Hugo Boss Grey Dial Quartz Chronograph – $198.25
($295)
Grey dial watches are a bit like grey shoes and green cars. There’s just not enough of them out there. This particular grey dial watch has been on a few radars for years. But like a lot of Hugo Boss items, it’s stayed stubbornly high in price. Three hundred bucks for a quartz, mineral crystal watch? They’re made by Movado, but so are Hilfiger watches (which usually feel awfully flimsy). Boss watches seem a (big) step up from the Hilfiger line, but three hundred… no.
How’s about two?
Some of us are admitted suckers for chronographs. Maybe it’s the convenience of knowing at a glance just how much time we have left on the parking meter. Or maybe it’s the rule-of-thirds visual goodness the pushers & crown provide. Whatever it is, this watch gets that part right, with the pushers and subdials noticeable, but without taking over the entire look. It’s a chrono, but you could easily wear this with a suit. At 44mm in diameter, it’s not a traditional, smaller sized dress watch, but it’s sleek enough that it could easily work with a dressed up outfit.
The dial is going to look a little confused to some. The hour hand comes to a sharp point, while the minute hand doesn’t. The sub-dial hands mimic the minute hand, while two of the three subdials are recessed, with the third… not. The font for the numerals is modern with some width to it, and while there’s a lot going on on its face, there’s still plenty of empty, visual space thanks to the grey background and silver hands/numerals (there’s no black outline to them in person, that’s just the way the light is hitting it in some of these pics).
It’s got a good weight to the case, the leather strap doesn’t feel plasticky or stiff out of the surprisingly solid presentation case, and setting the crown is decisive and crisp when you set the time + date. Water resistance is a not impressive 30M.
Fulfilled by Amazon at post time. Also available at the reduced price in a fast looking black/red/white color scheme, or at full price in black and silver over at Nordstrom.

I would be a brand snob and refuse to wear it because it said Boss.
Tongue-in-cheek. Maybe.
That minute hand is a deal breaker. It’s too short. And 30M water resistance is pretty close to one too.
I’ve got a Boss dress watch, and it feels decidedly low-end. Given that, and the enormous case size, I can’t imagine buying this.
I resent them for their over-priced shoes so I doubt I would be making a watch purchase. I actually really like the look of it, but if I were going to spend that much, I would probably just take the plunge and get an automatic.
What does the water resistance matter? I dive a few times a year and rarely go below 30m. Do a lot of people need watches for decompression diving?
I think it’s a really good looking watch. I’d consider pricing it at $150 and be content at that.
I like the color scheme and layout isn’t too bad. That said, the Hugo name doesn’t warrant a price premium, so $150 would be tops.
According to Movado’s website, their watches marked 30m aren’t even suitable for swimming
It’s not a bad looking watch, but even at $200 you’re paying for the name on the case.
Quartz is fine, nothing against it. Boss products in general are not for me. Overpriced for what they are across the board. Plus I don’t want a Boss logo on my watch. I would like a grey faced watch though.
At 44mm, you’d have to have some pretty beefy forearms to pull this off without looking like a horological stilted midget.
30m = It can withstand water splashes or some time in rain. No more.
kind of ironic, considering many here probably dock it a few bones because of the name on the case.
What a disaster of a watch design. Why did they put the date there? To make room for the BOSS HUGO BOSS overbranding. Terrible.
The chronograph style is not really my favorite, but I find the logos and the positioning of the date complication to be a deal-breaker. I don’t hate the Boss brand or logo, I just find it weird to advertise a fashion brand on a watch. I also won’t wear a watch over 40mm.
This. Under $150, and I think it would sell as a nice “fashion” watch.
Fun fact: Hugo Boss supplied stuff to the Nazis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Boss
Oh ok thanks. That’s quite an exaggeration then.