The best white dial watches for a crisp, clean look at every price point

Russell Sheldrake

It’s often said that a family of watches isn’t complete until you have a black dial, a white dial, and a blue dial. And I feel as though the white dial is often the most overlooked of those three, with black dials being the classic, contrast-heavy option, and the blue being the first colour everyone gravitates towards. But there is something to be said for the crisp, clean aesthetic of a white dial properly executed. So, I’ve gone through the last year of releases, and picked out a few of my favourite white dial watches so far. But be warned, I had to cut a few important pieces that I’ll be sure to add next time I get around to updating this article. There will also be a few watches on this list that could be argued as being a silver dial, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who sees most of these as white in person.

Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase Full Moon

The Moonswatch has seen a bit of an up and down existence, with the initial boom of that first collection, to the public appearing to tire of the endless minor adjustments, to now having a bit of a renaissance, and in part thanks to this watch. The addition of Snoopy to the collection added the perfect amount of levity to a watch that should be the best gateway drug to the industry you can find. The completely monochromatic white, from the dial to the Bioceramic case and strap, makes this a really clean-looking package. Price: US$310

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical 38

Is this the best first mechanical watch you can buy? Maybe. The entire Khaki Field range is hard to overlook, especially when you visit either our London or Melbourne Discovery Studios, and I’m a huge fan of the Mechanical version. It’s a bit slimmer, and gives you that connection with your watch that all mechanical watches demand. And if having to handle your new purchase every day or two is not a great way to get into watches, I don’t know what is. Price: US$595, available from T+T Shop

Christopher Ward The Twelve

Even if we hadn’t just announced that you can find Christopher Ward in our London Studio recently, I would still have had to include The Twelve in this list. I have a massive amount of time for Christopher Ward’s integrated bracelet design. While there are certainly comparisons that can be made between it and others in the category, it’s hard to argue against its value proposition with a wonderfully textured dial, sporty look, and reliable movement, coming from a company that isn’t shy about being transparent in all it does. Price: US$1,225

Seiko Prospex Marinemaster 1968 Heritage Diver

A Seiko in any form, but especially a Seiko diver, needs to be a part of this list. The Prospex Marinemaster 1968 Heritage Diver quickly shot to the top of the list of Seiko divers in my book upon its release earlier this year. The super-legible dial, paired with the classic diver aesthetic makes this an easy go-to. While it does feature the controversial date at 4:30, with the 4 o’clock crown, if you are able to look past or get on board with these quirks, this is an easy and affordable winner. Price: US$2,900

Hermès Cut

I make no secret about it, this was my watch of the year. A sleek, stylish, and tough sports watch from Hermès that carries watchmaking kudos, a super easy quick change strap system, and heaps of little details that keep you coming back for more. One of my favourite aspects of this watch is the highly considered typeface used for the applied Arabic numerals, making this piece stand out from nearly every other stainless steel sports watch around today. Price: US$6,725

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional

This is the watch that started and finished the white vs black dial debate upon its release. While the classic, black dial Speedmaster Professional has deep roots, going back beyond the first Moon landing in 1969, the execution of this new white dial model made sure that it gained a massive following instantly. If you come across someone wearing this, you know they are deep in the game. Price: US$8,100 (on bracelet)

Citizen 100th Anniversary Limited Edition NC0210-11A

A lot of people forget just how good the high-end of Citizen’s production actually is, and this limited edition for the company’s 100th anniversary shows that the brand that may be known for its mall watches can create some of the sharpest examples of watchmaking around. The mechanical Calibre 0200 was not only developed and produced in-house, but finished to the nth degree by the craftspeople that Citizen employ. Price: US$10,095

Credor Eichi II

This might be the cleanest, and technically best looking white dial in this entire list. And the Credor Eichi II knows it. With roughly 20 of these stunners made a year, they are hard to come by, but when you do stumble across one, the snowy white porcelain dial will stop you in its tracks. While Zach wrongly called this his exit watch, it is certainly deserving of the title. Price: ¥6,600,000 (∼US$49,000)

Lederer Triple Certified Observatory Chronometer

While the scientific dial of this watch is incredible from an aesthetic standpoint, it is the highly technical movement that it covers which is the main star of the show. Inside this watch’s movement lie two remontoir systems, feeding constant force to two escapements in a beautifully over-engineered solution for increased accuracy that shows Lederer’s passion for classical horological practices and techniques. Price: CHF 146,000 (~US$170,000)

Greubel Forsey Nano Foudroyante EWT

While Greubel Forsey has built a reputation for big, bombastic shows of horological might, the Nano Foudroyante EWT shows that the independent is more than capable of working on a small scale too. Not only is the case smaller than usual, but the talented watchmakers have managed to shrink the complex flying seconds complication down thanks to increasing the efficiency of certain components – all while squeezing in a flying tourbillon and flyback chronograph in too. Price: CHF 465,000 (~US$530,000)

Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Heliotourbillon Perpetual

One of the big surprises coming out of Watches & Wonders 2024, alongside the IWC Eternal Calendar (which could have easily made this list), the Duomètre Heliotourbillon Perpetual from JLC reasserted the brand’s dominance as a truly high-end, technical watchmaker. While many will instantly jump to the Reverso when thinking of JLC, the number of high complications and multi-axis tourbillons they have produced in the past show that this new release is a sign of continuation, not revolution. Price: €484,000 (~US$511,000)