Dress watches used to be worn by men every day, but they’re seen less today, and we’ve been wondering why this is the case! Today, we’ll be looking at dress watches (or perhaps looking for them?) and trying to figure out, why men have largely stopped wearing them!
What is a Dress Watch?
I’m not sure about you, but there’s been quite a bit of confusion over recent years about what a dress watch actually is. While there are many factors, one to begin with is the way that products and watches, in particular, are categorized and listed on e-commerce sites; eBay and Amazon being two of the big players.
So, this image is a perfect example. In order to be seen in as many categories as possible, if you read it, it’s confusing and doesn’t really make sense. A military watch, a casual watch, a dress watch, a leather band watch. This poor watch has an identity crisis. For those of you in the know, you can probably tell what kind of watch this is and, by looking at it, it’s not a dress watch. And I wouldn’t buy this.
Being new to watches and wanting to buy your first dress watch, this description could lead you to buy something that you believe is a dressy piece, which really isn’t. So, let’s set something straight and define what a “dress watch” actually is once and for all.
1. Moderately Sized Face
A dress watch will have a moderate size. Unlike sports watchers, where it’s important to have a good size to know the time when you’re diving or racing, moderate size is key. You don’t want to look like you have a hockey puck strapped to your wrist.
2. Elegant Design and Simple Feature
A dress watch will have an elegant design and simple features – usually the hour, minutes, maybe a running seconds, maybe a small seconds, maybe a small date window. But, overall, I wouldn’t choose my Omega Speedmaster as a dress watch because the dial is too complicated.
3. Made with High-Quality Materials
A dress watch will have quality materials. At the very least, stainless steel, but it really should be in a precious metal. So, plastic, rubber, carbon really are a no-go.
4. Timeless Style
Lastly, a dress watch should have a timeless styling. You want a watch that will look good with every piece of your outfit that you can buy now and dress up 40 years from now, and it still looks like it’s in the right place.
Also, while there might be watches out there that technically meet this definition, we’re going to be steering clear of the mass market interpretation and fashion watches as a whole. I know this might be controversial, but the reason why we’re avoiding brands like Daniel Wellington is there really is no true heritage and there isn’t that dedication to quality craftsmanship and really nice materials that we here at the Gentleman’s Gazette stand for.
Dress Watch History
So, now that we have a clear definition of what we’re looking for, let’s turn back our watches and go look at the history of when men actually started to wear them.
And, actually, as a fun fact here: men were not the first ones to wear dress watches. History tells us that, in 1571, England’s Elizabeth I received a wristwatch called an “armed watch” as a gift. In 1806, a wristwatch was created for French empress Joséphine de Beauharnais. And in 1868, Patek Philippe created the first Swiss wristwatch for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary.
Men at this time continued to carry pocket watches as they deem the small, delicate wristwatches for ladies. That was up until the dawn of the 20th century and the events of the First World War.
Although some men had started to adopt wristwatches in the 1880s, the functional needs of the trench watch in World War I started to put practicality among stereotypes and assumptions and men started to adopt them. This world event, on a huge scale, would forever shift the viewpoint of wristwatches as men started to take practicality over prejudice.
From that point forward, the pocket watch began to be widely replaced by the trench watch. These trench watches were effectively pocket watches that were repurposed for the wrist. The lugs were soldered onto the case as seen on the Lancet wristwatch from Pulp Fiction.
Another element of the trench watch was this sort of grill or protective cover over the dial of the watch, which, as you can tell, really impacted legibility. And although these trench watches might seem like a rude interpretation of what a wristwatch is today, as we know throughout classic men’s style that military heritage gives a masculine signal and masculine status and men adopted it. From there on out, the wristwatch was here to stay.
Following the war, the popularity of the wristwatch soared and it seemed like every watchmaker wanted to get in on the action. Rolex has been a name within the watchmaking world for decades and we can see in an illustration that in the 20s, when they took the rough utilitarian trench watch and started to add some style elements to let it be worn every day.
The 1930s saw an increase in active lifestyle and saw JLC release their Reverso collection, which could be worn effortlessly in formal and sporting occasions.
