6 Cool Watches That Prove Two-Tone Can Be Accessible

If you grew up in the eighties, like me, there’s a good chance your memories are smeared with images of shoulder pads, bleached tight-skinned jeans, pleated suit pants, weird synthesizer music and more. If we’re talking watches, you might think of a wrist-worn calculator watch, or on the other end of the spectrum, a two-tone steel-and-gold Rolex or TAG Heuer. And lo and behold, in recent years this quintessential 1980s style has seen a bit of a revival. A perfectly good reason to channel our inner Gordon Gekko by putting on a blue dress shirt with a white collar and cuffs, and go through 6 relatively accessible watches that prove two-tone is here to stay.

Certina DS Action Diver 38

First off, the Certina DS Action Diver 38 is an absolute steal. It’s compact, it’s well-equipped and fairly priced. And above all, in this classic combination of steel/gold/blue, it looks rather good, period! Certina partnered with the Sea Turtle Conservancy for this one and comes with fully sustainable packaging. The gold elements on the case are PVD-coated and are combined with gold coloured hands, applied markers and the diving scale on the bezel. It has Swatch Group’s very capable Powermatic 80 movement, is non-limited and retails for an incredible CHF 795 only.

For more information, please visit Certina.com

Quick Facts – 38mm diameter – stainless steel case with gold PVD coated elements – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – screw-down crown – unidirectional bezel with blue insert – 300m water-resistant – sunray-brushed blue dial – gold-coloured hands and indices – Powermatic 80.611 automatic movement – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – Nivachron antimagnetic balance spring – hours, minutes, seconds, date – steel bracelet with gold PVD centre links – CHF 795

Longines HydroConquest 41 Two-Tone

The archives of Longines are often a wonderful source of inspiration for the brand, but next to its heritage collection, it also offers a more modern range of watches. The HydroConquest for instance is a robust and good-looking diver, seen here in its two-tone guise. This one is available with blue, black or grey dials with rose or yellow gold PVD-coated elements, dial-matching rubber straps or a two-tone bracelet. It houses the Calibre L888 which ticks at 25,200vph, has a power reserve of 72 hours, and retails for EUR 1,680.

For more information, please visit Longines.com

Quick Facts – 41mm x 12mm – stainless steel case – yellow or rose gold PVD-coated bezel and crown – black, blue or grey dial, sunray brushed – Arabic numerals, indices and hands – Calibre L888, automatic – 25,200vph – 72h power reserve – silicon balance spring – hours, minutes, seconds, date – steel bracelet with gold PVD centre links – or dial-matching rubber straps – from EUR 1,680

Seiko Prospex Mystic Lagoon Captain Willard SPB288J1

From the land of the rising sun, we have the Seiko Prospex Mystic Lagoon Captain Willard SPB288J1. As always, an iconic design paired with a textured dial and an impossibly long name. Nevertheless, this Prospex Captain Willard has been given a rose gold-coated bezel and central seconds hand, which gives it a more luxurious touch. Inside its case ticks the Seiko Calibre 6R35, providing a healthy 70 hours of autonomy. It is a Seiko Boutique Exclusive model, retailing for EUR 1,350.

For more information, please visit Seikowatches.com

Quick Facts – 42.8mm x 14mm – stainless steel case – unidirectional rose gold PVD coated bezel with black insert – bevelled sapphire crystal – screw-down crown – 200m water-resistance – textured matte blue dial – applied indices with LumiBrite – oversized hour and minute hands – paddle-shaped seconds hand in rose gold – Seiko Calibre 6R35 – 21,600vph – 70h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds (hacking), date – three-link steel bracelet with folding clasp and diver’s extension – EUR 1,350

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Steel and Gold

The Tissot PRX is one of last year’s hottest watches, and it would de daft not to continue and expand on its success. Earlier this week Tissot announced a more luxurious steel and gold version with a sunray brushed blue dial. The fluted bezel is executed in 18k rose gold and is paired with gold-coloured indices and hands, giving it that authentic eighties vibe. It uses the Powermatic 80 movement with its anti-magnetic Nivachron balance spring which can be seen through the back. The bezel does up the price to EUR 1,950.

For more information, please visit TissotWatches.com

Quick Facts – 40mm x 10.93mm – stainless steel case – 18k rose gold fluted bezel – sapphire crystal and see-through caseback – 100m water-resistant – sunray-brushed blue dial –  gold-coloured indices, hands and date window frame – Powermatic 80.111, base ETA 2824 – automatic winding – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – Nivachron balance-spring – hours, minutes, seconds and date – integrated stainless steel bracelet with butterfly clasp – EUR 1,950

Hamilton Khaki Aviation Convertor Automatic Chronograph

The Hamilton Khaki Aviation Convertor Automatic Chronograph takes the two-tone look to the skies. It’s available in multiple colour combinations, yet the black-and-gold (plated) version remains the most striking one. At 44mm across it’s rather large, and you have to know how to use a slide rule bezel to really appreciate it, but it’s a very capable watch. It’s equipped with the Hamilton H21 Si automatic chronograph movement, based on the good old Valjoux 7750. It retails for EUR 2,045.

For more information, please visit HamiltonWatch.com

Quick Facts – 44mm x 14.6mm – stainless steel case, black PVD coated – sapphire crystal on both sides – gold-plated bi-directional bezel with slide rule insert – 100m water-resistant – black sunray brushed dial – dark grey chronograph subdials – gold-coloured hands and indices – Hamilton H-21 Si movement, ETA 7750 base – automatic cam-lever chronograph – 28,800vph – silicon balance spring – 60h power reserve – hours, minutes, small seconds, day-date, chronograph with 30min and 12h counters – black leather strap with black PVD H-buckle – EUR 2,045

Oris Diver’s Sixty-Five Steel and Bronze

Two-tone isn’t restricted to steel-and-gold only, as there are alternative combinations that work just as well. Oris surprised us with a steel and bronze Divers Sixty-Five, fitted to a two-tone steel and bronze bracelet. Since the very first, we’ve seen this tactic used on the chrono-version too, and the “Sunset” model. This one even has a “two-tone” gradient dial tying in with the bronze colours of the case and bracelet. Power comes from the Oris Calibre 733, which is a Sellita SW 200-1 at heart. It is priced at EUR 2,100.

For more information, please visit Oris.ch

Quick Facts – 40mm x 12mm – stainless steel case – unidirectional bronze bezel with black anodized aluminium insert – screw-down crown – domed sapphire crystal – 100m water-resistant – orange-brown gradient dial – gold-coloured hands and indices – Oris Calibre 733, Sellita SW 200-1 base – automatic winding – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, date – steel and bronze three-link bracelet – also available on brown leather strap – EUR 2,100