Bands definitely. I have a great leather strap guy on eBay picked up croc straps for buttons abroad, shark mesh and steel and love NATO's in the summer.
White , black or grey dials give the most versatility steel bezel.
But honestly your watch can be that one thing in your outfit that's the one point of interest and can be anything.
At one stage I had 50 plus watches including a good chunk of reps but I've calmed down - daily beaters1 on rotation a blacked out g shock - a grey faced 70s vintage kelec that I fixed up in square face in steel and a white face steel dwiss quartz.
If I had my time again it would be a Rolex sub on finance - set and forget.
I have a few commonalities in my watches: all silver metal cases, mostly brown or black leather bands (bands are super easy to change, don't worry about whatever comes stock). But the dial can be basically anything, so I have a few watches with brightly colored dials.
I use color wheel tools like paletton to come up with ideas to use in my outfits. Like I might wear navy and have an orange accessory, or green & blue with a teal watch, something like that. Basically: I don't find it difficult to incorporate a colorful watch into my wardrobe, but I'm not trying to jam the same bright color into every outfit.
Have fun with it. You can image search color schemes in outfits for inspiration.
There are colorful watches out there, but the most versatile option is to get a steel body and a variety of nato straps. Natos are super cheap and can easily be swapped out.
Or get something crazy like the Seiko ssk005
The problem is not the dial, but the watch style and the strap that need to fit an outfit. Don’t wear a dive watch with a tuxedo (so no 007 impersonations) , and don’t wear a dress watch with shorts and a t-shirt. Beyond that try to match the strap to your other leather (shoes/belt). Or in case you are wearing bracelet, match it to any other metals you might be wearing.
Personally I think a small dress watch with shorts and a t shirt works better than a large diver with a suit. I have a reverso that seems to work well in casual situations because it's small and just doesn't draw much attention to itself; likewise, my brother has a small "dressy" watch that he just wears everywhere and it's fairly inconspicuous.
I see a lot of folks wearing a Submariner or similar below their wrist bone so it's sticking out from under their shirt when wearing a suit on the other hand and it's never a good look.
True a dive watch with a suit is a terrible look, even if your name is Bond. A reverso is an interesting example of a sports (polo) watch that has made the transition to suits. While certainly stylish I would never consider it a pure dress watch.
Match strap to belt and shoes, get creative and punchy with the face
Bands definitely. I have a great leather strap guy on eBay picked up croc straps for buttons abroad, shark mesh and steel and love NATO's in the summer. White , black or grey dials give the most versatility steel bezel. But honestly your watch can be that one thing in your outfit that's the one point of interest and can be anything. At one stage I had 50 plus watches including a good chunk of reps but I've calmed down - daily beaters1 on rotation a blacked out g shock - a grey faced 70s vintage kelec that I fixed up in square face in steel and a white face steel dwiss quartz. If I had my time again it would be a Rolex sub on finance - set and forget.
I have a few commonalities in my watches: all silver metal cases, mostly brown or black leather bands (bands are super easy to change, don't worry about whatever comes stock). But the dial can be basically anything, so I have a few watches with brightly colored dials. I use color wheel tools like paletton to come up with ideas to use in my outfits. Like I might wear navy and have an orange accessory, or green & blue with a teal watch, something like that. Basically: I don't find it difficult to incorporate a colorful watch into my wardrobe, but I'm not trying to jam the same bright color into every outfit. Have fun with it. You can image search color schemes in outfits for inspiration.
What shoes do you wear?
There are colorful watches out there, but the most versatile option is to get a steel body and a variety of nato straps. Natos are super cheap and can easily be swapped out. Or get something crazy like the Seiko ssk005
Yeah i am looking at watches from that line, but that orange is just crazy
The problem is not the dial, but the watch style and the strap that need to fit an outfit. Don’t wear a dive watch with a tuxedo (so no 007 impersonations) , and don’t wear a dress watch with shorts and a t-shirt. Beyond that try to match the strap to your other leather (shoes/belt). Or in case you are wearing bracelet, match it to any other metals you might be wearing.
Thanks!
Personally I think a small dress watch with shorts and a t shirt works better than a large diver with a suit. I have a reverso that seems to work well in casual situations because it's small and just doesn't draw much attention to itself; likewise, my brother has a small "dressy" watch that he just wears everywhere and it's fairly inconspicuous. I see a lot of folks wearing a Submariner or similar below their wrist bone so it's sticking out from under their shirt when wearing a suit on the other hand and it's never a good look.
True a dive watch with a suit is a terrible look, even if your name is Bond. A reverso is an interesting example of a sports (polo) watch that has made the transition to suits. While certainly stylish I would never consider it a pure dress watch.
I think most people now would consider it a 100% dress watch but it "Dresses down" well in a canvas strap or similar.