Unusual watches are a fun way to stand out from the crowd, and many of them are surprisingly easy to buy online. From binary LED displays to tide and tritium models, here are the weirdest wearable watch types you can find on Amazon, how each one works, and a grid of real products for each.
Binary LED watches: unusual watches that show time in dots
A binary watch shows the time as rows of glowing dots. Each lit dot is a 1 and each dark dot is a 0, and you add the values 8, 4, 2 and 1 in each column to read the hours and minutes. It takes a few days to learn and makes a great conversation starter. The internals are the same as a digital watch.
Jump hour watches: unusual watches that snap to the hour
Instead of an hour hand, a jump hour watch shows the hour in a small window that snaps to the next number at the top of the hour, while a hand still sweeps the minutes. The mechanism is a disc of numbers pushed forward by a cam. Many affordable models use an automatic movement. These are some of the most unusual watches you can buy.
Skeleton watches: unusual watches you can see through
A skeleton watch cuts away the dial or the case back so you can see the gears, mainspring and balance wheel working. It is the closest thing to the see-through model in our automatic watch guide.
Tourbillon-style watches: unusual watches with a spinning cage
A true tourbillon places the balance wheel and escapement inside a rotating cage so that gravity affects them evenly, and genuine ones cost thousands. Budget models on Amazon are usually tourbillon-style: they show a spinning cage for the look, so treat them as design pieces.
Tide, compass and moon phase: unusual watches for outdoors
Outdoor watches add extra displays. A compass uses a magnetic sensor, a tide graph estimates tides from the moon phase and your chosen location, and a moon phase dial uses a slow gear to turn a moon disc once every 29.5 days. These are practical for fishing, hiking and travel. These are some of the most unusual watches you can buy.
Moon phase watches
If you simply love the look, these show the moon cycle on the dial.
Tactical watches with tritium glow
Tritium watches use tiny gas-filled tubes that glow by themselves for roughly a decade, with no sunlight needed. They are popular with outdoor fans because the markers stay readable in complete darkness.
Ring watches and pocket watches
A ring watch hides a tiny quartz movement in a finger ring, while a pocket watch hangs on a chain and is often mechanical or quartz. Both are old ideas that feel fresh today. See also our quartz watch guide. These are some of the most unusual watches you can buy.
Pocket watches
For example, curious about the oldest way to tell time? See our interactive sundial guide.
Which of these unusual watches should you choose?
If you want a gift, choose a binary LED, a moon phase or a skeleton watch. For outdoors, pick a tide and compass watch or a tritium model. Not sure about the type? Try our watch type quiz or read about watches on Wikipedia.
Unusual watches FAQ
Are unusual watches accurate?
Quartz and digital ones are very accurate. Mechanical and skeleton models can drift a few seconds a day. These are some of the most unusual watches you can buy.
Are tourbillon watches on Amazon real tourbillons?
In addition, budget ones are usually decorative, so read the description carefully.
