BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Inspired (once again) by our comments section, we’re pleased to present to you the next article in our Top 5 series. This time, we’re looking at the top 5 watches that are all black, inspired by Omega’s recent release. The following watches are five of what we think are the best all-black watches around. To qualify for this list, the watch needs to have a black strap or bracelet, a black case of any material and a black dial (or if it doesn’t have a solid dial piece, the majority of components need to be black). The watches do not need to have black markers, hands, and other appliqués to be included on the list. Also, we will only accept watches that come from the factory in all-black guise, so you won’t see any Bamford Submariners here (although we could do that another time, let us know if you’re interested!).
Without further ado, here are our Top 5 all-black watches.
5 – Hublot Big Bang Sang Bleu II All Black
Yeah yeah, I read your comments, and I know that most of you are against Hublots, but I think this one’s pretty cool. The black ceramic case with its multiple lines and geometrical shapes fuses the style of the big roof over London’s St Pancras train station with some sort of futuristic machine. It’s got a design that could be described as busy. There’s no shortage of things to look at. Even the crystal has a hexagonal edge to it. You could attempt to read the time on it you want, and Hublot has supplied an in-house movement for that purpose, but I’d just sit back and take it all in. This is definitely a watch that says “to hell with the haters”.
4 – Bell & Ross BR03-94 Black Matte
It would be hard to make an article about all-black watches and not include the iconic Bell & Ross square pilot’s watch. This design launched the brand and is still very much alive and kicking today, thankfully. Of all the pilot’s watches, this is the most ‘pilotiest’ of all of them. Grammarly said that wasn’t a real word, but it is now! It looks like it’s been pulled straight out of the cockpit of an aeroplane, and with its black dial with white markers and hands, it’s effortless to read. Bell & Ross also offers this shape in many sizes and with an enormous array of dial configurations, so it’s tough to go wrong with one of these.
3 – Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Black Black
A coin-toss is what put this one in over Omega’s classic Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon (the lumed one, not the true black on black one). I haven’t even had a go with this one yet, but I already like what I see. The black dial with black 3D bezel, black markers (with lume that works) and a black strap? Sign me up! Some of you have voiced your concerns about this one in the comments section on our article about this piece, one of which suggested this was a way for Omega to hide its sins with the Seamaster Diver 300m Luckily, the biggest problem I have with the regular Seamaster Diver 300m is the bracelet, and this one doesn’t have a bracelet.
2 – Panerai Submersible Carbotech PAM01616
What can be cooler than a Panerai Submersible? A Panerai Submersible made from Carbotech, of course! This material is a solid block of carbon fibre, but it’s actually made out of many thin sheets of the stuff bonded with a special glue at high pressure and temperature. That casts the case shape, the Panerai signature crown guard and the bezel, and it means that every single Carbotech watch has a slightly different pattern on it due to the randomness of the process. This one comes in a 47mm case, which makes a statement about the piece, but a 42mm one is also available.
1 – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ref. 26579CE.OO.1225CE.01
Ever since I first saw it when released a few years ago, I’ve wanted to own the all-ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. Everything from the case to the bezel and crown is made of ceramic. But, the real star of the show is the all-ceramic multi-link bracelet. Perhaps the best part about it is that the bracelet receives the same finishing as it would if it were a metal bracelet, but to do that with ceramic is a lot harder (get it, cus ceramic is hard? Okay, I’ll stop). Not to mention the super sexy dial layout or the fact the movement is on display. I love it, and that’s why it’s number 1.
What watches did we miss? What would your Top 5 all-black watch list look like? Let us know in the Disqus comments box below!
