Stealth mode: black watches are trending, and show no signs of slowing

In the old days, black was not a cool colour. But no trend lasts forever, right? Surely we passed peak blackness with the Vantablack BMW a few years back. Because once you’ve hit the level of invisibility, surely it’s time to move on. If so, nobody has told the watch industry, where black watches have been hugely popular for years.

Watchmakers also toyed with Vantablack. But paint made up of tiny fragile nanotubes of carbon was never going to be a mainstream choice, and only made it to a few limited editions. A much more practical choice is ceramic, which gives a deep velvety black and is also strong and lightweight.

Omega’s Dark Side of the Moon is a great example of the staying power of the stealthy watch. It launched in 2013 and at the time a ceramic Speedmaster seemed like a showcase watch that may be around for a year or two. But instead it has grown into a whole collection of dozens of different watches.

Another brand to add a shadowy ceramic option is Tudor, whose ceramic versions of the handsome Black Bay have been a big hit. Those are both luxury watches, but thankfully stealth is not dependent on wealth. Lower down the price range you have to make do with ion plated steel, or hard wearing plastic in the case of the G-Shock. But the message is the same: blackness is now considered so cool that it trumps the minor consideration of how easily you can tell the time.

Pro tip 

Just as a hastily wrapped hatchback won’t match the depth of a blacked out supercar, not all watches go equally dark. Ceramic has the richest finish and shrugs off scratches. Ion plated steel – like on the Seiko 5 – offers great stealth at a friendlier price. And resin is no nonsense and built to last. One colour, many flavours.