Elevate Your Style
4 Classic Dress Watches to Consider

We love categorising watches by what they’re meant to do. It doesn’t matter if we’ve never worn a wetsuit or been closer to the controls of a plane than business class: we know what a pilot’s watch or a dive watch looks like. With dress watches though, it’s a little less obvious.

Typically, dress watches are made with more formal occasions in mind. Whether your idea of formal is attending a black tie gala, a day at the races or having the right watch to wear with a suit at work, the right watch can accent and elevate your look.

While there are no hard and fast rules as to what constitutes a dress watch, something slimmer and smaller in size is a good idea so as not to disturb the cuff of your shirt. Steer clear of complicated dials in favour of something simpler. Tradition also suggests that precious metal and a strap rather than a bracelet are the safest choices, but with the right watch, you can safely throw tradition out the window.

Come with us as we consider four exceptional timepieces that are undoubtedly formal, but undeniably fun.

01.

IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Automatic 40

IWC Schaffhausen has a well-deserved reputation for making some of the best casual sports watches in Switzerland, and rightfully so. However, this classically styled Portugieser is 40mm of pared-back perfection, from the applied numerals and softly curved hands all the way to the alligator strap crafted by renowned Italian leatherworkers Santoni.

02.

Piaget Polo

If you wanted an example of an exceptional dress watch that breaks the ‘rules’, look no further than Piaget’s Polo. It’s steel, sporty and comes on a bracelet. It is also exceptionally refined. By design, the Polo is a sporty watch, but Piaget’s aesthetic sensibilities and the quality of finish means that it is a sports watch of sophistication. The complex case finishes, dynamic shape, muted dial, and slender profile ensure this piece will never be deemed too casual.

03.

Cartier Tank Française

If the Polo defies convention, Cartier’s iconic Tank Française defines it. For over a century, the Tank has been the go-to choice for the well-heeled and well-dressed, from Clarke Gable to Diana, Princess of Wales. In addition to the classic case, this Medium Tank Française has a silver-grained dial with Cartier’s distinctive Roman numerals and chemin de fer minute track and is truly a timeless classic.

04.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Duetto

With this silver case, supple stainless-steel bracelet and two dials, this Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is the very picture of a dress watch, made for the finer things in life. It might come as a surprise then to learn that the inspiration for the design was the rough-and-tumble of a sports field, where the Reverso’s party trick of a reversible case was essential in protecting the delicate crystal.

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