Whether you notice it or not, the color of the dial of your watch may be the most important factor in how well your watch meshes with your outfit.
Today, I’ll discuss what color watch face you should get next, what color watch face goes with everything, and identify the most versatile watch face color you can put on your wrist. Let’s jump in!
What Color Watch Should I Get Next?
The first thing someone notices when they see your wrist isn’t the watch hands, it isn’t the intricate detailing on the watch buckle, and it isn’t design on the watch face. The first thing anyone notices is the color of the face of your watch.
To answer the question of what color watch face you should get next, first consider the context in which you will most often wear it.
Business Professionals
Let’s say you’re a student preparing for job interviews. You plan to make a career in the corporate world. Maybe you are already an office-dweller, going to work every day in a dressed-up, professional setting.
The best color of watch face for this setting is blue. Blue is a neutral color that blends well with nearly every other color. It is also the most conventional color you can go with — perfect for showing the boss that you “get it.” You’re a serious team player, ready to represent the company and perhaps even take on a leadership role.
When you think about office attire, you generally come back to conservative dress and conservative jewelry to match. Of course, office attire seems to be growing more and more lax by the year, but one thing remains the same – you will rarely see loud, flashy, or bright colors in the office.
Men and women in the corporate world usually wear shirts and blouses of neutral colors, such as white, black, blue, or grey. For accent pieces, there really aren’t any “off-limits” colors in today’s office culture. Nevertheless, not all wristwear is acceptable in this setting.
For instance, a business professional wearing a watch with a lime green or bright pink face would likely draw the wrong kind of attention in the workplace. It is always best to stick to conservative colors — which is why a blue watch face is your best bet. It’s tried and true, like a tuxedo — effortlessly classy.
Outside of blue and sticking with the conservative theme, black and light-to-medium grey watch faces also work. Alternatively, you might experiment with white or brown — these are forceful choices that might get you the right kind of attention when worn correctly.
Dark blue can be a particularly effective choice if your job description — or job aspirations — call for navy blue power suits.
A black or dark blue watch face with a silver bracelet is a commanding look, worthy of a CEO position. Aspiring CEOs take note.
If you make your living outdoors or spend most of your time working and playing in the fresh air, a great selection of watch face color would be either black or dark green.
The main goal of your watch — at least, from a fashion standpoint — is to compliment your outfit, and this is situation is no different. Your typical outdoors attire will include dark, neutral colors, which bodes well for our selections.
Of course, they say black goes with everything, but black integrates particularly well with outdoor outfits on a practical level as well. Black watch faces are much easier to read in sunlight. Black is particularly useful in the sun because it doesn’t reflect as much light as other colors. It also reduces glare.
Dark green is a great choice for similar reasons. Remember, it’s all about picking a color that blends in well with the colors in your outfit. Outdoor outfits tend to be black, dark brown, or dark grey. And even on those days where you don something other than camo colors, a dark green face blends in well with the surroundings outdoors.
Casual Watch Wearers
In a casual setting, you have a lot more freedom in selecting the color of watch face to match your look. That said, the best choice for the casual everyday watch wearer is still black!
Black is versatile. Like white, it blends in well with every color. But a black watch face is bolder and more daring, making it ideal for everyday wear in a casual setting. It’s the perfect way to blend in and stand out at the same time.
When mixed with popular watch casing and jewelry colors like gold or silver, black is more aesthetically pleasing because it provides a sharper contrast than grey or white.
If you choose a watch with a design on the watch face, black also provides great contrast for that design, allowing it to pop and get noticed.
It’s also an advantageous color for watches with lettering on the dial. Black lettering looks great against a white face, but most other colors don’t show up well against a white dial. The same holds true for other popular face colors such as blue, grey, or green.
By contrast, many colors look great when added as detail against a black watch face. Black provides a nice background for those who like intricate designs and lettering on their watch faces.
