Two-Tone Charm, with Five Effortlessly Cool Steel-and-Gold Watches

There are plenty of ways to stand out from the masses when it comes to watches. You can go for a bold design, a unique dial material, flashy colours or a mesmerising complication. Or you can opt for a combination of materials that brings together the coldness of stainless steel with the warmth of gold. And as luck would have it, two-tone watches made a bit of a comeback a couple of years ago, even though they are still not exactly widespread in the industry. For those who dare to bridge the gap between materials, there are some solid choices out there! Here are five of the best two-tone watches this year, one of which bends the ‘rules’ of this Buying Guide a little bit, as it uses ceramics and gold PVD instead. Regardless, it will make a statement just as much as the others!

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph 42mm

If ever there was a watch that looked tasty enough to sink your teeth into, it’s this Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph 42mm. Widely considered one of the originators of the integrated sports watch style, this one comes in at 42mm across, with a stainless steel case, topped with a rose gold bezel and matching crown and pushers on the right. Add to that a chocolate brown hobnail dial with gold markers and hands, with a matching rubber strap, and you have a real winner on your hands, or rather, wrists. Limited to 50 pieces, it will set you back EUR 26,800, but in return you get an in-house automatic chronograph movement.

For more information, please visit Girard-Perregaux.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 12.16mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – 18k rose gold bezel, crown & pushers – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water-resistant – brown dial with hobnail pattern – rose gold markers & hands with SLN – snailed subdials – calibre GP03300-2761, in-house – modular automatic chronograph – 28,800vph – 46h power reserve – brown rubber strap with folding clasp – limited to 50 pieces – EUR 26,800

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 100th

With a century of history behind it, the Oyster Perpetual by Rolex remains one of the most influential watches ever created. For its centennial celebration, Rolex released the rather unexpected two-tone Oyster Perpetual, available in three sizes, all in stainless steel fitted with a solid yellow gold bezel and crown. On paper, it sounds a bit odd at first, but in the metal, it very much works! The gold continues onto the grey sunray-brushed dial, finished with signature Rolex-green accents. Worn on an Oyster bracelet, in Oystersteel of course, the price ranges from EUR 7,550 for the Ref. 277203 in 31mm, to EUR 8,250 for the 36mm Ref. 126003 and EUR 9,400 for the 41mm Ref. 134303.

For more information, please visit Rolex.com.

Quick Facts – 31mm, 36mm or 41mm diameter – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – yellow gold crown & bezel – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – sunray-brushed grey dial – yellow gold markers & hands with Chromalight inserts – Rolex-green accents – calibre 2322 (31mm), 3230 (36mm & 41mm), in-house automatic – Superlative Chronometer – 28,800vph (both movements) – 55h or 70h power reserve – Oystersteel bracelet with folding clasp – EUR 7,550 (31mm) – EUR 8,250 (36mm) – EUR 9,400 (41mm)

Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph

Ok, with this one we’re cheating a little bit since the gold accents aren’t solid, but coated elements. Nevertheless, paired with Rado’s ultra-resilient high-tech plasma ceramic case and bracelet, and a navy blue dial, this Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph looks rather sumptuous! The bezel, crown and pushers are coated in rose gold PVD to create a charming contrast against the other, darker-toned elements. Inside, we find Rado’s automatic chronograph calibre R801, which is based on the ETA A31.L11, which in turn is a reworked ETA 2892. It’s part of the permanent collection and retails for EUR 6,500, which is a fair bit less than the others.

For more information, please visit Rado.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 16.2mm – high-tech plasma ceramic case, brushed – rose gold PVD-coated crown, pushers & bezel – ceramic bezel insert – sapphire crystal front & back – 300m water-resistant – navy blue dial – rose gold coloured markers & hands with SLN – Rado calibre R801, automatic chronograph – 28,800vph – 59h power reserve – high-tech plasma ceramic bracelet with titanium folding clasp  – EUR 6,500

minerva The Unveiled Crownless

With The Unveiled Crownless, Minerva has done away with the traditional winding/setting crown in exchange for style and comfort. But don’t worry, a clever system lets you wind or set it via the bezel, with a lever on the caseback to switch between functions. This visually cleans up the steel case, which is topped by a knurled solid gold bezel, a signature of Minerva watches now and going forward. Inside, the beautifully finished manufacture movement tells the time with central hour and minute hands, with a small seconds hand below them. Worn on a dark green alligator leather strap with a folding clasp, it retails for EUR 39,000.

For more information, please visit Montblanc.com.

Quick Facts – 41.5mm x 11.99mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – solid yellow gold bezel for setting & winding – lever system on caseback for mode switch – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – ivory-toned dial with guilloché outer ring – rose gold markers & hands – calibre M15.08, in-house – manual winding – 18,000vph – 80h power reserve – dark green alligator leather strap with folding clasp – permanent collection – EUR 39,000

Zenith Chronomaster sport

Zenith is no stranger to two-tone watches, yet its latest steel-and-gold Chronomaster Sport is made that extra bit special thanks to its mother-of-pearl dial. The softly shimmering display complements the two-tone exterior and, of course, features the famous overlapping subdials. The touches of gold are quite abundant, with the bezel, crown, pushers, mid-links for the bracelet, markers and hands all made out of the luxurious metal. The high-beat El Primero 3600 automatic chronograph movement can be viewed through the back, which is always a pleasure. Limited to 50 pieces only, this one will set you back CHF 17,900.

For more information, please visit Zenith-Watches.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 13.6mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – 18k rose gold bezel, crown & pushers – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water-resistance – MoP dial – applied gold markers & hands with SLN – overlapping tricolour subdials – date window – calibre El Primero 3600, in-house – automatic integrated chronograph – 36,000vph –  60h power reserve – steel-and-gold three-link bracelet with folding clasp & additional black rubber strap – limited to 50 pieces – EUR 17,900