Most of us have an archetype of what a watch is. More likely than not, it’s a round case that houses a dial with hands to tell the time and wraps around a wrist via a bracelet or strap. However, as you probably already know, there are plenty of watches that deviate from that traditional formula, whether it’s with oddly shaped cases, avant-garde displays, unconventional materials, or a mix of all of the above. Here’s a roundup of eight of the most unique watches you can find on the market today, ranging from accessible to exceedingly pricey.
Mr. Jones A Perfectly Useless Afternoon
Price: $275
Mr. Jones promises “unforgettable watches,” and one look at its catalog of unique watches and you’ll soon see that the brand delivers on that. Take the A Perfectly Useless Afternoon model, for instance, designed by Kristof Devos.
The water-inspired dial is home to someone lounging on a pool floaty where his extended leg displays the hour and the floating plastic duck indicates the minutes. An affordable unique watch, this Mr. Jones watch sports a 37mm steel case and relies on a quartz movement for power.
Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition
Price: $2,500
Hamilton had a hand in developing the “Desert Watch” in the movie Dune: Part Two (2024), collaborating with the propmaster to make the wristwear come to life on screen. Although the Desert Watch is only available on Arrakis, the fictional desert planet, Hamilton did create two watches inspired by the on-screen wristpiece including the Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition.
Featuring the famous asymmetrical and angular Ventura case in black PVD, the watch’s digital display glows blue like the eyes of the Fremen people. Housed in commemorative packaging, the unique Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune watch is limited to 2,000 pieces.
Bell & Ross BR-X5 Green Lum
Price: $13,300
Most watches include some luminous details on the dial for easier low-light legibility. Bell & Ross has taken luminescence to the extreme with its BR-X5 Green Lum watch, which flaunts a case that glows in the dark.
That glow-in-the-dark case is thanks to inserts made from a green luminescent fiberglass composite — exclusive to Bell & Ross — that combines epoxy quartz fiber for strength, a luminescent material for the glow, and a resin as a binder. As expected, the dial is swathed with generous coatings of luminescence too, which adds to the watch’s unique appearance when the lights go down.
Konstantin Chaykin Minions Titanium
Price: CHF 19,500
Cartoon watches aren’t new; just about every famous animated personality, whether Snoopy, the Simpsons, Studio Ghibli characters, Mickey Mouse, and so on have found themselves on watches. Yet, Konstantin Chaykin’s idiosyncratic approach to watch design has resulted in a unique character watch.
Say “Bello” to the Konstantin Chaykin Minions Titanium starring Bob. Like the other Wristmon pieces by Konstantin Chaykin, a pair of eyes on the dial serve to tell the time — the left for the hours and the right for the minutes — this time behind the famous Minion goggles. Plus, the giant smile is a moon phase indicator.
Franck Muller Crazy Hours
Price: $27,200
Invented in 2003, the Crazy Hours by Franck Muller debuted a completely unique way of displaying the time — and the quirky watch became a sensation. Look closer at the dial and you’ll see that the numerals aren’t in order.
Yet, due to the complex movement that powers the watch, the hour hand knows where to go next, jumping to its position after the 59th minute is up. Telling the time may take a while to get used to at first given you have to read the numeral the hand is pointing to rather than rely on the traditional placement. However, it eventually becomes intuitive.
MB&F HM8 Mark 2
Price: $78,000
Unique is at the core of what MB&F offers, with each of its timepieces wilder than the next. One of MB&F’s newest offerings is the HM8 Mark 2, which is an evolution of the original automotive-inspired HM8 from 2016.
The watch features a new streamlined titanium case with CarbonMacrolon panels in either blue, green, or white. The top side of the watch, where a traditional dial would normally be, displays the “battle axe” rotor of the movement in action. Time is displayed on the bottom side of the case with jumping hours and trailing minutes through an old-school-speedometer-inspired prism.
Jacob & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon
Price: $340,000
Jacob & Co. is no stranger to unique watches; the company boasts an assortment of extravagant watches powered by incredible movements. One of them includes the new Jacbo & Co. Bugatti Tourbillon inspired by the hypercar that shares its name — yes, the car is named after the famous whirlwind watch mechanism.
The watch borrows ten design elements from the car, including the case shape that echoes the car silhouette, the grille and radiator inlet details, the sapphire apertures that mimic the side windows, the dashboard-inspired subdials, the winding crown that looks like control knobs and more. However, most impressively is the watch’s automaton that imitates the Bugatti’s new V16 engine block, complete with a series of pistons moving up and down.
Cartier Rotonde Masse Mystérieuse
Price: $376,200
Mystery clocks and watches have long been a part of Cartier’s history, characterized by transparent faces where it appears as if the floating hands magically sweep around the dial without the help of a movement.
One of the Maison’s more modern interpretations is the Cartier Rotonde Masse Mystérieuse watch, which actually displays the movement but in a dramatic twist, the entire movement is not only fitted into the rotor but its connection to the winding crown is concealed. The mystery deepens with this most unusual of winding systems, which is housed inside a platinum case and accompanied by a ruby cabochon set into the winding crown.
That wraps up our list of eight unique watches featuring either unconventional cases, dials, movements, or all of the above. Do you have a favorite unique watch that deserves a mention on our list? Share your thoughts with us and we may create a second unique watch round-up in the near future.
The more strange the shape, the higher the price. Definitely some interesting ways to blow your savings… I heard Kevin O’Leary say that his favorite watches are great conversation starters. Personally, I prefer to be left alone.
There’s a global recession
People are living in tents on the street
And here’s a website devoted to ridiculously expensive watches
Most of them look vulgar
Wake up and smell the roses
It’s all nonsense