Wrist watches come in all shapes and sizes. Some are simple and plan while others are complex and busy. Regardless of what they are made of or the type of movement they use they can be broken down into a few stylistic categories. This by no means mean that every watch will fall into each of these styles, many will be hybrids or outliers that are trying to find their own look.
The Dress Watch – Characterized by simple clean dials, slim cases (for fitting under a cuff) and muted colors such as blacks, whites and the occasional navy blue or gray. A subcategory in dress watches that really should get its own mention are watches that grew out of the German Bauhaus Art Movement during the 20’s and 30’s. There are defined by an ultra-minimalistic dial and case. Many of the brands that have embraced this esthetic are Scandinavian such as Skagen and Larsen & Eriksen. I feel the brand Nomos Glashutte is the current pinnacle of the Bauhaus Style.
The Military Watch – These were some of the first tool wrist watches and are mostly defined by two subcategories, the Field Watch and the Aviator Watch. Also, the Dive Watch was partially inspired by military requirements but it was also developed independently from military needs, so they have their own category.
The Field Watch – Originating in the conflicts of the Second Boer War and Wold War 1. The simple field watch was a vital tool to sync troop movements, track artillery bombardments etc. These early watches ended up coming home from these wars and found duty as hunting, fishing and hiking companions. The signatures of a good field watch are legibility, durability and comfort. Most include simple numerals, sturdy steel cases and day and night readability. This is a great article on the origins of the field watch.
The Aviator Watch – These watches where a direct outgrowth from the field watch combined with the ruggedness of the pocket watch. Emphasizing legibility and ruggedness. Aviator Watches really found their traction during World War II when the German Airforce (Luftwaffe) developed the “Flieger” or “flyer” style of watches. They came in two face styles the Type-A and the Type-B. The Type-A is the simpler of the two while the Type-B has an inner hour’s track. Check out Laco Watches, they make classic aviator watches.
The Dive Watch – These types of watches are some of the most popular watches for sale today. Building on developments made by Rolex’s 1926’s Oyster case, Omega’s 1932 “Marine” watch and Panerai’s 1935 Radiomir luminous watches, the dive watch style really came into its own in the mid to late 50’s. The Dive Watch is the epitome of the Tool watch, they are waterproof (to at least 300 feet), ultra-rugged, readable day and night, as well as fashionable and all purpose. One of the most iconic features of a dive watch is the rotating bezel to track elapsed time, a must when you only have enough air for 20 minutes bottom time.
The Marine Watch – This smaller category of watches developed from the early chronometers used by ships to navigate stands apart stylistically from the other styles of watches listed. The Marine Watch is very rooted in history, typically dialed with thin black roman numerals on a white face with blued hands, a set-in second hand dial at six o’clock and a simple round case. I personally feel that Ulysse Nardin who have been making Marine chronometers since the 19th century are masters of the style. This is a nice article about current marine watches.
Digital Watches – The numerical revolution. The development of the Pulsar prototype in 1970 by Hamilton Watch company with its LED display suddenly gave watch wearers an alternative to the analog hands of old. Now a glowing red readout would tell you the time, later the LCD display would become ubiquitous with the digital watch. Today you can get a watch for $4.00 at a convenience store with a LCD readout of the time.
Ultra-Rugged Watches – Enter the G-Shock line. In 1981 Casio engineer Kikuo Ibe dropped his pocket watch and broke it, and thus was born the G-Shock line. With the original concept to have triple 10 resistance. 10 Year battery life, 10 Bar water resistance and be able to survive a 10-foot drop. Released in 1983 the original line of G-Shocks did not receive much acclaim. Clearly the line has taken off, in 2017 Casio sold its 100th million G-Shock!
The Smart Watch – If a smart phone and a wristwatch had a baby. There are many watches that have contributed to the development of the smart watch. But to me it really all started with the software to make it work when Google launched the Android Wear platform in June of 2014. This new platform gave rise to the LG G Watch, the Samsung Gear Line and the Motorola Moto 360 the first truly smart watches in my opinion. However, the Smart Watch movement really didn’t kick into high gear until Apple Computer came out with there first watch the Apple Watch in early 2015. Apples impact on the watch world can not be underestimated. By mid-2018 (three years after the Apple Watch launch) Apple had become the third largest watch brand by sales, selling 2.5 Billion dollars’ worth of watches. This made them the third largest watch brand only behind Rolex and Omega.
The Fitness/Sports Watch – Related to the smart watch, the fitness watch is a hybrid of smart watch, rugged watch and instrument watch all rolled up together. Many watches in this category can not only tell you the time but also check your pulse, count your steps, track your calories as well as guide your run. To me this category of watches is less about telling time and more about the other features that the device offers. This is a burgeoning category with major brands like Fitbit, Suunto, Apple, Samsung and Casio’s Pro Trek line leading the charge.
The Weirdo’s – Some watches are just doing their own thing. Some watches are so unique that they are hard to describe. One of my favorite unique brands is Ressence who have a wonderfully interesting take on what a watch can be. Some other watches that really stand out for there interpretation of what a watch can be are; Eone a tactile watch for the blind, Xeric a brand specializing in new dial layouts with interesting movements and Mr. Jones watches where each watch is a little piece of art on your wrist. You can check out many of these at watches.com.