NAOS XS white c/gold / Classic black

White dial, gold-toned case, black leather. This Sternglas NAOS XS is the version that behaves in every setting you take it to, which is a harder thing to design than it sounds.

Sternglas started in Hamburg in 2016 with a Kickstarter campaign and a founder, Dustin Fontaine, who thought reduced modernist watch design had drifted out of reach. The Naos was the first answer and remains the core line: high contrast, sans-serif type, geometric discipline, and a dial that carries only what it needs to.

The XS case measures 33 mm with 16 mm lugs, sized for narrower wrists, and here it is finished in gold tone against a white dial. A Miyota GL12 quartz movement handles timekeeping and the date, with a 36-month battery. Domed sapphire with double anti-reflective coating sits over the dial and water resistance is 5 ATM. The Klassik leather strap comes in black.

Sharp, legible and quietly formal, it is the configuration to buy if you only want one small watch.

Perfect for: gold and white dress watches, black leather strap quartz watches, first fine watch for a small wrist.