12 Best Minimalist Watches (Review) In 2021

Have you ever seen anything this sleek? One of the advantages of using minimalist watches is the low cost associated with smaller production thickness and intricate markings, and nobody represents this value quite like BUREI. From the simple markings to the low-profile dial window, BUREI Fashion Minimalist Analog Watch is stylistically representative of minimalism in every way. The thin watch case sits nice and comfortably on your wrist, but without looking overly bulky and sticking out. It doesn’t collect attention unless you’re specifically pointing it out, and that’s a good thing.

When it comes down to the band, they pulled it off perfectly. It’s completely stainless steel but woven into a metal mesh-type band that stays nice and comfortable on your wrist. It doesn’t snag on your arm hair or skin at all, which really stands out from most metal mesh watch bands. Under the hood, you have a Japanese quartz movement powering an analog display, all embedded in the 41mm stainless steel case that helps keep everything nice and safe. Your dial window only catches a minor amount of glare on sunny days. For more quality timepieces like this, check out our guide to the best Garmin watches. 

Fizili isn’t known as one of the best minimalist watch brands, but if you ask us, that’s because it’s a well-kept secret. They keep everything simple with this all-black watch, minus the slight bit of vibrant attraction from the colored hands. The great thing about this is that it stays low-profile (especially when you look at the subdial and the seconds marking) while giving you some subtle style options. Choose from different base colors or watch hands colors to get the most out of your watch. You can opt for high style and keep it minimalistic.

With a quartz movement and stainless steel case, you’d expect FIZILI Men’s Ultra-Thin Minimalist Watch to weigh more, even as a minimalists watch. It’s a whopping two ounces, which is about 25% the weight of most standard wristwatches on the market today. It’s minimalistic in every sense. For more stylish options like this, check out our guide to the best Tissot watches and pick your favorite.

You’ve got to give it to Michael Kors—it’s about as low-profile as it gets. In terms of the design of Michael Kors Slim Runway Quartz Watch, the simple gunmetal gray blends in with different shades from the link bracelet to the watch face and hands, giving you a seamless look that doesn’t draw a crowd. Under the dial window, you’re looking at a Japanese quartz movement with accuracy down to 1/10th of a second, as well as an ultrathin design. When you hold this watch up and look at it from the side, you’ll see where the case does its work: the seamless way it blends into the bracelet, the very slight raise of the dial window. It’s all very cohesive.

Michael Kors is also going to offer you a two-year manufacturer’s warranty, so you can put this watch through its paces without having to worry about a thing. While it primarily covers manufacturer defects, their customer service is known to be top-notch at answering all your questions. If you need a watch for swimming or diving, be sure to check out our selection of the best dive watches.

Fossil is known for minimalist watches that align with just about anybody’s budget. While their minimalist watch has a bit more going on aesthetically than some of the other watches we’ve seen, it still keeps everything to a bare minimum. You’re met with simple dash markings in a white-cream color that doesn’t shine in the light. Pair that with a razor-thin orange seconds hand and subtle orange markings at every five-minute marking on the face.

The entire watch case is fairly thin with a smaller 42mm case size, giving you plenty of maneuverability without feeling like you have a bucket of gears on your wrist. While the watchband is a bit more cushioned than we expected from the online photos, Fossil’s “The Minimalist” Watch still gives a low-profile appearance while wearing it. You may also like some of the best waterproof watches from our list, so check them out.

OLEVS gives a ton of aesthetic appeal without being overly noticeable. With OLEVS Ultra-Thin Retro Minimalist Watch you get a super thin 6.5mm stainless steel case, which basically just feels like a little metal wafer sitting on your skin. Underneath the dial window, you have a Japanese quartz movement to keep everything accurate. Single-crown designs are excellent for keeping a minimalist appearance, and they do a fantastic job of keeping it aligned with the rest of the colors so it doesn’t poke out too much. With a rose gold set of hands, markings, and case finish, the colors blend in surprisingly well to the light faux leather band.

The watch face is very fibrant, but it comes with a few options. You can keep the rose gold case colors but opt for a blue band instead of tan to help the watch face better meld into a cohesive style. There are over ten styles to choose from, each sporting the same design and simple watch face. If you are looking for some quality timepieces for active men, check out our guide to the best Triathlon watches.

There are some seriously expensive Skagen watches out there, but they took a step back from those to design one of the most premium men’s minimalist watches out there while keeping it budget-friendly – Skagen Jorn Minimalistic Stainless Steel Watch.

Take on the classic brushed silver case design with a medium-tan leather strap, while the contrast of the white watch face and black markings/hands look absolutely brilliant. They also took a minimalist approach with branding, so your three o’clock marking has simply been replaced with the name Skagen without being too noticeable. This watch also mimics some of their higher-end watch features, such as a water resistance rating of up to 165 ft, as well as the genuine leather watch band. In the spirit of minimalism, I have to point something out: the crown is fantastic. It’s as low-profile as you can get without needing a pair of pliers to turn it. If you are also a fan of fishing, you will sure like some of the best fishing watches from our list, so check them out.

