Will dress watches ever make a comeback?

I love dress watches and wear them every opportunity I get.  Since we dress more comfortable/casual than we used to, we need to dress down our dress watches a bit.  It's no crime to change out the crocodile strap for the bracelet or a suede strap.  Fashion is what you make of it.  Be a trend setter and wear your dress watch with a hoodie.  Don't be a follower.

I think dress watches will always be a side-show compared to sports watches of all varieties. 

For most people these days watches are an aspirational thing, more than a functional tool. Most office workers aspire to be out doing adventurous things, rather than staring at spreadsheets all day, so they wear a watch that makes them feel like they could go diving, or mountain climbing. 

There is also the versatility that a nice sports watch brings to the table. A watch like an Aqua Terra can go from the boardroom to the pool with no issues, so you only need the one watch. Remember that watch collectors are a tiny part of the watch market overall, so we will never drive change in the overall market. 

I probably wear a vintage "dress" watch five or six days a week. Watch manufacturers did themselves no favors by making "dress" watches larger than 38mm. The lack of bezel makes them look large. If they make a comeback I am ready.

I actually like the T-Shirt and dress watch combo better than the uniform-y suit with dressy watch.

I wore an Oris dress watch all throughout college, dang thing never really left my wrist.  I like throwing thick bracelets onto them to make them into field-y sort of pieces.

A lot of good points already made.  Sport watches like the submariner are now perfectly acceptable to wear as a dress watch.  I think this point has contributed to the decline.  For me I got rid of my solid gold dress watches long ago, I found them impractical and just wear sportier stuff with a suit every chance I can.

I wish. Paul Fussell wrote about what he called "prole drift" which basically meant that culture and tastes in a society ultimately sink downard. A dress watch is like Kryponite to the proles.

At the risk of sounding stupid, what actually makes a dress watch a dress watch?

Can't be the size, there are ginormous pieces labeled "dress. Also I have 6mm high Casios that surely aren't dress watches.

Can't be the clean layout, look at all the moonphase triple calenders.

Is it the case material? Can't a steel watch be a dress watch?

Can't be what it's designed for, all those everyday watches from the 50s or 60s are considered classy dress watches now.

Recognising a dress watch seems to be a "I know it when I see it" situation.

I prefer the style of dresswatches but I also like to interact with my watch. So I always tend to some kind of dressier chronographs. 

To be honest I think the dresswatch is going to come back sooner or later. At the moment sportwatches are all over the place and they can handle more. Okay I get it. But I think as time goes by people start realising that their desk is way above the sea level and bone dry and that their usual activity doesn't need much shock resistant either. Even non watch people. The vintage dresswatch market is way bigger than the vintage sportwatch market. Maybe those who just wear a watch aren't getting into vintage. But those who starts getting into the hobby are likely to pick up a vintage dresswatch sooner or later. Maybe it won't be a 2 hand minimalistic watch but definitely something on the dressier side.  

In a poll I started most people said that they could imagine wearing a dressier piece as a daily. So I think there are already quiet a few people out there wearing dresswatches. Maybe we don't recognize it so often because many people that aren't in the hobby just prefer a watch on a steel bracelet because it can handle more situations and it seem to be the style of the time. But that can change quickly. 

 Over here in Germany you already see more and more vintage Cartier Tanks or Tanks in general. Also on non watch guys. I know, that historically it is a tool watch like the reverso. But for modern standards I would already classify it as a dresswatch. Maybe we're going to see the comeback in the next few years. I would really appreciate a development in this direction. 

I’m still pretty new to the watch scene, having gotten into watches about 14 months ago. But dress watches have always seemed plain and boring when up against a diver or chronograph. If I’m going to spend good money on a watch, I want it to have some visual interest. Fashion watches like MVMT and a $20,000 Patek Calatrava look pretty similar. I guess I’m just a prole.

That’s a great point of view, I haven’t personally looked at my ’tool’ watches like that but it’s most certainly right. 

As an observation and not being rude but you could do with bigger wrists for that watch. 

Thanks for the kindness! I would love a bigger wrist as this watch is inherited... The emotional meaning makes me care less about the size

Absolutely, health to enjoy.

There’s plenty of choices for the person who would like a dress watch. Are they as ’popular’ Among the buying public? Probably not but it also means there’s more to go round. 
They are also a genre which can be found at various price points too. So if a buyer wants one - there’s somethjng to suit their bank balance.

Brands (and especially Microbrands) tend to spot gaps in the market a lot quicker too - so I’m pretty sure that gap would be filled quickly.

Its quite telling that when the Daniel Wellingtons and the MVMTs of this world started selling a lot of watches, the designs they used, were mainly towards the dressier side even though most of their customers were not necessarily the traditionally dressed crowd. They appealed to the more casually dressed millenials. Apologies to any traditionally dressed Millenials out there

I don't have any sporty watches at the moment, they're all dressy to some extend, nothing fancy like a reverso or tank, but been thinking of getting an Oris rectangular for a fair price, when I get the Oris I intend on making a post here on wearing dress watches casually, the type of clothes I wear and mostly the strap parings, don't think it will have a big impact but who knows.

