Tested: The Best All-Black Watches for Stealthier Wrist Presence

When it comes to versatile everyday watch styles, it’s hard to beat the classic combo of a stainless steel case and a black dial. This is the look that frequently pops up on the most popular and timeless sports watch examples, from the Rolex Submariner to the Omega Speedmaster. And it’s easy to see why: it’s a combination that looks fantastic. But what if you’re in the market for something a little bolder? A little more daring? A little more modern? In that case, going for the tried-and-true just isn’t going to cut it. Instead, these are the occasions for which we suggest an all-black watch. In the following guide, we’ve given you our picks for the best all-black timepieces to wear.

How We Tested

All-black watches have taken over the market at an all-time rate considering advancements in technology for coloring ceramic, titanium, and even stainless steel. Thanks to our wealth of experience with this space, we have a bit of an advantage in picking the best blacked-out watches across different price points. Before testing, we made a list of our favorite all-black watches but then added a few more to the pool after looking a certain models we were familiar with but hadn’t spent time with yet.

After we had our shortlist, we got to testing, wearing each watch out and about, seeing how they felt, looked, and operated. The process took weeks but we finally settled on the best of the best, with the results detailed for you below.

Wrist Size: We should also mention that our tester has a wrist diameter of around 8″, so keep that in mind when comparing it to your own wrist.

What To Look For

Aesthetic: A watch’s aesthetic will be up to your personal preference, but for the case of this guide, they will all be black timepieces. However, you’ll notice quickly how much variation you’ll get even within those confines.

Use: Of course, as good as a watch looks, it may only stretch as far as its utility. If you’re going to the beach, you won’t want a dress watch. And if you’re at a wedding, a G-SHOCK might not be the best look. Always be cognizant of what you need your watch for.

Water Resistance: Like the above, we looked at water resistance as a formality. For divers, a higher dive rating (100m at the very least) is obviously crucial. However, casual everyday watches will be fine with 50m of water resistance.

Case Size: Wearing a good-looking watch will only be as enjoyable as how comfortable it is. And the best teller of comfort is case size. If you’re working with a smaller wrist, you may not want to go much higher than 38mm in diameter, while larger individuals should be fine going upwards of 42mm. However, it’s important to mention that the color black does have a downsizing effect on your wrist, meaning it will appear smaller than they really are. As such, you might want to go a bit larger than you’re used to here.

Movement: Aside from altering the price tag, a watch’s movement will also determine its reliability and accuracy, among other things. For outdoor purposes, steer towards quartz movements for their durability, while automatics and manuals will be better for luxury or dress watches, and will be more traditional.

G-Shock 2100-1A1

G-SHOCK is often considered to be in a league of its own. Evocative, stylish, and nearly indestructible, the Casio sub-brand’s range of timepieces may very well be topped with its 2100 series –– an octagonal-shaped analog-digital watch with the loving nickname “CasiOak” for its resemblance to Audemars Piguet’s highly-expensive Royal Oak. This fully blacked-out version might be on the classier and more accessible side of G-SHOCK’s lineup but it’s still as durable as can be with its 200m of water resistance and extremely rugged resin case bolstered by an inner carbon core guard structure. This protects a quartz movement to resist shocks and drops. Aside from the time-telling handset, the watch also features a stopwatch, a timer, alarms, world time zones, and a calendar.

At just $99, this CasiOak is an absolute steal. And like most G-SHOCK’s the resin-carbon material ensures that its sizable-on-paper dimensions aren’t terribly heavy at all (the watch has a 45.4mm diameter, 48.5mm lug-to-lug, and 11.8mm thickness) and it wears much smaller. Black watches will look much smaller inherently, so larger dimensions will help prevent them from hiding on your wrist. And this CasiOak is a perfect example of this. We also loved the resin band which only enhances the overall aesthetic.

