Wooden Watch Or Metal Watch: Which Should You Choose?

At a glance

• A wooden watch is lighter and warmer on the wrist. A steel watch is stronger and handles water far better.
• Both keep time the same way. Timekeeping comes from the movement inside, not from what the case is made of.
• A wooden watch is splash-proof, not for swimming. If your watch has to go in a pool, the sea or a sink of washing-up, choose metal.
• Most wooden watches still have some metal in them: the crown, the clasp and the small pins that hold the links. Some Forest watches go further and pair wood with stainless steel.
• Forest watches run from £75 to £260, and every one can be engraved on the back: £25 for up to 50 characters.
• Every Forest watch comes with a wooden gift box, a link-sizing tool, a 2-year warranty, 90-day returns, free UK delivery and ten trees planted through Tree-Nation.

Is a wooden watch better than a metal watch?

Neither is better overall. Each is better at different things, and the right one depends on what your day asks of a watch.

A wooden watch is the more comfortable of the two for long wear, and the more individual, because no two pieces of wood have the same grain. A steel watch is the tougher of the two, and the one to wear near water.

Picture the hardest day the watch will have. If that day is an office, a train and a dinner, wood will be fine and you will notice the lighter weight every day. If that day involves a swimming pool, a building site or a lot of knocks against hard surfaces, steel is the sensible choice, and a wooden watch should come off first.

Is a wooden watch lighter than a metal watch?

Yes. A wooden case and a wooden bracelet weigh much less than the same shapes in steel, because wood is a far less dense material.

The bracelet is where you feel it most. On a metal watch, a steel link bracelet makes up a large share of the weight, and that is the part that pulls the watch round your wrist during the day. A wooden bracelet does the same job at a fraction of the weight.

We have not weighed the Forest range watch by watch, so we will not give you a number in grams. The difference is large enough to notice the first time you pick one up.

Is a wooden watch as strong as a steel watch?

No. Steel is harder and stronger than wood, and a steel case will take a knock that would leave a mark on a wooden one.

Strength matters less than you might expect in everyday wear. The movement is sealed inside the case in a wooden watch just as in a metal one, so a knock against a door frame marks the wood but does not usually stop the watch.

Where wood is weaker is repeated impact and heat: daily knocks wear it, and a radiator can crack it. Our post on how long a wooden watch lasts lists what fails first, in order.

Does a wooden watch scratch more easily than a metal one?

A wooden case marks more easily than a steel one, but the marks show differently, and the glass on the front matters as much as the case.

On wood, light scuffs settle into the grain and deeper dents stay. Dark woods such as ebony hide marks better than pale woods such as maple or olivewood.

On steel, a polished case shows fine scratches clearly, but a jeweller can polish it again. A deep mark in wood is there for good.

Every Forest watch uses mineral crystal glass, a common choice on metal watches too. Some more expensive metal watches use sapphire glass, which resists scratches better.

Can a wooden watch get wet like a metal one?

No. This is the biggest practical difference between the two. A wooden watch can take rain and a splash at the tap, but it should come off for showers, baths, swimming and washing up.

Wood is porous. The case is sealed and finished, so a splash sits on the surface and wipes off, but water that soaks in can swell the wood, and that swelling does not reverse. Steel does not absorb water at all.

Many metal watches are built to be worn in water, but not all, so check the rating before you swim in any watch.

Forest watches are splash-proof, and we do not describe them as waterproof. The full answer, including what to do if one does get soaked, is in can you get a wooden watch wet.

Is a wooden watch warmer or colder on the wrist than metal?

Warmer. Steel draws heat away from your skin, so a metal watch feels cold when you first put it on, especially on a winter morning. Wood does not draw heat away in the same way, so it feels close to your own temperature straight away.

In summer it works the other way round: a steel watch left in the sun can get hot to the touch, while wood stays nearer room temperature.

Is a wooden watch better for sensitive skin?

It can reduce how much metal touches your skin, but it does not remove metal completely, so read the description before you buy.

Wood contains no nickel, which is the metal most often linked to reactions from jewellery. A wooden case and a wooden bracelet therefore put less metal against your wrist than a steel watch does.

However, almost every wooden watch still has some metal in it. The crown you turn to set the time is metal. The clasp is usually metal, and so are the small pins that hold the links together. Some watches also have a metal back, or pair the wood with steel. On the Forest range, Ember has a zebrawood and stainless steel bracelet, and the Barrel holds its oak in a stainless steel frame.

We cannot promise any watch will suit every skin. If you know you react to certain metals, look at where metal will touch your wrist on the watch you are considering, and ask us if the description does not tell you.

Which lasts longer, a wooden watch or a metal watch?

A well-made steel watch will usually outlast a wooden one, because steel stands up to water and knocks better. A wooden watch that is kept dry and away from heat still lasts for years.

A steel case is rarely what ends a watch's life. It can be serviced and polished, which is why steel watches are often passed down.