Towards the end of the 30s and into the 40s, wristwatches were still popular, but the Second World War demanded that these pieces were used by military units and sales for the public dropped. However, the market recovered, wristwatches were still desirable, and, in 1948, Omega released their famous Seamaster line.
Towards the 50s and into the 60s, wristwatches started to take a more simple and sleek look. Slim and smaller watches were favored and where number dials were paired down to baton and dagger hour markers. We can see that on the Movado from the 50s and the IWC from the 60s.
It was at this point in history when men started to wear dress watches less. Yes, we could totally just say this is when things just became more casual, but that’s not why you’re here, right? We’ve discussed the overall casualization of menswear and the decline in quality and answered whether the suit is dying in a separate post.
Is the Suit Dying? – The Role of Classic Menswear in Today’s World
Why Did Men Stop Wearing Dress Watches?
1. The Rise of Sports Watches
First up and probably one of the biggest contenders is the rise of sports watches.
While it’s certainly not the first sports watch in the world, there’s no denying the iconic popularity of the Rolex Submariner. Sean Connery’s debut as super-spy James Bond saw him wearing the Rolex Submariner with a variety of outfits, including formal wear, which is a trend that all the current Bonds still follow.
The author of the Bond books, Ian Fleming, would often take items that mattered a lot to him personally and apply them to his characters. So, literary Bond wore a Rolex Explorer. But, in movies, he had a Submariner. A great example of Bond wearing the Submariner with formal attire is in the movie “Goldfinger,” where he wears it with a warm-weather Black Tie ensemble.
Although the Bond franchise would feature other watches on Bond’s wrist, they were almost always in the sports watch style. They were metal bracelets with high contrast dials and rotating dive bezels.
Overall, iconic characters, whether they’re real or not, have a massive influence on what’s popular in men’s style. Especially when characters such as Bond, who are very masculine, wear a sports watch with formal attire, that trend catches on.
2. Cheaper Materials
The only problem is: not everyone can afford an expensive sports watch, which is great news for manufacturers of watches with cheaper materials. Indeed, wristwatches were no stranger to the uptick and usage of plastics and other materials in the 70s and 80s, and it’s something we haven’t seen the end of yet.
Furthermore, even if it’s not plastic, there’s metal alloys and other unusual materials, such as rubber or even wood. These materials are a lot less expensive than the traditional precious metals used in watchmaking.
Of course, precious metals cost a lot of money and the average person might not want to spend thousands of dollars on just one watch. Indeed, this is where we see a change in our society as we want cheaper items and more variety, rather than investing in one high-quality piece.
Typically, back in the day, people dressed up, so a dress watch was the one watch that a man owned. He had it for his whole life as well as a few other nice jewelry pieces, such as cufflinks or signet rings.
I know a lot of you can think about your grandpa. He might have had one watch that you remember him always wearing. I know mine did. He had a Longines that he wore from the time that he was married up until the time that he passed.
Overall, all these purchases would have been intended to be a high-quality investment that would last a long time, could be passed down to the next generation, and the owner didn’t have to worry and fuss about buying a new one. They could buy one and wear it reliably.
Of course, no one’s planning on wearing a $20 plastic watch for 40 years, but that’s the point. People want to have more and to change up the color and the style. Individuals today also want a lot of variety because they see celebrities have a lot of watches and fashion pieces and they want that too. But, let’s be honest, we can’t all afford the watch collection of Doctor Strange.
As a quick aside here, quality watches don’t always have to have a mechanical movement. Many use quartz. Iconic watches such as the Cartier Tank and JLC Reverso have quartz movements inside of them to offer the same high-quality watch and look for a lesser price when it comes to the movement.
3. Digital Watches
Speaking of battery-powered movements, then, another reason for the decline of the dress watch is the arrival of digital watches. We’ve taken a deep dive into digital watches and asked the question if they’re timeless or a trend. But, overall, they don’t add the same amount of elegance as a classic dress watch.
In the 1980s, the digital watch started to take the place of the everyman’s watch. Although the first solid gold models, like the solid gold Pulsar, were thousands of dollars, they very quickly reduced into the $10 to $50 range.
