The advent of the now nearly ubiquitous smartphone is slowly making even the best watches and clocks obsolete, which is a crying shame because these both have a long and rich legacy of beautiful decoration and artistic craftsmanship. These 24 unique watches, whether homages to the grand-master clockmakers of old or innovative new designs for the modern era, seek to keep our love of watches and timepieces alive.

One of the most enchanting things about wristwatch design, especially when talking about mechanical watches, is the scale at which everything happens. Not only are these designs absolutely beautiful, but they are all also constrained to a tiny disk strapped to your wrist. And yet, despite this limitation, there are round tables surrounded by knights, whirling planets, beautiful birds and poetic fairy-tales. Many of the world’s greatest watchmakers also no longer limit themselves to simply documenting a 24-hour day, either. Weeks, months, and the time in other cities around the world can all be monitored, and even the moon’s phases and the movement of celestial bodies fit into these creative watches.

On the other hand, digital watches have opened up a new world of opportunities for watchmakers that just weren’t available before. Sleek modern designs, lights, and the lack of moving parts are just a few of the basic hallmarks of the coolest watches on this list. The lack of moving parts especially allows digital watchmakers to move in new directions – their faces can display information in totally new ways, and they can be made flexible or even see-through.

If you know of a cool watch we should see, you can upload its photo at the bottom of this post!

Astronomical Watch Accurately Shows The Solar System’s Movements On Your Wrist

Designed by Van Cleef & Arpels

Salvador Dalí’s Persistence of Memory-Inspired Melted Wristwatch

Available here

Eye Of A Storm: A Watch Without A Face

Designed by Yiran Qian

ZIIIRO Mercury Watch

Available here

Excalibur Watch

Designed by Roger Dubuis

Whatever, I’m Late Anyway Watch

Available here.

The Ora Unica Watch

Designed by Denis Guidone

This Bird Repeater Watch Is Worth Half A Million Dollars

Designed by Jaquet Droz

Free Time Watch

Available here

Earth And Moon Watch

Designed by Alexander Sorokin

Dragon Gate Legend Watch

Designed by Cornelius & Cie

SOH – A Second Of Happiness Watch

Designed by Mathilde Ampe

Time Traveller – This Watch Allows You To See The Time All Over The World

Designed by Mr Jones Watches

Hand-Painted Poetic Wish Watch

Designed by Van Cleef & Arpels

Ora Latea Watch

Available here

Geeky Equation Watch

Available here

Skull Watches

Designed by Fiona Kruger

Nadir Watch

Available here

Wingt Mille Watch – The Two Men Being Held By The Squid Indicate The Hours And Minutes

Designed by: Mr Jones Watches

Digital Destruction Watch

Designed by Ross McBride

Boombox Watch

Designed by Flud Watches

Angular Momentum Handmade Timepieces

Designed by angularmomentum.com

The Accurate Watch – Designed To Remind Us That We Should Seize The Moment While We Can

Designed by Mr Jones Watches

The Bradley – A Timepiece Designed For The Blind

Image credits: Eone Timepieces

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