Dress watches are coming back into the mainstream, and for collectors looking for their first watch, it can be intimidating to navigate a world of watches at all different price points and complications. Should you go vintage or modern? Big or small? Complicated or time-only? Bracelet variants or leather straps? There’s a never-ending list of questions that can prevent collectors from taking the dive on their first dress piece.
Today, we're taking a look at the world of dress watches and highlighting 11 pieces from our inventory that run the full gamut of offerings. This will make it easier to determine what’s best for your particular tastes and preferences. Let’s get into it.
Movado Calatrava
Movado Dress Watch - IN THE SHOP
Our first piece is designed to showcase the fact that you don’t need to break the bank to access an incredible dress watch with many of the hallmarks of more expensive pieces. Movado was at the absolute top of their game in the mid-20th century, and this piece is a great example of what we mean.
Coming in at under $2,000, this Movado is fashioned from yellow gold and dates to the 1960s. Meausuring 34mm with a slim case, it has the feel of a Patek Calatrava but at a fraction of the price. With a dauphine handset, set of appliqué numerals topped off with a subsidiary seconds display, it's in excellent condition and preserves the key features you’d search for on a great vintage classic: simple, legible, modest in proportions, thin in execution, and made of precious metal for a little extra dress flair.
Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 570
Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 570 - IN THE SHOP
If you’re looking for a simple time-only watch like the above Movado but want the ultimate expression of that aesthetic, few watches are as coveted and significant as the Patek Philippe Reference 570. Measuring 35mm in white gold but wearing a bit larger than that, this '60s piece has a modern presence on the wrist that would allow it to have been easily mistaken for a 2020s dress watch.
The 570 is everything you hope to see on a dress watch and nothing you don’t. A brushed silver dial, 'dauphine' hands, faceted indices, and a central seconds hand all figure in its elegant design. What more is there to say? Patek wrote the playbook for this type of watch. Subtle but refined, it takes the ‘less is more’ mission seriously and absolutely delivers one of the most timeless results available. Plus, this baby is in excellent condition! It's undoubtedly one of the best options for a dress watch on the market.
Patek Philippe Ellipse Ref. 3644G
Patek Philippe Ellipse Ref. 3644G - IN THE SHOP
If you love dress watches but need to stand out a bit more, or need something less classic and more decorated and exuberant, try the Ref. 3644G. A lovely '70s design, this piece has a bit more funk than our previous two picks. A blue dial, appliqué indices, and a stick handset sum this bad boy up perfectly.
Often, when we look at two-handers, we question why we’d ever ask for more! This watch makes a huge statement, even without a seconds hand. Although its TV case shape will turn more heads than the 570 or the Movado, the modest 33mm case keeps this watch reserved in spite of its flash. 33mm may sound small, but due to the case size and broad lugs, it wears closer to 36mm. Paired to a blue strap, its dial pops, and it could be the perfect dress watch for a sports watch lover.
Cartier Tank Louis 1980s
Cartier Tank Louis - IN THE SHOP
No dress watch guide is complete without a Cartier, and arguably no Cartier is more fitting for the task than the Tank Louis. A complete icon of the dress watch segment, this is a lovely petite timepiece that always looks great. Incredibly, its simple design is inspired by the Renault FT-17 military tank from the First World War.
Somehow, Cartier managed to transform this military vehicle into the Tank Normale, and shortly thereafter, the Tank Louis stole the podium as the ultimate Tank. A 'railroad' minute track, blued steel hands, a sapphire cabochon crown, a precious metal case, and lovely proportions make for the ultimate dress layout. What’s more, these watches look good in every era: Indeed, it would be hard to distinguish a '60s Tank from a '80s from a 2000s. Chef’s horological kiss!
Cartier Tonneau Ref. 2451D
Cartier Tonneau Ref.2451D - IN THE SHOP
Our second Cartier on the list, this piece is the more adventurous alternative to the traditional tank. A Tonneau, this piece has a lovely silver guilloché dial, a blued handset, and an incredible case oozing with class. What this watch slams is the balance of traditional aesthetics with case shape and French elegance. Its design isn’t too simple, but it takes the classic ingredients that work on simpler designs and adapts them to suit a more exciting package.
In many respects this watch is the equivalent of the Cartier Tank Cintrée in that it encapsulates everything that we see on Cartier’s classic designs, but adapts them to fit a more elegant aesthetic. It also hits the sweet spot on size, suiting a range of wrist sizes because of its small proportions but large presence.
Lange 1 Rose Gold Ref. 101.032
A.Lange & Söhne Lange 1 - IN THE SHOP
Transporting us from Switzerland to Germany, our next watch is Lange’s icon, the Lange 1. This watch adds a little complication, so if you're looking for more than just the time, the Lange 1 may be for you. Packing the large outsized date that has made Lange famous, the Lange 1 balances it with a smaller time disaplay, a power reserve display, and subsidiary seconds, and somehow looks perfectly laid out in spite of its asymmetry.