This dramatic decrease in watch prices was because of, well, you guessed it, cheaper materials. This meant that rather than saving up your money for that one piece that will last you the rest of your life, pretty much everyone could quickly save up and own a watch.
The huge benefit of owning a digital watch was the fact that they were battery-operated, which was a lot cheaper to produce and maintain. A battery exchange would cost a couple of bucks. You wouldn’t have to wind it up or maintain a service on it, like you would for a manual winder, automatic watch.
Even today, a digital watch is going to be about 100 to 200 times cheaper than a fine dress watch as evidenced by some of the Casio digital watches, which have that funky retro design. But, in the 21st century, a digital watch might even feel like old tech to some and, in the age of the internet, innovation is key.
Starting with smartphones in the late 2010s, people have been relying on smart technology to do a variety of things, including telling the time. In fact, I think this scene from 2013’s “The Internship” sums it up pretty well.
And while some people still whip their phones out to tell you what time it is, 2015 brought around the Apple Watch. While the idea of wearable technology isn’t a new one, we now live in an age where really everything is possible right from your wrist.
The biggest problem: smartwatches are just not elegant. Rubber straps in bright neon colors and obtrusive screens really don’t line up with the criteria that we gave at the beginning of this post for a classic dress watch.
4. Super-sized Watches
Now that I think about it, smartwatches could also be a part of our penultimate point, which is super-sized watches. Let’s just be clear, please don’t wear these.
5. Status Symbol Watches
Finally, that leads us to our last point, which is a status symbol watch. While this could be in reference to a solid gold Rolex or some other brand with cachet, the reality is: this is a timepiece that’s worn for all the wrong reasons.
The issue with the status symbol watch is that it inspires cheaper-made models and fakes to be made like this one we found on eBay. So, what this means is that owning something that’s tacky or a fake becomes more appealing to the broader audience because they want to show off how much wealth they think they have. But, apart from being a flashy statement, a cheaply-made status watch really isn’t going to give you the same feeling as owning a really nice, high-quality one.
Overall, this results in a disappointing experience, and people who know watches will know that you’re wearing a fake, which doesn’t send the best message about you.
Conclusion
So, where does all this leave the classic dress watch? Are all the reasons that we talked about going to mean the end of the dress watch for men?
Well, I certainly don’t think so. In fact, over the last couple of years, there’s been a rapid increase in interest in the vintage watch market and that means that all those gorgeous dress watches of yesteryear are now an attractive prospect again.
The best part is that many of them can be quite affordable. For the price of many modern watches, you can find a selection of really nice vintage watches, which check the box of timeless-style elegance and quality.
Also, in the current market that’s dominated by sports watches, take a look at some really famous brands and look at their dress collection. There are quite a number of models that are undervalued.
Outfit Rundown
In today’s outfit, I’m wearing a fall-winter ensemble. I have a brown, check Caruso jacket, a pair of SuitSupply gray flannel pants, and a denim shirt that was made-to-measure for me by Beckett & Robb.
On my feet are my Allen Edmonds Acheson model tassel loafers in a brown color. My socks are our Fort Belvedere two-tone socks in gray and I’m wearing our white linen pocket square with a hand-rolled X-stitch in a navy color, which picks up the blue of my jacket and of my shirt.
On my wrist is my Omega Speedmaster, which, as you know, is my daily driver. I don’t own a dress watch currently. But, if I did, it’d be one of the models that Federico at Delray Watch sent us over, including a yellow-gold Cartier Santos, a JLC Master Ultra Thin with a really nice, gold dial or this rose gold Montblanc.
This post is 100% not sponsored, but we want to say thanks for them sending these watches over.
Do you own a dress watch? What would you like to buy? What brands do you like? Please let us know.
Greetings, Nathan:
Sports watches are grotesque. Dress watches are the real thing.
Note: Your jacket is a size too small. When it’s unbuttoned, the gap shouldn’t be there; it’s proof that the jacket will look too tight when it’s buttoned.
