<div id="readability-page-1">For more than a century, the dress watch has represented the most refined form of traditional horology. It was created to be worn with formal clothing, designed to complement rather than command attention. Typically made in precious metal – often gold or platinum – with a plain dial and a leather strap, its strength has always been its slim, elegant and mechanically straightforward approach to watchmaking.\nThe first true dress watches appeared in the early 20th century, but their origins reach further back to the Regency period, when men’s tailoring shifted towards the cleaner, more fitted silhouette of the modern suit. With slimmer jackets and higher waistlines, carrying a bulky pocket watch distorted the look, prompting watchmakers to produce thinner, more discreet designs. The ability to make an ultra-thin movement became a mark of sophistication and wealth. By the late 19th century, flat-cased pocket watches were fixtures of formal dress.\n\nWorld War I marked the next turning point. Officers returning from the front lines brought back the practical wristwatches they had worn in combat, and the style quickly took hold in civilian life. Freed from military function, watchmakers began refining these early models into slimmer, more elegant versions suited to business and evening wear. By the 1920s, the dress watch had become a downplayed counterpart to sportier tool watches – defined by a thin profile, a simple dial and a case small enough to slide neatly beneath a shirt cuff.\nAs tastes shifted through the second half of the 20th century, sports watches became an everyday choice. In recent years, however, watchmakers have returned to a dressier style with a renewed focus, using a monochrome palette to highlight texture, finishing and minimalist design instead of relying on colour or decoration.\n\nThe monochrome dress watch has also become a quiet favourite on recent red carpets and at major events. Actor Oscar Isaac, at the BFI London Film Festival premiere of Frankenstein, paired a black dial 18k gold Tank Louis Cartier with his all-black look. At Wimbledon this year, David Beckham was spotted courtside wearing a one-of-a-kind Tudor Black Bay Chrono gifted to him for his 50th birthday, featuring a black lacquer dial with diamond indices and diamond-set bracelet links.\n\nA similar pared-back palette is inspiring new interpretations of the classic dress watch. Among the clearest examples is the new Saxonia Thin from German brand A. Lange &amp; Söhne, which pairs a polished black onyx dial with a 40mm case in either platinum or the brand’s proprietary honey gold, a warm hue between pink and white gold. The onyx surface gives depth to the otherwise minimal design, which has just two hands and slim hour markers. Inside is a hand-wound movement visible through the caseback, with a 72-hour power reserve.\n\nAnother quiet interpretation comes from Rolex with the Perpetual 1908 collection, introduced in 2023. Inspired by one of the first Rolex watches with a Perpetual rotor, it’s available with black or white satin-finished dials, giving the model a more understated character than the brand’s sportier icons. The 39mm case, in yellow, white gold or platinum, also includes a transparent caseback – still rare for Rolex – that reveals the Calibre 7140 movement.\nCartier continues the monochrome conversation with its latest Santos models. The design, first created by Louis Cartier for aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1904, returns this year in two distinct versions: a steel model featuring a black dial in a half-satin, half-sunburst finish, and a titanium edition with a white dial and bead-blasted matte surface that lends the metal an anthracite tone while reducing weight by nearly half. Actor Sebastian Stan, best known for Pam &amp; Tommy and Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, fronted the latest Santos de Cartier campaign earlier this year and, as an official friend of the maison, unveiled the new Santos Titanium and Santos Black Dial models.\n\nElsewhere, some watchmakers have chosen a more decorative approach. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Tribute Enamel “Horse” combines glossy black grand feu enamel with hand engraving so intricate that each caseback requires around 80 hours of work. The reverse side depicts a rearing horse with its head and forelegs rising from golden clouds, engraved in relief over a layer of black enamel. Limited to just 10 pieces, the watch uses contrast to emphasise the geometry of the Reverso’s art deco case.\n\nHermès brings a playful note to the monochrome trend with the Cut Le Temps Suspendu, introduced in 2024. The 39mm rose gold model features a white dial with distinctive, geometric contours and raised Arabic numerals, continuing the collection’s focus on form and proportion. Inside, the Hermès H1912 movement powers a mechanism that allows the wearer to pause and resume time at the press of a button – a complication first seen in the Arceau line in 2011. With its integrated bracelet and clean symmetry, it gives a technical concept the quiet refinement expected of a modern dress watch.\n\nThe monochrome theme also takes a more technical turn at IWC Schaffhausen, where the new Ingenieur Automatic 42 is made entirely from black zirconium oxide ceramic – a first for the brand. The watch reinterprets the 70s integrated bracelet design with a uniform matte finish and grid-textured black dial. F1 driver George Russell was recently spotted wearing a one-of-a-kind version in the same black ceramic, created with Bamford Watch Department and featuring a dial in the exact shade of blue as his racing helmet – a bespoke twist that connects IWC’s technical design with modern motorsport.\n\nFor Piaget, the monochrome trend appears on the brand’s Polo Date, which pairs a black dial and rubber strap with a rose gold case, softening the design’s sporty roots. The result is a watch that sits easily under a cuff while preserving the line’s recognisable rounded-square form.\nHeritage also plays a defining role. Marking its 250th anniversary, Breguet revisits one of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s earliest creations with the Classique Souscription 2025 – a single-hand wristwatch that reimagines the 18th-century “subscription” model. A pure white grand feu enamel dial, black Breguet numerals and a hand-flamed blue steel pointer gives the piece an almost calming symmetry. The 40mm case, in the brand’s new proprietary Breguet gold, captures the understated warmth of period pocket watches while keeping the aesthetic resolutely modern.\n\nPatek Philippe’s Aquanaut Luce in black takes a similar route towards subtlety. Once defined as a sport-chic model, its dark dial and diamond-set bezel now lend it the discretion and polish of a contemporary dress watch. Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Slim Monogram Dentelle goes further still, treating embellishment as geometry: diamonds appear as part of the structure, set into Monogram flowers against a black-lacquered dial. At the more functional end of the scale, Swiss maker Certina offers a utilitarian take with the DS-1 Big Date, which translates the dress watch format into stainless steel with a matte black PVD finish. The 41mm model has a sunray satin dial and a large date display at six o’clock, driven by the Powermatic 80.651 automatic movement.\nIn the monochrome revival, the dress watch returns to what it has always done best – distilling elegance to its simplest form.\n</div>

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<p>Dress watches, once overshadowed by sports watches, are making a comeback. Historically refined and elegant, brands like Rolex, Cartier, and Hermès are reinterpreting them with minimalist designs and monochrome palettes. Recent celebrity endorsements and innovative models, such as A. Lange & Söhne's Saxonia Thin and Rolex's Perpetual 1908, showcase their renewed appeal. Cartier's Santos models and Jaeger-LeCoultre's decorative Reverso Tribute Enamel further highlight this trend, emphasizing craftsmanship and understated elegance.</p>

How dress watches have evolved and why they’re coming back – from Rolex and Cartier to Hermès and Louis Vuitton