25 Best All-Black Watches From Entry-Level to Luxury

While blue-dial and green-dial watches have emerged as perennial favorites for aficionados in recent years, "all-black" watches — that is, timepieces with ebony-colored cases, dials, and often even straps — have remained an intriguing niche for those seeking a stealthier style or to add a hint of dark edginess in their timepiece ensemble. Here are 21 all-black watches in a range of price categories for those looking to embrace the dark side. 

G-Shock DW5600BB-1CR

Price: $99, Case: 42.8mm, Thickness 13.9mm, Lug-To-Lug: 48.9mm, Crystal: Mineral, Water-Resistance: 200m, Movement: Quartz

The DW5600BB model of Casio’s iconic and mega-popular G-Shock sports the original rectangular-cased, digital-display design that has been a mainstay since 1983, as well as a watch-world forerunner of the all-black look. The classic gray field of the LCD dial frames the watch's compact readout of time, date, and running seconds. Like most all watches in G-Shock’s extensive DW5600 family, its durable resin case boasts a 200-meter water resistance and its digital functions include a 1/100-second stopwatch, countdown timer, multi-function alarm, a full calendar accurate to 2099, and an electro-luminescent backlight with afterglow.

Citizen Nighthawk Black PVD

Price: $391, Case: 42mm, Lug Width: 26mm, Crystal: Mineral, Water-Resistance: 200m, Movement: Quartz Eco-Drive, Water-Resistance: 200m

The Citizen Promaster Nighthawk Black PVD sports a highly technical dial that takes its cues from instruments in the cockpits of U.S. military helicopters. The watch’s 42-mm case is made of black PVD-coated stainless steel and its black dial is packed with scales in contrasting white type that are of particular use to aviators and navigators, including the circular slide rule printed on the ion-plated rotating bezel. Two luminous central hands display the current time, while an airplane-tipped smaller hand shows the time in another time zone on a 24-hour scale; the date appears in a rectangular window at 3 o’clock. The movement inside the stealth-look case, Citizen’s quartz-powered Caliber B877, runs on the Japanese brand’s proprietary Eco-Drive technology, enabling constant recharging of power via any light source. 

Seiko Prospex “Arnie” SNJ025

Price: $420, Case Size: 47.8mm, Thickness: 13.8mm, Lug-to-Lug: 50.5mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Hardlex, Water Resistance: 200m, Movement: Solar Caliber H851

The bulky, analog-digital Seiko watch that Hollywood action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger strapped on his wrist in testosterone-driven blockbusters Commando and Predator — Reference H558-5000, nicknamed the “Arnie” — has been resurrected within Seiko’s sporty, performance-focused Prospex collection, retaining the bulky "tuna can" case of the original (emblematic of many Seiko divers since the 1960s) while replacing its standard quartz movement with a modern, solar-powered version. The Prospex’s steel case with black plastic shell is even larger than the original's, which measured just under 46mm (Arnold would likely approve), and boasts an ISO-certified 200 meters of water resistance. Its array of functions, displayed on the digital screen at 12 o’clock, include a 1/100-second chronograph, daily alarms, a full calendar, and an LED illuminating light function that adds even more clarity to the dial’s already impressive array of luminous-coated elements.

Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 Black Dial/Strap

Price: $825, Case: 43mm, Thickness: 12.7mm, Lug to Lug: 49.6mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water-Resistance: 300m, Movement: Automatic Powermatic 80 (ETA C07.111)

Tissot's ruggedly attractive Seastar family of dive watches debuted in the 1960s and underwent a crowd-pleasing revamp in recent years, which included the enduringly popular models being fitted with the Powermatic 80 self-winding movement, an overhauled ETA caliber that offers, as its name suggests, a substantial 80-hour power reserve. Among the many iterations of the Seastar 1000 (and its bigger, more robust and water-resistant sibling, the Seastar 2000) is this all-black model with a 43mm stainless steel case with black PVD coating, a matte-black dial under a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, and an integrated black rubber strap. The screw-down crown and caseback helps secure the watch’s 300-meter (aka 1,000 feet) water resistance. The dial’s big, geometric hour indexes and wide sword hands are soaked in luminous material for underwater legibility, and the rotating dive-scale bezel completes the package in polished black ceramic.

