It may be the most formal of evening attire, but these days there’s an iteration – and timepiece – to suit every style and social stratum. Here’s how to master the black-tie dress code now, whether you’re a couple of corporate execs or trendy creatives.
In theory, there is no occasion when you’ll look better. Black tie has long been the most formal of contemporary dress codes, aside from the rarely worn white tie. Its origins date back to 1865, when the then-Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, commissioned his tailor Henry Poole & Co to craft a short, tailless smoking jacket for dinners at Sandringham. The style quickly caught on at home and across the pond. Financier James Brown Potter, introduced to the dinner jacket by the Prince, began wearing one at the private members’ Tuxedo Club in New York. The rest, as they say, is history.
Traditionally, black tie meant a black wool suit with satin lapels and a matching leg stripe, worn with a crisp white shirt, French cuffs and a black silk bow tie. A cummerbund kept the shirt taut and tidy, while a slim dress watch under the cuff completed the silhouette.
Women, meanwhile, created their own black-tie aesthetic, teaming floor-length gowns in silk or velvet with heels, a clutch bag and elegant jewellery. Up until the 1900s, it was deemed impolite to wear a dress watch, but this rule was rewritten when Queen Elizabeth II wore a yellow-gold Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre 101, a gift from French President Vincent Auriol, to her coronation in 1953.
Of course, it would be remiss to discuss black tie without mentioning one of its great champions: James Bond. Sean Connery’s 007 had a particularly enviable wardrobe, crafted by Mayfair tailor Anthony Sinclair. His early dinner jackets, with shawl collars and midnight-blue wool fabric, introduced a subtle twist to the formula. Also of note was the first wristwatch he wore on screen in Dr. No: a Gruen Precision dress watch, slipped neatly under his Turnbull & Asser cocktail cuff in the opening casino scene.
Now that the rules are less stringent, we decode how different types of couples – from bankers to Bohemians – interpret black tie today.
The Black-Tie Purists
Some things are best left alone. Rules are rules for a reason and if you’re going to follow a traditional dress code – the kind which has been around for more than a century – it would be foolish to deviate from the established formula.
An enthusiastic attendee of black-tie galas, the classic London set’s man gets his suits tailored by Gieves & Hawkes and buys his wristwatch from Patek Philippe – preferably a Calatrava ref. 6119G-001. With its charcoal-grey, vertical satin-finish dial, guilloche hobnail-pattern bezel and manually wound, dauphine-style hands, this is as timeless as it gets.
Women in this circle borrow straight from Queen Elizabeth II’s playbook: an Oscar de la Renta gown and Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre 101, with the watch face worn on the inside of the wrist (as was the etiquette when the late monarch attended Queen Charlotte’s Ball). After almost a century, the 101 is still the smallest mechanical movement ever made, but the diminutive scale belies the precision watchmaking required to power a fully functional timepiece.
The New Bohemians
Our newcomer couple has moved from Hackney to Walthamstow, swayed by the urban winery and vegan bakery. For evening wear, they eschew the stuffy rules of older generations and instead look to the red carpet for inspiration. Relaxed tailoring from Margaret Howell and AMI Paris give a louche feel, while trousers breaking slightly over a chunky soled, black Derby shoe adds a contemporary edge.
On their wrists, the Furlan Marri Disco Onyx Diamonds and Nomos Glashütte Lux in white gold are modern iterations of the classic dress watch. The Marri Disco, in particular, distinguishes itself with a sector-style dial and multi-layered finishing that catches the light. Powered by an automatic movement, its perfectly proportioned silhouette also updates more traditional, vintage-inspired designs. In contrast, the Lux showcases the brand’s in-house Alpha calibre, a hand-wound movement finished in the Glashütte tradition, bringing a distinctly Bauhaus feel to its elegantly elongated case.
The Square Mile Monarchs
Canary Wharf is a hive of activity during the week, but at the weekend it’s a ghost town. Heading into Mayfair is a welcome respite, then, for our city slickers, who crave the attention and niceties of mingling with the capital’s elite.
His suit is a slim Cad & The Dandy; his watch, a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40, with a gold case, diamond-set hour markers and green aventurine dial. Inside, the calibre 3255 delivers precision timekeeping through the Chronergy escapement and Parachrom hairspring, underscoring Rolex’s technical skills and discipline.
For her, it’s all about a wardrobe full of Chanel and for singularity, a Bovet Miss Audrey Bris de Verre watch, with a dial encrusted in diamonds to reflect the light from every direction. This kind of uninterrupted brilliance requires meticulous snow-set gems, where stones of varying sizes are individually fitted, highlighting Bovet’s mastery in decorative craftsmanship.
The Transatlantic Titans
Jumping over the pond is no big deal for an American billionaire. He recently acquired a private jet with a low-altitude cabin for minimal jet lag. In town for a last-minute gala, In town for a last-minute gala, he’s brought his 60-piece Rubinacci collection.
For this evening affair, he’s gone for pink linen, paired with a Harry Winston Ocean Tourbillon GMT Worldtimer – a serious piece with a semi-openworked dial that reveals the gearing between time zones. The multi-zone mechanism is paired with a visible tourbillon and a peripheral city ring, allowing simultaneous reading of global time while clawing back hours in his San Francisco office.
His wife, who’s just started her own wellness brand, has chosen a Victoria Beckham gown and a sophisticated Breguet Reine de Naples Crazy Flower. The pavé-set piece is composed of mobile corollas, shaped by hand and set with baguette-cut diamonds. In total, it features 436 of these precious gems, arranged in a concentric, ovoid composition in which each ring echoes the collection’s emblematic line. At the heart of the piece, a fully set dial carries curved Breguet hands, bringing the creation to life with a natural sense of fluidity.
Author: Charlie Thomas
Illustrations: Hatty Pedder
This is a reduced version of the full feature, accompanied by fabulous illustrations by Hatty Pedder, available in the 2026 edition of I-M TIME. Get your copy for just £4.25, HERE.
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