I owned and wore Rolex for over 40 years, my last one was a Submariner [no date] when I was quoted over £600 for a service and a replacement crown, enough was enough.
I sold it, made a profit and bought two Citizen eco drive watches, one a titanium model the other a very lightweight tank style dress watch, both costing less than the quoted Rolex service price.
PS: I bought a Citizen eco drive divers watch to wear for weekly swimming sessions, I loaned to a friend to go scuba diving in the Med. The watch is now 18 years old works great, never serviced or required a battery change.
Works for me
Hi Barry,
sorry to hear they ripped you off for servicing your Rolex. A service for the very durable Rolex watches will only be needed every 6-8 years (rather by an independant watchmaker than by Rolex itself!) or even only if the watch runs inaccurately or has other issues. Of course you then can not rely on waterproofness. But this service costs much less than the watch gained in value in the meantime.
Two Citizen watches as a replacement? Well, I hope it will work out for you!
18 years on, my Citizen eco drive is keeping time accurately with minimal fuss. Ergonomically too, it is preferable to the aforementioned hockey puck strapped to the wrist that seem to be so popular nowadays.
I just ordered a vintage quartz Citizen tank watch in stainless steel, from a charity auction cite. They are elegant watches and I’m looking forward to receiving it. I have quite a few watches, but if I sold them all, they would’t come close to what a Rolex Submariner cost today, and I don’t have to worry about being robbed when I wear any of them.
Among my watches: a hunter pocket watch, several dress watches, several sporty watches. My favourite was all titanium Breitling Aerospace but, as I’m now getting to be a senior citizen, I was gifted a Galaxy Watch 4 which I rejected until I was made aware that I can make calls from this watch and, should I have a fall it will send out an emergency message. It completes the circle from functional, through decorative and back to functional first
Great article! The point I agree with most is with regards to the rise of sport watches (and the branding that goes with them). Once James Bond started wearing digital quartz watches with suits, we probably weren’t going to come back from taking our style cues from the big screen.
I wear a Cartier Tank Solo XL. It had essentially everything I was looking for in a dress watch: history, brand recognition, and reliable. It looks good with brown or black straps, and looks good with a tuxedo or a suit. If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably get the quartz, but the in-house movement is a nice touch. All in all, it’s nice to have a “proper” dress watch for when the event calls for it.
Nice presentation in full agreement on watches. On fall-winter ensemble although pant legs are a bit tight for my teats. Allen Edmonds Shoes are very good indeed but pls clean and polish shoes before showing them. Shabby appearance even in footwear does detract from expectations when in need of general maintenance. Also… Seems like you can use a shoe tree.
Terrific article. The advent of quartz as a power source and the ensuing “quartz crisis” in the 1970s did escalate the rapid production of “cheap” alternatives to the mechanical wristwatch. Yet that’s how fashion trends often take hold. The oversized monstrosities on people’s wrists today are anything but class. For those that appreciate skilled horological artistry and style, thankfully the beautiful crafted dress wristwatch seems to be as popular as ever. Cartier just announced several stunning such additions at the annual Watches and Wonders trade show in Geneva. One does not have to go into debt to add such refined taste to their wardrobe and whether it be mechanical (hand wound), automatic or quartz, every gentleman can set himself apart from the bro crowd by wearing a classy dress watch preferably with leather strap. Understated elegance is both classy and timeless.
I prefer to wear my Omega Broad Arrow Rattrapante daily, but I’ll wear my Breitling “Cosmonaute” or IWC “Spitfire” when I want to dress up.
Not dead, just taking a time out.
I still wear mine (I have several for different occasions) but then I’m old…
Why did men stop wearing dress watches? Why do men wear suits with short trousers and sneakers?
Loss of education…parents kiddish behaviour. Forget the gender society. Western world is on loosing street.
Nice presentation Nathan! I feel much the same way regarding size/style of watches, and am becoming a bit of a horological gear-head. My go to “vintage” dress watches include mid-1960’s 18k gold Omega Constellation, 2 “Tanks” (Longines and Hamilton). Also love my vintage Enicar. All 4 are windups. which I rotate depending on feelings, what I’m wearing (inc. belt, shoes).