Certina DS Action Diver 43mm Black PVD

Price: $850, Case Size: 43mm, Thickness: 13.10mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Powermatic 80.611 Caliber

Certina is a watch brand much better known outside the U.S. than within its borders, but that is rapidly changing as the Swatch Group-company expands its distribution and also its profile, particularly of the “DS” divers’ watches that have long been respected by enthusiasts. The “DS” stands for “Double Security” and refers to the watches’ innovative case structure, in which the movement is protected within an extra shock-absorbing rubber ring inside the main case and the crown watertight crown features a proprietary sealant system. This version of the DS Action Diver 43mm embraces the dark with a black-PVD-coated steel case and color-matched NATO strap. The black dial’s large, white, geometric indexes and baton hands have a luminous finish for a high-contrast glow, even if the wearer is testing the watch’s professional-grade water resistance on a deepsea dive. For less than $900, you even get a Powermatic 80 movement inside.

Hamilton Khaki Field Day-Date Auto Black PVD

Price: $1,045, Case: 42mm, Thickness: 10.9mm, Lug to Lug: 49mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water-Resistance: 50m, Movement: Automatic Hamilton Caliber H-30

Swiss-based, American-founded Hamilton Watch Co. was a supplier of wristwatches to American troops in World War I, kicking off a long tradition of making tough, reliable timepieces for U.S. military units. The modern, civilian version of these watches are found in the Hamilton Khaki Field collection, which traces its inspiration to a 1960s model worn during the Vietnam War. Both manually wound and automatic versions are available, including this black PVD-coated model of the Automatic Day-Date, with a steel 42mm case and powered by the ETA-based H-30 caliber. The black dial with the hallmark military-inspired 24-hour inner scale features an unconventional layout, with the day of the week displayed in a 12 o’clock aperture (displacing the 23, 24, and 13 on the aforementioned scale) and the date in a separate window at 6 o’clock (sandwiched between the 6 on the main 12-hour scale and the 18 on the inner one). A sturdy black synthetic strap anchors the watch to the wrist.

Marathon GSAR Anthracite Black

Price: $1,980, Case: 41mm, Thickness: 13.6mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water-Resistance: 300m, Movement: Automatic Sellita SW200

Since its founding in 1939, Canada-based Marathon Watch has been making timepieces for the North American market and since war-torn 1941 has been supplying them to the U.S. armed forces; today, the company is the sole supplier. Now manufactured by the fourth generation of the founding family, Marathon watches — designed in Canada, manufactured in Switzerland —have become well regarded for their military durability and mission-ready precision. The brand’s Government Search and Rescue (GSAR) divers' watch is issued not to U.S. forces but to Search and Rescue Technicians in its native Canada, who specialize in airborne missions in treacherous environments. The 41mm surgical-steel case, here treated with a PVD coating, is machined from a monobloc of 316L stainless steel and has been rated to 300 meters of water resistance. Its dial uses tritium, rather than Super-LumiNova, on the hands and markers for a high level of sustained nighttime visibility. A Swiss automatic movement with 26 jewels ticks inside.

Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic Black PVD

Price: $1,990, Case: 42mm, Thickness: 11mm, Lug to Lug: 48mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water-Resistance: 200m, Movement: Automatic ML115

The Aikon Automatic, launched in 2018, is today the flagship of Maurice Lacroix’s collection, with a highly angular, octagonal-influenced case design and integrated bracelet that makes it a popular and budget-friendly alternative to more aspirational models like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The multifaceted 42mm case of the featured model has a black PVD finish, and harmonizes with the black dial, whose “Clous de Paris” textured pattern is enhanced with a sunburst finish. Other dial details include elongated, applied hour markers and hands, double applied markers at the quarter hours, and a small date window at 3 o’clock; the overall level of finishing on the dial and case is rare at this sub-$2,000 price point, The movement, dubbed Caliber ML115, is a brand-customized Sellita SW200-1, showcased behind a sapphire caseback and storing a 38-hour power reserve. 

Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Black Dial

Price: $3,900, Case: 43mm, Thickness: 14.6mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water-Resistance: 300m, Movement: Automatic Rado R734 (ETA Powermatic 80 base)

Making its debut in 2021, the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic is the first watch in the Swiss brand’s popular, vintage-inspired Captain Cook collection to feature a 43mm case made entirely from a monobloc of high-tech ceramic, a hallmark material of Rado, known for its high degree of scratch-resistance and hypoallergenic properties. The model featured here uses black high-tech ceramic for both the case and bracelet, as well as the dive-scale insert of the unidirectional bezel, which is made from stainless steel. The case uses panes of black-tinted sapphire for the crystal in front and for the exhibition window in the back, both offering views of the movement inside, Rado Caliber R734, which is a skeletonized version of the Powermatic 80 mechanism found in previous Captain Cook models. The movement also incorporates a Nivarox hairspring that helps protect its inner workings from magnetic fields. The clear dial’s wide arrow hands and indexes are filled with white Super-LumiNova; the Rado rotating anchor symbol occupies its familiar spot at 12 o’clock.

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 NightLum

Price: $3,990, Case: 43mm, Thickness: 12.7mm, Lug to Lug: 49.6mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water-Resistance: 100m, Movement: Automatic BR-CAL.302 (Sellita SW300-1 base)

Bell & Ross added to its fleet of BR03-92 “professional aviation” watches in 2018 with the NightLum edition, a watch designed for nighttime navigation in a dark cockpit. The matte black ceramic case features the airplane cockpit-clock “circle in a square” styling of the Bell & Ross Instrument collection. The name “NightLum” evokes the watch’s extreme luminosity in the dark of night, thanks to the application of green-tinted SuperLumiNova C3 to the Arabic numerals, indexes, and hour and minute hands (along with the tip of the sweeping seconds hand). The brand describes the Super-LumiNova C3 on the dial as “ultra-phosphorescent,” meaning the green glow it emits is not only brighter than usual, but also longer-lasting. The reliable, Sellita-based automatic BR-CAL.302 ticks inside, and the case fastens to the wrist with a black synthetic-coated lambskin strap with a black PVD buckle.

Longines Hydroconquest Black Ceramic

Price: $4,150, Case Size: 43mm, Case Thickness: 13mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 300 meters, Movement: Automatic Longines Caliber L888

The Longines HydroConquest, launched in 2007, has a boldly contemporary design and a sturdy, water-resistant construction that have made it one of the most popular dive watches in its price segment. Since its debut, the HydroConquest has expanded into a versatile collection with a wide array of sizes, colorways, and materials, including this model with a “stealth-look” matte-black case and bezel made of zirconium oxide ceramic rather than traditional steel. Despite its monochromatic look, the watch is visually stunning with its subtle array of alternating finishes: matte on the dial, polished on the main case, round satin-brushed on the bezel, and a combo of matte and circular satin brushing on the caseback. The 43mm case is mounted on a black rubber strap whose folding clasp is also constructed from black ceramic. The water-resistance is an impressive 300 meters. Inside the case is the automatic Caliber L888.3, developed exclusively for Longines by its sister company ETA and boasting a power reserve of 64 hours.

Louis Erard Le Regulateur Louis Erard x Olivier Mosset

Price: $4,225, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 12.25mm, Lug to Lug: 49.6mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Water Resistance: 50m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Sellita SW226-1

In recent years, boutique Swiss watchmaker Louis Erard has become well known among connoisseurs for its collaborations with iconoclastic indie watchmakers and other artisans, and also for its creative takes on the classic regulator dial design. Both aspects are on full display with the Le Regulateur Louis Erard x Olivier Mosset edition, limited to 178 pieces. The watch’s sleekly monochromatic, black-on-black aesthetic unites a sandblasted, black PVD-treated steel case with a black dial and hands sprinkled with a smattering of silver glitter. As on the historical “regulator” chronometer clocks that inspired its dial, the hour, minute and seconds are on three distinct, mechanically separated hands. Mosset, a Swiss street artist and avid motorcyclist who collaborated with Louis Erard on the design, had the metallic paint of automobile bodies in mind when he suggested the dark but sparkly dial finish. The three hands are driven by the self-winding Sellita movement inside, which features an openworked signature rotor and a 38-hour power reserve.

