Choosing a Watch
An expensive mechanical watch can seem, to some segments
of the population, to be the ultimate frivolously pointless
purchase. After all, a relatively cheap digital watch will
often be more accurate and more water resistant than any
Rolex, for example.
But then, like many of the finer things in life, a
brutally functionalist view of the product often leads to
its intrinsic values being overlooked. The luxury watch may
not be quantifiably better in pure performance than a watch
that is one tenth of its price, but, as an item of
jewellery, and therefore viewed from an aesthetic
standpoint, the position is often reversed.
And it is the wristwatch’s status as the single
acceptable item of male jewellery that necessitates
considerable prudence in the process of purchasing what
should be an object that attains some longevity in your
life. A watch is an item through which individuality can be
expressed, but this should never be at the expense of good
taste.
1) Gold is rarely good
Almost all of the renowned Swiss matchmakers produce
versions of their watches with gold bracelets and/or cases.
In all bar a minority of situations these should be avoided,
especially if the watch in question is a sports or diving
watch. Gold watches are the preserve of tin pot dictators,
pimps and gangsters.
2) Match the watch to the occasion
If you are the sort of person who is rarely seen sans
suit, then a dress watch would be more appropriate than
something bulky and waterproof to one hundred atmospheres.
Conversely, something like a Patek Phillipe dress watch will
look ridiculous when worn with shorts and a t-shirt on a
tropical beach.
This may give the impression that multiple watches are
necessary, and this may be an option for some, but there are
watches available that successfully bridge the gap between
formality and casualness. See The List for more guidance on
individual models.
3) Don’t follow the herd
Modern Daytonas and Submariners are nice watches, but
their ubiquity (as with many watches) somewhat undermines
their status these days. An alternative, for those wishing
for greater exclusivity without the associated costs of
bespoke or limited edition timepieces, is something vintage;
for example, a 1970s Rolex Explorer II, or a 1960s Heuer
Carrera.
Similarly, some of the lesser known Swiss brands produce
excellent watches that do not trade solely on public
perception of an illustrious past- the Zenith El Primero is
a fine example of this.
4) Simplicity good; ostentation bad
This is an overarching theme of Bonne Gauche’s manifesto
– it is poor taste to discuss one’s wealth, and even poorer
taste to flaunt it through timepieces drenched in gaudiness.
A general guide for those unsure is to avoid anything
that is also worn by:
a) Someone who drives a Porsche Cayenne b) Footballers’
wives c) Dictators/oil barons d) Any sports stars, with the
exception of some racing drivers
5) Check the movement
Part of the appeal of a luxury watch is the knowledge
that it contains a highly intricate and precision engineered
mechanism, which is almost a comforting notion in these days
of throwaway electronic devices.
However, many of the mid-priced brands utilise quartz
movements in their lower end models, and whilst there is
nothing inherently wrong with this (quartz is actually
essential for certain applications, such as timepieces with
extremely thin cases), a mechanical movement is somehow more
satisfying, and implies a sense of craftsmanship, even if
the watch is mass produced. The rare exception to this rule
is the Breitling
B1.
Taste is subjective, but there are limitations to the
validity of this as an aesthetic viewpoint. Follow the five
simple steps above and you shouldn’t be too far removed from
what Plato may have viewed as the ‘form’ of the watch – the
perfect example, of which all others are only imitations
that share more or fewer of its features.
