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Every Man Can Wear a Gold Watch, and Here Are 18 of the Best
Big, bougie arm cannons are no flash in the pan. They're also not as big and bougie as you'd think, either
Men have eyed gold watches with suspicion for too long. The derision, and the subsequent division, is unfounded. Because, while gold watches have been the arm cannons of The Culture's flashiest men (and probably the only thing in common between Drake and Tony Soprano), they're not just for showing off. Not anymore. Like signet rings and necklaces, gold watches run the gamut of personal taste; for every diamond baller there's something a bit more muted.
Both options are great. In menswear's new age of maximalism, there's room for some yellow gold and diamonds, while a quieter watch can used to dial things down elsewhere. Either way, one simple glint makes you memorable, and it's a sentiment that extends to all threads of your wardrobe: the weekend, the office, the in-between, even the top table.
Gold watches can be classic, too. As in old school, blue chip Swiss-made classic. Look to Cartier's Tank Solo – a landmark watch designed to pay homage to the Renault FT-17 war tank – and a simple switch from stainless steel to yellow gold doesn't dilute the quiet elegance. On the other end of the scale, Rolex has been gold-plating everything in sight since the very first Datejust in 1945: a watch that is unwaveringly Rolex down to its last cog, and one that makes full use of the spotlight. Yes, yellow gold is for the horological peacocks, though it's also deftly used by the understated too, with several marques filling the chasm between wallflower and showman.
Hear that? That's the sound of concerns being dissipated. For all the perceived cost of gold watches, know that they're a quick route to solving the cost-per-wear ratio. And for all the whispers of 'gauche', know that showing off a little bit has long been pinned to menswear's moodboard (and there are plenty of gold watches that are much better-suited to the background, too).
Here are the best gold watches for men.
Panerai
Back in the 1910s, the Italian Navy needed a watch that would give its sailors reliable timekeeping even after spending extended periods in the drink. Guido Panerai's effort managed that with extremely Italian levels of panache, and the rounded square frame of the Radiomir – named for the glow-in-the-dark compound used on its face – remains as handsome as ever.
Panerai Radiomir Quaranta Goldtech, £15,700, goldsmiths.co.uk
Omega
Usually a 75th anniversary is celebrated with sapphire – handy if you forgot about it on the fifth or 45th anniversaries, which are also sapphire – but when the De Ville Tresor hits that milestone next year the best way to celebrate it is with gold. The dark green face and strap is a very, very neat counterpoint to the 18-carat gold case, hands and hour markers.
De Ville Tresor Coaxial Master Chronometer Small Seconds, £18,400, goldsmiths.co.uk
Tissot
If you're going to get a gold watch, get A Gold Watch. This is as clean and straightforward an example as you'll find: no mess, no fuss, no distractions: just a gold case, a gold face, gold hands, gold hour markers, gold date window.
T-Gold Goldrun Sapphire, £2,300, goldsmiths.co.uk
Seiko
The Alpinist is Seiko’s original sports watch, built for Japan’s ‘mountain men’, its trekker and its climbers, in the 1960s. It’s been a brand staple ever since, its well-proportioned 40mm case and 200m of water resistance making it the definitive ‘beater watch’. Now an upscaled version comes with a gilt green dial and a rose gold case, a killer combination.
Seiko Prospex Alpinist, £750, watchshop.com
Omega
This year the watch that became part of Nasa’s Apollo program was issued in two contrasting models. A £200 version in collaboration with Swatch. And a £28,000 version in Omega’s own ‘Moonshine gold’. All the attributes of the classic ‘Moonwatch’ are there – 42mm case, small seconds sub-dial, central chronograph function, screw-down crown. But now rendered in 18k gold ‘inspired by the shining moonlight in a dark blue sky’.
Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph, £27,900, goldsmiths.co.uk
Tudor
Two-tone watches are back in vogue, and they don’t come any snazzier than Tudor’s Black Bay GMT S&G. The bezel is rendered in yellow gold with a 24-hour graduated scale in brown and black, recalling Rolex’s classic ‘root beer’ GMT models of the 1970s. Wear it on a silver and gold bracelet or one of Tudor’s matching fabric straps, made on historic French shuttle looms.
Black Bay GMT S&G, £5,010, goldsmiths.co.uk
Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin calls this ‘a tribute to the spirit of travel’. That would be first-class travel. Crafted from 18k rose gold with an ultra-slim movement measuring 5.56mm, it’s a feat of engineering its makers are understandably keen to show off. The crystal caseback offers a view of all the orate workmanship, plus an oscillating weight made of 22k gold. The tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock is inspired by the brand’s logo, the Maltese cross. How much? Price on request.