Baume & Mercier Riviera Chronograph

Price: $4,400, Case: 42mm, Thickness: 9.8mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water-Resistance: 100m, Movement: Automatic ETA Valjoux 7750

Baume & Mercier revived the Riviera, its classic, fondly remembered sport-luxury model from the 1970s, in 2021 and added a chronograph to the swiftly growing collection in 2022. The modern versions of the 1973 classic stand apart from the more classical elegance of the rest of the Swiss brand’s portfolio, sporting 12-sided bezels with four visible (and functional) screws at the corners, while also projecting a sense of historical luxury with their applied Roman numeral hour indexes. The chronograph models, including the blackened steel version featured here, are outfitted with the tried-and-true, automatic ETA Valjoux 7750 movement. The textured black dial hosts three subdials at 12, 6, and 9 o’clock for elapsed hours, elapsed minutes, and running seconds, respectively, and balances them out with a double window at 3 o’clock for the day and date. The case has rectangular pushers surrounding the screw-down crown and integrates smoothly into either a bracelet or a color-coordinated rubber strap.

Frederique Constant Classics Worldtimer Manufacture Globetrotter

Price: $4,495, Case: 42mm, Thickness: 12.10mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water-Resistance: 50m, Movement: Automatic Caliber FC-718

Frederique Constant has been at the forefront of offering high complications at reliably affordable prices, and the Classic Worldtimer Manufacture line is one of the most essential examples, equipped with an easy-to-use world-time function for under $5,000. Its 42mm case has an eye-catching dial etched with a textured world-map motif and bordered by concentric rings: an inner 24-hour day-night scale and a 24-city ring that rotates to set the time in any time zone in the world. On the Globetrotter Edition pictured above, released in late 2022 in a black PVD-coated titanium case and matching black-and-gray-toned dial, these cities are represented by travel-friendly airport codes (JFK for New York, etc.). At 6 o’clock, beneath the javelin hands that point to the local time, a subdial hosts an analog date indicator with a 1-31 scale. The ingenious in-house movement inside, Caliber FC-718, allows adjustment of all the timing and world-time functions through the crown without the need for additional pushers — also a rarity at this price point.

Oris Aquis ProDiver Date

Price: $4,600, Case Size: 45mm, Case Thickness: 17.5mm, Lug Width: 25mm, Crystal: Domed Sapphire, Water Resistance: 1,000 meters, Movement: Automatic Oris Caliber 400

One of the most rugged models in Oris’ popular Aquis line of sporty dive watches, the “extreme” water-resistant Aquis ProDiver Date is the modern descendant of the hulking, high-performance ProDiver model of 2009 and matches its 1,000 meter depth rating — double that of the Swiss brand’s closest runner-up, the Aquis Depth Gauge, at 500 meters. Its dominant 49.5mm case is made of DLC-coated titanium and, as of the most recent update of the model in 2021, is outfitted with the Oris in-house automatic Caliber 400. The case’s rubber-coated bezel, equipped with the Oris Rotation Safety System, has a lume-coated gray ceramic insert. In addition to its screw-down crown, the case features a helium-release valve at 9 o’clock and a special “safety-anchor” hook system in the bracelet’s clasp that ensures the watch stays attached to a diver’s wrist in the event of accidental disengagement of the clasp. Also speaking to serious underwater enthusiasts, its solid caseback is engraved with a meters-to-feet conversion scale.

Tudor Black Bay Ceramic

Price: $4,825, Case Size: 41mm, Case Thickness: 14.4mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 200 meters, Movement: Automatic Tudor Caliber MT5602-1U

Rolex-owned Tudor built its own distinct identity largely around one megapopular model, the vintage-inspired Black Bay divers’ watch, which has grown to encompass a diverse collection in various materials and colorways. The Black Bay Ceramic, released in 2021, riveted the watch world’s attention not only with its dark, monochromatic design — matte-black, micro-blasted, monobloc ceramic case, black-PVD-steel bezel with engraved ceramic dive-scale insert, domed black dial — but also with its movement. The model was the first to be fitted with the automatic Tudor Caliber MT5602-1U, which boasted not only the COSC chronometer certificate that all Tudor calibers carry but also a Master Chronometer certificate from METAS, the Swiss Institute of Metrology, which measures  precision as well as other factors like resistance to magnetic fields. Outside of Omega, which instituted the Master Chronometer tests for its own watches in 2015, Tudor is the only watch brand to earn this certification. The Black Bay Ceramic also earned Tudor another GPHG award the year of its release.

