You will have noticed many different terms used in the watch world, and one of the simplest and most common is “Dress Watch”. You probably have one, often inherited or received as a gift. You might think of it as your watch for special occasions. Maybe you are probably unsure when and where to wear them? This week’s blog post will help you clarify how to think about them, how to wear them, and how many different kinds there are out there.

What Are Dress Watches

A Dress Watch is a simple watch with elegant and smart features, often displaying the time and little else. It is often found on a leather strap, with a smart buckle matching the case. They are mostly round in shape, although there are famous square, rectangular and oval models like the Cartier Tank, Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso, and Patek Philippe Ellipse. They are classy, and occasionally may be decorated with special dials or with gemstones. Almost all watch brands produce a range or family of dress watches.

Here is a trio of three different time only dress watches from the 1950s:

When Are They Worn?

Some people wear a dress watch as an everyday watch. At The Watch Collectors’ Club, we feel it is entirely possible and appropriate to wear a dress watch casually. They are usually slim and slender, and stylish but modest, even when made from precious metals such as gold. You will find they fit easily under a shirt or jacket cuff, and if you feel you have smaller wrists, they can be very comfortable to wear. Case sizes are usually between 34 and 40mm.

Many people choose to wear them when they dress for special occasions. You might do this for a more elegant look, as a different kind of style for an evening, or if the occasion is somewhere you can safely wear a timepiece that is particularly precious.

Dress Watches For Men and Ladies

The history of the industry has focused most innovation and interesting design on men’s watches. This means that most ladies’ watches are dress watches. They can be smaller sized versions of men’s watches, often featuring gemstones or differentiated colours to make them stand out from the men’s ranges. Many women prefer to wear men’s watches, especially men’s dress watches from the past, as the average watches size was smaller then.

The first wristwatches were made for ladies, as an addition to jewelled bracelets. The first men’s wristwatch was made for the pilot Alberto Dumas-Santos by Cartier in 1904. That model, named the Santos, was put on public sale in 1905 and has been available ever since. It is popular with both men and women to this day.

Cartier Santos

Dress Watch Chronographs and Other Types of Dress Watches

Since most brands make a range of dress watches, there has been a huge amount of innovation and experimentation with style. From the simplest low-cost quality timepieces made by brands such as Citizen and Orient, to the most luxurious options from Patek Philippe, and hand-made marvels from people like Kari Voutalinen, the range is huge. Here is a picture of a Chronograph, or stopwatch, but it is clearly designed to be a dress watch. It is classy, slender, gold-plated, and was introduced by Breitling in the late 1960s, precisely to offer a dress chronograph.

Vintage Breitling Top Time

Jaeger LeCoultre, a famous Swiss watchmaker, was asked in 1930 to make a watch for Polo players. The first few were produced in 1931, to immediate success. They celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Reverso in 2021 with a new addition. You will see that it is very classy, with simple elegant lines. This watch was introduced for Sportsmen but is perceived almost entirely as a dress watch today.

You may have seen pictures of watches that are covered in jewels and other fine details. These dress watches are often known as Haute Horologie (High Horology, or Fine Watchmaking), and Haute Joallerie (High Jewellery, or Fine Jewellery). They are designed to be worn on very special occasions and are made by Jewellery brands such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Bulgari.

Fashion companies also make very fancy, often radically designed watches. Gucci is particularly famous in this regard. You may find watches such as these far from your taste,  but they do belong to the category of dress watches, and provide much inspiration for other watch brands.

Haute Joallerie Watch - notice the jewels

Where To Buy Dress Watches

Fortunately, they are available everywhere, as so many brands make Dress watches. They are easily found online, and in at jewellers or watch boutiques. We advise you take your time to choose one;

• Start with the style you like

• Think about a price range

• Think about what brand you might like to buy from

• Go and try some on

While it will likely be a simple design, features such as waterproofness the power supply, whether manually wound, automatic, or battery-powered are worth considering. Once you have identified the range you like, nothing beats trying some on. You never know what it will feel like until you do. Take your time to enjoy the experience.

We have written a guide to choosing a watch brand here.

Conclusion

We are collectors of dress watches and wear them all the time. They are versatile, hassle-free, and can be a subtle addition to a look or outfit. We at The Watch Collectors’ Club do not think there is a best dress watch, as there is a huge range available and everyone has different taste. We encourage you to explore the many varieties out there, and if you need more help buying or exploring what is available, please check out some of our other blog posts, and follow us on Instagram.