Absolutely dress watches are coming back! I have a dress watch being delivered to my house before Christmas. And I’m a well-known style bellwether 😉

I love dress watches (not as much as chronographs unless they are dress watch chronographs 😉).

I always wear dress watches to board meetings, etc. and when I am going out for a nice dinner. 

I also like to wear them with a really nice shirt and suit or sport coat and slacks.

Here is a sampling from the collection...and yes there are watches with a diameter less than 35mm pictured...

Wow what a collection!

Would love to see the post ✌️

You should always post what you want 😉, I once got shit on on Reddit because I posted a picture of a custom made Speedmaster rug and everyone thought my shoes didn’t match my pants 😂

This is entirely cyclical and goes along with the cyclical fashion trends. With the pandemic and hybrid work becoming more common, the shift to (very) casual fashion was accelerated, supported in the watch space by steel sports watch hype.

I believe that this fast change will only speed up the reversal that will inevitably follow. Sure, nobody will be wearing ties, three piece suits or hats, but we can expect a partial resurgence of business casual, or just of people who will want to wear a nice shirt when going out for dinner, instead of their favourite hoodie.

Along with this, dress watches will come back (are coming back), maybe not in their purest form, maybe with a bit of sport aesthetic and extra WR  mixed in, but they will. 

Well, I realized I was probably a bit more harsh than I meant to be. And I do really like moon phase complications.

Its quite telling that when the Daniel Wellingtons and the MVMTs of this world started selling a lot of watches, the designs they used, were mainly towards the dressier side even though most of their customers were not necessarily the traditionally dressed crowd.

Yes, I think they were looking dressier, you are right. But these watches seemed to me like the copy of the real thing. From minimalism that made the watch unusable, to a build quality that betrayed the fancy looks.

It was already a step down from the watch that somebody in the 20th century was proud of, very similar to an original furniture style that arrived at IKEA. 

Oh yes, they were horrible! Wasn’t trying to insinuate they they were any good! 
I would imagine they would have had more ’success’/sales with Diver-style watches (with 3ATM resistance) but they didn’t

That's actually a good question. A regular diver probably looks to "toolish" and not fancy enough. The fashion brands pushed minimalism, complications, or bling to make the watch look expensive. 

Which is why I don't think the regular understated dress watch will make a comeback anytime soon. 

‘Comeback’? Has it gone away? It’s just not as popular - most brands carry a ‘dress’ / non-sports piece, I think

I would say that it would be a comeback of sorts, keeping in mind that the dress watch was truly popular during the 20th century. A dressy watch was the first choice for me when I looked for my first real watch even in the 1980s. But from the 1960s (sports watches) and 1980s (digital watches), the dress watch became less popular. 

These days a dress watch, at least as far as the general population is concerned, ranks behind "no watch", a smartwatch (incl. fitness tracker, G-Shock, Garmin, etc.), and sports watches. I think the reason is fairly simple, meaning that men don't wear suits. Men generally don't dress up the way they used to, and their watch also reflects that change.

Would definitely agree on the shift on attitudes regarding ’office’ wear affecting the sales of ’dress’ watches (as it has probably affected formal footwear too). 

I think in the earlier part of the 20th century there was probably less of a requirement for sports watches but as things like recreational diving, motor racing and air travel became more commonplace and more accessible to more people then their requirements changed too. 
I can only assume that’s where we are with the smartwatches. 
There are always outliers in society - just using the suit and tie as an example - people had to wear a those items previously, now they want to wear those items. If you didn’t wear a suit and tie pre 2k, you were making a statement to people. The people who want to wear a tie nowadays are making a similar statement. 
I think watches, in general, are also part of that movement/way of thinking. Obviously there is the tradition element too eg. My mum/dad wore one, so I’ll wear one too

I remember my paternal grandfather wearing a suit in most encounters I had with him. He would take off his tie around close family only. This was caused by a strong wish to distinguish himself from his working-class roots. It was definitely sending a very clear message, and he wasn't in a business that required him to wear that suit. I have a picture of him with me on a nature walk, him in his suit, hat, and with a walking cane.

With a suit becoming a prerequisite of doing business, this class distinction faded to a large degree. (Even though the type of suit surely mattered.)

Even pre 2k the suit situation was tricky, surely required on the East Coast, the West Coast was a different story, and the business casual much harder to get right. I'm at work right now, wearing a black dress shirt, grey dress pants, and dress shoes, and I'm completely overdressed, except for another manager across from me.

I tried a suit before, but that went as far as people not recognizing me. Even senior management may show up in a polo and jeans. What can I say? It remains interesting.

I think peer pressure outweighs tradition in most cases. The clothes you wear are an identifier of the group you want to belong to. My kids don't wear watches, and smartwatches are more or less tools, primarily used as fitness trackers.

Where does that leave the dress watch?