Watches

In the office you're fine. You don't see a lot of Rolex on leather. If it was a formal social event I might want to go with a leather strap but it depends on the shoes.

That's not exactly the dressiest watch ever, but its not a big deal. A leather strap is more traditionally dressy, but it only does so much and its not like that watch is some bulky abomination. Its a low-key watch, honestly if you like the bracelet just roll with it, unless its actually drawing negative attention.

It's definitely in "business casual" territory, if you wear a tie as well I would avoid.

It’s not ideal, but it’s not a faux pas. The point of a dress watch is that no one notices it, and your watch is pretty nondescript.

Not as bad as a faux pas, but not fully formal neither. I think bracelets are good neutral option that can do casual to formal, but if you want it to look properly formal then leather strap would be better.

We need u/Claude_Mariposa’s thoughts on the matter, I don’t trust anybody else when talking about formalities and faux pas.

The traditional rules would be that with formal dress you should be wearing a leather strapped dress watch (or not wearing a watch at all).

But that is following the traditional rules, and assuming you are dressing in a fully formal fashion. In reality there are many different grades of suit and levels of formality for different situations - taking a slightly more casual approach then a nice sports watch on a bracelet (think datejust/oyster perpetual or aqua Terra) would be a reasonable choice.

But it is also worth noting that the world has moved on since those rules were formulated - whereas once the expectation was that every detail of your dress would be immaculate, often you well find a slightly more casual approach nowadays, and the true formal wear is really reserved for special occasions. I don't doubt these events do exist, but I can only say that I have never personally been invited to one...

The clue is generally to look at how those around you are presented. If every one of them is perfectly dressed and there are traditional dress watches all round, then you may be the odd man out. But not realistically, if you can see a scattering of smart watches and fitness trackers hidden under cuffs, then a nice sports watch on a bracelet is going to be absolutely fine (if not actually smarter than most).

I would say it depends on the metal bracelet. Contrary to popular opinion, they are not all created equal. A thin fine milanese mesh band will be more comfortable and less bulky than some oyster bracelets helping the watch literally have a lower profile. A jubilee bracelet or beads of rice bracelet are meant to showcase brushed and polished finishes and will reflect light quite differently creating visual interest.