Timex Legacy Tonneau 42mm

Timex might not be the first brand you think about when it comes to racing-inspired timepieces, but when you look at this Legacy Tonneau inspired by ’70s-era chronographs, you’ll ask why they don’t have more. Right around the $200 mark, this 42mm watch might be a bit large for some, which explains why it’s always overshadowed by Timex’s slew of retro reissues, such as the ones in its Q line. We love this quartz-powered model though, especially the black gunmetal version above.

From its design to overall build quality, this is an incredible watch regardless of the price tag. For instance, consider the sunray brushing on the case, the thin strips of high polish of the chamfered edges, and the sides of the case that are inspired by an automobile grill. Despite the 42mm case size, the watch still wears compact with its 46mm lug-to-lug with a hooded design and 11mm thickness. This thing is highly wearable. Not only that but we were surprised by the snappy pushers, which is a trait more common on chronos of double or triple the price. However, despite the mostly monochromatic color scheme, there are subtle red accents throughout the design, including on the textile strap, so keep that in mind.

Seiko SRPD79

Part of Seiko’s “Street Style” line of 5 Sports watches, this almost-blacked-out budget diver offers a ton of urban style for not a lot of cash. Using Seiko’s tried and true dive watch formula — the familiar hands and indices, chunky dive bezel, 4 o’clock crown, etc. — as its base, the SRPD79 goes bold by turning virtually everything on the watch black. Not only are the case, dial, and strap black, but also the bezel markings, the day/date wheel, and impressively, even the lume! It’s also powered by Seiko’s in-house 4R36, which is an automatic movement. At this point, that’s quite impressive.

Basically as stealthy as you can get, this sub-$500 watch is a great addition for someone looking to round out their all-black EDC collection with an affordable yet dependable timepiece. While the black lume is impressive, it does admittedly glow a bit darker than your usual lume glow. The 42.5mm case diameter is mitigated by the highly accommodating 46mm lug-to-lug, while the viewing experience is overwhelmingly dark and difficult to read due to the lack of contrast. But at least Seiko aimed to offset this a smidge by putting dark gunmetal-colored reflective framing around the markers and hands so that you can pick up some light at certain angles. We were, however, surprised by the bright day/date display considering what this watch aims to accomplish.

Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown Black PVD

With the reissue boom of recent years, we’ve also seen a relative rise in new compression divers –– a style most popular during the 1960s. These types of watches were an alternate take on the standard diver, tossing a second crown on the case to rotate the timing bezel, which was now underneath they crystal. Joining the modern resurgence is the young French watchmaker Baltic with this Dual-Crown version of its vintage-inspired flagship Aquascaphe diver, treated with black PVD here. While a lot of the watches we’ve featured here are quite large, this timepiece is a moderate 39mm in diameter, balanced with a 47mm lug-to-lug and modest 10mm thickness, achieved by eliminating the 1.9mm domed crystal of the non-compression Aquascaphe.

Totally killing it with its case finishing, Baltic uses different subtle brushing directions along the side, the top of the lugs, and on top of the fixed bezel. On the other hand, you’ll notice how they’ve kept all the major edges uncoated yet highly polished, as if each piece were hand-finished itself. In terms of the freely-rotating fixed crown used to adjust the timing bezel, we have mixed feelings. While the effect is really striking, we do fear that, for actual diving, you’d run the risk of accidentally hitting the crown and messing up your timing since it doesn’t lock into place (this might be why this style of bezel never caught on like an external one). Still water resistant to 200m and adorned with a black tropic-style rubber strap, the watch is powered by a thin Miyota 9039 automatic movement, which moves the smooth sweep of the second hand at a highly-accurate beat rate for such an excellent value.

Hamilton Khaki Field Day-Date Auto 42mm Black PVD

Worn by American G.I.s during the Second World War, Hamilton’s field watches are now considered the quintessential example in the category. These timepieces are so iconic that the company even shut down production at its Pennsylvania factory in the ’40s to make the GG-W-113 model for the Army. Now dubbed the Khaki Field Watch, the modern iteration comes in both 38mm and 42mm sizes, but we went with the larger version due to its stealthier nature, which tends to give the illusion of smallness on the wrist. Powered by the H30 automatic movement with 80 hours of power reserve, this model also changes things up with a charming day-date display on opposite poles of the dial.