Porsche Design Chronograph I 1972 Limited Edition

Price: $7,700, Case Size: 40.8mm, Thickness; 14.15mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber WERK 01.140

Sports car aficionados know Professor Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche as the designer of the Porsche 911, but he also deserves acclaim for contributing one of the watch world’s most iconic and influential models, the original Chronograph 1, in 1972. That watch, one of the first to apply an all-black “stealth” aesthetic as well as a dashboard-style dial design, inspired the Limited Edition version released in celebration of its 50th year in 2022. Its case and bracelet are made of black carbide-coated titanium rather than the original’s PVD-coated steel — appropriate and on-theme, as Porsche Design was one of the pioneers of making watch cases in motorsport-tested titanium. Replacing the vintage model’s Valjoux 7750 movement is Porsche Design’s in-house Caliber WERK 01.140, with a 48-hour power reserve and COSC-certified chronometric precision.

TAG Heuer Monaco “Dark Lord”

Price: $8,500, Case Size: 39mm, Thickness: 15.2mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Caliber Heuer 02

The TAG Heuer Monaco (at the time, called the Heuer Monaco) made its debut in 1969 but really ascended to pop cultural icon status two years later, when legendary actor and “King of Cool” Steve McQueen wore the racing-inspired wrist chronograph in the 1971 movie Le Mans. Named after the Monaco Grand Prix, it was the first wristwatch with a square case that was also water-resistant, as well as one of the first chronograph watches to be equipped with a self-winding mechanical movement. The “Dark Lord” model, unveiled in 2022, lives up to its nickname with its 39mm case, made of titanium and finished in black DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating, its matte-black dial with the emblematic square subdials, and shiny black leather strap. Rose gold and red accents pop nicely against the dark background of the dial for easy legibility. Inside, behind a sapphire caseback, beats the automatic Heuer 02 movement, which fuels the watch’s 80-hour power reserve.

Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission

Price: $9,500, Case Size: 44mm, Thickness: 15.2mm, Lug to Lug: 53mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Breitling B01

Breitling’s Avenger models speak to the aviation enthusiast with their boldly functional designs, robust construction, and military-inspired colorways and materials. The Night Mission timepieces stand apart with their cases made of black ceramic and their tough-but-comfortable textile straps with titanium pin buckles. The 44mm case makes a statement on the wrist, with its screw-locked crown and 60-minute engraved bezel with the hallmark rider tabs introduced on the Chronomat, the Avenger family’s stylistic predecessor, which enable the wearer to perform operations like countdowns with the aid of the built-in ¼-second chronograph. Inside the 300-meter water-resistant case beats Breitling’s automatic Caliber B01, which boasts both a COSC chronometer certificate and a 70-hour power reserve.

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon

Price: $9,750 - $25,800, Case Size: 44.25mm, Thickness; 13.8mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Automatic Omega 9330/Manually Wound Caliber 1865/1869

Omega’s Speedmaster “Dark Side of the Moon” derives its name from the monochromatic, ebony aesthetic of its case and dial, both made from black zirconium oxide ceramic. The 44.25mm case has both brushed and polished finishes, and the dial features applied indexes made of 18k white gold, and two blackened subdials at 3 o’clock and 6 o’clock — a bicompax subdial arrangement that speaks to the watch’s movement, Omega’s in-house, automatic Caliber 9300. As on other Speedmasters with that movement, the subdial at 3 o’clock serves as both the 12-hour and 60-minute counter, with two hands to display the elapsed time intuitively, while the running seconds occupy the subdial at 9 o’clock and the date appears in a window at 6 o’clock. The bezel’s tachymeter scale — a hallmark of the Speedmaster, aka the “Moonwatch,” after its famous role in the Apollo 11 moon landing — is inscribed in matte chromium nitride on the polished black ceramic surface. The chronograph pushers are also in polished ceramic.

IWC Pilot’s Watch 43 Top Gun

Price: $10,500, Case Size: 43.8mm, Thickness: 13.9mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic IWC Caliber 82100

IWC has put a renewed focus on its flagship Pilot’s Watch collections in recent years, and its Top Gun family has served as the proving ground for many of the brand’s boldest forays into avant-garde materials and technologies. The “Jet Black” edition of the three-hand Pilot’s Watch 43 Top Gun has a matte-finished case made of ceramic and mounted on a cockpit-ready black textile strap. All the classic elements of the original Big Pilot’s Watch, which traces its history all the way back to World War II and measured a massive 55mm, are present in the model — big luminous hands on an expansive black dial, a large onion crown for easy winding by a pilot’s gloved fingers, a crystal secured against air pressure drops — but here in a more wearable 43mm size. The IWC manufacture Caliber 82100 ticks inside, behind a solid caseback emblazoned with a TOP GUN logo and protected from magnetism by a soft-iron inner cage. 

Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Tuttonero

Price: $14,900, Reference: PAM01438 Case Size: 44mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 300 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber P.9010 (photo above via Christie's)

“Tuttonero” means “all black” in Italian, the language of Panerai’s native Florence, and the Tuttonero models in the collection live up to the name with their use of black ceramic for their cases and bracelets along with deep black sandwich-style dials. On the GMT model, the only hints of bright color come from the ecru-colored, luminous numerals and hands, the small seconds at 9 o’clock, and the ecru-on-black date display at 3 o’clock. The blackened GMT hand in the center has an ecru-colored arrow tip that aligns with one of the hour numerals to indicate the home time while the main hands point to the local hour and minute. The large case’s 300-meter water resistance is ensured, and its automatic movement protected, by the patented locking bridge mechanism over the screw-down crown.

Zenith Defy Extreme

Price: $18,000 - $79,700, Case Size: 45mm, Thickness: 15.4mm, Water Resistance: 200m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic El Primero Caliber 9004

Zenith introduced the first Defy watch in 1969, the same year as its groundbreaking high-frequency chronograph caliber, the El Primero. In the 21st Century, the revamped Defy collection has become not only a growth engine for the brand but also a canvas for some of its most technologically ambitious watchmaking concepts. In 2021, Zenith launched the Defy Extreme collection, an aggressively sporty spinoff of the main Defy line with larger cases (45mm diameter, 15.4mm thick), including this model in tough but lightweight micro-blasted titanium; sharp facets and prominent rectangular chronograph pushers; robustly made integrated bracelets equipped with a quick-change mechanism; and inside, the skeletonized, dual-escapement El Primero Caliber 9004, whose super-fast 360,000-vph frequency enables the built-in chronograph to make time measurements to 1/100 second.

Hublot Square Bang Unico Black Magic

Price: $26,200, Case Size: 42mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic HUB1280 Unico Caliber

After introducing the Spirit of Big Bang — an extension of its core Big Bang family in barrel-shaped tonneau cases — back in 2015, Hublot expanded its case shape options with the new Square Bang collection in 2022. As the name implies, the Square Bang features an all-new, squared case measuring 42mm in dimensions and 14.5mm thick and boasting 100 meters of water resistance despite its sharply angled construction. As in the round Big Bang models, the square bezel is punctuated by six visible, functional screws at key points. The movement inside, conversely, is traditionally round and in established Big Bang style is visible through a sapphire dial: Hublot’s in-house automatic Unico caliber, with a column wheel placed at 6 o’clock to control the chronograph functions and storing a 72-hour power reserve. The Square Bang Unico is initially released in five distinct executions, including this 250-piece “Black Magic” limited edition with a case made of satin-finished black ceramic.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph Black Ceramic

Price: $84,400, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 15.3mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic AP Caliber 4404

Released in 1993 as a more aggressively sporty version of the original, trend-setting Royal Oak “Jumbo,” Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore was defined by a larger 42mm case, an even bolder version of the original’s “tapisserie” dial texture, and for the first time ever in a Royal Oak watch, a chronograph movement. The Offshore collection has forged its own iconic identity since then, and in 2023 AP launched the first version of the watch with both a case and bracelet made from its own proprietary black ceramic, whose exact composition remains a closely guarded secret. The case uses ceramic for the hallmark octagonal bezel with exposed screws and even for the chronograph push-pieces at 2 and 4 o’clock. The petite tapisserie-enhanced dial hosts the classical configuration of small seconds at 6 o’clock, elapsed chronograph minutes and seconds at 9 and 12 o’clock, respectively, and a round date window at three o’clock. Powering the watch is Audemars Piguet’s in-house automatic Caliber 4404, with a column wheel, a vertical clutch, and an AP-inscribed gold rotor, all visible behind a sapphire caseback.