The Best Men’s Luxury Business Watches

Words by Robin Swithinbank

The characteristics we associate with ‘business watches’ are not what they were. Once upon a time, slimline, circular, time-only pieces on a black leather strap were boardroom standard issue, but decades of subversion mean that today’s watches could follow entirely different codes while still qualifying as business watches. Chacun à son goût! What remains, though, is the power of a wristwatch to communicate authority, competence and, of course, sophistication. Here are five that do just that.

Chopard is owned by the Scheufele family – and the story behind its Alpine Eagle is one of three generations. Of these, it was the youngest who convinced the older two that re-oxygenating the company’s St. Moritz design of 1980 would be a smart move. The Alpine Eagle was introduced in 2019, since when it’s become one of the brand’s bestselling pieces. Why? Distinctive, handsome and backed up by one of Chopard’s chronometer-certified movements and exclusive ultra-resistant Lucent Steel, it communicates a calm yet unflinching authority.

For every rule, there’s an exception. In the world of business-ready round watches, the rule-breaker is the rectilinear Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Art Deco timepiece with the flippable case. Penned in 1931, the Reverso’s familiar shape now defines the brand, despite it being a leader in movement creation for many decades. Those two traits come together in this pink gold model, which houses a hand-wound complete calendar movement, showing the day, date, month and phase of the moon. Silvery on top, on the reverse it’s black, with the addition of a day/night indicator.

Socialite Yves Piaget conceived the sporty, chic Polo in the late 1970s for his associates in New York high society. His watch had an unconventional, artful form with an integrated metal bracelet that rapidly came to symbolise membership of the successful and creative. That status is the reverberating echo we hear in today’s expression of the Polo design – seen here in 42mm of stainless steel with its dial peeled back to reveal one of Piaget’s skeletonised mechanical movements, all tinged with a reassuring green hue.

Not so long ago, bringing something of your life outside work into the office was frowned upon. So, you surf? So what? Times, thank goodness, have matured – we now recognise well-rounded characters, defined by rewarding jobs and active lifestyles. Few watches capture that mindset as consummately as Tudor’s Black Bay, particularly when it comes with a 9-to-5 three-link bracelet and tools-down alternate black fabric strap. This greened edition is exclusive to Harrods – another indicator that life is panning out just fine.

Close your eyes and imagine a watch – safe money says what you’re seeing looks something like Vacheron Constantin’s round, slimline Traditionnelle. Think on it a little harder, and you might add the details that embellish this iteration of the Genevan brand’s ultra-classic design: day, date, month and moonphase indications, elegant Dauphine hands and hour markers, and a subtle grey chapter ring indicating the date set around the edge of the dial. Wrapped in 41mm of pink gold and mounted on a brown leather strap, this CEO of watches can only be described using the old cliché: timeless.