Going dark: The black watch trend shaping luxury watchmaking in 2026
Once associated mainly with tactical tool watches and G-Shocks, black watches have evolved into a design language of their own.
Once tied to tactical tool watches, black timepieces now span dress, sport and high horology. (Photos: Courtesy of respective brands; Art: CNA/Chern Ling)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
Black watches are nothing new, but they have never been this varied. Once associated largely with tactical tool watches and rugged G-Shocks, they have evolved in recent years into something far more nuanced: a design language that now cuts across categories, styles and complications. Judging by the latest releases, the trend is not fading anytime soon.
The slew of dark-toned novelties suggests that watchmakers no longer treat black as an aesthetic shortcut. Instead, they use it to highlight material innovation, texture and contrast. For instance, IWC brings its proprietary Ceratanium – a titanium alloy fired at extreme temperatures to achieve ceramic-like hardness – to the Portugieser Chronograph for the first time, giving one of its most recognisable designs a sleek, all-black treatment. French brand Bell & Ross takes a different approach, pairing a glossy black lacquered dial with warm CuSn8 bronze on the BR-03 Diver – a combination that will only grow more distinctive as the case develops patina over time. Meanwhile, Dior uses darkness as a backdrop for diamonds and couture codes, setting 60 baguette-cut stones into the bezel of the limited-edition Chiffre Rouge Chronograph.
Independent brands are pushing the idea even further. Belgian manufacture Ressence has collaborated with Japanese lacquer artist Terumasa Ikeda to transform its minimalist Type 9 Reference into a rotating tableau of mother-of-pearl and black urushi lacquer, while Armin Strom uses twin black grenage dials to spotlight the hypnotic twin balance wheels of its Dual Time GMT Resonance. Ulysse Nardin’s Freak X Gumball 3000 Edition 2 employs Carbonium and orange epoxy resin for a bolder take, while Bremont injects whimsy and humour into the Altitude MB Meteor Felix the Cat, placing the US Navy’s favourite good-luck charm on a blacked-out pilot’s watch.
What connects these watches goes beyond colour alone. Whether the aim is stealth, drama, contrast or quiet sophistication, each one shows that going dark in 2026 can mean something entirely different depending on the brand behind it. From elegant moonphase watches to lacquered art pieces without hands, the range is as broad as the trend itself. Here are eight of the best new black watches to know now.
ARMIN STROM DUAL TIME GMT RESONANCE ROSE GOLD
The Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance Rose Gold shows that a black watch need not feel severe. Here, darkness heightens drama and depth in a technically impressive, visually captivating timepiece. Framed by a 39mm rose gold case, the twin black grenage dials are complemented by black azurage chapter rings, allowing the warm-toned hands and indexes to stand out. At the heart of the watch is the in-house manual-winding calibre ARF22, whose patented resonance clutch synchronises two independent regulating systems, each serving its own time zone with separate hours, minutes and day/night indication. The continuous interaction of the two balance wheels creates a hypnotic, three-dimensional display that brings the resonance mechanism to life.
BELL & ROSS BR-03 DIVER BLACK BRONZE
The French brand brings its circle-within-a-square diver back to basics with the BR-03 Diver Black Bronze, a 999-piece limited edition. It pairs a 42mm CuSn8 bronze case – composed of 92 per cent copper and 8 per cent tin – with a glossy black lacquered dial. Bronze is a deliberate material choice here, having long been used in ship fittings and early diving equipment. Because it develops a unique patina over time, no two pieces will age alike. Water-resistant to 300m, the model features a reinforced construction that includes a telescopic screw-down crown with a rubber insert for easy handling, even with thick diving gloves, a steel screw-down caseback and an extra-thick anti-reflective sapphire crystal – all essential elements in a diver’s watch.
BREMONT ALTITUDE MB METEOR FELIX THE CAT
This is not just a cartoon slapped on a dial – there is real aviation lore behind it. Felix the Cat has served as a good-luck charm for US Navy fighter pilots since the early days of carrier aviation, most famously adorning the insignia of VFA-31, better known as the Tomcatters. Bremont’s playful Watch Your Six campaign for the watch – fighter-pilot slang for watching your back – makes the feline a natural fit for a brand with deep military ties. The 42mm Altitude MB Meteor is rendered in black DLC-coated grade 2 titanium, with Felix cheekily making off with the numeral 6 on the dial. Bright yellow accents on the minute track and the ejection-handle seconds hand – a signature MB detail – stand out against the dark dial. The three-part Trip-Tick case houses the BB14-AH movement in a rubber shock mount and features soft iron magnetic shielding and a 68-hour power reserve. Weighing just 53.29g without the bracelet, the 500-piece limited edition is available on either a quick-release black DLC titanium bracelet or a textured leather strap.
