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Minimalism can be adopted in all forms of life, whether it be your home, lifestyle or how you dress. One area where minimalism often divides opinion is watches. Some people like their watches to be ostentatious, loud and flamboyant, whereas others prefer something that will blend in with the crowd. For this latter group of people, minimalist watches are ideal.
Modern minimalist watches come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, but generally stick to a traditional shape, layout and don’t have anything too over the top. Thankfully, there are simple minimalist watches to suit all budgets. These classic designs can be made using a luxury Swiss movement, or an off the shelf Japanese quartz movement straight out of the factory. Whilst these drastically affect the inner workings and prices of each watch, on the surface, there isn’t too much difference.
In summary, there is a wide variety of the best minimalist watches to suit all budgets, whether it be large or small. There is a good selection of both luxury and affordable minimalist watches, so there is something to suit everyone’s needs.
Table of Contents
What Are Minimalist Watches?
Minimalist watches are very simple and plain designs combined into the visual appearance of a watch. They will often feature no unwanted clutter around the dial, no complications, and very simple color schemes. Minimalism at its core is heavily embedded in arts, architecture and general design, but has also branched out to other more modern areas such as music, film, and even websites.
The appeal of minimalist watches is that they can stay under the radar and not attract any unwanted attention, despite being beautifully made. Whilst the minimalist design is not going to be on the wishlist of everyone, some people appreciate this style much more than oversized, garish or fashionable watches.
Best Minimalist Watches For Men
Bering
Bering are a Scandinavian watch brand, so it goes without saying that their designs are obviously going to be minimalist. This model is an eco-friendly, solar powered watch – meaning that you will not have to place the battery since it essentially draws in light from the sun and uses this instead.
As you can see, the only complication on the dial is a small date window which is next to the 3 o’clock marker. All of the hour indicators around the dial are slightly raised, which differentiates this model a little from all of the other minimalist watches.
Lastly, it should be noted that Bering uses sapphire crystal on all of their watches rather than the standard mineral glass. This means that the watch is going to be much more durable and scratch-resistant.
Fossil
Aptly named “the minimalist”, this watch is one of the best cheap minimalist watches you can buy for under $100. Fossil is a fairly well known fashion brand that produces watches through their own brand (Fossil) and also on behalf of other larger fashion houses.
There is not too much to mention about their movement quality, since Fossil uses Japanese quartz – which is more or less the industry standard for pieces like this. The dial is very cleanly laid out and easy to read, with only a small and discrete Fossil logo being displayed slightly above the 6 o’clock position.
In summary, this watch is pretty good value for money considering the reputation of the Fossil brand.
Skagen
The Hagen by Skagen is one of the modern looking minimalist watches that you can buy. Given the specifications, it is a little on the pricey side, but is still below $200. Although this is not expensive and pretty much an average price you will have to pay if you want a Skagen watch.
Unusually, the brand uses a dark, navy blue dial with rose gold markers and hands. This is not a common look for a minimalist watch at all and is somewhat unique for watches with this layout. Like almost all Skagen watches, the Hagen has a mesh strap and uses squared off lugs to accentuate the size of the dial.
Eone Bradley
Eone have managed to do what some people may have thought was impossible. That is, take a watch with a minimalist design and combine it with something that has never been done before. This timepiece is truly cutting edge and has never been seen before, yet has a distinctly minimalist dial layout.
Originally created for the blind, the Eone Bradley allows you to tell the time by either looking at the dial or by feeling where the stainless steel balls are in relation to the raised hour indicators.
This watch is somewhat expensive, but obviously there is nothing else quite like it. In summary, this is a truly iconic and minimalist timepiece.
Sturhling
This is one of the few minimalist watches under $50 that you can buy from a reputable brand, since almost every other brand does not sell watches this cheaply. Stuhrling are a budget watchmaker from the USA that manufacturers their watches in the far east.
As you can see, this design is quite crude and not finished to a high degree, but is extremely affordable. The hands on this watch are very thin and perhaps a little too short, the date window is also very small and not embossed. However, the crown of the watch is nicely designed. In short, this is a very discounted watch and you are getting solid value for what you pay.
Seiko
Whilst Seiko are a watch brand that is well known for making a wide variety of colorful dive watches, they also do make some more sensible and plain variations. In fact, Seiko have quite a lot of minimalist watches for under $200 – you may have to look quite hard through their catalog, but they are in there.
