Black and silver Ernest leaf bracelet watch

A rigid bangle that slips on, with no clasp

Start with the band, because it decides how the watch is worn. It is a rigid bangle, not a strap: neither photograph shows a buckle, a pin or a link you could take out. Nothing opens and nothing adjusts: the bangle has to clear the hand rather than fasten round the wrist. Behind the wrist it narrows to a plain slim curve, keeping the width at the front where the leaf and the case sit. You will find more pieces built on a solid band and a coloured face in the same part of the shop.

The black leaf and its scalloped silver edge

The front of the bangle is a single black leaf, not a scatter of small ones. Its outline is scalloped into rounded lobes and traced in silver tone, and a polished midrib runs from the broad end down to the point. The silver tone is confined to the outline and the rib; everything inside them is black. The two-colour split is clean enough to read from across a room.

Checked against the images, feature by feature

Styling a black and silver bangle watch

A bangle this wide does the job of a cuff, so nothing needs stacking beside it. Against a cream roll-neck and tan boots, the black leaf reads as the one dark note of the outfit; against a charcoal coat, the silver rim does the opposite and lifts the sleeve. The face is small for the width of the band, which puts the piece closer to jewellery than to a sports watch.

Keeping the polished silver tone clean

One touch is enough: the midrib takes a fingerprint before anything else on the watch does. A dry cloth drawn along the rib and around the frame brings the shine back in seconds. The rest is a matter of order while dressing: hand cream and scent first, bangle last. When the battery runs flat, the small kit for opening a case back at home sits a shelf away.

Four numerals, eight dots and the word QUARTZ

The dial itself is restrained. A round black face sits inside a silver-tone frame of full, generous curves, noticeably wider than the face it holds. Only 12, 3, 6 and 9 are written out; the other eight hours are reduced to small dots, and the hands stay slim and tapered. Under the Ernest name the dial prints the word QUARTZ, and the setting crown sits on the right-hand side of the case.