DIOR CHIFFRE ROUGE CHRONOGRAPH
The French maison’s Chiffre Rouge Chronograph brings the black-watch trend into the realm of couture-inspired high horology. This eight-piece limited edition is the first chronograph in the Chiffre Rouge line, a complication previously reserved for the collection’s tourbillon models. The 41mm black DLC-coated steel case features a polished white gold bumper and a bezel set with 60 baguette-cut diamonds totalling 2.88 carats. Its black brass dial carries the Dior Cannage, the house’s signature quilted motif, while a vivid red chronograph seconds hand and matching pusher at 4 o’clock add flashes of colour. Powering the watch is the CD.001 automatic movement, based on Zenith’s legendary El Primero. It is finished with an interchangeable black alligator strap and a DLC-coated micro-adjustable buckle.
FREDERIQUE CONSTANT CLASSICS MONETA MOONPHASE
Frederique Constant’s Classics Moneta Moonphase offers an elegant, dressier take on the black-watch trend. Here, black becomes a backdrop for refinement: A deep matte dial contrasts with a polished 37mm yellow gold PVD-coated case and matching gold-toned hands. A moon-phase display at 6 o’clock adds a romantic note. One of its most distinctive details is the coin-edge motif on the inner ring beneath the sapphire crystal, a subtle touch that gives the watch its Moneta name and a more distinctive identity. Powered by the FC-206 quartz calibre with a five-year battery life, it is fitted with a black calf leather strap embossed with a crocodile pattern.
IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN PORTUGIESER CHRONOGRAPH CERATANIUM
IWC’s latest Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium brings a darker, more understated mood to one of the brand’s most recognisable designs. Presented in an all-black execution for the first time, it retains the Portugieser’s clean, balanced look while giving it a sleek, ultra-modern edge. The 41mm case, crown and pushers are made from Ceratanium, IWC’s proprietary material that combines the lightness of titanium with the hardness of ceramic. From the dial and hands to the appliques and rubber strap, every element follows the same dark palette, further highlighting the Portugieser’s signature twin-register layout and slim bezel. Limited to 1,500 pieces, the watch is powered by the IWC-manufactured calibre 69355, an automatic chronograph movement with a column wheel and 46-hour power reserve.
RESSENCE TYPE 9 IKE
The Ressence Type 9 IKE is equal parts contemporary watchmaking, kinetic sculpture and Japanese decorative art. Limited to just eight pieces, it was created in collaboration with Japanese lacquer artist Terumasa Ikeda, bringing together the centuries-old arts of urushi lacquer and raden – the technique of inlaying the iridescent inner layer of shells. The result is a futuristic dial resembling a luminous miniature galaxy in motion, with ultra-thin pieces of mother-of-pearl shaped to follow its convex surface before being sealed beneath layers of black lacquer. This effect is heightened by the patented Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS 9), which replaces conventional hands with rotating discs and offers a 36-hour power reserve. Housed in a 39mm polished black DLC-coated titanium case, it turns traditional craftsmanship into something radical and otherworldly.
ULYSSE NARDIN FREAK X GUMBALL 3000 EDITION 2
The Ulysse Nardin Freak has always been the oddball of haute horlogerie – with no conventional hands or dial, and the movement itself telling the time – and this second collaboration with Gumball 3000, the annual 3,000-mile supercar rally, channels that same maverick streak. Inside the 43mm black DLC titanium case is the manufacture calibre UN-230, whose flying carrousel rotates once per hour to indicate the minutes, while an hour disc completes a full turn every 12 hours to indicate the hours. That disc is crafted from ultra-light carbon fibre upcycled from the aerospace industry. Called Carbonium, the material is inspired by the patterns of Damascus steel and produced by weaving carbon fibres with vivid orange epoxy resin to create a unique three-dimensional texture, ensuring that no two discs are identical. Powered by the automatic UN-230 calibre and offering a 72-hour power reserve, the Freak X Gumball 3000 Edition 2 is avant-garde watchmaking at its most expressive.
