Round-UpMet Gala 2025: The Best Dandy Watches For The Fashion-Forward Folks Of Today

‘Fashion’s biggest night out’, the Met Gala, is back! Expect ostentatious garments, high-end jewellery, over-the-top accessories, and luxe watches to rule the night. Held annually on the first Monday of May, the Met Gala 2025 takes place tonight—May 5—at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as always. In India, the event will stream live on Vogue’s YouTube channel from 3:30 am IST on May 6. Though primarily a charity fundraiser for the museum, the Met Gala has earned its status as one of the most anticipated fashion events of the year, and rightfully so. It draws a star-studded guest list of renowned celebrities, designers, and artists, igniting conversations around bold, innovative fashion. This year will be no exception. With around 450 guests dressed to the nines, the evening promises to be unforgettable.

As with every edition, the Met Gala 2025 comes with a theme and dress code that attendees are expected to embrace. This year, the theme is ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,’ and the corresponding dress code is ‘Tailored for You.’ Inspired directly by Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, the theme pays tribute to the influence of Black fashion—particularly the legacy of Black dandies from the 18th century onwards—and shines a spotlight on menswear like never before. The dress code ‘Tailored for You’ invites guests to reimagine structured ensembles, such as pantsuits and formal separates with a personal, expressive twist. That doesn’t mean skipping out on drama—expect bold patterns, exaggerated silhouettes, vibrant colours, asymmetry, and a healthy dose of shock factor on the red carpet.

In keeping with this year’s theme, we present a roundup of five stunning watches that embody the spirit of dandyism beautifully. These timepieces aren’t just structured—or tailored—with cases in classic shapes like circles, rectangles, and squares, they’re also opulent and flamboyant—just like a true dandy.

Here are the best five dandy watches:

• Longines Mini DolceVita
• Czapek Promenade Plissé  
• Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Duetto
• Studio Underd0g X H. Moser & Cie. – Passion Project – Limited Edition 
• Gerald Charles GC Sport Gem-Set And Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin

Longines Mini DolceVita

Classic? Check. Contemporary? Check. Charismatic? Double check. Longines’ Mini DolceVita watches with bright double tour straps are as dandy as it gets. Added this year to the Longines Mini DolceVita series, these petite timepieces feature a stainless steel rectangular case—with or without diamonds–measuring 21.50mm by 29.00m. Presented in six Nappa leather strap options, ranging from hot pink, red, and green, to orange, black, and beige gold, there’s something for everyone. Three versions sport a silvered rectangular Roman dial, while the other three feature a circular silvered sand-blasted Cosmo dial, offering a striking contrast in shapes. Additionally, the models with a pink or beige gold strap are adorned with 38 Top Wesselton diamonds for those who prefer their watch with a bit of glitter. All six watches are powered by a high-precision L178 quartz movement, and are water-resistant to 30m.

Czapek Promenade Plissé  

“A beautiful watch will please men and women equally, in the same way that a beautifully tailored smoking [tuxedo suit] looks equally wonderful on men and women,” said Xavier de Roquemarel, CEO of Czapek & Cie., in the official release of the new Promenade Plissé—and we couldn’t agree more. Introduced in three elegant shades—ivory, pearl white, and rose—the Promenade Plissé brings textile inspiration to the wrist. The rose version is paired with a Milanese mesh steel bracelet, adding even more flair. The standout feature? Their pleated dial design, the result of a sophisticated stamping technique developed in collaboration with Czapek’s longtime partner, Metalem. The effect is stunning: a dial that looks like finely gathered fabric. Each 38mm case houses the brand’s in-house calibre SXH5 with a micro-rotor movement and is limited to just 18 pieces per colour. Dandy, indeed! 

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Duetto

Think of iconic Art Deco-inspired timepieces, and the name Reverso comes to mind instantly. A watch known for its sharp and structured rectangular frame, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is a true dandy in every sense of the word. Featured here is the Reverso Classic Duetto, with two dials on either side: the light-coloured front dial features a rectangular centre with a sunray guilloché pattern, while the darker-hued reverse dial comes with a circular centre featuring a sunray-brushed finish. Its 40mm pink gold case is embellished with a row of grain-set diamonds on the upper and lower edges, amping up the glam quotient even further. It runs on Jaeger-LeCoultre’s self-winding Manufacture Calibre 968A, offering a 38-hour power reserve, and is presented on a taupe alligator strap.

Featured here is the Reverso Classic Duetto, with two dials on either side

The light-coloured front dial features a rectangular centre with a sunray guilloché pattern

Studio Underd0g X H. Moser & Cie. – Passion Project – Limited Edition 

This year’s exhibition at the Met Gala is organised into 12 sections, each representing a characteristic that defines dandy style—including ‘cool’. The luxury watchmakers synonymous with minimalist, innovative, and cool designs are H. Moser & Cie., and their Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Passion Fruit watch is a testament to this. Released at Geneva Watch Days 2024 in collaboration with the British watchmaker Studio Underd0g, this striking timepiece features a purple dial with a yellow centre, resembling the fruit. Its 42mm steel case houses Moser’s hand-wound HMC 800 calibre, which powers the time, small seconds, date and month, a seven-day power reserve, and a leap year indicator—conveniently located on the caseback. A second watch in this collaborative release is the Studio Underd0g 03Series Passi0n Fruit, which carries the same vibrant colour palette. 

The luxury watchmakers synonymous with minimalist, innovative, and cool designs are H. Moser & Cie., and their Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Passion Fruit watch is a testament to this

Gerald Charles GC Sport Gem-Set And Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin

Last but not least, the dressy sport pieces by Gerald Charles are a perfect example of dandy watches. Featured here are the gem-set versions of their Maestro models, available with black, green, or blue dials, for those who prefer their sport watch with a touch of sparkle. While the GC Sport Gem-Set and the 2.0 Ultra-Thin Gem-Set feature blue or green precious stones on their bezels, matching the colours of their respective dials, the 2.0 Ultra-Thin with a black dial is set with white stones for a more classic look. The GC Sport is crafted in titanium, while the other two models are housed in stainless steel cases—all water-resistant to 100m. Powered by the brand’s specialised automatic GCA3002 movement, these timepieces offer an impressive 50-hour power reserve and are presented on vulcanised rubber straps coordinated to match the colour of their dials.

The dressy sport pieces by Gerald Charles are a perfect example of dandy watches. Featured here are the gem-set versions of their Maestro models, available with black, green, or blue dials