Agree that watches in general have gotten way to large. The HSNY (Horological Society of New York) had a great presentation on last year by Mark Cho on the ideal watch size.
https://hs-ny.org/schedule/2021/04/6/the-ideal-watch-size-a-curious-case-of-misperception-and-missed-opportunity-by-mark-cho
I sold my IWC Schaufhaussen when I got tired of spending too much money on service. I knew my kids would never pay that much to keep the watch ticking if I left it to them in my will.
Greetings,
Many men who are in a position to purchase a dress watch are also of an age when they become interested in the health-related data provided by a Smart Watch.
In the wake of increasingly informal workplaces, dress watches can seem sadly obsolete.
Between an interest in having all manner of information instantly accessible, and the fact that showing a half-inch of French cuff outside the sleeve of one’s suit jacket is appreciated by a decreasing number of professional gentlemen, dress watches languish in dresser drawers.
Dresser drawers?
Even using that term belies my advancing age.
Best regards,
Andrew Gregg,
Palm Springs, California.
I currently own a total of 6 watches. 2 of them being dress watches. The first being a 55″ Hamilton Trent. It’s in great condition. The second is a 17 jewel 14 K Longines circa 1940’s. I recently had this watch refurbished and it runs great. I am always looking for great, classic, affordable time pieces. You can keep those oversized, fashion watches. Quality is what’s important.
There’s a bit of reverse psychology that happens (at least in the Silicon Valley) – many wealthy men around here have shifted entirely to Apple Watches, because they’re functional. Sure they’ll break out the Patek, etc., for a truly formal event, but otherwise it’s the latest Apple Watch.
Personally, when COVID came around, and I was spending a good amount of my day moving boxes and wiping down packages, I shifted full time to wearing my Garmin Fenix, because it was highly functional and tougher than my Submariner (which I had worn almost continuously since 1994). For me (6’3″/235 lbs), the Sub is something of a dress watch on my wrist. It doesn’t look large. Even though I’m mostly back to work, I’m in sweats and jeans, and so I’ve been continuing to wear the Garmin.
I gave up wearing watches in the mid-80’s.
I bought a Rolex (stainless steel Datejust) in the mid-80’s. I gave it to my brother and then bought a Rolex (gold Day-Date) in 1999. My Rolex is beautiful. I wear it everyday.
Service on a Rolex is expected and if you complain about the service price, well….
I still don’t wear a watch. I wear a Rolex.
I started collecting watches at an early age. I was fascinated by them. Unfortunately I did not have a good role model for learning what constitutes a good watch as neither of my grandfathers nor my father were as particular. Their watches were simple and functional and only necessary to tell time. Needless to say I have acquired several horological nightmares over the years, most of which I have given away. When I finally did get serious I discovered too many watches cost more than I was able to afford. This lead me to the vintage market (long before it became popular). I have a number of heritage pieces that I love. I also discovered while searching for something else that there are a plethora of Poljot watches available for very little. Supposedly these are the USSR answer to the Rolex. I wouldn’t bet the house on that, but I now own several and really like them. They definitely have some classic and some retro styling, but a vast majority of them are truly dressy. To be fair I also have sports, casual, digital, and whimsical watches in my collection, but I know the difference and make sure whatever watch I wear is suited appropriately to the occasion.
I like Rolex designs, but most are not dress watches, rather models like the Explorer and Submariner are tool watches. Working man watches. The sub has been copied hundreds of times with the copies going from maybe $28 for a Chinese Reginald to a $30,000 model from Audemars Piquet. My favorite daily watch is a custom automatic Explorer that I have beaten to hell. It is currently being refitted with a sub dial for even better visibility, as I have vision issues.
For dress, my go to is a Swiss Wyler automatic in yellow gold with croc band. Second choice is my Dad’s old Elgin in white gold with white gold flex band. It has a curved back and rectangular tank style. Still running well after 70 years. Sometimes I’ll wear a Girard Perregaux automatic in yellow gold and yellow bead or black lizard bracelet or a Vulcain in white with black croc.
I have dozens of watches in all and try to rotate through them all, according to the occasion.
