Teutonia IV Small Second — Black Dial / Black and Blue Calf Leather

Mühle-Glashütte calls the Teutonia IV Small Second a business watch par excellence, which from a company this plain-spoken counts as enthusiasm.

The watch is built around an oversized subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock, the caliber's large subdial being the design premise rather than an afterthought, and a date display about 30 percent larger than those on comparable watches. Both decisions are about reading the watch quickly, which is the brand's usual justification for how anything looks.

The dial is black and finely grained, with bright nickel-plated hands and hand-applied polished indices under double anti-reflective sapphire. The steel case is 41.0 mm across, 12.6 mm high and 51.6 mm lug to lug, with the Teutonia IV beveled bezel, vertical satin finish and polished volute-shaped lugs, plus screwed strap-attachment bridges. Black and blue calfskin on a steel folding clasp. The SW 461-1, Version Mühle automatic runs 41 hours with the patented woodpecker neck regulation and stop-seconds. Exhibition caseback, 10 bar.

Sober, legible and completely unfussy, a desk-to-dinner watch that never needs explaining.

Perfect for: black dial business watches, large date display buyers, small seconds automatic watch shoppers.