Dress watches were the first luxury watches. But in 2025, watch collectors seem less interested in formal watches than at any point in memory. Aside from boutique independents like F.P. Journe and longstanding model lines like the Patek Philippe Calatrava, there's precious little momentum behind dress watches. Why have major brands like Omega, Rolex, and Cartier failed to thrive in the dress watch category? Tim Mosso and guest host Matt Parker investigate.

The original watches - pocket watches - were all dress watches. Nobody swam or flew an airplane with a Breguet tourbillon or a Thomas Earnshaw chronometer. In the wristwatch era, early watches included no water resistance, shock protection, or magnetic shielding. But tonneau cases, gold, complications, and elaborate decoration - dress watch features - were present almost from the earliest days of the wristwatch.

Today, the dress watch appears successful only in the form of long-running model lines from major brands. The Cartier Tank, first introduced in 1917, is an example of an ancient watch collection that has enjoyed enduring popularity in the modern era. Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso, launched in 1931, likewise maintains a strong following. And Patek Philippe's Calatrava - renewed for 2025 as the Calatrava 6196P - continues to keep dress watches prominent amid the Aquanaut, Nautilus, and Cubitus. At IWC, the Portugieser remains popular. Among independent watch brands, Rexhep Rexhepi, F.P. Journe, and De Bethune have enjoyed small scale but consistent success.

However many large brands have failed to duplicate their sports watch success with new dress watch collections. The Cartier Cle de Cartier and Vacheron Constantin Harmony of 2015 both failed to catch fire. Audemars Piguet's bombastic 2019 launch of the Code 11.59 produced a muted response as the mainstream chronograph and automatic failed to impress. And for all of its dominance with sports watches, Rolex continues to reboot its dress watch collection with the Perpetual 1908 models.

With so few new entrants from mainstream watch brands and low-volume production by independent watch brands, it's worth asking, "is the dress watch dead?"

In 2025, Patek Philippe arrived at Watches & Wonders with more evidence that only existing dress watch powers can succeed in the segment.

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