In the ever-mad world of wristwear, a new era of freedom (and tiny watches) is reshaping how people are wearing a watch, which is ultimately impacting the overall culture of timepieces. To bring some order to our everyday horological habits, Brynn Wallner (aka Dimepiece) peers into the zeitgeist to find a fresh collection of commandments we should all embrace – starting with a fairly taboo one.
When things are getting hot, surely you’re not concerned about taking off your wristwear? A little spicy spontaneity is important, so if things go down and you happen to be wearing your daily driver, the Rolex stays on. Are things different for a hardcore watch guy, though? Is it a turn-on to catch a glimpse of your newly acquired grail in the act? As Lawrence Schlossman, co-host of the religiously listened-to Throwing Fits podcast puts it: “If you’re pointedly keeping your favourite timepiece on during the sacred act of beating cheeks, you’re worried about the wrong face, hands, and movement, brother.”
Within the context of certain workplaces it’s not uncommon to see a junior member of staff rocking a big boy watch. But if you want to be taken seriously, is the best practice for an entry-level employee to lay low? Industry co-creator Mickey Down acknowledges watches as a way to signal status within the cut-throat finance world. “If someone buys a Day-Date, and another person on the same salary buys a Patek, it's a little bit strange because they both know what they are, and what they do,” says Down. On the flip side, the other co-creator of Industry, Konrad Kay, notes the very deliberate anti-trend thing super established finance guys do is “wear a fucking Garmin watch. Or even a Casio. It’s its own flex in a way.”
Earlier this year, NBA player Kyle Kuzma posted this on Instagram stories: “If you’re over 6’4”, put the Cartier watches down – it’s time lol.” (He clarified a Cartier Crash is fine.) Is he right? “The watch should match the man,” says Chris Black, my favourite men’s fashion snob, GQ columnist and co-host of the hit podcast How Long Gone. “Having a dainty little timepiece on a big vascular arm doesn’t look good. You want proportion and balance. Make sure you choose correctly,” he adds. Exceptions exist (hi Mohammad Ali and his Tiny Tank), but best you use your judgement and consider the big picture.
This one goes out to the ladies. Wait, we’re talking about watches? OK, everyone listen up. You may be surprised to hear that the market for fake watches today is worth billions of dollars, with an estimated 40 million sold a year to those trying to keep up with the Joneses. Investing in a watch is ultimately an investment in yourself – so what does it say about you if you invest in something that’s fake – even if it’s a really well done “super-clone” undetectable by anyone without a loupe? If you can’t afford that grail Patek Philippe, be a man and come to terms with that (or buy a lot of lottery tickets).
I hear a lot of “It was my grandpa’s. I love wearing it, but it stopped working and I just haven’t gotten around to servicing it”. OK, go get it serviced. Personally, I think it’s casually dignified to have your watch keep the time. And it’s a chance to not look at your screen. Anyone not keeping it set is bluntly admitting to wearing a watch for the vanity of it. If that’s you, whatever, do you but isn’t it nice to actually use something for what it’s designed to do? As Adrian Douzmanian of Very Special says, “It takes two minutes at most to set your watch. Tighten up!”
Leaving the house in the TikTok era means you’re prone to pretty much any previously-considered-private inquiry. ‘What’s on your wrist?’ though has been asked long before social media, making it, within reason, socially acceptable. Some people want none of it, so respect that. But the happy truth is most watch wearers are excited to talk about their watches. At a party, I’ll always ask someone I don’t know about their wrist candy because it’s a great conversation starter. And, almost always, I get enthusiastic stories about where they acquired it (“It was my mum’s!”), why they love it (“I bought it for myself when I turned 30!”), and what they want next (“A Datejust like yours!”).
Your watch will get cleaned during routine servicing. This is the standard – but there are exceptions. If I may: on a recent visit to Sotheby’s, I took off my Cartier Tank Française to try on a forthcoming lot. To my horror, there were black smudges on my skin. Rich Lopez, senior VP of Sotheby's Watches, kindly whisked my watch away to steam it using the in-house machinery. Due to the way the links are configured, my Tank had accumulated an embarrassing amount of grime that was rubbing off on my wrist. Life happens, so don’t be shy to hit your local repair shop if she could use a bath.
