The "Everyday" Watch

In Esquire magazine's Novemeber issue, attention was given to watches; specifically on building one's watch wardrobe to include a weekend watch, an everyday watch, and then the more exotic "Third" and "Fourth" watches. To focus on the majority of us who want maximum versatility, I wanted to emphasize today the importance of the "Everyday Watch," which should work well with casual wear as well as a two-piece suit and well-shined shoes.

The everyday watch should be professional and sensible, but at the same time, need not be a slim and uncomplicated dressy number. The everday watch should do more than tell you just the hour and the minute: functionality is very important here, so select a watch with one or more complications. To simplify the definition, complications are any features on the dial of a watch that do something other than tell the time. The most common complication is a date window, allowing one to reference the date as well as the time. Sometimes watches display a day of the week as well, which would serve as yet another complication.

Chronographs (stopwatch capabilites) are a handy feature, allowing us to get slightly indulgent when measuring elapsed time (yes, indulgent: you will at some point clock the time of everything from your coffee break to your convenience store run, no matter how unimportant the data). Automatic chronograph watches can get quite pricey, so this will probably mean searching for a nicer quartz version, but this will also insure paramount accuracy.

For an everyday watch, durability is also key. The amount of wear the watch receives may lend itself better to a metal band rather that leather; leather may wear like iron but can over the days and weeks and months and years get a little... funky. I'm sure you know what I mean.

The last (and possibly the most important) feature one should require for his everyday watch is an analog readout. We're looking for a professional watch that gives your credibility at the office here, so save the digital watch for the weekend. I repeat; "Your everyday watch should absolutely not be digital".

My everyday watch is shown above, and while I used to cycle through a multitude of watches throughout the week, this quartz chronograph from Swiss manufacturer Ebel has become my old trusty and works with about anything I could wear, short of a tuxedo. It measures elapsed hours, minutes, seconds, and get this... tenths of a second... the perfect feature to allow exceptional indulgence when clocking my coffee breaks.
Until next time,
Cheers!
-Paul

Time-Lines

Hello again, and thank you to those of you who keep checking in on this page. I appreciate your support.

Today we'll being talking watches, but of a very specific type. Today we discuss the vintage digital watch. Now when I say "vintage digital", I'm not talking about a black plastic monstrosity with an integrated calculator. I'm talking about stark, minimalist lines. There are a great many brands that produced some interesting vintage styles. Our example piece today is by Seiko. This watch (pictured) pays homage to vintage designs, however this one is not really vintage itself. The Seiko cal. W524, or "Nooka" was produced as a limited run a mere decade ago, and the designer launched his own brand (yes... Nooka) when Seiko decided against producing more licensed products.

I like this watch a lot more than the current Nooka offerings. A quick Google search for the brand may clue you in as to why, but I am getting off topic. After all, my watch is simply an example to point you in the right direction.

The reason I plug the old-school vintage watch is because adding one to an otherwise dressy outfit throws just the right unexpected twist in to shake things up... it's an eye-catching piece that jars and sets the precision of the rest of the outfit into relief. The boxy, architectural lines provide sophistication, but the digital readout on the screen injects a very special playfulness into one's ensemble, and consequently, into one's demeanor. The informality issue can be avoided by paying attention to the following:

It is because of the suggested pairing with a suit or jacket and tie that metal is the desired medium for this watch. Stay away from plastic. Blending a chunky plastic G-Shock with a suit should stay reserved for U.S. presidents. It DOES... NOT... LOOK...COOL. After all, we're talking about a digital watch here. That in and of itself is informal enough.

If you like the watch pictured, they can still be found online by searching for the Seiko cal. W524, but eBay is rich with other vintage offerings that may grab you even more. Keep to the guidelines we discussed, and happy hunting.

Until Next Time,

Cheers!

-Paul