Neo – ivory

Ivory and green is a country-house combination, and on a 36 mm case it looks entirely at home rather than costumed.

The Neo is MeisterSinger's 1960s dress-watch revival and the natural way into the German brand's single-hand thinking. Narrow rim, domed sapphire crystal, dial given all the room. That sapphire is the current generation's defining change, replacing the earlier hard plexiglass on a completely new case and lifting water resistance from 3 to 5 bar.

The warm ivory dial softens the printed scale rather than muting it. Numerals appear as continuous double digits, 01 through 12, with half-hour, quarter and five-minute markers filling the outer track, and one slender hand reading against all of them. MeisterSinger's own phrasing is that you can tell the time almost to the minute, which turns out to be all anyone actually needs. The 36 mm stainless steel case has 18 mm lugs, a closed caseback, 5 bar of water resistance and a green strap, with a Sellita SW200 automatic doing the work.

Vintage in feeling, current in construction, and the sort of watch that disappears comfortably under a sleeve.

Perfect for: ivory dial vintage-style watch seekers, compact automatic watch buyers, gifts for someone who dislikes busy dials.