[F]or many years I didn’t know the source of my fascination with wristwatches. I’ve heard some theories. I’ve heard that men aren’t allowed to accessorize, and the wristwatch became our only outlet for expression in jewelry. I’ve heard it’s a status symbol. I’ve heard it’s a proud anachronism in a day and age of smartphones all having a clock. All those things are true, but I eventually realized that for me, the wristwatch is a connection to the 19th century and a time when a man aspired to be a gentleman.
There seem to be two ways for a man to become a watch collector. One to receive a good watch upon graduation and, a decade or so later when one has become established in their field and is thriving, upgrade to something more suited to an executive. The other is to decide at some point to jump in and start collecting. I’ll start with the latter, and meet up with the former.
The best first watch to buy is the Seiko Orange Monster SKX781. This number will be followed by a J if you’re lucky, indicating Japanese manufacture, or a K, indicating it’s Korean made. No difference in quality. Just one of those details. The Monster is a monster. A big hunk of polished stainless steel with a safety orange face. Bulletproof nylon movement. A bezel that spins with the smooth confidence of the dial on a bank vault. Incredible lume on the hands and markers. Expect to pay about $200 US. Have the band adjusted by a professional, as it’s an intricate and tedious series of pins and collars. Watch them do it if you can and you’ll see the size of the spring bars and pins compared to other watches is noticeable. It truly is a monster. If all you know of Seiko are the cheap digital watches on that spinning rack by the checkout at your local big box electronics store, you’ll be amazed.
The Orange Monster is an automatic. What this means, if you aren’t familiar with the term, is that the watch is wound by the movement of your arm as you move about during your day. There is a small eccentric rotor, and it spins and winds the watch. There are other systems that use the motion of your arm to charge a battery. An automatic watch has no battery and winds a proper mainspring that stores energy and powers the movement. Almost all automatic watches have a clutch that allows the rotor to spin freely once the mainspring is wound completely. This prevents damage to the watch from overwinding. All automatic watches, naturally, tell the time. Most have a window that also displays the date. Some display the day as well. Anything beyond that, like a stopwatch – watchmakers call it a chronograph – or a moon phase display or a second time zone indicator are called complications.
Many people are surprised to learn that expensive automatic watches are often less accurate than a $50 Timex. The testing required to be certified as a Swiss Chronometer is stringent – they are Swiss, after all – but even a certified Swiss chronometer will drift by seconds per day and will need to be reset every two weeks or so. There’s nothing wrong with it. This is just a part of wearing an automatic. The watch will need to be serviced, usually every 5 years. Most of the big European brands have a service center in the US, so the turnaround time is much faster than it used to be. Expect to pay up to $500 for this service.
Automatic watches work best after they’re worn in a bit – say 3 to 6 months – and the accuracy will stabilize noticeably. It’s best to always keep some tension on the mainspring, and to keep the watch moving so the lubrication used throughout doesn’t thicken and bind. For this reason I recommend a watch winder if you plan to have multiple watches, or if you take your watch off long enough for the mainspring to wind down. For most autos this is about 48 hours, although there are 7 day mainsprings. Get a winder that moves in two directions or randomly, as some watches can be damaged by winding them in one direction only.
[/col_5] [col_5]Automatic watches work best after they’re worn in a bit – say 3 to 6 months – and the accuracy will stabilize noticeably. It’s best to always keep some tension on the mainspring, and to keep the watch moving so the lubrication used throughout doesn’t thicken and bind. For this reason I recommend a watch winder if you plan to have multiple watches, or if you take your watch off long enough for the mainspring to wind down. For most autos this is about 48 hours, although there are 7 day mainsprings. Get a winder that moves in two directions or randomly, as some watches can be damaged by winding them in one direction only.
Wristwatches – particularly the sport style – are usually water resistant. The depth to which a watch will keep water out is measured in meters, and sometimes in atmospheres or BARs. Keep in mind that the depth a watch can be safely worn to is listed in static units, which do not take movement into consideration. Since water is nearly incompressible, the movement of the watch underwater can create a wave of pressurized water in front of it that is dramatically higher than the static pressure of the depth you are diving or snorkeling at. If you are a diver you’re well aware of this. For everyone else, assume a minimum water resistance of 100M for a watch to be worn for showering, washing the car, and playing in the pool. For swimming and snorkeling, double that. For actual diving 500M is a good minimum.
If and when you decide to go beyond something like the Orange Monster most of your options will be Swiss made. There are also some exceptional American watch companies, notably Kobold. Hamilton, while still an American company, is being made by their parent company in Switzerland. Despite their price, most high-end watches are made by very small companies that always seem to be on the edge of bankruptcy and acquisition. Ownership changes frequently, so do a bit of research to make sure the money you spend ends up where you want it to end up, if that’s a priority to you. The biggest names are all familiar. Rolex, Omega, IWC and Tag Heuer. I also like Graham, Doxa, and Sinn. There are dozens of others, and more trying to make an entry into the business every year. Do some research, as the players change frequently.
Prices become fragmented at this point depending on which direction you want to move in. A Hamilton Khaki Frogman automatic starts at around $600, or you can get a Rolex Submariner for $4K. Both are fine watches, and both do exactly the same thing; time, date, one direction bezel. Deciding which one is best for you is completely subjective. Similarly, an Omega Seamaster chronograph, used, might set you back $2’000, while a new Seamaster with no complications would be twice that. Shop around, be patient, and try to stay with brick and mortar if possible. eBay and Craigslist have a well earned bad reputation when it comes to watches.
Sport watches are acceptable business dress nearly all the way to the top. At some point a sport watch, no matter how expensive, will become inappropriate. Until you get to that point, and if you like to play hard and only want one ‘real’ watch to wear all the time, get a Swiss diver. There are also racing watches and nav watches, used for motorsport and aviation, respectively. These are still considered sport watches, but they have a much smaller profile as they aren’t as water resistant and can have a thinner case. Nearly everything at this level is stainless steel, but gold and platinum are available for some models. Depends on how you like to roll. All of these choices will be acceptable business attire and an acceptable status symbol outside the workplace. And that last part, that’s just one of those unpleasant facts of life. Whether it’s right or wrong, the reality is we’re initially judged on appearances. First impressions matter. You may be running down to Home Depot on a Sunday morning in cutoffs and flip-flops, but there is still a part of your presentation that confirms to the world that you’re a man who takes himself seriously, and who expects to be taken seriously by others.
[/col_5] [/row]And one final thing. When you finally get to the corner office – if that’s what you strive for – that’s when the bling quotient switches from how burly a watch is to how thin it is. This is the aspect of wristwatches that truly amazes me. This dying art, this 19th century engineering triumph, that aims to fit dozens – sometimes hundreds – of tiny, intricate pieces into a case smaller than a pack of matches that will get knocked around on a man’s wrist and stay powered – but not overpowered – for years and years. Check out the IWC Grand Complication. That rig comes with additional date plates for the century changes. Four of them, to be exact. It’s a watch designed to make it halfway through the millennium. I can’t think of anything else being built in our world today that has such ambition.
Words and Self-Portrait by: William Johnston