Pandemic-Era Dress Watches: All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

There are certain categories of watches that many of us grew accustomed to connecting with particular social or professional activities, some of which have been turned on their heads in this wild world we’re facing in 2020. In the case of dress watches, I can’t help but think of the obscure ‘70s British rock track “All Dressed Up and No Place to Go” by Mungo Jerry. For the majority, we aren’t in the office; we’re working from home. We aren’t attending galas or networking events; we’re sitting on our couches on Zoom. Dress watches have been so closely tied to business and formal wear that for some, they aren’t seeing the same sort of wear and appreciation as the more casual watches in our collections.

Much like seeing your doctor in athleisure at Starbucks, dress watches might seem out of place around the house at first glance, but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong. After all, men’s dress watches are slim, compact, and at times lightweight (when not made of precious metals), so unless you’re giving the dog a bath or making a mess with a home reno project, there’s no reason to not strap one on. Dress watches are often perfect examples of traditional finishing, with dials, hands, and cases that are a real treat to stare into for minutes on end while distracted in the middle of an uneventful virtual meeting. All these factors combined, it’s easy to vote for throwing caution to the wind and enjoying your favorite dress watches while curled up in quarantine-era casualwear. Don’t have the right dress watch for the newfound occasion? We’ve found a healthy group of potential candidates.

Patek Philippe Grand Complications Perpetual Calendar 5059P-001

Go big or go home, right? We thought we’d start with one of the big guns—a 36mm platinum Patek Philippe perpetual calendar with retrograde date indication. Produced from 1998 to 2006, this Patek is a bit of an oddball on account of its hinged officer-style caseback and screw-in lug pins. Compared to more conventional Patek perpetuals, this model also stands out for its use of both Roman and Arabic numerals. Hiding behind its aforementioned caseback is the self-winding caliber 315 S QR, visible through the sapphire crystal. You could argue that this configuration is a bit of a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario, as you have a traditional metal back without forgoing the ability to take a closer look at its inner workings. Granted, this all adds a touch of thickness to the case, however the proportions of the 5059P-001 remain balanced overall.

A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Moon Phase

This list can’t be made without a dose of Lange in the mix, and while we could have easily opted for a simple 3-hand variant, the Saxonia Moon Phase adds just the right amount of detail and character. It’s an exercise in design restraint, where detail trumps everything, and said details are executed to perfection. Its large date rests prominently at the 12 o’clock position, with black discs color-matched to its black dial. Its moonphase and polished gold indices, on the other hand, complement its hands. At 40m across and 9.8mm thick, it’s hefty by conventional dress watch standards, though this makes the piece that much more versatile for any time/any day wear.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Réserve De Marche

Sticking with the classics once more, this 37mm Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Réserve De Marche ticks the dress watch box without costing you an arm and a leg when compared to some of our other offerings on this list. You get all of the elegance and tradition that is expected from the likes of JLC, with a silver opaline dial, applied indices, and a well-executed in-house automatic caliber, however when packaged in steel the piece feels a tad more under-the-radar than its gold counterparts. We’re especially fond of its dial layout, featuring a power reserve indicator, running seconds, and a subdial for its date rather than the typical date window display.

Grand Seiko Spring Drive Snowflake SBGA292 Gold

Speaking of details, Grand Seiko remains one of those in-the-know brands that enthusiasts consistently pine over for their quality/value proposition. More often seen in titanium, this 39mm gold reference of the brand’s beloved Spring Drive “Snowflake” is a rare interpretation that works oddly well. The same textured dial is the key part of the package, now presented with warm rose gold accents, indices and hands with the same fantastic polishing we know and love from the brand’s well-trained craftsmen. Though offered on an alligator leather strap, its 100m of water resistance would lead me to move this guy onto canvas or rubber, and wear day-in-day out while fussing around the house.

Hermes Slim d’Hermes For Hodinkee Limited Edition

Of our many selections, this Hermes is hands-down the most contemporary of the pack, and an easy choice for those with a keen eye for design. Its dial is of the type that appears quite simple at a distance, but up close the use of gradient blue and a variety of dial textures helps it stand out even before you consider the unique font choice for its Arabic numerals. Flip the watch over, and there’s even more to enjoy via its sapphire display back. Its micro-rotor automatic movement—supplied by Vaucher Fleurier— is covered in a distinct “H-pattern” finishing detail throughout. Cased in steel, 39.5mm across and a modest 9mm thick, it makes another easy selection for your day-to-day at-home grind.

H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar

While this Moser Endeavour Perpetual Calendar may not look any more complicated than the aforementioned Lange or Jaeger-LeCoultre, that’s actually part of its charm. Call it the “sneaky perpetual,” as it uses a tiny central hand to indicate the current month by pointing at one of 12 indices (each signifying a month of the year). The hand-wound white gold gem is also a solid value, considering it’s one of very few perpetual calendars cased in precious metals that you can pick up for under $30k. This is peak stealth watchmaking and executed in a way that deserves more attention than it gets.

Patek Philippe Calatrava Ultra-Thin 7200R-001

As we start the list with a classic, we must end the list with a classic, no? The Patek Philippe Calatrava is the quintessential dress watch, and it comes in so many various shapes and sizes. For our last selection, we’re going back to a very old-school dress watch size of 34mm, and the same style of screwed lug bars as we saw in the Patek that we opened with. In contrast though, this example is a simple time-only reference, cased in rose gold, with beautiful applied Arabic numerals and polished hands to match. Unlike its counterpart, this model is fitted with the caliber 240 micro-rotor automatic movement. Still offered in Patek’s current collection, the brand likes to call this piece a ladies’ watch, though when paired with a neutral strap like this, we have to fundamentally disagree. If you have larger wrists, yes, it will be disproportionate/too small for you, but otherwise it’s an option to keep an eye on – for both men and women.