Overseas Rose Gold Tourbillon; £POA, harrods.com
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Its flip-over Reverso gets all the attention, but Jaeger-LeCoultre makes plenty of other excellent watches too, not least its sporty Polaris line. A new perpetual calendar joined the range this year, a model that can track day, date, month and moon phase, automatically taking the days of the month and leap years into account. This masterpiece of miniaturisation sets a gradient blue lacquered dial with three sub-dials against a rose gold case. The blue rubber strap keeps the sporty Polaris DNA intact.
Polaris Perpetual Calendar Automatic, £50,500, mrporter.com
‘The future is back’ says Timex, of its T80. The throwback digital watch line, complete with segment numbers and ‘indiglo’ illumination, comes in a Space Invaders edition, a Stranger Things edition and a Pride rainbow flag edition. But for £85 you could go full-on 1980s and plumb for gold-on-gold.
T80, £85, endclothing.com
Smart and traditional watchmaking from Switzerland’s oldest-surviving watch brand, the Villeret line is distinguished by its ‘double-stepped’ cases and technically splendid complications – moon phases, triple calendars and flyback chronographs. This Ultraplate 40mm is a simpler affair – and proves you don’t have to shout to stand out.
Villeret Ultraplate, £18,300, selfridges.co.uk
In 1962 Rado marketed its DiaStar as ‘the first scratchproof watch in the world’s history’. Its case was fitted with a then ground-breaking sapphire crystal and made from a tough alloy ‘jet-styled of scratchproof super metal, more costly than gold’. In 2023, it comes in this turbo-bling glitzy day-date version (and is now cheaper than gold).
DiaStar, £1,500, goldsmiths.co.uk
Gold watches don’t have to go full Scarface. This classic dress model goes down a more refined route, paring a deep blue dial with slim gold marker batons. The case is made from 18k rose gold – thin and simple. At 40mm it will look good on most wrist sizes.
T-Gold Excellence 18k Gold, £2,740, goldsmiths.co.uk
Known for its novel case shapes and inspirations – it recently rocked watch blogs with its reissued Cartier Pebble, a watch that does indeed resemble a pebble – Cartier gets the best of both worlds. It is both artsy and classic. Its aesthetic is at its most instantly recognisable in the Santos de Cartier, as seen on some of Hollywood’s best-dressed men, including Rami Malek, Jake Gyllenhaal and Mahershala Ali.
Santos de Cartier, £32,200, mrporter.com
Breguet
Self-winding, 33.5mm, 18k rose gold and alligator-strapped dress watch from the watchmaker that once served Marie Antoinette. Aficionados will clock the ‘Bregeut hands’, the idiosyncratic ‘moon-tip’ watch hands present for over two centuries now, and the Classique line’s trademark fired enamel dial. But anyone can appreciate the stylishness of a brand whose creations have been described as ‘a poem in clockwork’.
Rose Gold Classique, £18,100, watches-of-switzerland.co.uk
Tag Heuer
You want a racing watch that can take the wheel beyond Silverstone. You want a silver watch that'll chime with your silver ring. You also want a gold watch that does the same.
You want the world, basically, and the world is what Tag Heuer's Formula 1 delivers: a luxury off-track watch that has been embraced by the wider (and smarter) watch circles, with a bi-metal case and bracelet to strike a perfect balancing act. Best of all worlds, then.
Formula 1 Two Colour Watch, £2,100, goldsmiths.co.uk
Gucci
Gucci continues to subvert the norm. So where a couple of years ago their runway shows display models getting dressed in all their naked glory (the horror), the watch collection adds Michele-approved left-fieldism to the usually rigid world of Swiss watches. Enter the Grip: a big and bold piece that, unlike that display in Milan, hides the inner workings.
Grip Unisex Gold Watch, £855, goldsmiths.co.uk
Audemars Piguet
The object of affection for rappers, athletes and stars of more than one trade, Audemars Piguet's appeal is universal. You can now add us to the roster of fans too, as the Royal Oak 'Jumbo' comes in lustrous 18-carat gold throughout, and slims down on the wrist thanks to an extra thin composition.
Royal Oak Jumbo Extra Thin, £49,100, audemarspiguet.com
Longines
Longines' place in the grand Swiss canon is unwavering. It's produced watches since 1832, though despite such prestige, they're at a more affordable foothold than some of its contemporaries – and that notion extends to this gold-plated watch from the Les Grandes Classiques collection.
Flagship Two Colour Bracelet Watch, £1,800, berrysjewellers.co.uk
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