The Best Two Tone Watches

Few watch styles have had a stranger reputation than two tone. In the late 1970s and 1980s, a steel watch with gold centre links and a gold bezel was the uniform of success. By the 2000s it had become shorthand for the opposite, and most enthusiasts would not touch it. Over the last several years it has come back, partly because vintage watches came back, and partly because people noticed what two tone always did well: it goes with everything, gold rings, silver cufflinks, both at once. This guide covers how the look is built, and the two tone watches we would buy for men and for women.

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Watch Index · prices checked October 9, 2026

The watches in this guide, ranked

Every watch this guide mentions, ranked by Value Score or by what one watch costs today with each store's current offer counted.

Where does the gold go?

"Two tone" covers several different layouts, and they look very different on the wrist. In rough order from subtle to bold:

1. Gold markers and hands on a steel watch. Barely two tone at all, but it adds warmth.
2. Gold crown and bezel. The case frame turns gold while the bracelet stays steel.
3. Gold centre links. The classic layout: the middle row of a three or five link bracelet in gold, the outer rows in steel. Usually combined with a gold bezel.
4. Alternating links. Gold and steel links in equal measure, the boldest and the most jewellery like.

The rule of thumb that keeps two tone looking current is that steel should dominate. Gold works best as an accent, which is why centre link designs have aged better than half and half ones.

Two tone watches for men

The Lucky Fours Valois in Two Tone Gold is the men's two tone watch we would start with. It is a round steel sports watch with a dark dial and bezel, offered in a colourway that mixes gold tone with steel, the classic two tone balance on a modern sports case. At $79.99 it costs the same as the plain steel versions, since the gold is a coating rather than metal, and that is the case for every two tone watch at this price.

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If you prefer a chronograph, the Chronometer has the widest choice of two tone versions in the range: Two Tone Chocolate, Noir, Ocean, Emerald and Ocean Pearl, each mixing gold tone with steel around a three subdial dial, at $89.99. Two tone suits a chronograph well, because the gold picks up the subdial rings and makes a busy dial look richer. The Brone, an integrated bracelet watch, also comes in four two tone versions at $79.99, and we look at its emerald one in our gold and green guide.

For a dressier men's two tone, the Nassau in Two Tone Pearl has a white Roman numeral dial on a fine multi link bracelet at $79.99, and the automatic Skeleton has a Two Tone Ocean version at $99.99, the only two tone automatic here.

The established brand alternative

Seiko is the best place to look for an affordable two tone men's watch from a major name. The Seiko Essentials SUR432 Two Tone at $235 has a gray sunray dial with gold stick markers and a day and date display in a two tone steel case and bracelet; it is the classic office two tone. The Seiko Essentials SUR312 White at $315 pairs a clean white dial with a two tone finish, and the Seiko Essentials SUR558 White Pattern at $375 adds a white pressed pattern dial and a more angular case.

Two tone watches for women

Two tone has never really left women's watches, and it is easier to wear here because it sits naturally among mixed jewellery. The Lucky Fours Thea in Two Tone Pearl is a round watch with a white dial on a bracelet of rose gold tone and steel links, at $79.99. The rose tone is softer than yellow gold, which makes it one of the easiest two tone watches to wear every day. A Two Tone Noir version with a black dial is available too.

The Venoria is the dressier choice: a gem set bezel and a two tone gold and steel bracelet around a white dial, in Two Tone Gold Pearl and Two Tone Rose Pearl, at $79.99. It is closer to jewellery and works for evenings and occasions. From an established brand, the Citizen Corso is a 27mm two tone watch with a black dial and a solar powered movement, listed at $340. For more, see our dedicated guide to two tone watches for women.

Two tone watches compared

*as listed on each brand's US website, October 2026

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Two tone for two

Two tone is a natural fit for matching pairs, because a man's and a woman's watch can share the same metals without being the same design. A Valois in Two Tone Gold and a Venoria in Two Tone Gold Pearl, for example, clearly belong together. With the buy one, get one free offer and mix and match at Lucky Fours, a pair like that costs $79.99 in total, and our guide to his and hers watches has more combinations.

Caring for a two tone watch

The gold tone sections wear first at the edges and on the clasp, where they rub against desks and sleeves, so wipe the watch after wearing and avoid polishing cloths meant for silver, which can remove coating. Clean the bracelet with warm water and a soft brush now and then, because grime in the joints between gold and steel links shows more than it does on a plain steel bracelet.

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