When you flip this watch over, you understand why it's at the top of the horological heap: Lange’s movement finishing can stand up to the most impressive watches in the industry. Baring a distinctly Saxon flair, the Lange 1 is decorated with Glashütte striping, black polish, golden chatons, a hand-engraved balance cock, and a lovely swan-neck regulator. Plus when you consider the brand’s ~5,000-piece annual production numbers, you begin to grasp the relative rarity of these watches. Lange is growing in popularity rapidly, and the Lange 1 is the brand’s most recognizable and emblematic design. It makes for a damn good dress watch.
Audemars Piguet Steel Integrated Bracelet Ref. 4010
Audemars Piguet Steel Dress Watch - IN THE SHOP
Our next two pieces explore the world of integrated bracelet dress watches — a hallmark of the '70s, and a look that has become very popular these days among those in the know. This particular example is also one of the most affordable Audemars Piguet watches. Fashioned from stainless steel, this elegant dress piece takes the octagonal case shape of the Royal Oak and subtly adapts it for a dress package.
Outfitted to a mesh bracelet with a locking clasp, this watch is incredibly thin — and also incredibly affordable considering its pedigree. It's certainly on the sporty side of dressy, but it could easily be an everyday watch with an automatic-winding movement within and simple aesthetics. Again, the dial bears those stripped-down hallmarks that work so well for dressier applications and add versatility to a design.
Piaget Lapis Dial Ref. 9120 A6
Piaget Lapis Dial Ref.9120 A6 - IN THE SHOP
Our second integrated-bracelet piece in the mix, this Piaget is outfitted with a lapis dial and an incredible white gold bracelet topped off with a bark finish. Living at the intersection of both lovely, ultra-thin watchmaking and jewelry mastery, such a design would cost multiples of its price if made today. In fact, in this configuration, this watch is an exceptional value: Bearing a stone dial, a precious metal case, and an ultra-thin movement, it has everything you could ask for in a dress watch.
Piaget is currently having a moment, and we’ve had dozens of designs like this one fly off the shelves of late. As more and more of these pieces make red carpet appearances, we can only expect prices for vintage Piagets with this much personality to continue to rise as more collectors discover their charms. A Piaget renaissance is on the way. You heard it here first!
Breguet Classique Moonphase Ref. 3130BA/11/286
Breguet Classique Moonphase Ref.3130BA/11/286 - IN THE SHOP
Moving up the complication ladder, this next piece is from Breguet. Breguet watches are some of the best values in the game. They have incredible dials with guilloché finish that the brand helped to popularize; lovely, extra-thin complications; coin-edge case flanks; and subtle details like blued hands. In many respects, Breguet gives you a high-horology execution for the price of many less high-end pieces — and it gives it to you in precious metal, to boot.
If you like classical watchmaking and are looking for a dress watch, these pieces remain a fantastic buy at their price point. It’s truly quite difficult to find comparable quality within a close range of these prices. Plus, it's simply impossible to have any conversation about watchmaking history without discussing Breguet. The brand has made so many significant contributions to the world of watchmaking over the years. Once you get this piece on your wrist, you'll understand the marque's importance within the larger watchmaking sphere.
Patek Philippe REF. 5146G
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Moonphase Ref. 5146G-010 - IN THE SHOP
If you want to go to the classic for complicated watchmaking, you simply cannot ignore Patek Philippe. The 5146G is one of the best places to start. Equipped with an annual calendar function, the 5146G is adjusted just once per year, providing the advantages of more complicated calendar complications without the expense of the perpetual calendar. We have previously done a complete video on YouTube going through the various iterations of the annual calendar available on the market — check it out!
Since 1996, the annual calendar has been one of the most popular families in Patek’s collection, and it’s quite easy to see why. These watches are prime one-watch collection material, and are also more accessible than their grand compilation alternatives.
Patek Philippe REF. 5970
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Moonphase Chronograph - IN THE SHOP
Finally, the Patek Philippe Reference 5970. The 5970 is one of the ultimate Patek Grand Complications. Produced for a short window in less than 3,000 examples, the 5970 is one of those watches you look at and recognize perfection.
Sized 40mm in diameter, the 5970 brought the aesthetics of the vintage perpetual calendar chronos to a contemporary package. It has a vintage feel but a modern presence, and this is not something that is often well executed. This was also the last iteration of the perpetual calendar chronograph to feature a Lemania base movement within before Patek phased them out in favor of in-house alternatives.
Rare, complicated, well sized and well finished, the 5970 strikes an ideal balances without sacrificing anything, and that has made this piece a legend in the world of dress watches.