If you’re considering diamonds, sapphires or rainbows, look in the mirror and ask: is this something I will actually wear? Or am I just getting a little trigger-happy because I saw how cool that vintage gem-set Patek looked on Bad Bunny at the Laker’s game? There’s a fine line between going out of your comfort zone in the name of fashion and spiralling off the rails by buying into bling that never sees the light of day. Stay wise, kids.
The standard rule-of-thumb is: wear a watch on your non-dominant hand. But some collectors have imbued this choice with a sense of spirituality. Yoni Ben-Yehuda, head of watches at Material Good, is a righty and, challenging the rule, wears his watches on the right wrist. “When I was 16, my stepfather had just passed away, and shortly after that, my mom bought me my first real watch,” he shares. “I put it on my right hand because no one was around to correct me. Eventually, I would learn that’s ‘wrong’, but I’ve kept it there, below a tattoo of my children. It’s a reminder to always be there for my kids and put them first, even when it’s not comfortable.”
Call me an American psycho but there’s something super sexy about two-tone watches when styled right, à la Patrick Bateman’s gold/steel Seiko with a finance guy suit. My dad got a similar watch when graduating law school, so maybe it’s an ‘80s thing. Is it too gauche a flex today? Douzmanian, of the vintage watch retailer Very Special, acknowledges it does require a little sauce to rock this style. “If you can’t pull it off, that’s on you, and more power to those that can.”
Mixing jewellery and watches, according to artist Aurora Anthony, “is more of a vibe thing.” He has some good tips, too. One: jewellery shouldn’t be bigger than a watch. Two: any watch bigger than 40mm shouldn’t be stacked at all. Anthony says it’s like getting dressed: “Proportions are everything. If you have a cropped jacket, layering a larger hoodie under your jacket looks crazy.” And what about mixing metals? “Yes, it is perfectly fine to do that.”
This ain’t no IKEA chair! If your watch has a complication (aka any function that does more than tell the time), you should learn how it works, even if you never use it in real life. “A watchmaker has studied for many years to master the craft to make a complication and deserves your respect in appreciating how it works – and how to set it,” says Tania Edwards, co-founder of Collectability, an online retailer specialising in Patek Philippe. “By truly understanding watch complications you will enjoy collecting watches even more.” Nerdery nonwithstanding, knowing the ins and outs of how an object works is a way of rebelling against the plummeting standards of our time.
A lot of terminology heard out in the wild is inaccurate. For example, it’s not a watch ‘face’, it’s a ‘dial’. A watch is ticking, but you have no idea whether it’s powered by a battery or... something else? The word you’re looking for is a movement, which can be ‘manual wound’ or ‘automatic’ versus battery-powered quartz. Why should you learn the proper vocabulary for your watch? “So you don’t sound like an idiot,” jokes Isabella Proia of Phillips Watches. “Any subculture has its own language, and when you become part of it, those words tend to become part of you – as long as you’re paying attention.” Which is an eloquent way of saying mastering the language will act as a code for acceptance.
One minute, you’re swearing you don’t follow trends, the next you’re buying a pair of Sambas. It’s difficult not to get lightly swayed by a trend, no matter how fool-proof you consider yourself to be. But if you do follow trends, you can still follow your heart too. Let’s say you’ve been faithful to a 41mm Breitling ever since you got it but are curious about what it’d be like to size down with a JLC Reverso or Piaget Polo, ask yourself this: is it really for me? Will I really wear it? Realistically evaluate your personal style and make your choice accordingly.
When is a watch capital V vintage? The consensus is somewhere floating in between 20 and 30 years old. Alan Bedwell, aka Foundwell, a purveyor of vintage watches and antiques, says 25 years is the sweet spot. “It’s hard to believe something from 2000 is vintage,” he muses. “What does that make me? Fossilised?” The fact he can joke about this says all you need to know. “If you are overthinking what the threshold is for what constitutes a watch ‘vintage’, you’re doing just that: overthinking.”
