Ernest watch with black and silver diamond pattern bracelet

A rigid bangle watch that slips straight on

Turn the watch over and the design explains itself: on the underside of the wrist, the two ends of the band stop opposite each other without meeting. This is a rigid open bangle, so there is no clasp at all to line up or press shut. You ease it apart slightly, slide it over the wrist, and it stays where you put it. Anyone who has ever fought with a tiny buckle one-handed will see the point of that straight away.

Black squares in two sizes along the silver-tone band

Either side of the case, the band carries glossy black squares in two sizes, scattered along it rather than lined up in a row. Some sit square to the band, others rest on a corner, and it is that tilt that gives the pattern its diamond look and the model its name. Black lacquer reads very differently from polished metal, which is why the band needs nothing else on it. If something less angular would suit you better, there are other case shapes and band types in the women's range to compare it with.

Inside the square case: a white dial with silver numerals

The silver-tone case holds a white square dial ringed by a black surround, which carries the motif of the band through to the centre. Its numerals are silver and slightly ornate, and three matching hands sweep above them. The dial is signed Ernest under the twelve mark, with QUARTZ set lower down, and a fluted crown on the right-hand side handles the time setting.

Looking after it, and changing the battery at home

Lacquer holds fingerprints, so a dry cloth every few days keeps the squares looking properly black rather than grey. Water is what dulls a shiny finish fastest, which is reason enough to take the bangle off for a shower or a swim. Stored flat in a drawer it keeps its edge; loose in a handbag it will pick up marks from keys. A watch that has stopped usually wants nothing more than a new battery, a short job at the kitchen table once you own the small tools sold for opening a watch case.

What the photographs and the product sheet show

Here is the short version, if you are weighing this one up against another model.