Five Of Our Favorite Two-Tone Watches

Question: Do you like two-tone watches?

For a long time, I wasn’t a fan. It’s a style I was hesitant to embrace for years. Maybe it was a lie I was telling myself over the years to avoid the extra expense of a little gold. Or maybe I was too timid to admit any internal tendency toward two tone. But I’m starting to open up my perspective and make amends with my previous two-tone dismissals. 

In my hunt to satisfy my own burgeoning appreciation for the look, I’ve unearthed a small selection of two-tone watches available on Crown & Caliber that will more than do the job.

Tudor Black Bay Chronograph Steel & Gold Ref. 79363

A contemporary riff on the iconic John Player Special livery, the Tudor Black Bay Chronograph Steel & Gold was released in 2019 and brought the steel and gold treatment to the Black Bay Chronograph family. The pushers, the bezel, and the first link of the bracelet are all solid yellow gold, while the crown is gold-capped. Inside the watch is a gold-medal worth movement – the self-winding MT5813, which is sourced from Breitling before being modified by Tudor. The example we currently have available comes delivered on a very-cool Bund leather strap – the perfect vintage touch for a vintage-inspired watch.

Breitling Aerospace Ref. F65062

Breitling’s Aerospace line might just be home to the ultimate tool watches. Cased in lightweight titanium and powered by Breitling’s Calibre 65 SuperQuartz movement, the Aerospace pairs analog and digital time displays with additional complications, such as an alarm, a chronograph, a GMT, and a perpetual calendar. We love how Breitling retained the classic rider tabs on the bezel yet updated them with gold plating. 

OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra Ref. 231.23.39.22.06.001

With a brown dial, a polished 18k rose gold bezel, and a stainless steel case, this two-tone timepiece offers a different, more refined take on the modern Aqua Terra design.

As part of the greater Seamaster range, the Aqua Terra is designed to bridge the gap between the sporty and dive-oriented nature of the Seamaster 300 and 300M with a daily-wear option that can function equally well on land as it does at sea. Proof of that concept is visible no further than in the watch’s name, which brings together both aqua and terra, Latin for water and earth.

Despite the long history of the OMEGA Seamaster, the Aqua Terra is a timepiece that has its roots firmly planted in the 21st century. It was born in 2002 and has received a number of updates over its 15-plus years, resulting in the current version you see here. The modern Aqua Terra is tested to 150 meters of water resistance and offers a defined sense of style thanks to the off-white dial, the polished 18k rose gold bezel, the applied nature of the OMEGA logo and trapezoidal hour markers, and the dial’s vertical lining meant to recall teak paneling found on the decks of luxury ocean liners. The combination of these details results in a very dynamic feel on the wrist.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Ref. 67483

The Oyster Perpetual is the cornerstone of the Rolex brand. Since its inception in 1931, it’s laid the foundation for every model in the Rolex catalog and served as a staple collection for the company.

The Oyster Perpetual design has been a fan favorite for decades because of its classic design. Here we have a ref. 67483 from the 1990s – a model with a thinner profile, including a flatter, two-tone riveted Oyster bracelet that was clearly meant as a more subtle and elegant alternative to other bracelets Rolex was producing at the time.

Part of what makes this particular ref. 67483 special is the glossy grey dial. It provides a handsome contrast to the yellow gold accents and gives the watch a striking presence on the wrist.

OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M Ref. 210.20.42.20.01.001

More than any other genre, dive watches tend to look the most natural in steel and gold. I think it’s their easy going, highly versatile personality. A dive watch looks just as good at the beach as it does on a yacht as it does at the public pool, so it’s not much of a stretch to say it would pass muster in any metal – or combination thereof – that you can come up with.

OMEGA – as you no doubt are aware – makes one of the best dive watches out there in its Seamaster Diver 300M collection. It shouldn’t be any surprise, then, that the series is replete with two-tone options. Our favorite combines steel and OMEGA’s proprietary Sedna gold alloy, which, as a reminder, blends gold – at least 75 percent of the final mixture – with copper and palladium to create a unique red gold variant with a particularly long lasting color.