The Three Watches You Need

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The Three Watches You Need - Editorial
3 minutes read
A timepiece guide unlike the others…

Let’s try a little experiment. Do a search online for “best watches” or “essential watches” or “how to start a watch collection” — something along those lines. What you’ll find is usually prescriptive lists of existing watches, usually written by someone trying to project a specific view of watchmaking onto you. Like, this is good, this is bad. This is nice, this is not. You should like this, you shouldn’t like this. Here’s the thing: I don’t think lists like these are particularly useful, simply because personal taste is so subjective. Also, these lists tend not to endure in terms of longevity and relevance; they mostly consist of watches launched within a year of the article.

It’s all right to have this kind of list if you’re looking for a straightforward gift guide that recurs from year to year. The best selection in stores this year for Mother’s Day, the hottest Christmas 2021 watches, stuff like that. But when it comes to advice that will be applicable whether it’s one year from now or in the next decade, you want something based on sound principles, not product references that come and go. And that’s the kind of advice needed when you’re thinking about what your personal watch collection should look like.

Without further delay, here are the three types of watches you want to have in your collection. Use this in conjunction with a big dose of your own judgement.

The Best Version Of You

You slap this watch on when you want — no, you need — your day to go exceptionally well. An important meeting or interview. Meeting your girlfriend’s parents. Giving your first TED talk. Whatever it is, even if the people around you don’t know anything about watches and there’s no point trying to impress them with what’s on your wrist, the aim is to make you feel like you’re on top of your game. You want to feel like Nadal on clay, like Hamilton at Silverstone, like Mariah at Madison Square Garden. For me, that’s my Rolex Daytona ref. 16528 that belonged to my dad. (Technically it’s still his, but I’m not giving it back.)

 
 
 
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The BFF

This watch is your wingman, the Sam to your Frodo, the Ron to your Harry, the Chewie to your Han, the Thelma to your Louise. Whatever stupid ideas you have, he’s there with you all the way, and he never lets you down or spills your secrets. Choose something you don’t have to lavish a lot of attention on, because the point is that the watch is looking after you, not the other way around. Something tough, something with a long power reserve, something that makes you look good, something reliable and chronometer-certified, something water-resistant and scratchproof that won’t show any signs of what you got up to last night when you were out with the boys (or girls). Mine’s a black PVD-coated Panerai Luminor Marina 8 Days. You get the idea.

 
 
 
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The Non-Guilty Pleasure

This may not sound like an essential watch in anyone’s collection, but I assure you it is. It’s the watch that everyone says you shouldn’t get. It’s the watch that you don’t want to wear around your other collector friends because they start making fun of you. It’s the watch that says the most about you and what you really like. It’s the watch that makes your collection yours and no one else’s. I’m known to be strongly feminist, with an affinity for technical watches, so people tend to think I’m not into gem-set quartz watches or whatever, but you’d be surprised. I’ll say no more at this point — tell me yours and maybe I’ll tell you mine.

 

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