When the weather gets warm, your linen dinner jacket or little black dress may actually be getting a little more action than you think. While you might be tempted to wear a more traditionally elegant wrist companion that helps you blend in, this top ten list offers up a spectrum of diverse, unexpected options to make a sophisticated statement; and that is always apropos.
Patek Philippe Cubitus Rose Gold
Certainly, in this elegant rose gold execution, in a smaller 40mm case size than the initial 45mm Cubitus debuts, the appeal and sophistication of the squared-off Cubitus is simply undeniable. The horizontally striped, textured brown dial, which carries a light-catching sunburst pattern as well, is a perfect complementary hue for the alternating satin and polished elements of the shimmering rose gold case and integrated rose gold bracelet.
A self-winding 26-330 S C caliber movement powers this simple-yet-sophisticated casual chic beauty, and its exquisite decoration (including a 21K gold rotor) is visible through an exhibition case back. Lumed hands and an unexpected 30 meters of water resistance lean into a welcome sportiness for this elegant timepiece, to boot.
Price: USD 76,590
Czapek Promenade Plisse Rose
You may be detecting a watch-brand re-invention theme developing here. Czapek is another 19th Century legacy watchmaker (this time Czech-born Polish master Francois Cazapek) that was revived by watch enthusiast Xavier de Roquemaurel and his team in 2015.
But modern Czapeks are, well, very modern, indeed. This 38mm steel Promenade Plisse (French for “pleats”), arrives with a gorgeous, undulating rose pink hue meant to mimic the movement of high-fashion garments, pegging this model as a more feminine option in the Plisse line’s gender-neutral intent.
Limited to just 18 editions, the Promenade Plisse sports a case with sandblasted sides, curved crown guards, a slim rounded bezel, a vintage-inspired beaded steel bracelet, and elegantly off-set small seconds dial to inject some heritage style appeal to the modern Czapek-modified SXH5 micro-rotor movement.
Price: $17,300
Briston Streamliner Kennedy Automatic White
Upstart French watchmaker Briston has made part of its popular impression by interestingly mining classic Art Deco design references to create something that is wholly modern, and not quite like anything you’ve ever seen before.
For this Streamliner, a bullet-proof Miyota 9039 automatic movement provides its modern heart. Some more modern fun arrives via a mix of Roman and Arabic numeral indices on the dial. However, the vintage-inspired 36mm square stainless steel case, unique tortoise-shell acetate side case flanks, lapis lazuli cabochon-topped 12 o’clock crown location, and railway-style square minute gauge scream artful heritage nods for this work of elegance, which, in this modern age, could certainly be considered gender-neutral.
Price: USD 920
Hermes Cut Le Temps Suspendu
Leave it to Hermes to develop a new wristwatch that, depending on its execution, defies easy pigeon-holing. When the Hermès Cut was introduced at the Geneva Watches & Wonders in 2024; the appealing off-balance design opened up many questions: At 39mm, was it for men or women? What would you call the contoured, not-quite-round, not-quite-cushion, case shape?
In this new elegant rose gold iteration, which brings the house’s whimsical “suspended time” complication (allowing you to temporarily turn off ongoing time-telling functions and then jump right to the current accurate time with the push of a button) as well as diamond adornment to the Hermès Cut, the message is decidedly female. But what to call the off-beat case shape that houses the exquisite H1912 movement? That is still up for debate. This wristwatch, however, has plenty of drama to spark that conversation and more at your next summer evening get-together.
Price: USD 33,775
Frederique Constant Classics Manchette
Watches for ladies might not be the first thing you think of when you think of Swiss watchmaker Frederique Constant. But this revival of its Manchette timepiece, after a 20-year hiatus, aims to change that perspective, big time.
For a relatively accessible watch that, frankly, looks like a million bucks, the new Manchette is a game-changer. Even in this mid-level black dial/quartz/steel rendition, the elegantly small dial is framed by a gleaming Clos de Paris motif bracelet that revives and modernizes the very idea of a classic ladies bracelet watch. The four-model line, however, includes dial variations from Roman numerals, to bright stone dials, to diamond dial adornment. Any one you pick will be a summer soiree hit.
Price: USD 2,300
Arnold & Son Nebula 40 Steel Blue
As a legacy British clockmaker, Arnold & Son first became renowned for its intricate and precise marine chronometers. The modern Swiss rebirth of the brand, however, has excelled at bringing some of that vintage technical zeitgeist directly to the wrist.
