Minimalist watches to invest in now

These minimalist watches are united by a focus on clean design and technical excellence, for timeless style

blue watch
The Ressence Type 8 Sage Green
(Image credit: Ressence)

When it comes to watchmaking, some brands out-dazzle each other with gems and otherworldly designs when all we want is wrist zen. Minimalist watches with a pared-down essence of style are a strong trend. And to paraphrase Mies van der Rohe, God is in the minimal details.

Minimalist watches for timeless style

Nomos Glashütte Tangente 38 “Schneesturm”

white watch

(Image credit: Courtesy of brand)

The German watchmaker is synonymous with a style that’s founded on 20th century, Bauhaus-inspired tenets of simplicity and minimalism. Its hero design, the Tangente, in production since the company’s inception in 1992, is a paragon of pared-back, monochrome watch design; but in the best traditions of the Bauhaus, Nomos is unafraid of riffing on simplicity with wit and colour. This year it did so to perfection, launching a 31-strong capsule of limited editions, each with its own colour palette and distinct personality. This reference - ‘Snowstorm’ - is among the more restrained, but others show a poppier side to the once- austere Tangente.

nomos-glashuette.com

Writer: Chris Hall

Ressence Type 8 Sage Green

blue watch

(Image credit: Ressence)

Belgian industrial designer Benoit Mintiens set out to completely upend our concept of what a mechanical watch could look like, bringing 21st century design nous to traditional engineering. The results speak for themselves: the Type 8 is the brand’s simplest creation to date, honing the idea of rotating dials (the minute hand orbits the dial as it rotates) and crown-free, smooth cases to a new degree. The titanium case ensures it feels as minimal as it looks.

ressencewatches.com

Writer: Chris Hall


IWC Portugieser Automatic 40

blue watch

(Image credit: IWC)

IWC’s Portugieser collection has been overshadowed lately by the success of its pilot’s watches and the reintroduction of the Gerald Genta-designed Ingenieur. But to many it represents the heart and soul of the brand, in its truly minimalist, mid-century encapsulation of the bare minimum required of a watch. Overhauled in April 2024, the collection now comprises mostly gold-cased models with a focus on characterful dial colours, as with this white gold, ice-blue number that comes on a soft Santoni leather strap.

iwc.com

Writer: Chris Hall

Unimatic Modello Due U2S-8BB

black watch

(Image credit: Unimatic)

Bringing a contemporary, graphic sensibility to the largely unchanging genre of dive watches, Unimatic has acquired cult-favourite status for its careful reworking of a decades-old template. Removing all numerals and almost all text in favour of blocky, stencilled markers and sharp, angular hands, it has managed to be minimalist while also sturdy and rugged. The U2S-8BB is part of a recent collection of all-black designs; powered by a Sellita movement and water-resistant to 300m, it is limited to 99 pieces.

unimaticwatches.com

Writer: Chris Hall

Cartier Tank Louis Cartier

black minimalist watch by Cartier

(Image credit: Cartier)

This is the distilled essence of French watchmaking with its deep gloss dial and architectural case. The Louis Cartier is the equivalent of a black Chanel dress and an understated instrument of time, and black goes with everything, right? Set in gold, the Tank Louis Cartier might just be the perfect one-watch collection.

cartier.com

Writer: Thor Svaboe

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic

Bulgari minimalist watch in ceramic

(Image credit: Courtesy of brand)

The ascent of Bulgari’s Swiss-based watchmaking division has made the Roman jeweller a force to be reckoned with. This time, designer Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani offers up a dark reinterpretation of the architectural Octo Finissimo. Stealth is the word when the spectacular wrist presence of the Finissimo is toned down with a muted shade of black ceramic.

bulgari.com

Writer: Thor Svaboe

Laurent Ferrier Classic Micro-Rotor Evergreen

Driven by a quest for subtle perfection, the small team of Laurent Ferrier has a bespoke approach to the art of wristwear. With impossibly slim spear-shaped hands and elongated indices, the result brings a quiet balance to the Classic Micro-Rotor in pink gold (pictured top). With the studied calm of a sartorial brushed dark green, time itself seems less than important.

laurentferrier.ch

Writer: Thor Svaboe

Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle

Green watch by Vacheron Constantin

(Image credit: Courtesy of brand)

In this story of minimalist-watch joy, the new Traditionelle from Vacheron Constantin seems more detailed than the rest. But with its subtle shade of green and gold, it emanates a calm confidence only the world’s oldest existing watch brand could offer. And that includes the zen feeling of a manual winding movement finished and assembled by hand.

vacheron-constantin.com

Writer: Thor Svaboe

H Moser Endeavour Vantablack Tourbillon

minimalist watch on man's wrist, in black, by H Moser

(Image credit: H Moser)

Vantablack is the darkest form of black known to man (and artist Anish Kapoor, in his Vantablack sculptures), and H Moser & Cie uses it to full effect. An infinite feeling of deep space sets the stage for the company’s Tourbillon in a classic 42mm gold case. It takes a strong will to not get drawn in by the twirling mechanical art of the prima ballerina at 6 o’clock, set in a deep abyss of black.

h-moser.com

Writer: Thor Svaboe

Kurono Grand Urushi Aoyama

three minimalist watches, with red, green and black dials respectively

(Image credit: Courtesy of brand)

Kurono is the accessible brand of Hajime Asaoka, the sensei of independent Japanese watchmaking. This 37mm threesome offers traditional Japanese urushi lacquer dials within a smooth case. The deep gloss emanates from a plant-based lacquer that takes up to two months to dry, lending an ethereal air to the dials. With a thickness of only 9.5mm, these svelte watches offer showstopping dials at their most minimal.

kuronotokyo.com

Writer: Thor Svaboe

Rado True Thinline

Rado was the first brand to offer a ceramic bracelet, and the high-tech gloss is still its calling card. The Rado True Thinline (pictured top) is perhaps the ultimate expression of its design nous, with a paper-thin 4.9mm case. This sleek expression of darkness is in fact the slimmest the brand has ever produced, with a 39mm scratch-resistant case and a quiet, stealthy presence.

jurawatches.co.uk

Writer: Thor Svaboe

Writer

Thor Svaboe is a seasoned writer on watches, contributing to several UK publications including Oracle Time and GQ while being one of the editors at online magazine Fratello. As the only Norwegian who doesn’t own a pair of skis, he hibernates through the winter months with a finger on the horological pulse, and a penchant for independent watchmaking.