“Smartwatches are just not elegant.”
There’s a nice niche mix called hybrid. They can be quite elegant. Pretty happy with mine.
I have a modest collection of watches. Why did I stop ? The watch makers just got too greedy. Rolex, Omega what has changed in your movements ? Nothing !! They are just charging more for the same old Calibre. Omega has really had a gross inflation. And that collaboration with Swatch is a sad abomination. Trying to generate interest with a Quartz movement and cheap plastic case with color that wears off on your wrist. Sad.
Although lets not just be negative. I find Seiko has some quality automatic movements and if you want to try a subsidiary of Seiko, Orient makes a nice watch that you wind manually. All can be found for under $500.00 and some even less. Giving you style and a time piece that keeps decent time.
As far as Rolex and their service. Service is something that needs to be done. The watchmaker will take the watch down removing all the parts. Clean them in a washer and reassemble and lubricate the pinions, keyless wind works all metal surfaces that make contact. (their are different lubricants for different parts of the movement) This is a tedious process that requires a microscope for inspection and eye loops during the servicing process.
A Rolex service by Rolex not an authorized dealer is about $800.00 in the States. Parts for a Rolex are very expensive. During the take down you will need new gaskets a pressure test to ensure there are no leaks. Possibly a new crystal and any parts that may have broken and caused you to send the watch in for service. Unfortunately a high end precision watch requires some maintenance to continue to run well. BMWs and Porsche’s have high maintenance costs too. One reason why I own neither.
Here’s another reason for the decline of “nice” watches: street crime. How many times did we hear the combination “wallet and watch” taken by a mugger? I began my “adult” working life in NYC at a time when street crime was at its height. The last thing I wanted on my impoverished wrist was something worth money. I went fron job site to job site by subway in addition to my daily commute. For a subway rat like me, the jacket and tie stuff was mandatory, but the expensive watch and other nice things could be skipped. I guess I wasn’t quite a “gentleman” then…
Good point about crime Laurence. I used to work in hospital administration at a hospital on the south side of Chicago. While I did wear a suit and respectable dress shoes (Allen Edmonds), I didn’t wear a watch nor anything flashy for that matter. I thought it would not have been a good look while serving as a leader of a hospital caring for a predominantly Medicaid patient population.
For the same reason as well as a concern for crime I drove an old Subaru. It didn’t draw any unwanted attention to me, yet it was a car capable of handling Chicago winters.
However I don’t think that makes us less of a gentleman because we exercised caution in situations that required it. I think that’s part of what it means to be a gentleman which is to do the practical and prudent thing when required.
That’s called dressing appropriately for the situation. It was like that school visit with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to a school in Harlem where > 90% of students received lunches from the school because they couldn’t afford to bring their own lunches from home. Prince Harry dressed accordingly in chinos, a long sleeve polo shirt and leather shoes – it all looked smart and neat but except for the quality of the clothes, he had no exaggerated richness or bling. In contrast, his wife had a $10K designer red suit, designer high heels and an estimated $300K worth of bling including her wedding ring. Some argue the students wouldn’t know how much her clothes cost; the Duchess of Sussex copped a lot of criticism on social media for her perceived lack of respect in flaunting wealth like that. Even if there weren’t the concerns about crime, I totally get where you’re coming from leaving off with the bling given you’re working with people from low SES backgrounds.
I loved this article as I do most Gentlemen’s Gazette offerings. I agree with the advent of sports watches being a major cause in the reduction of dress watches being worn as well as iconic branding such as Bond, but I think recently it is also due to the ‘Bling’ explosion witnessed in the last two decades.
Personally, I have quite a few watches, but my quality dress watches are a couple of stainless Longines (one with a blue face the other quite small and silver with diamonds), plus a Rolex datejust in stainless and gold, and lastly two vintage gold watches, one a 1950’s Omega Chronometer and the other a 1940s Le Coultre with a mechanical alarm. I also have a vintage Gerard Perregaux gold pocket watch.
The rest of my collection so far, includes an Omega Speedmaster and a Longines diver’s watch as well as a few that I just liked the look of.
