What’s the biggest luxury trend this year? The darker the watch, the better

Black has always held a strong appeal in watchmaking, thanks to its restraint and versatility. This year, luxury watch brands are going full-force in embracing darker materials, blackened movements, and shadowy dial finishes that turn even complex mechanisms into something intriguingly understated.

From platinum tourbillons framed by jet-black grand feu enamel to ceramic chronographs and high-frequency sports watches rendered almost entirely in black, these timepieces show how fascinating the monochrome look can be. 

The result is a new generation of luxury watches that check both the modern and mysterious boxes, drawing wearers (and admirers) in for a closer inspection.

A. Lange & Soehne 1815 Tourbillon

Traditional German watchmaking techniques frame this watch, housed in a 39.5mm platinum case. Produced entirely in-house, the dial is crafted in jet-black grand feu enamel on a white gold base.

At 6 o’clock, the tourbillon is driven by the manually wound calibre L102.1, incorporating both a stop-seconds device and Lange’s Zero-Reset mechanism that returns the seconds hand instantly to zero when the crown is pulled.

The movement operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour and delivers a 72-hour power reserve, featuring untreated German silver bridges, screwed gold chatons, and a diamond endstone within the tourbillon cage.

F.P. Journe Chronometre Furtif

A 42mm case in tungsten carbide defines the architecture of this watch, paired with a bracelet made from the same material and finished with sand-blasted surfaces and polished chamfers. Components, including the caseback, bezel ring, bumper, and crown, are crafted in tantalum.

The mirror-polished anthracite grey grand feu enamel dial is fired on a white gold base and features laser-frosted numerals with a discreet minute track.

Power comes from the hand-wound calibre 1522 in rose gold, equipped with an in-line geartrain, a free-sprung balance with four inertia weights, and a flat Anachron balance spring. Twin barrels provide a 56-hour power reserve.

Greubel Forsey QP Balancier

Limited to 22 pieces, this perpetual calendar is housed in a 45.1mm white gold case and integrates 12 indications controlled entirely through the crown. The dial displays day, large date, and month in a single line, along with leap-year, day-night, and power-reserve displays.

Its hand-wound movement comprises 612 components and incorporates Greubel Forsey’s signature 30-degree inclined balance wheel measuring 12.6mm in diameter.

Two fast-rotating barrels mounted in series supply a chronometric power reserve of 72 hours, while maintaining stable operation across the perpetual calendar’s complex displays.

Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF

Lightweight engineering defines this 41mm model, whose case is made from ceramicised titanium bead-blasted to achieve a matte surface and reduced mass. The dial displays Chopard’s signature radiating “eagle iris” pattern, with applied indices and baton hands filled with Super-LumiNova.

Power is delivered by the automatic calibre 01.14-C, operating at a high frequency of 8Hz to enhance chronometric stability. COSC-certified and offering a 60-hour power reserve, the movement can be observed through a tinted sapphire caseback integrated into the streamlined sports construction.

IWC Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium

The manufacture’s proprietary Ceratanium, a titanium alloy that acquires ceramic-like hardness through high-temperature firing, forms the 41mm case, crown, and pushers of this chronograph.

The dial retains the Portugieser’s classical layout with vertically aligned chronograph counters and an inner flange marked with a quarter-second scale. Applied Arabic numerals, indices, and hands are finished in black and filled with luminous material.

Powering the watch is the in-house automatic calibre 69355, a column-wheel chronograph operating at 4Hz with a double-pawl winding system that builds a power reserve of 46 hours.

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon

Polished and brushed ceramic shapes the 44.25mm case of this chronograph, paired with a ceramic bezel carrying a laser-engraved tachymeter scale coated in black grand feu enamel. Beneath the sapphire crystal, the dial is laser-sandblasted and features small seconds at 9 o’clock, a combined 60-minute and 12-hour recorder at 3 o’clock, and a date aperture at 6.

Blackened hands and bevelled indexes are filled with black Super-LumiNova emitting green light. Power comes from the self-winding Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 9900, featuring a column wheel, silicon balance spring, and twin barrels delivering a 60-hour power reserve.

Louis Erard Gravee Main

Hand engraving defines the identity of this 42mm Noirmont case in stainless steel, requiring more than 50 hours of manual work across the bezel, lugs, crown, and buckle. The motifs reference baroque floral ornamentation inspired by 18th-century decorative clocks.

The dial combines glossy black lacquer with anthracite and black transfers, accompanied by rhodium-finished pear-shaped hands and a small seconds display at six o’clock. Power comes from the automatic Sellita SW261-1 movement, which operates at 4Hz and provides a power reserve of about 38 hours.

Panerai Luminor GMT Ceramica PAM01460

This model features Panerai’s first 40mm Luminor case entirely executed in ceramic. The case retains the collection’s signature crown-protecting device and sandwich dial construction. Inside is the automatic P.900/GMT calibre measuring 5.2mm thick and operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour.

Functions include hours, minutes, small seconds, date, and a GMT display for a second time zone, along with a stop-seconds mechanism for precise adjustment.

A single barrel provides a three-day power reserve. The watch is water-resistant to 300m and supplied with an interchangeable calf leather and rubber strap.

Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date

Distressed steel gives the 41mm case its distinctive surface, achieved by manually washing the metal and brushing it with quartzite to produce a weathered texture. The dial recreates the appearance of glacial ice using the gratte-bois technique, a process that requires more than 30 steps to create crystalline depth and sfumato shading.

Montblanc’s 0 Oxygen technology seals the case, keeping it free of air, preventing fogging and oxidation, and extending component longevity. Completing the diver specification are a ceramic-insert rotating bezel and ISO 6425 certification. Driving the watch is the automatic MB 24.17 calibre with a 38-hour power reserve.

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Fragment

Developed in collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment Design, this chronograph is housed in a 44mm titanium case finished with black DLC coating. The dial features a clean bicompax layout with chronograph counters and applied indices filled with luminous material, while Fragment’s lightning-bolt motif appears alongside discreet branding elements.

Power comes from the automatic manufacture calibre Heuer 02, a column-wheel chronograph movement operating at 4Hz. Equipped with a vertical clutch and bidirectional winding system, the mechanism delivers an extended power reserve of about 80 hours.