All Black Watches

The two coatings are not equivalent. PVD bonds a thin hard layer to the case and is the standard below a few hundred pounds. DLC — diamond-like carbon — is considerably harder and more scratch resistant, and appears further up the range. Both wear at the edges eventually, and on a black watch that wear shows more than on steel, because bright metal lies underneath.

Legibility is the thing that separates a good all-black watch from a merely striking one. Black hands on a black dial need help, and the best designs solve it with strong lume, a contrasting seconds hand, or a change of texture between dial and indices.

All Black Watches holds 281 models across 47 brands, from £25 to £48,410. Half cost less than £199, and a quarter less than £135. 77 of 281 are automatic. 77 are stocked by more than one retailer, giving 367 offers in total. Casio lists more references here than any other brand. Prices are checked nightly against the retailers’ own feeds.