Dressy Occasions
If your calendar is heavy on red carpets, charity balls, or nights at the opera, black and white are obvious go-to colors for your watch face. Think tuxedo. Both dial colors will pop against a classy gold or silver bracelet, or a black leather strap to match your tuxedo accents.
A few other colors are worth considering for dressy occasions. If you want to rock a gold bracelet, nothing says opulence like gold-on-gold. If silver is your accessory color of choice, a dark blue watch face with a silver bracelet is classic, while an ice-blue watch face is associated with platinum, that most precious of the precious metals.
Remember, flashy designs on your watch face usually don’t work with formal outfits. When taking Cinderella to the ball, go minimalist with your watch face, whatever color you choose.
What Color Watch Strap Should I Choose?
When choosing a watch, don’t worry too much about getting the watch strap color just right. Watch straps are inexpensive and easy to replace. But just for the sake of discussion, let’s discuss which color (and material) of strap goes best with the colors we chose above.
For white faces, brown leather straps are the perfect compliment. Especially in a business casual setting, the combination of brown and white goes well with most button-down shirts. It also matches seamlessly with khakis, brown belts, and brown shoes.
For black faces, silver stainless steel bracelets or stainless steel mesh straps are the way to go. Black leather or silicone straps work well here too, but silver provides that nice contrast between the face and the strap.
Note that when choosing a metal bracelet or watch case, consider the rest of your jewelry and accents — rings, belt buckle, necklace, etc. If you usually wear gold jewelry and want to wear a silver watch case and bracelet, consider buying some more silver jewelry so you can match to it, and vice versa. Don’t be afraid to mix and match silver and gold, though — it’s risky, but it can work.
For dark green faces, especially outdoors, try a bronze or dark brown NATO strap. NATO straps are known for being durable, even in the toughest conditions. They were designed to keep you from losing the watch even if a spring bar failed. The earthy colors fit well with the rugged look of a dark green face. Bronze provides a great contrast with the face, but also fit well with an outdoorsy theme.
Conclusion – What is the Most Versatile Watch Face?
Overall, the color of your watch face will come down to your style, your daily use of the watch, and what colors you tend to pull out of your closet. But if we had to choose, we would say that a black watch face is the most versatile color to choose.
Black watch faces blend well with almost any color. They reduce glare in the sunlight, they are easy to read, and they provide a nice contrast with other colors, such as gold, white, brown, etc. They work on both sports watches and dress watches. You can a black watch face to the office, to a BBQ, to a black-tie wedding or a night on the town.
When selecting your next watch, you can’t go wrong with black!
Alternate Opinion — A Case for Blue Watch Faces
While black wins first prize for most versatile, we want to add an honorable mention for blue. Blue is one of the primary colors, which allows it to pair with a surprising array of colors. But while the other primary colors — red and yellow — are too bold for all but the most whimsical occasions, blue is both sober and commanding.
Despite its ability to catch eyes with its pop of color, blue is actually a conservative choice of watch face color, rich with horological history and tradition. Watchmakers have been using cobalt to add blue tint to their dial enamels since the earliest iterations of watchmaking.
And forget about the gender-reveal parties — blue is not just for boys. Sky-blue on a silver bracelet is as feminine as you want it to be, while a dark blue watch face evokes sapphire jewelry, like the Heart of the Ocean in Titanic.
If you love color and you like to be fashion-forward, blue is an excellent choice. You can add even more color by getting creative in your choice of strap. An inexpensive collection of NATO straps will multiply your outfit selection by manyfold when paired with a blue watch dial.
About Black Tie Watch Co.
Black Tie Watch Co. is an American minimalist watch brand providing modern styles at affordable prices. We began operations in August 2019 out of Houston, TX and have grown rapidly ever since. As of today, we have shipped our timepieces to 27 countries across the world and continue to expand our global presence. We proudly make watches with quartz movements for maximal accuracy, simplicity, and longevity. Each watch also comes with a top-to-bottom one-year warranty so you can buy with confidence every single time!
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