you. Our series Five Questions aims to help you do just that.

You can make a single watch feel almost like a collection with a few different strap options. But there are so many styles, materials and other factors to consider that buying a new strap can be a confusing proposition. So before you buy, consider the following five questions:

What activities will I be doing with this watch?

There is the question of dressy or casual, of course, but there are physical considerations for your strap as well: For instance, dive watches that you plan to actually wear in the water need an appropriate strap. Metal bracelets, rubber, nylon, etc. are all fine for this, but no leather. The same is generally true for sweaty activities.

Climate and weather might also be an issue, as some materials and strap types are especially designed to be breathable, for example. If you’re engaging in a particularly rough activity where you and your watch are getting significantly banged around, even the strap’s durability might be a factor.

What type of strap should I get?

What kind of watch are you outfitting? Start by determining if the watch itself is of the casual or formal variety, and then whether you are looking to dress it up or down. A dressy watch gets a leather strap, you may think. Alas, if only it were that simple: Alligator, suede, nubuck, ostrich…delve more into great leather strap options here. With sport watches, it gets even more complicated, but also fun.

You should first determine the type of watch you have — i.e., what its design was intended for: diving, racing, flying, military use? Different genres of watches often have associated strap styles, and while these straps are a good place to start, there’s still plenty of room to be creative.

What will look best with my watch?

Once you’ve established the type of strap that’s right for your watch, consider the colors involved. If you’ve got a monochromatic watch with a simple design and black dial like, say, an Omega Speedmaster, Panerai or Rolex Submariner…well, the choices are endless.

The colors of the dial (or even the case) and the strap’s primary material are the obvious factors that will influence your choice, but also think about highlights — like a sporty red seconds hand potentially matching a strap’s stitching. Finally, materials are make a big difference. That means not only the strap material itself, but the hardware — many strap companies offer different types of buckles, but offer them in different finishes — like brushed or polished — as well as with black or gold coatings.

What size strap does my watch/wrist need?

This is crucial, but it’s a two-part question of width and length.

First, the width. You’ll need to know the measurement between your watch’s lugs in millimeters — the part of the watch where the strap attached. For most mens watches, 18mm, 20mm or 22mm is standard — though odd numbers like 19mm can be found on some vintage watches, and a giant Panerai or the like might feature a 24mm or 26mm lug width. (Many straps then taper toward the buckle.)

Next, consider the length of the strap. You’ll want to known the diameter of your wrist — or you can measure a strap you already have that fits well. Ask or check the strap’s description carefully: the length information can usually be found. It’s a bummer to get a strap that looks great on the watch only to find that it’s either too loose or too tight on your wrist — punching an additional hole on long strap doesn’t always work out well, though it can be done in a pinch.

How much should I spend?

The hobby of strap swapping is fun in part because it doesn’t have to cost a lot — as so many watches themselves do. NATO straps are an incredibly popular and inexpensive (often starting under $10) way to change up the feel of your watch regularly and add some fun and color to it. They’re super easy to swap out, and they look great, to boot.

However, don’t discount the idea of spending more for something nicer. Many watch nerds will expound on how a high-quality strap can elevate the look and feel of even a simple and inexpensive watch. Thankfully, there are nearly endless strap choices at every budget.

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