Dress watches are usually the fragile ones in the watch box — beautiful to look at, but not something you’d want to wear while rushing through an airport or getting caught in the rain. The new Lugano Automatic breaks that rule completely.
At first glance, it’s a classic. The design draws directly from mid-century dress watches: slim markers, clean lines, and a simple elegance that hasn’t gone out of style in 70 years. The double-dome sapphire crystal, diamond-cut hands and special curved-edge dial give it an understated, vintage look. It’s the kind of watch that feels right with a suit, a sweater, or jeans — subtle, timeless, and quietly confident.
But the real surprise is how tough it is.
Unlike many dress watches, the Lugano uses a solid 316L stainless steel case, built to handle everyday wear without getting fussy. Both the front crystal and exhibition caseback are sapphire, so the watch stays clear and scratch-free while giving you a window to the movement. And instead of the usual press-fit crown, we went with a screw-down, locking crown and a screw-caseback, giving the Lugano a genuine 100M / 330FT water-resistance rating — something you almost never see on a dress watch.
That means you can actually live in this watch. Wash your hands, get caught in a downpour, hop in a lake — it’s built for it. There’s no need to treat it like a delicate heirloom.
Of course, inside is a dependable, hi-beat Japanese automatic movement, visible through the sapphire back. The rotor spins with every step, keeping the watch running from the motion of your wrist, with 42-hour power reserve once fully wound.
The result is a dress watch that looks vintage but wears modern — classic styling with real-world durability. If you’ve been looking for an automatic that feels refined without being fragile, the Lugano is exactly that kind of watch: timeless on the outside, confidently over-built underneath.
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