Sporting two different finishes across the blacked-out main case and fixed bezel, this is another all-black watch with some serious dimension, furthered by a dial in different shades, accented by a strip of red color on the tip of the second hand. On the wrist, 42mm might feel big enough but this all-black Khaki Field wears even larger with its 50mm lug-to-lug and a significant sprawl across. We do, however, wish you got a bit more water resistance here than the mere 50m. On the other hand, this timepiece favors legibility with an impressive AR coating on the sapphire crystal which helps ease the difficulty of reading this all-black dial.

Bell & Ross B03 Phantom

After a brief hiatus, we’re back to another military-themed timepiece, except this time, we’re getting out of the field and taking to the skies. From B&R’s iconic Instruments line of watches inspired by cockpit instruments, the PHANTOM is the stealthiest version of the brand’s signature BR 03, which recently got an update with smaller dimensions and a new movement. Executed in black ceramic with a black rubber strap, literally every visible aspect of the watch is blacked out — including the lume, the dial text, and both the date text and date wheel. If you asked Spinal Tap how much blacker this watch could get, their answer would be, “None more black.”

Perhaps the paradigm of the phantom-style black watch, this blacked-out reference is the most blacked-out on this list and is nearly illegible in most lighting conditions, compounded even further by its matte texture which reflects even less light. This makes the $4,000 price tag a bit hard to swallow considering Bell & Ross’ dedication to providing utilitarian tool watches, but that’s not to say the Phantom doesn’t look insanely cool. At least the dial glows green at night with some lume on the numerals, indices, and hands. It houses a Sellita-base BR-CAL.302 automatic movement with 54 hours of power reserve. Housed in a 41mm black ceramic case, the watch also wears rather large, like most B&R watches, with its thick bracelet that maxes out at 30mm. However, the rubber strap, which feels like a bund-style leather strap, is incredibly comfortable. Nevertheless, if you have smaller wrists, you might not be too happy with this one.

Tudor Black Bay Ceramic

Shortly after Tudor released the Black Bay Ceramic back in 2021, we had the chance to review it hands-on. At the time, we declared it the “New King of Cool” and sang its praises as a stealthy and sleek diver that effortlessly blended classic style and modern sensibilities. So how do we feel about it now, a few years later? Well, unsurprisingly, nothing has changed. As it turns out, crafting the Black Bay — a contemporary icon — out of black ceramic was a brilliant move on the part of Rolex’s sister brand, and the BB Ceramic remains one of the downright coolest things one can strap to one’s wrist.

A stealthy take on a HiConsumption staff favorite, this Black Bay Ceramic offers a surprising amount of legibility thanks to its off-white markers, a classic Tudor handset, and lots of lume inside its 41mm PVD-coated ceramic case. The case itself features a strategic blend of brushing and polishing, along with 200m of water resistance. Visible through the caseback is the COSC-certified manufacture caliber MT5603-1U automatic movement, with a whopping three days of power reserve and a 4Hz beat rate for accuracy. At just over $5,000, this timepiece offers a ton of value. The one area you might want to change is the monstrous leather-rubber hybrid strap, which can be swapped with the black-and-cream fabric strap that comes complimentary.

Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow

While Zenith’s Chronomaster has only been around since 1994, this specific variant, dubbed the Revival Shadow, is a modern take on an obscure chronograph prototype from 1970 that featured a blackened case. Here, Zenith achieves that dark color by way of black titanium material, slightly lighter than the pitch-black dial color with white accents. A year before the prototype was created, Zenith introduced its legendary El Primero movement, which was one of the first-ever automatic chronograph calibers ever. And yes, that El Primero makes an appearance in the Revival Shadow as well, with its high-frequency 5Hz beat rate and 282 different components. Looks aside, we’re here for the engine inside, which is visible through an exhibition caseback.