If you want the Rolex GMT-Master II, don’t buy the knockoff. Instead, get creative and buy something totally unlike it until you save up for the real thing. Call me a snob, but it’s pretty embarrassing to have someone say, “I love your Rolex!” when actually, it’s the Seiko designed to look just like it.
In many cultures throughout Asia and the Middle East, it is customary for a bride and groom to exchange watches in celebration of their wedding – and it’s catching on. After Toronto-based photographer Matthew Machanda popped the question, he was surprised to become the benefactor of an Omega Seamaster. “Usually we give the ring, and if we’re lucky we get a Guinness chocolate-flavoured wedding cake,” Machanda tells me. “For the woman of my dreams to give me a watch I’ve dreamt of since I was a kid – it’s like this massive horological hug from the person you love.”
Asking for box and papers has become a knee-jerk question for new enthusiasts, but prioritising these over quality is a mistake. “It is rare to find watches from 30 years ago with papers. Back then, they were a one-year warranty from the manufacturer. Once that year ended, they held little value and were mostly discarded,” says Bedwell. “If they have paperwork, all the better for it. However, this is not a determining factor.”
There are many reasons why Rolex is so ubiquitous, starting with the fact that most people can actually pronounce the name. (Try saying Jaeger-LeCoultre without a French lesson!) Unlike JLC (go with that, FYI), Rolex is a household name, but this does not make it any less worthy. “A watch known for making it to the top of the highest mountain and the bottom of the deepest sea, Rolex has come to symbolise courage, achievement, and the ability to conquer,” says Geoff Hess, Sotheby’s global head of watches and the founder of RollieFest, a Rolex collector meet-up in New York. “Its popularity should surprise no one.”
Getting ready for a dinner date with that hottie you matched with online, you come to a horological crossroads: modest Omega Speedmaster you know and love, or limited-edition Royal Oak borrowed from a loaded mate? Are you a ‘go big or go home’ guy, or would you feel odd wearing a watch that costs more than most cars? There’s no right answer, but if you decide to go big, probably best you pay the bill.
Is this watch a good investment?! “Our answer is always the same,” says Edwards. “Buy what you love, wear it, and enjoy wearing it.” Yes, some watches fetch millions at auction but don’t be swayed by such occurrences. “Now certain watch brands [such as Rolex and Patek Philippe] and models have achieved the status as an ‘asset class’. This means they are susceptible to the same criteria as any asset class and the stock market – they can go up and they can go down in value,” she continues. The true value is passion and knowledge. “A fine timepiece should be regarded as the work of art that it is.”
When it comes to getting dressed, anyone basing an outfit around their watch first must have a shit ton of watches. Style guru and New York native Elias Marte does have a shit ton of watches but insists it’s best to let the watch be the cherry on top to a good, considered outfit. “Typically, people are seeing more of your outfit than the accessory on your wrist. Only those physically close to you are going to spot the watch,” Marte says. “You want to have a strong outfit, whether it’s seen from a far distance or up close.”
Designed by the British MoD in the ’70s, Nato straps are rugged, made from woven nylon and resistant to water and grime. Thom Bettridge, i-D editor-in-chief, put his Rolex Submariner on one because steel bracelets get sweaty in summer. “I’ve gotten flak for [it], but I’m in good company,” he says. One of the Olsen twins has her Sub on a Nato. “The only no-no is if it’s a watch with an integrated bracelet. I’ve yet to see a Royal Oak on a Nato, and I hope I never do,” adds Bettridge. Reserve the Nato for sports and tool watches. Let your dressy Patek Philippe Calatrava stay dressy.
Emilie Hawtin, founder of Clementina, a tailoring-focused womenswear line, says, “Don’t overthink your watch strap. Black and dark-brown leather are versatile and elegant. Just make sure you don’t wear shoes in a much lighter shade than your watch. And if you do, make sure they’re suede or sneakers.”
A version of this story originally appeared in the December/January 2024 watch supplement issue of GQ with the title “The Dos & Don'ts of Wearing a Watch”
Illustrations by Simon Bailly
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