Fossil is back at it again with another minimalist watch (because they know gents like you and I are looking for them). They keep a lot of their standard watch features intact without sitting around the same price point, such as 165 ft of water resistance, and a simple deployment clasp closure. Their Minimalist Quartz Watch uses a durable mineral crystal dial window, which isn’t marketed as being scratch-resistant, but it will take those knocks and scrapes against the table like a champ. It’s incredible how often you bump your wrists off of things, but this should hold its own for quite some time.

As far as the minimalist design goes, I think they nailed it. An all-black watch face with very, very subtle markings that you can’t see unless you’re close, and a dull blue seconds hand to really focus your attention on the direct center. The gunmetal plating on your stainless steel case gives it a matte finish so you won’t catch a glare off of it while driving. Check out our guide to the best hiking watches and pick the one for your next outdoor adventures.

If Citizen knows one thing, it’s how to brand a single line of watches for decades on end. Their Eco-Drive collection is arguably one of the most well-known watch lineups ever made, and with this minimalist design, it’s ultra-affordable at the same time. With a single marking on the twelve o’clock marking and a date window at the three o’clock, it’s about as low-maintenance as you can get. They put their logo right above your watch hands, but it blends in with the watch face design brilliantly. There’s also no seconds hand to worry about.

From the gray and black design to the stainless steel case, it all flows wonderfully. While the steel case isn’t plated, the bezel on the face of your watch looks striking. Everything shields the Japanese quartz movement, and while the watch case isn’t as thin as we would have liked, it is relatively small at 40mm in diameter. For all the golf fans out there, we have prepared our selection of the best golf GPS watches, so check them out.

We all know that Timex isn’t an expensive brand, but they’ve been able to bring prices down even lower by keeping things straight and narrow. You’ve got a simple eggshell white watch face, with three silver hands and silver dash markings. In between each five-minute marking, small black dots mark the in-between minutes. Timex Fairfield 41 Minimalist Watch is a good blend of minimalistic and functional. While the Eco-Drive that we just reviewed was nice, the lack of markings does impede upon the function. Timex found a good balance, and while they only have on design/watch strap available, it’s subtle and doesn’t draw too much attention.

Overall, the watch itself is a solid piece with 99 ft of water resistance, as well as a durable mineral dial window to handle scrapes, scuffs, and minor abrasions. It’s as durable as it is minimalistic, and the stainless steel buckles along the strap help keep everything uniform. An inexpensive option for the budget-conscious minimalist. For more amazing timepieces like this, check out our selection of the best Luminox watches.

One core part of minimalist fashion is not using too many contrasting colors or making things particularly flashy, which Nixon pulled off wonderfully. This simple gunmetal gray watch case has a slightly darker tone for the watch face, but the markings match the bezel to help everything meld together a little bit easier.

Leather and steel always look good together, and Nixon proves it. Their Porter Leather watch comes with visible stitching, but a simple band that doesn’t look puffed-up or inflated by cotton woven between two separate strips. It’s a clean, rather slim look and feel. Nixon is also pretty good about providing warranties against manufacturer defects, but also against the durability of their watches as well. You’ll get a comprehensive two-year warranty straight from them, which will cover just about everything you’re going to run into with this watch. With 330 ft of water resistance and a low-profile look, it’s fairly mighty for a smaller watch. Simple markings and the durable dial window just make everything look crystal clear at all times. For some extra durable timepieces, be sure to check out our guide to the best tactical watches.

Movado makes some seriously regal-looking watches, but among all of them, they managed to pull off this expensive look without charging a sky-high price tag. This sleek, silver-and-black design fits with just about anyone’s personal style, and it’s as minimalistic as it gets.

You have one single marking on the twelve o’clock area, and a very slim Movado brand name at the bottom of the watch face to prove its authenticity. Your simple band has a bit of texture to it, so it’s reasonable to assume that it’s not going to last for as long as a smooth leather band. That being said, everything has a nice glossy finish to it without catching a glare from direct sunlight. Movado built this tough enough to withstand 99 ft of water resistance, which isn’t a lot, but Movado Museum Watch is a dressier watch after all. You may also be interested in some of the best field watches from our list, so be sure to check them out.

Last but not least, Lacoste—who usually charges a ton of money for their watches—has this inexpensive, minimalist watch style that can appeal to just about anyone. They went with a classic white watch face design with a brushed stainless steel watch case, and it looks brilliant together. On top of that, they kept Lacoste Stainless Steel Calfskin Watch classic with a dark brown leather strap and their Lacoste logo. Honestly, the logo is a bit distracting from the classic design of the rest of the watch.

The water resistance rating here is pretty poor, only going up to 99 ft (for the price, we would expect 165 ft or more). Even though the watch case is low-profile, the wide dial window has plenty of durability to withstand whatever you throw at it. Be sure to also check out our comprehensive guide to the best sports watches and pick your favorite.