The Comeback of the Dressier Watch!

Great article. well thought out and understandable

Mine too, vintage and on the smaller size

Thanks so much!

Nice work as always. I struggle with what makes a dress watch these days. Cellini? Sure. To your point, what about my dream watch, a Patek 5270P? Most look at it and say, dress watch. 41mm and 12.4mm thick does not say traditional dress watch. Don’t get me wrong, I would find a way to wear it with everything, but it is not going to fit easily under a cuff. I have a GO that definitely looks the part, but again it wears better with jeans and a polo than French cuffs. I personally want the watch to wear comfortably with a suit or tux, without having to tailor a larger wrist on the left, with a dash of elegance of course.

I love the idea of a Breguet Classique 7147. Yes, 40 is still big, but 6.1mm thick would wear nicely with a dress shirt, while equally looking great dressed down.

A highly informative write up, thank you!

Perfect timing…after taking a good look at my current lineup definitely looking to pick up a few…great piece!

This exact struggle is why I like to categorize them into "traditional dress watches" (compact slim cases, understated three-hander dials, thin bezels, leather straps, etc) and "formal/dressier watches," which can include bigger cases, complications, and more embellishments all around.

I think the under-the-cuff rule can be too limiting, especially considering modern wardrobes.

With that in mind, the Patek 5270P most certainly fits into my definition of the more formal timepiece (and what an epic watch it is!)

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Thanks so much!

Thank you! Do you have a few candidates in mind?

I've been working remote for the last 3 years but most likely will be doing some office time in the near future so I'm turning that into a positive opportunity to ramp up the dress watches...sliding under the cuff feels like a dress watch to me 😀

Hamilton Intra Matic H38416711

Sinn 556i

Grand Seiko SBGM221 (is 13.7 slim enough?)

Other GS's? Something Longines? Lorier Zephr? Need to dig in more

My wife is looking at these:

Cartier Tank Solarbeat (if available)

Baltic MR-01 (as discussed on a previous post)

A vintage Rolex Datejust

Great read. Nice to see that dressier pieces are making a comeback. I like dressier watches and that’s maybe the reason I’m soo into vintage. That’s an ocean of great, slim, moderate sized watches at a reasonable price. It isn’t easy to make a simple 3 hander look good so really good looking modern options tends to be quite expensive.

Vintage dress watches are best examples IMO…it was a “dressier” period for sure

You nailed it - it isn't easy to make a simple three-hander look good! Say it louder for the people in the back 🎯

Very well written and informative ...I need to add a dress watch, Im not sure the president I have is considered a dress watch..

Good article! I have always enjoyed dress watches while retaining my love for field/military styled pieces. Both can happily coexist.