This particular model is solar powered, which is pretty much ideal for modern day. This means that you will not need to change the battery and once the watch is set you can forget about it. Despite needing light to function, it is very energy efficient and can survive on only a couple of hours light per day, or if fully charged, will not need any light for weeks.
Daniel Wellington
Daniel Wellington are a watch brand that is instantly recognizable due to its distinctive design. Whilst there is nothing special about the movement or the style of this watch, Daniel Wellington are at the very least very linear and consistent with the watches they produce.
You will almost always find a 2-handed movement, no numbering around the dial, and a dress watch that does not feature a bezel. All in all, this summarises what a Daniel Wellington watch truly is. The only real drawback when buying from this brand is the cost. Typically DW watches are considerably more expensive than other fashion brands despite being made to a very similar specification.
Citizen
As you can see, this Citizen eco-drive watch has an extremely empty dial. There is literally a single hour marker at the 12 o’clock position and a date window at 3 o’clock, other than this, the dial is empty. Citizen use a black dial with white hands, which makes it very easy to see what time it is, as well as a classic stainless steel bracelet.
The main selling point of Citizen watches in general (this model included), is the brand’s use of eco-drive technology. This means that you will not need to change the battery and can rely on light sources to power your watch.
Nixon
You couldn’t really get too much more minimalist than this. The Nixon time teller is the brand’s example of a very simple and plain watch. It is available in 8 different colors including black (pictured above), although some of these variations are a bit too loud to be referred to as minimalist.
This unusual color, of a black case with white hands, allows you to read the dial of the watch with great ease, due to the large contrast. Unlike many other Nixon watches, the time teller is very well priced and something of a bargain.
Bulova
Whilst the glory days of the Bulova brand are perhaps behind them, the brand is still able to make quality timepieces that are both attractive and functional.
Bulova typically makes watches that are quite a lot more loud and oversized than this restrained and simple model, but they are a brand with a decent variety of different watches.
In terms of value for money, Bulova minimalist watches are only really worth buying if there is a sale.
Movado
The Movado museum is one of a few simple classic watches that have survived over a long time period. Typically, watches that are over a few decades old die off and become replaced by new models, but this has not happened to the museum.
Making use of the iconic circle at 12 o’clock, this is an instantly recognizable design to anyone who knows anything about watches. As the Movado museum is both Swiss made, and manufactured by a reputable brand, it is quite a lot more expensive than all of the affordable Japanese watches on this list.
However, this is a very unique minimalist design that is not replicated by any other brand.
Tissot
The Tissot Swissmatic is one of a few simple analog watches made by the brand. Tissot are renowned for producing quality Swiss timepieces at a very affordable price point. Since their movements are made by ETA, you know that you are getting a quality watch without spending a luxury sum.
In summary, the Tissot Swissmatic is one of the best minimalist automatic watches you can buy which doesn’t break the bank. It is more expensive than almost every quartz model offered, but this is to be expected. It is however significantly cheaper than other brands which use exactly the same ETA movements.
Timex
Not a brand that is typically associated with minimalism, Timex have a few models in their Fairfield collection which will be interesting to anyone who wants an understated, yet affordable watch. As you can see, the dial layout is very plain with only the brand name at the top and “indiglo” at the bottom. Indiglo is the Timex function of pushing the crown inwards which then illuminates the dial.
These watches can be worn on a variety of different Nato style straps which are very easy to change. Not only this, but the overall price of Timex watches are very cheap when compared with rival brands such as Seiko.
Junghans
Germany is a country that is well known for producing efficiently designed watches. Many brands within the boundaries of Germany create Bauhaus watches with a simple color scheme of black and white dials. Obviously German-made watches are considerably more expensive than those which are made in China or Malaysia, but if you stick to quartz models, the price does not get that out of hand.
Simply put, Junghans make some of the best plain watches you can buy. They have a real selection of both quartz and automatic movements varying in both quality and price. These are always smart, dress style watches which will never attract any unwanted attention.
Frederique Constant
Frederique Constant are an entry-level brand in to the luxury world of Swiss watches. However, this quartz-based slimline model is certainly not priced at this level due to the lack of popularity towards these kinds of models. Quite truthfully, this is one of the best simple watches you can buy.
Based on price alone, it isn’t a bargain by any means, but considering the brand it really is a good deal. Whilst Frederique Constant may not be for everyone, if you’re an older man, this is a style that isn’t really repeated too much by modern watchmakers. The classic 37mm dial size is very respectable and not at all like the oversized watches which are commonly worn today.
