What Makes a Dress Watch a Dress Watch

What Makes a Dress Watch a Dress Watch

“Just as people’s faces are different, so are their opinions different”. This Hebrew proverb rings true even within the niche circle of watch enthusiasts. Not everything is black and white in horology. There is not one clear-cut answer to ‘the best sports watch bracelet’, or ‘the best watch for under $5,000’, or even on issues like ‘is buying a replica watch OK?’ (no, the answer is no).

In this season of pestilence and quarantine, I’ve been doing some thinking at home and am going to posit one more to the list: what is a dress watch? Rather, what makes a dress watch a dress watch? A straightforward question, but one that only leads to more questions. Just as death and taxes are certainties in life, no two watch geeks are going to have the exact same criteria for what makes a dress watch. That said, unless you are a total prude or maverick, there will be some level of consensus.

The way I see it is fairly simple: it comes down to 1) design, and 2) size, which could be considered as an aspect of design but warrants a separate discussion.

Design

Classically, dress watches are considered to be watches that you would wear with something more formal, especially a tuxedo. Interestingly, people used to think that one shouldn’t even be wearing a wristwatch with a tuxedo because it implies that you have somewhere else to be; it is therefore seen as being rude to your host and guests. This school of thought is now antiquated, perhaps for the better. The only argument against wearing a wristwatch with a tuxedo that I could sympathise with is that ‘it looks out of place’. The solution to this is simple: just don’t wear a wristwatch – you have your iPhone anyway if you need the time. But for those who choose to wear a watch, it goes to highlight how paramount the design of the dress watch is so as to complement – not clash with – one’s formal or semi-formal wear. Elegance is the name of the game. The key is to have a dial that is as simple and demure as possible. A two-handed, time-only watch on a legible white dial with only the company marquee and the hour track printed onto it is perhaps the ultimate expression of a true dress watch. At a stretch, a seconds hand may be allowed. No Superluminova, no meteorite dials, no Thunderdomes; just classical simplicity with minimal frills.

But, what of dress watches with complications, displays, or dial decoration? Are they not dress watches anymore? A wise Jedi once said, “only a Sith deals in absolutes” (which, ironically, is an absolute statement). If you’re not attuned with Star Wars, what I’m trying to say is, the dressiness of a dial – and therefore watch, by extension – lies in a spectrum. No one would dare claim that the Patek Philippe Ref. 5396 with annual calendar display ISN’T a dress watch just because it doesn’t have a barren dial. The watch is still elegant in design – just not as elegant as a time-only piece born of the same style could be. In the spectrum of dress watches, a two-handed piece would sit at the conservative end while the blue-dialed perpetual calendar with tourbillon at 6 o’clock would lay closer to the liberal end. Forget not as well, that dress watches can also be worn with a business suit or polo and jeans – this is where liberally designed dress watches (burgundy Reversos, anyone?) should thrive, not when you’re about to greet the Queen in your morning suit.

Moving outboard of the dial, we get to the case. Traditionally, dress watch cases tend to be in precious metals, be it gold (yellow, rose, or white) or platinum. Playing the accessibility game, many high-end manufacturers today also offer dress watches in a more affordable stainless steel casing. Historically, stainless steel wasn’t exactly first choice when it came to making fine dress watches. Even today, it is still perceived as a more ‘utilitarian’ metal and used more in casual, sports or tool watches. But let’s be honest, its fairly difficult to tell apart polished steel from polished platinum, white gold, or even titanium unless you get a feel of the case in your hand. Gatekeeping others from calling their dress watch a dress watch just because it’s not rendered in precious metal is an exercise in pettiness. But there’s a limit to how far you should go with material of course. Most would understandably draw the line at exotic materials like ceramic or sapphire crystal – that’s entering casual watch territory.