With a wooden watch, the two things that shorten its life are water getting inside and heat drying out the wood. On a quartz watch, also change the battery when it stops rather than leaving a flat one inside.

We do not put a number of years on it, because we would be guessing. What we do promise is a 2-year warranty on every Forest watch.

Which is better for everyday wear?

For most desk jobs, commutes and weekends, a wooden watch is the more comfortable everyday choice. For hands-on work or days spent near water, metal is the safer one.

Think about your ordinary week. If you wash up by hand every evening, you will be taking a wooden watch off every evening. If your hands are mostly on a keyboard or a steering wheel, a wooden watch will be fine all day.

If you want a wooden watch for rougher days, Scout at £75 is worth a look. It pairs a walnut case with a hard-wearing nylon strap, so there are no wooden links to knock. The case is still wood, so the water rule is the same.

Which is better for a formal occasion?

Both work. A slim steel watch is the traditional choice with a suit, and a dark wooden watch is a less expected choice that looks just as considered.

The colour of the wood matters most here. Darker woods read more formal, and ebony is the darkest in the Forest range. Nightfall at £80 is ebony and 8.4mm thick, which is slim enough to slide under a shirt cuff. Flint at £85 sets ebony in dark stainless steel, for a formal look that is part wood and part metal. Thickness matters as much as material: the slimmer the case, the more easily it slides under a cuff, whether it is wood or steel.

Is a wooden watch cheaper than a metal watch?

Not necessarily. Both come in at every price, and the price depends mostly on the movement inside and how the watch is finished, not on whether the case is wood or steel.

Metal watches run from very cheap fashion pieces to watches costing thousands. Forest watches run from £75 for Scout to £260 for the Barrel, and the two at the top of the range carry an automatic movement you can see working (Woodhaven) or a chronograph (the Barrel).

For either material, look at the movement before the case. Every Forest watch names its movement in the specifications table on its product page: most are Miyota quartz, Riverstone and Woodhaven are automatic, and the Barrel is a Seiko quartz chronograph.

Can you engrave a wooden watch like a metal one?

Yes. Metal casebacks have been engraved for a long time, and a wooden watch can be engraved on the back in the same way. The difference is how the words look.

On wood, the laser darkens the grain rather than carving into it, so the message appears as dark lettering in the wood. Dark woods give a sharper contrast, and pale woods give a softer one. On metal, the words sit in the surface of the steel. The back finish varies from watch to watch across the Forest range.

At Forest, every watch in the men's and women's range can be engraved. Engraving costs £25 for up to 50 characters, which is room for a date, two names or one short line. It is engraved, finished and packed in our London workshop, and an engraved watch can still be returned within 90 days.

Is a wooden watch or a metal watch the better gift?

A wooden watch is often the more personal gift, because no two are alike and it is less likely to repeat a watch they already own. A steel watch is the safer gift for someone who swims or works with their hands.

There is also a tradition to use. Wood is the traditional gift for a fifth wedding anniversary, and steel is the traditional gift for the eleventh. So the anniversary can make the choice for you. Our page on wooden anniversary gifts has ideas for the fifth.

Whichever you choose, think about whether the person takes their watch off to wash up. Every Forest watch arrives in a wooden gift box, and an engraved watch is still returnable within 90 days, which helps when you are not sure.

Is a wooden watch better for the environment than a metal one?

Wood has real advantages, and steel has one of its own. Wood is a renewable material. Forest's wooden cases are reclaimed timber. And for every watch sold, Forest plants ten trees through Tree-Nation.

Steel's advantage is that it is highly recyclable. We are not going to give you a carbon figure for either, because we do not have one we can stand behind.

The most sustainable watch is the one you keep wearing for a long time.

Can you get a watch that is part wood and part metal?

Yes. Some Forest watches combine the two, so you do not have to choose one material completely.

• Ember, £95: a zebrawood case with a zebrawood and stainless steel bracelet, 39mm across.
• Flint, £85: ebony set in a dark stainless steel case and bracelet, 44mm across.
• Barrel, £260: oak from a whisky barrel, held in a 45mm stainless steel frame.

If you already wear an Apple Watch, the wood link strap at £79 does the reverse. It puts real wood and stainless steel links on a metal watch, closed with a hidden butterfly clasp.

How do wooden and metal watches compare, side by side?

The metal column below describes steel watches in general. The wood column describes Forest watches as of September 2026.

Read across the table and the pattern is simple. Wood wins on comfort and character. Steel wins on toughness and water.

So which should you choose?

Choose a wooden watch if you want something light, warm and one of a kind, and you can take it off for water. Choose a steel watch if it has to go swimming or take hard knocks.

If you want a bit of both, look at the watches that pair wood with steel. If you still cannot decide, start with where the watch will spend most of its time, and choose for that.

Every Forest watch is finished and packed in our London workshop, and engraving is done there too: £25 for up to 50 characters, and an engraved watch can still be returned within 90 days. Every watch comes in a wooden gift box with a 2-year warranty, and plants ten trees through Tree-Nation. See the men's and women's collections.