Are dress watches still trendy?

A world without dress watches is unimaginable for watch lovers. Because tool and sports watches are so omnipresent, they often get lost in public perception. Real watch fans still have one or two dress watches in their collection. There are good reasons why there has recently been a renaissance of dress watches. We explain the trend in our article.

What are dress watches?

Before we go into detail, we would like to briefly explain what makes this type of watch special. Dress watches are relatively discreetly designed watches that are usually worn with elegant outfits and on official occasions. For this reason, they are also known as suit watches in German. It is essential for dress watches to express a deliberate understatement. There are neither opulent designs nor complicated gimmicks. The focus of these watches is actually on the pure time display; i.e. three hands, with a second hand often located off-center on a sub-dial. Two-hand watches, or so-called tuxedo watches, also fall into this category. If there is a date display on the dial, it is a business watch that is also used for business occasions.

The color palette also pays tribute to the understated design approach: with restrained dials and a traditional choice of colors of black, white and navy blue. Recently, however, the color palette has been expanded. Brown and green tones can now also be found in newer designs. Although these still do not feature elaborate designs, they do feature lacquered dials or subtle sunburst finishes. The reason why dress watches are particularly flat is because they have to slide easily under shirt cuffs. At 34 to 40 millimeters, the diameter of the watches is also narrower than that of tool watches or sports watches. Dress watches also remain rather traditional in terms of material, so precious metals such as platinum and gold or the occasional stainless steel are not uncommon. The classic look is also created by the polished surfaces and the straps made of high-quality calf or alligator leather. In keeping with their actual purpose, the delicate dress watches are designed for occasions where they are not exposed to the weather, shocks or blows.

Timeless elegance needs no trends

Lovers of dress watches need not worry that the popularity of this watch style will be affected by changing trends. Thanks to Louis Cartier and his Cartier Tank, they have secured their place on the list of essential lovers' watches. With their timeless appearance, they are immune to fashion trends such as design gimmicks. This makes them elegant evergreens that look good in any watch collection. However, it seems as if dress watches have recently become more popular again. This impression is probably due to the fact that the watches are no longer reserved for absolute traditionalists who only wear the watches on the occasions for which they were originally designed. Younger watch enthusiasts in particular are increasingly wearing dress watches in everyday situations, thereby bringing them more into the general public's consciousness. Other factors for the increasing popularity of the watches are, on the one hand, the fact that gold watches are generally in fashion at the moment. On the other hand, the boundaries between sports watches and dress watches are generally relatively fluid and the popularity of sports watches has also been transferred to design-related watch styles.