My dear WorldTempus family, the end of October is nigh. Halloween approaches, as I am vigorously reminded on almost every corner — draped with fake cobwebs, festooned with glow-in-the-dark skeletons, adorned with wind-up flappy-winged plastic bats — in New York City, where I currently am. (To be perfectly honest, I am actually sitting on the floor of my hotel room bathroom, the only spot I can get functional wi-fi, but let’s not ruin the illusion of spooky autumnal bliss.) As I discovered in conversation with a fellow passenger on the flight over here, there are people who actively enjoy horror movies. They seek that rush of exhilaration and adrenaline that comes from watching a machete-wielding murderer clad in the skins of his previous victims pursue screaming teenagers through the woods, while they munch popcorn from the safety of their living room sofa.
I am not one of these people. I enjoy peace and tranquillity, and have zero desire to give my nervous system reason to freak out when I happen to walk past my hallway mirror in the middle of the night. I like my adrenaline in slightly more controlled, smaller doses. How small are we talking? About the size of a wristwatch. So if you’ve been scratching your head and losing sleep over the question of what watch to wear with your spectacular Halloween outfit this year, fear not! You’ve come to the right place.
DE BETHUNE MAESTRI’ART CEMPASÚCHIL II
Sex and death are intrinsically linked, they say. I can see their point, whoever “they” are. The organisms that live the longest (possibly forever) do not engage in the act of mating. There’s this species of jellyfish that apparently lives forever, those huge trees that date back to prehistoric times — jellyfish and trees are not exactly known for their passionate love lives. Mortality comes hand in hand with raging libidos, it would seem. The De Bethune Maestri’Art Cempasúchil II turns that link into art, decorating both dials of a Kind Of Two watch with two Mexican calaveras. One dial shows them doing some sort of courtship dance, and the other side shows, ahem, the eventual outcome of said courtship dance. While the skeletons may seem to be the most obvious link with Halloween, we’ve actually chosen this watch for its stunning engraving, executed by Michèle Rothen. After all, if you had to choose something to take your breath away, you’d go with a watch rather than the serial killer hiding behind a bush with a length of rope in his hands.
TRILOBE NUIT FANTASTIQUE NIGHT MIST
Things that go bump in the night are par for the course on Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve — a reminder of this day’s religious roots. It is the day before (hence the eve) All Hallows’ Day, otherwise known as the Feast of All Saints. In essence it is a day of remembrance, notably canonised religious figures, though in theory it could extend to any departed person. The fanciful idea of ghosts returning in the night most likely stems from this, and there’s nothing more appropriate for this concept than a watch that evokes fantastical tales and misty midnights featuring shadowy figures.
Nuit Fantastique Brume © Trilobe
CARTIER BAIGNOIRE FULL PAVÉE
Halloween isn’t just about creepy costumes and haunted house décor. A lot of the time, it’s just a fun night to play dress up. Ask any parent who’s spent an evening wading through an ocean of five-year-olds in Elsa outfits trying to find that one sugar-stimulated child who shares their DNA. They might not agree that it was a fun night, though. And princess costumes aren’t the sole domain of children under 10 — if you’ve been dreaming of wrapping yourself in blue gauze and lilac silk, gluing a platinum wig on your head and bellowing “Let it go” at householders who insist their trick or treat candy is only for kids, October 31 is your chance to shine! And if you want something to amp up that icy princess sparkle, the Cartier Baignoire fully set with diamonds should be at the top of your list. Bonus spooky reference in the name of the watch to one of the most iconic horror film scenes of all time — Alfred Hitchcock, Janet Leigh, you know the one.
Baignoire © Cartier
PANERAI SUBMERSIBLE CHRONO NAVY SEALS
There are lots of you (us) out there who don’t particularly see Halloween as an evening to play dress up or take a walk on the macabre side. Some of you (us) just want an excuse to go out and have a good time. The morning of the first of November is infamous for its parade of post-party zombies, far more terrifying than anything seen the night before, guaranteed to inspire fear and loathing in the morally upstanding members of the public. If you’re looking for a watch that can last the entire evening of alcohol-obliterated memories with you and come out still looking ready for action, this is the watch for you. It’s built to take on harsh conditions and extreme activities, and if that’s not the perfect description of most of the Halloween parties I’ve been to, I don’t know what is.
Submersible Chrono Navy SEALs © Panerai