This stunning blue Nebula 40, for example, delivers the skeletonized manual-wind movement visibility and profound accuracy of the brand’s heritage into a modern realm. The A&S5201 calibre movement is laid out along four axes, with its twin barrels (delivering a whopping 90 hours of power reserve), balance wheel, and other mechanisms anchored by seven, beefy steel bridges in a star-shaped pattern. The 40mm steel case frames the visible components nicely, and the deep blue outer dial flange and movement underpinnings join a color-matched deep blue alligator or woven strap to complete the technical-yet-sophisticated statement.
Price: USD 20’900
Dennison Natural Wood in PVD Gold
Oftentimes, simple artfulness serves as the best expression of elegance. And certainly, a dash of unexpected materials doesn’t hurt your overall look, at all. Legacy watchmaker Dennison officially breathed new life into the brand last year with a new A.L.D. Collection (A.L.D. for 19th century brand founder Aaron Lufkin Dennison), and has taken its reputation as an expert Anglo-American case maker and watchmaker up until it closure in 1967, and created a popular midcentury-inspired revival situation.
The elegant, thinner on the sides, 37 by 33.5mm cushion case shape (in polished steel or PVD gold-coated steel) sports a particularly flush, recessed crown and is a modern ode to 1960s design flair. With just two classic hands and the Dennison logo at 5 o’clock, all the eye-attention goes to the unique grain of the deep brown wood dial. On a classic brown leather strap, it is a strong modern-retro move that is also simply timeless.
Price: USD 690
Romain Gauthier C Titanium Edition Bracelet
At first glance, this sleek 41mm timepiece from always-edgy watchmaker Romain Gauthier might read as a particularly streamlined sport watch. But take another look: There is enough unique design cues here from the Valle de Joux-based workshop to push this watch into a decidedly more interesting, and elegant, zone.
The Grade 5 titanium case and integrated bracelet carry some pretty special hand-polished finishing that adds significant gleam to the lightweight metal, which, when unfinished, has a more matte grey presentation. The dial design defies the sporty appearance with an off-center small-seconds counter with artfully radiating lines reaching out across the dial surface, and, in this example, the coppery dial color itself is just an elegant winner, all around.
In another sportiness-as-chic detail, the crown that manages the robust in-house movement with Roman Gauthier’s signature snail cam stop-seconds mechanism and propriety regulator, is raked up to the 2 o’clock position. In this case, raked equals elegantly “rakish.”
Price: USD 51’090
Trilobe Nuit Fantastique Lumiere
In the case of the Nuit Fantastique Lumiere from Parisian watchmaker Trilobe, the out-of-the-box horological elan only serves to enhance the sophisticated appeal of the 40.5mm titanium timepiece (with, again, some extra shimmer to the metal’s finishing.).
A “hand-less” outer chapter ring tallies the hour using Trilobe’s own club-shaped logo that rotates on its own dial plate. A figure 8-shaped combination of a pop-up minute indicator, that rides on top, and a seconds wheel, at bottom, both using the top aperture’s arrow-shaped indicator, is elegantly off-set to the left side of the dial to throw abundant attention on the clean dial surface. An exclusive micro-rotor X-Centric calibre spins the wheels on this sans-hands marvel, which will certainly ignite some “how the heck do you tell with that?” discussions with those in-the-know at the party.
Price: USD 10,600
Ralph Lauren Stirrup Petite Link
We have certainly taken some expected turns in this round-up of elevated summer watches. But there is always something to be said for classic elegance, full stop. The iconic Stirrup timepiece from Ralph Lauren not only spoke volumes about the designer’s alignment with the equestrian world when it debuted over 15 years ago, but, with every alteration and modification, it proves that the design can stand the test of time, beautifully.
This new quartz-driven 23.3 by 27mm steel Stirrup Petite ups the elegance factor with a gorgeously simple mother-of-pearl dial with minimal time-telling furnishings, but more than makes up for the straightforwardness with 56 brilliant-cut white diamonds along the outer dial edge. An additional 84 brilliant-cut diamonds adorn alternating loops of the polished steel link bracelet, turning a time-proven icon into a dazzling star-of-the-show on your wrist.
Price: USD 9,900
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