All-black watches are cool. It is that simple. Whether they sport in-house power plants and are the result of internal research and development or use third-party solutions, these watches are captivating. As we show in this spread engineered (and published) by WOW (World of Watches), there are plenty of forms for these dark horses of space-time to take. How did it all start? Well we won’t bore you with the details but watches with black dials offered better visibility for wearers and less glare to unwittingly call attention to the wearer.

These qualities appealed to the military mind of course and so of course many aviator timepieces had black dials. It wasn’t until 1972 that an all-black watch – with case, dial and bracelet entirely in black – emerged. That was the legendary Porsche Design Chronograph 1. Here are nine watches proudly flying the black flag into the 21st century.

Bulgari

Bulgari Octo Ultranero Velocissimo

• Dimensions: 41mm
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
• Power Reserve: 50 hours
• Movement: Automatic BVL 328 based on Zenith El Primero calibre
• Material: DLC-coated steel
• Water Resistance: 100 meters
• Strap: Rubber

Panerai

Panerai Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Ceramica

• Dimensions: 44mm
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, GMT, 24-hour hand, power reserve indicator
• Power Reserve: 10 days
• Movement: Automatic Panerai P.2003 calibre
• Material: Black ceramic
• Water Resistance: 100 meters
• Strap: Buffalo, black

HYT

HYT H4 Gotham

• Dimensions: 51mm
• Functions: Retrograde hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve indicator
• Power Reserve: 65 hours
• Movement: Manual-winding, HYT calibre
• Material: 3DPT carbon
• Water Resistance: 50 meters
• Strap: Black rubber with integrated Nomex fabric

Franck Muller

Franck Muller Black Croco

• Dimensions: 55mm x 39mm
• Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds
• Power Reserve: 42 hours
• Movement: Automatic calibre FM 800
• Material: PVD-treated steel
• Water Resistance: 30 meters
• Strap: Crocodile, black

Chopard

Chopard Superfast Chrono Split Second

• Dimensions: 45mm
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph with split seconds,
• Power Reserve: 42 hours
• Movement: Automatic
• Material: DLC-coated steel
• Water Resistance: 100 meters
• Strap: Calfskin, black

Bremont

Bremont ALT1-B in DLC-coated steel; $9,000

• Dimensions: 43mm
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
• Power Reserve: 42 hours
• Movement: Automatic calibre BE-54AE
• Material: DLC-coated steel
• Water Resistance: 100 meters
• Strap: Calfskin, black

Bell & Ross

Bell & Ross BR-X1 Carbon Forgé

• Dimensions: 45mm
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph
• Power Reserve: NA
• Movement: Automatic calibre BR-CAL.313
• Material: Carbon, titanium and ceramic
• Water Resistance: 100 meters
• Strap: Alligator and grey rubber

Montblanc

Montblanc TimeWalker Urban Speed UTC

• Dimensions: 41mm
• Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, second time zone
• Power Reserve: 42 hours
• Movement: Automatic calibre MB 24.05
• Material: DLC-coated steel
• Water Resistance: 30 meters
• Strap: Leather, black

SevenFriday

SevenFriday V3/01

• Dimensions: 44.3mm x 49.7mm
• Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day/night indicator
• Power Reserve: 40 hours
• Movement: Automatic Miyota 82S7
• Material: PVD-treated steel
• Water Resistance: 30 meters
• Strap: Leather, black

Story Credits

Photography Greenplasticsoldiers

Art Direction Joaelle Ng

This article was first published in WOW.