More dark gray than fully black, the stonewashed titanium case reduces the weight of this already small timepiece. At 37mm across and with a 46mm lug-to-lug, this model wears very well on your wrist and is a solid choice for those who don’t want to go big with their black wristwatch. It’s also adorned with a well-constructed rubber-coated textile strap with black leather on the back and white stitched accents.

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8

The 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing is inarguably the most famous space mission of all time, and the one that cemented Omega’s Speedmaster as a legend, appearing on the wrists of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong as they stepped foot onto the lunar surface. However, a year before, a very important mission saw astronauts James Lovell Jr, Frank Borman II, and William Anders become the first men to ever reach the Moon. They orbited the rock ten times, during which they saw the “dark side” of it, and then returned home. In 2018, Omega commemorated the occasion with a Moonwatch Apollo 8 variant, which was just updated this year.

As the name alludes to, this watch favors darkness despite all the detail it’s been graced with, including yellow accents, an engraved dial made to look like the Moon’s surface, and a miniature recreation of the Saturn V rocket made of grade 5 titanium that serves as the small seconds hand on one of the three chrono registers. Pretty cool! If you’re a space junkie, there are few better timepieces for you. Yes, the movement here is par for Omega: a Co-Axial Master Chronometer Caliber 3869 manually-wound movement that’s METAS-certified for the first time. But what’s most impressive is, just like the dial, the movement’s main plate and bridges have been decorated to look like the Moon surface. You can check it out through the caseback. Admittedly, the 44.25mm case diameter is a big boy but the ceramic construction mitigates a lot of the potential weight that could have been incurred.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Ceratanium

Not one to shy away from revolutionary materials either, IWC employs its proprietary “Ceratanium” for the case on this 41mm Top Gun version of the brand’s trademark Pilot’s Watch. The material is a blend of ceramic and titanium, and while it could probably use a more clever name, it’s an impressive mashup that combines titanium’s strength and lightness with ceramic’s renowned scratch resistance. Also impressive is the watch’s movement: an in-house 69385 caliber automatic chronograph that’s built to withstand the rigors of aerial missions.

Naturally providing a rich dark colorway without the need for any external coatings, this Ceratanium Top Gun watch has outstanding physical properties with some serious dimensionality provided by the trio of subdials and lighter colored markers and handset. IWC’s Pilot’s Watch is known for its unique offset chronograph configuration, with registers at the 6, 9, and 12 positions. While we thought that all the hour markers would be lumed, unfortunately, only the cardinal markers and hands glow green. Also, the watch came with a bright orange IWC strap, which we loved but didn’t fit the all-black premise of this guide. As such, we swapped in a black rubber NATO from Bonetto Cinturini which paired really well.

The Appeal of All-Black Watches

The best all-black watches for men bring a heightened sense of modernity along with a rough edge and a whisper of danger that’s difficult to calculate. While blacked-out watches obviously don’t carry with them any change in their wearer’s personality, they sure do bring a lot of swagger to a wrist. And while practically every blacked-out watch has this effect, they don’t all accomplish it in the same way. Some sport a militaristic tactical edge to their design, while others go the ultra-luxe route in their noir makeup. Whichever Stygian style suits you best, you’re likely to find an example you love below.

All-Black Vs. Blacked-Out

As you’ll see below, just because a watch is all-black doesn’t mean it’s without small portions of other colors, be it to help with legibility or just inherent elements from the accompanying materials. However, there are some timepieces that are called “blacked-out,” or “phantom,” which literally eliminate any other color besides black. Even more assertively modern than standard “all-black” watches, these blacked-out pieces may leave you frustrated when trying to decipher the time of day, but they do have a visual appeal in their own right.

Tested: The Absolute Best Dive Watches to Buy

In the market for a watch that’s a bit more traditional? In that case, you can’t go wrong with a classic diver — the most timeless and versatile watch design there is. To discover our favorites, head on over to our guide where we tested the best dive watches currently on the market.