Another great video. I’m definitely a fan of dress watches. For the past few years I’ve worn a field watch as my “daily driver,” but whenever I wore a suit I wouldn’t wear a watch as my field watch just didn’t work. Last Christmas that problem was solved when I received a Tissot Le Locle Powermatic 80. Priced below $600 it is not an expensive watch comparatively, however for the price it is a beautiful watch. I wear it when I wear a suit which these days is just twice a week.
I am looking to add to my collection and have my eye on a piece from Nomos. Most likely either a Tangente or Ludwig as I haven’t decided yet. My other two watches are Swiss and I’m excited to add a German watch in the bauhaus design. I think they are very elegant.
I enjoyed this article very much (who is Nathan) I have 5 watches that I suppose would be referred to as “Fashion watches” Three of my five are “Fossil watches” They are understated and not gaudy like my Invicta Pro Diver. I am not sure how laughable this is but my best watch is a Bulova Frank Lloyd Wright May Basket Men’s Watch 96C138 I like it. But as a retired man on a fixed income this my best effort
We introduced Nathan as our Operations Manager and new video host in our review of the Omega Speedmaster, and he’s also appeared in a rundown of the team’s everyday carry, as well as a look at digital watches
I’m a watch collector, but I don’t collect the standard high end watches, that most people lust after. As I type this, I am wearing a Momentum diver’s watch that was made in Canada. I wouldn’t expect you to have heard of Momentum unless you were actually a diver, because that is their market. I have a number of what I would consider dress watches, but again I drift from what collectors seek. Quartz watches can be made very slim and both Citizens and Seiko have well made examples of this. With their simple dials roman numerals and stainless or gold plated stainless cases, they would not be out of place when wearing black tie. Bulova, Whittnauer and Elgin also made finely crafted dress watch in both mechanical and quartz, that are appropriate in formal occasions, and also fine for casual. My favorite black tie watch is a hand wind Elgin that nobody would see as out of place. Often these watches can be had for a song, but don’t wait to long. Prices are rising. With regard to digital, before market prices dropped dramatically, Seiko made some very high quality LCD watches. I have a few, and all they needed was a battery to run perfect, although sometimes the push buttons need servicing. These watches are from he 70’s and 80’s. I wouldn’t wear then for a formal occasion, but office as wear with a suit, they have always been accepted. So you don’t have to drop a fortune for an elegant watch. You just have to be willing to wear vintage and stray from what the crowds are clamoring for.
I have worn a gold Rolex for many years until I was introduced to an Apple watch as part of study. After 5 years, I couldn’t live without it. The watch is a computer on your wrist and a telephone. I dress it up by switching bands to go with my clothing.
Daily driver here (at least not during WFH) is a gold Rolex Datejust 2…a little large perhaps but a quality piece.
The Dress option is a teenaged Rolex Cellini. Much simpler and to the point of this article as compared to today’s Cellini. When I bought it I specifically went to the Rolex website to find a dress watch that I liked, and there were zero. I found my Cellini at a Rolex authorized shop that was relocating and got it for two songs.
PS I love my Allen Edmonds Acheson loafers, so comfy! I got them primarily for my “Bermuda/Caribbean” outfitting.
As a fan of vintage lcd watches, I don’t like that you show a broken Casio. I have two Casios from the 80’s and they work these days too. Although, they aren’t properly with black tie. But Casio, Seiko, Citizen, etc. made very good and quality lcd watches.
I am a young highschool student and i have a wild range of watch brands. I started out with decent but cheap brands like Lige, Timex, and swatches. They brought me joy in the fact that all my buddies would stop, look, and say, “woah dude, nice rolex!” I have recently been gifted an omega seamaster by my beloved grandfather- an avid collector of classics- and am blown away. My friends and teachers would treat the seamaster like my 40 dollar timex. I believe that people are losing intrest because of the simple fact that cheap watches are starting to look as good as expensive watches, and why buy either when you could buy a phone on your wrist for 100 bucks? I love your articles, and at 18 years old, I hope one day I can become as classy as you gentlemen. Have a blessed day.