Of course, material isn’t the only consideration when it comes to dress watch cases. The design itself has to be elegant. You wouldn’t call the Calatrava a dress watch if it had the case design of the Hublot Big Bang Sang Bleu II. This inevitably means leaning towards old-school design cues. Some adornment on the case – such as hobnailing, relief engraving, or even gem-setting – is usually acceptable. But nothing beats a simple case design in achieving elegance. Remember, the key is to be understated, and for the timepiece to complement the gentleman.

Last but not least, dress watches tend to come matched with alligator leather straps. Personally, I feel that this is non-negotiable. Calf skin and cordovan straps just feel too casual for even a business suit. A refined bracelet, like Milanese mesh or beads of rice, could work if you have the charisma but is far from ideal. Needless to say, rubber straps and sports bracelets are out of the question – they just don’t go well with dress watch heads no matter what the dress code is.

Size

In watchmaking, size is as much a design consideration as material and dial layout. However, I felt that it deserves its own segment because it is a huge talking point and a polarising subject when it comes to dress watches and even watches in general.

Unless you’re new to the world of watches, you’d be aware that the average size of a wristwatch has grown over time. Today, we accept 41 mm cases as the norm where a century ago, it’d be almost unheard of. Watches don’t tend to go far beyond 35 mm back then. I figure this is why dress watch purists believe that anything larger than 35-36 mm in diameter is not a true dress watch. I don’t really subscribe to this way of thinking myself, though I can sympathise with the sentiment. There is hardly anything more off-putting than a grossly oversized dress watch. But here’s the caveat: ‘oversized-ness’ is different for every wrist and dress code.

Let’s start with the wrist. If I were to wear a 45.9 mm A. Lange & Söhne Lange 31 on my average Asian wrist, I would not only look like a clown – I’d be the entire circus. On the other hand, a 34 mm watch would look fine on my wrist. Does this prove the purists right? Considering that the Lange 31 would look rather dressy on someone like the late André René Roussimoff (André the Giant), and that a 34 mm watch would like a charm bracelet, I’d say it doesn’t. The point of a dress watch, again, is to be a discreet accessory that complements a gentleman’s outfit. Apart from having the lugs NOT overhang from the wrist (which is a big no-no for any wristwatch), in the context of a suit, the watch would have to be small and thin enough to slide under the sleeve. Otherwise, the sleeve would scrounge up and the scone-of-a-watch would be exposed – an unsightly outcome. So, my take is that if it slides under your sleeve with ease, it’s an appropriate size, whatever that may be.

As you make your way down towards the casual end of the dress code, your choice of dress watches can become more liberal. The expectation to slide your watch under the sleeve in discretion becomes optional or inapplicable when we’re dealing with business casual, smart, or casual wear. Ultra-thin, dainty dress watches can still be worn with panache, but so can technical behemoths like the Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour le Mérite”. There is no fear of snagging the dress cuff when there is none.

Summary

Here’s what a purist sees as a dress watch: white/silver dial, two hands, hour track only, 35 mm case, thin case profile, alligator leather strap, overall classic-elegant design. To me, that is a perfectly valid dress watch. The problem is when you say that anything else isn’t a true dress watch. Design is the most important factor in determining whether a watch is a dress watch. If it isn’t elegant, it’s probably a casual watch – like any Urwerk – or a sports watch – like a Rolex Submariner. Also: breaketh a dress watch, complications and coloured dials do not, but maketh it less formal, they do. Size shouldn’t be a fixed variable because one size does not fit all. It is highly dependent on one’s wrist size. The right size is one that allows the dress watch to look elegant on the wrist and slide under a sleeve for discretion.

This is how I see the dress watch. On one hand, I don’t agree with the purist’s myopic definition of the dress watch, and on the other, I definitely don’t think that an Omega Seamaster is a dress watch (though Mr. Bond would disagree). Therefore, I would like to think that my views are ‘moderate’. If you asked around the watch community, everyone would have a different view of what makes a watch a dress watch, even if that difference is minor. And that’s okay. At the end of the day, what matters most is that we wear what makes us happy – even if it’s a diver with a tux.