The other week, I wrote about three watches guaranteed to lift your spirits by their sheer brightness, so packed to the gills were they with horological whizzery, bedecked with the shine and sparkle of gold and gems – or the warmth of bronze – and decorated with a colour palette to make Mr Paul Gauguin blush.

If, however, that struck you as just a little bit too much, well, in the interest of journalistic balance, I am here to present another way: the complete opposite end of the spectrum, in fact. Now, I can hear you, Mr Smart Alec, bursting to point out that if that trio of extroverted timepieces brought joy, don’t these by definition summon as much cheer as a government briefing? Certainly not – I think there can be great satisfaction in minimalism, in stealth, and in finding one look that works and really, really running with it.

Take the Panerai Luminor PAM01662 TuttoGrigio – or “all grey”, for those of you not in possession, as I am, of a dog-eared Italian travel dictionary and phrasebook, published circa 1998. The roots of the Luminor lie in legibility – it was worn by military divers, for whom the ability to keep track of time was closely linked to their chances of running out or air or getting blown up by explosive charges. But times change, and seven decades later, Panerai’s monotone interpretation of its aquatic icon is a fascinating, high-concept take on a familiar design. (It is still equipped with the brand’s familiar “sandwich” dial, meaning the hour markers are luminous, as are the hands – so it’ll still do the business after dark, so to speak.)

What makes this watch so interesting isn’t just a grey paint job – the case is made from 3D-printed titanium, something that has very rarely been attempted in watches because of the difficulty in accurately laser-sintering the kind of crisp edges and fine tolerances a mechanical watch requires. But it seems Panerai has pulled it off, and as an extra bonus, the result is a watch with a semi-matte case texture that’s quite unlike anything else around. Panerai has then topped it with a forged carbon-fibre “Carbotech” bezel and crown guard lever, giving you some textural variation without deviating from the overall aesthetic.

As it turns out, Panerai isn’t the only brand to have had the idea of rendering an existing design classic in a titanium case and complementing it with an all-grey dial. The Junghans Max Bill MEGA Solar is another example of how effective the one-shade-of-grey approach can be. Horologically speaking, it’s a world away from the in-house three-day automatic of the Panerai; this uses a solar-powered, radio controlled quartz movement to ensure accurate timekeeping anywhere in the world.

If you’re looking for something that’s mechanically-run, but a bit more orthodox in its overall execution, there’s the Baume & Mercier Baumatic. It’s my personal favourite from the Baumatic range so far, largely down to its grey gradient (grey-dient?) dial and no-nonsense 1950s-flavoured crosshair detailing. It’s also a low-key contender for one of the best entry-level all-rounders on the market. Chronometer levels of accuracy and a five-day power reserve do put many pricier watches to shame.