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Not that we really needed an excuse to put together a list of all black watches, but we are using Halloween as one anyway. So, behold our list of dark and diabolical black tone-on-tone watches to help you bring out your evil side! But really, all black watches are very popular for a reason: they are awesome looking They are also made by lots of brands and at a huge range of price points. Furthermore there are many lists by other sites of those watches. So, to stick with the worn&wound philosophy, the inspiration for this list was to sort through the brands, and bring you 10 options under $1,000 of unique black watches that don’t sacrifice quality for fashion, and wont cost you an arm and a leg.
Timex Easy Reader $60
The Timex Easy Reader line has quickly become adopted as a cheap and fashionable watch…and at $60, it’s hard to argue with. The black version also happens to be very nicely done regardless of the price. The 42mm gloss black body has a Bauhaus feel to it, with straight lugs, a circular body and small crown. The dial is brushed steel that appears charcoal grey, has large black numerals marking the hours, black indices and black hands. There seems to be some debate as to whether or not the face is black or grey on the forums, but either way it is a very nice looking Timex. People also point out the absurdity of an all-black “easy reader”, but given the size of the numerals and the fact that it has Indiglo (somehow) I imagine this watch is not hard to read.
Citizen Men’s BM8475-00F
This stealthy little Citizen is a great find for an inexpensive all black watch. It’s got a jet-black pvd 42mm case, matte black hands and matte black dial. There is a printed black chapter ring on the perimeter of the face and the hour markings appear to be raised matte black. The only thing that disrupts the ghastly aesthetic is the white printing of the day/date…which, might be an unnecessary detail, but I can live with it. The watch is powered by a Citizen Eco-Drive Quartz movement, which means it’s solar powered and very reliable. Here is a better pic of it on a wrist from a WUS member.
Torgoen T10 Phantom
This large blacked out aviator has an almost sinister presence. The 45mm x 14mm body is big and bold and despite its monochromatic features will certainly garner some attention. At 40mm, the dial of this watch is really a star. It stays true to the 12, 3, 6, 9 aviator formula to maintain a highly readable dial, but mixes with the more angular body design to feel like a modern update to the genre. I have a non-phantom version of this watch, and it is one of my regulars. Simply, the T10 is a very nice watch to wear and a great watch to look at. I especially like the oversized roman-sword style hands. It is quite comfortable to wear despite its large size, and definitely adds a certain masculine edge to an outfit. The T10 features a domed K1 mineral crystal (extra durable mineral crystal) and a Swiss quartz movement by Ronda, making it a solid watch.
Victorinox Swiss Army Original $295
The new edition of the Swiss Army Original crams a lot of interesting design details into a fairly affordable watch. The 40mm black nylon case, which stays pretty true to the original case, is fitted with a black anodized aluminum bezel and mineral crystal. The face is a brushed black aluminum with cut through hour markers (a design feature I love, but is rare on inexpensive watches) and a printed 13-24 hour index. The watch comes standard with a 20mm black nylon Nato, and features a Swiss quartz movement, presumably ETA.
Issey Miyake TO $375
The Issey Miyake TO, designed by Tokujin Yoshioka, is one of my favorite looking watches. Clearly a unique take on the contemporary watch, the TO is not only all black, it’s all metal. The 38mm black IP coated steel body is a perfect circle and features simple cuts on its bezel as hour markers. The hour and minute hands are two rotating black aluminum disks with grey bars to indicate the time. There are no more details and no extra features. The TO is a dark, refined and elegant dress watch that looks like a mass of metal in motion. There TO black is also available with a metal band, but I think the leather distracts less from the all-metal design. Powered by a Seiko quartz movement.
Tsovet SVT-NM85 $475
Tsovet is a brand we have mentioned before…in fact our first review was of their SVT-FW44. What makes this brand particularly interesting is their unique spin on the military aesthetic. Tsovet takes traditional cues and runs with them to create very modern and fashionable watches. The SVT-NM85 is a giant 50mm beast of a blacked-out watch that is one part diver, one part field-watch and 2 parts demon-tank… I mean, there is a fierceness to this design that I find very appealing. Perhaps it is from the almost cryptic dial markers or from the harsh geometry of the case design, but the outcome is certainly menacing. Though a bit pricy for a Ronda quartz powered watch, you definitely get a unique looking timepiece.
Nixon Mellor Automatic
We were very enthused when Nixon first unveiled the Mellor Automatics, since it seemed like a great step forward for the brand into affordable mechanical watches. The all black version also offers a pretty unique aesthetic for a blacked-out watch. The styling is a nice meld of retro and military, offering a slightly more elegant and dressed up solution. The Mellor features a Miyota 9015 (an ETA 2824-2 equivalent), a domed Sapphire crystal and Horween leather strap. At $550 these are very well priced autos.
Lüm-Tec M42 Phantom $825
I reviewed their M33 phantom, but felt the M42, while similar, better suited this list as it is more stripped down. Like the M33, it has a deep matte black PVD cushion body, black dial, black markers and index. It also maintains my two favorite features of the M33, the lume coated cutout roman-sword hands and half-sphere lume markers for each hour. While the lume might slightly betray the all black design, I think it adds a lot of function and personality to the watch. I mean, when the lights go out all that is left of the M42 are two glowing swords and a ring of dots that feel like perimeter markers of some sort of portal. The M42 is powered by an ETA 2824-2, has a double AR coated Sapphire crystal, comes with 3 straps and, as is the case with any Lum-Tec, is built to last.
Oris BC3 Advanced
While this watch has a substantial amount of white on the dial (I know, I know) the sharp technical looks, black DLC coating (which is more durable than PVD) and blacked-out numerals convinced me it belonged here. The 42mm case has a unique shape that is very rugged and sporty making this feel like a watch that was made stealth for a purpose. The matte black face is actually black superluminova, and though I could not find a night shot, I am certain that it must have an eerie glow. The hands and indices are also coated with superluminova. The watch is powered by an Oris 735 26 jewel automatic movement (Selitta SW 220 base), with “instantaneous date and day, date and day corrector, fine timing device and stop-second,” which sounds pretty awesome. Available with a black calf leather or black rubber strap (I’d go for rubber)
a.b. art OA All Black $965
The a.b. art OA all black is a limited edition of 300…and is sold out. I decided to include it as it was the nicest Bauhaus style black watch I have seen, you never know when you might see one used, and it is utterly gorgeous. The OA all black’s 40.5mm case design is pure Bauhaus, with a simple circular shape and straight thin lugs. The face is matte black with gloss black linear indices for the hour and minute except at 12, 3, 6 and 9 where they use white. There is a circular deboss that marks the track of the date wheel and a 3-date wide opening at 3 for the date. The minute and hour hands are thin white rectangle. While also not staying true to pure black, I find the controlled use of white to be well-executed and stays true to the functional philosophy of the Bauhaus: what good is a watch you can’t read? The OA all black is powered by an ETA 2824-2 automatic with a custom black rotor (cool), and a sapphire crystal.
