Travelling with your cherished timepiece isn’t an inherently bad idea, especially for those who need to keep track of multiple timezones. But depending on your destination country, it might be prudent to fly under the radar with a carefully selected watch.
There are many considerations when picking a timepiece for your travels but most importantly, it should be one that complements your style without drawing unwanted attention. These meticulously crafted, timeless watches embody quiet luxury, offering the functionality and touch of refinement that are essential to the stylish globetrotter.
Read more: Time travel: The best watches for frequent travellers
Breguet
Breguet Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes
There is a lot more to the Breguet Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes than meets the eye. Its minimalist dial appears to only tell the hour and minutes, but within the watch’s 42-mm rose gold case lies an exceptional manual-winding movement, the calibre 567.2, with one of the most esteemed horological complications: a minute repeater function, which is activated using the dedicated slide at 9 o’clock. Paired with a black alligator leather strap, the watch’s deep black dial also requires the skilled craft of grand feu enamelling, which involves many steps of applying enamel powders on the dial and firing at a high temperature—a meticulous process that can take weeks.
Bvlgari
Bvlgari Aluminium White Automatic
One easy way to keep your overall style luxe yet low-key when travelling is to dress in monochromatic outfits, which also extends to your timepiece. The Bvlgari Aluminium White Automatic comes in an immaculate monochrome white 40mm case and matching dial with just a smidge of red on the ends of the seconds hand. Its white rubber and titanium parts are interspersed with and complemented by metallic ones, such as matte-finished case facets and strap components, and rhodium-plated hands and indices. The watch is paired with an articulated white rubber strap with aluminium links and an aluminium pin buckle.
Cartier
Cartier Tank Américaine
When it comes to timeless, well-designed watches, you can’t go wrong with a Cartier Tank. Made in an elongated 44.4mm x 24.4mm steel case, this Tank Américaine watch has a pronounced curve that gently wraps around the wrist. It features a silvered stain-brushed dial with blued-steel sword-shaped hands and comes with a semi-matte navy blue alligator strap.
Chanel
Chanel Monsieur de Chanel Superleggera Edition Intense Black
Dark, sleek and sporty, the Monsieur de Chanel Superleggera Edition Intense Black is a versatile companion that can take some hard knocks. It comes in a highly resistant 42mm matte-black ceramic-clad steel case with a matte-black guilloché dial with a Clous de Paris pattern, which is reminiscent of the interiors of luxury sports cars while its retrograde minute display evokes the design of speedometers. The watch runs on the Calibre 1 with a 72-hour power reserve and is mounted on a black nylon and calfskin leather strap.
Grand Seiko
Grand Seiko SBGJ275
For those that enjoy travelling with watches equipped with a GMT function, the Grand Seiko SBGJ275 from the Elegance Collection is a sophisticated choice. The intricate nature-inspired dials on this limited-edition watch depicts the clear blue sky as seen from the top of Japan’s Mount Iwate. Equipped with the in-house self-winding Calibre 9S66 with a GMT function, the watch features a 24-hour scale on the dial for the second time zone indicated by the blue hand.
Hermès
Hermès Cut
The Hermès Cut is great to travel with as it could be the next “it” watch, but is still new and relatively under the radar for now. The combination of a bevel-cut bezel and a round, clean-lined 36 mm case emphasises geometric purity and works for any occasion. The crown is uniquely positioned at 1:30 and adorned with an H for a subtle quirky touch. The watch is powered by the Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement and can suit various styles thanks to the interchangeable straps in various Hermès colours.
Longines
Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve
Those who appreciate vintage style timepieces but require a watch robust enough for travel ought to consider the Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve in a 38mm stainless steel case with a champagne dial and 2N yellow gold-coloured indices. Made to celebrate the brand’s anniversary of the Conquest collection, the watch is powered by the new Longines L896.5 calibre with a power reserve of up to 72 hours and comes paired with a black alligator strap.
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Escale
Elegant yet discreet, the new time-only Louis Vuitton Escale watches are all about the finer details. Inspired by the maison’s spirit of travel, the lugs resemble the angled form and riveted exterior of the brass brackets and corners that reinforce the Louis Vuitton trunks. Just like the nails that run along the exterior of a Louis Vuitton trunk, the dial is also punctuated with gold studs. This model is made in a 39mm rose gold case with a silvery stamped dial and satin-finished tilted flange, paired with a camel calf leather strap.
H. Moser & Cie
H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Perpetual Calendar Concept Smoked Salmon
The H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Perpetual Calendar Concept Smoked Salmon is a modern and minimal masterpiece, comprising four hands in the centre of the dial to display the hours, minutes, seconds and months, while another hand displayed at 10 o’clock indicates the power reserve. The date is displayed in a window at 4 o’clock. All this is read on the stunning Smoked Salmon dial housed in a sculptural 42.3mm steel cushion case with an integrated steel bracelet.
Parmigiani Fleurier
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date
An expert in understated and timeless watches, Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date is a stripped back version of the original Tonda PF Micro-Rotor from 2021; maintaining the same clean and minimal aesthetic but without a date window to cater to design purists. The brand’s signature Grain d’Orge hand- guillochéd dial in Golden Siena is meant to evoke the subtle nuances and naturalness of the earth, and is housed in a 40mm stainless steel case.
Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Manual-Winding
Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony Manual‐Winding is a picture of purity in a 39mm white gold case with a sunburst-finished vintage silver dial complemented by golden pointers and indices, as well as a circular minutes track composed of 48 polished, 18k pink gold beads. The 1950s‐style minimalist watch is paired with an olive-green or a light blue alligator skin strap, is driven by the Calibre 1440 with 42 hours of power reserve, and can be personalised with an engraving on its gold caseback.
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