Black Beauties: Greg Simonian

Black watches were once considered trendy, as if they might fall out of fashion while traditional gold or steel watches held timeless appeal.  Well, these darkest of timepieces have proven that they have staying power and are not subject to the ins and outs of fashion.  In fact, a black watch is just the right addition to any collection, and certainly deserves a place of permanence. The following five watches, all available at Westime, are great options when the drama, boldness, and heft of a black watch is in order.

Hublot adds to its All Black series, and its popular “invisible visibility” concept, with the launch of the Big Bang Unico All Black. A limited edition of 500 pieces, this stealth watch features a 45.5mm black ceramic case and bezel, black PVD titanium pushers and crown, black rubber strap, and a matte black dial supporting hands and numerals filled with black SuperLuminova for legibility. Even the subdials of the automatic flyback chronograph movement are encircled by darkly polished rings.

With this new black watch, Breitling pays tribute to a beast from Bentley:  the 6.75-liter engine that powers the brand’s Mulsanne limousine. Naturally, this is a large timepiece, measuring 49mm in diameter. Its steel case takes on dramatic black livery thanks to an ultra-resistant carbon-based treatment. The black dial allows for just a glimpse of the automatic chronograph movement inside. A limited edition of 1,000 pieces, it comes on a black rubber strap with a central raised motif.

De Bethune’s DB28 model won the Oscar of the watch world in 2011.  Now the company is offering a 50-piece limited edition of this icon, clad in black. While the original DB28’s case was made from titanium, this version is crafted from satin-brushed zirconium. Even the hand-wound movement tends to darkness with the use of ruthenium and hand-polished blackened steel accompanying the sandblasted bridges. The black setting makes the perfect backdrop for De Bethune’s spherical moon phase created from palladium and anthracite zirconium hand-polished steel.

Omega’s Speedmaster earned its nickname “Moonwatch” by accompanying astronauts on all six of their moon missions. This new black edition doesn’t forget its lunar roots, and is affectionately named and engraved “Dark Side of the Moon.” The 44mm case is manufactured from black ceramic, which complements a black zirconium oxide ceramic dial. Indexes and hands of white gold are easy to perceive on the deep black dial, which is framed by Speedmaster’s iconic chromium nitride tachymeter scale. The automatic chronograph is presented on a black Cordura fabric strap.

Knights may be known for their shining armor, but AlTin-treated steel and titanium provide a dark matte suit of armor for Urwerk’s new Black Knight. Satellite revolving hours glide along the minute scale at the bottom of the dial to indicate the time. Once the hour has passed, the satellite rotates and continues around its orbit for another three hours before returning to view with the next hour indication. Meanwhile, running seconds and power reserve are visible on the case band. An oversize black crown at 12 o’clock controls the setting of the automatic movement.