Our pick of the best timepieces to wear after dark.

The idea of a dress watch might sound awfully highfalutin, but it shouldn’t necessarily bring white tie and tails to mind. If you are even remotely into watches, you will have one for every day and one for best. The latter is really the broadest definition of a dress watch.

However, just as there are those who adhere to dictums such as “don’t wear brown in town”, when we introduce the humble watch to the more formal end of men’s style, there are certain conventions. How closely you follow them is up to you.

A dress watch should be a simple watch, following the logic that if one is dressed up for the evening, it is with the intention of going somewhere where it would be rude to check the time and uncouth to fiddle with your watch’s functions. Some take this to extremes, arguing that a dress watch should display nothing more than the hours and minutes. Where the line is in terms of complexity is up for debate, but typically the more poetic complications – moon phase displays, in particular – are acceptable.

A dress watch should also be elegant. It’s going to be worn with a suit of some description, so it should be small enough to fit comfortably under shirt and jacket cuffs and ideally be unadorned by excessive decoration.

Last but not least, it should be worn on a leather strap and again, depending on how purist you want to be, a thin soft leather such as Horween or cordovan – none of this chunky, padded, alligator business. Any other fabric is too informal, and metal bracelets too bulky and sporty. You might – might – get away with a Milanese mesh if it’s in keeping with the rest of your outfit.

It’s also conventional, although much less controversial if ignored, to match the metal of your watch case to that of your cufflinks, dress studs and tie clip (and any other trinkets you might ill-advisedly have added to your outfit). With all that in mind, here are our top dress watches.

Find out more at MR PORTER’s Luxury Watch Guide

Junghans Meister Chronoscope 40mm

Yes, a chronograph. After all we just said about the simple ethos of the dress watch, what is this doing here? First, it’s not just any old chrono. Junghans’ mid-century-inspired design and focus on minimalist lines mean the Meister Chronoscope is fairly dressy, as chronographs go. The rose gold doesn’t hurt, either. Second, “dress chronograph” is very much a viable category of its own (see also Zenith, IWC Schaffhausen and Patek Philippe). Rules are made to be broken and all that, so if you feel you can own the look, go for it.

Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Automatic 40mm

For many men, dressing smartly does not mean peacocking. Elaborately ruffled dress shirts, two-tone shoes or silk scarves are, err, not for everyone. Similarly, dress watches don’t have to be extrovert. Indeed, many would say far greater sophistication is found in understatement. So it is with this Montblanc, a humble 40mm automatic in a steel case that ticks every dress-watch box without shouting about it. We particularly like the subtle off-white colour of the sunburst-etched silver dial, which will add a little richness to your black-and-white eveningwear.

NOMOS Glashütte Lambda 42mm

NOMOS Glashütte spent two decades becoming one of the watch world’s best-loved exponents of 20th-century German design. Few expected, however, that the brand’s focus on creating everyday watches with real personality could translate to a show-stopping luxury piece, but that’s exactly what the Lambda is: opulence crafted by modest people. Its perfect proportions and beautiful movement make it the ideal watch for men who know that, when it comes to dressing smartly, less is always more.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Automatic 39mm

Not everybody suits an ultra-slim, dainty watch. But that doesn’t mean you can’t wear something smart when the occasion demands it. At 39mm, the Baume & Mercier Clifton is no larger than others here in diameter, but, at 9.4mm thick, it has a bit more wrist presence, emphasised by the relatively thick bezel and large numerals at 12 and six. It’s hardly a lump, though, and the black sunburst dial adds a touch of depth and sophistication.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Large Duoface 28mm

Many dress-watch enthusiasts feel that a square-cased watch is the best match for formalwear. Its lines echo the crisp folds of a pocket square or collar and run parallel to your cuff. That’s especially the case with the Reverso’s Art Deco gadroons (the lines above and below the dial) and tapered lugs. The Reverso Large Duoface, at 28mm across, isn’t that large and has a trick up its sleeve. The rotating dial gives it great versatility. You could use the white dial during the day and flip to the black (more abstract, no numbers, just a bit cooler all round) for the evening.

IWC Schaffhausen Portofino Automatic 40mm

To many, IWC Schaffhausen is known best for its sturdy tool watches – the Big Pilot, Ingenieur and Aquatimer – so it may not be your immediate go-to for evening elegance. But the Portugieser is a true icon of everyday style, and the recently revamped Portofino has helped the brand shed its “engineered for men” macho air. The basic automatic is a hugely refined watch. Its tapered hands are some of the nicest around, and the minimalist design (clean case lines, pencil-thin hour markers) make us feel that IWC has borrowed a few tips from across the German border.

Piaget Altiplano 40mm

Piaget’s Altiplano is the archetypal dress watch. It scores highly for its slim build (just over 6mm thick) and minimalist design, both of which combine to give it a feeling of supreme elegance. This model is an automatic with date, which allows for a little more real-world usability and compromise. Ultra-simple, time-only, hand-wound examples are also available if you’re more of a dress watch purist.