24 Of The Most Creative Watches Ever

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!