Watch encounters in the wild (bar, restaurant) end awkward

Life can be tough, hang in there buddy. I think that most people with nice watches just bought a nice watch and don’t think about it anymore. And to be honest, I dont usually engage in much conversation with strangers. That said, if you ask about my watch, I’ll definitely talk to you. 
 

It may be tough to find them, but there are watch people out there. 
 

Cheers. 

Nope, never happens to me cuz I never say anything to anyone about their watch, ESPECIALLY in the loo. 

C’mon man, urinal is the best spot for conversation. And eye contact. Lots of eye contact. 

I have had relatively good experience with chatting about watches with strangers. Elevator usually is best because you're both trapped in there and it can be awkward. Mentioning their watch can generally break the ice.

One time I complimented a guy on his classic Monaco and he was really chuffed that someone noticed the watch. I mean you wear a Monaco so that people know that you are different than the typical Rolex crowd.

In business meetings it can also work really well while you're waiting for the meeting to start. I was sitting next to our President in an Executive Committee meeting and I saw that he was wearing an FPJ Chronometre Bleu. I complimented him on his FPJ and he was really surprised that I knew about the watch. Made for nice light conversation.

If they diss you, then it's their loss - they just missed the chance to connect with another human being over a shared interest.

Yup. Happened tonight actually. I was wearing my G shock, which going out, is a rare occasion indeed. Saw another guy at the bar and he also had a similar model G shock. I said to him "I see you got the memo. It's G shock night". He looked down, saw my watch, gave me a fist bump and a smile. 

I've had rather good experiences as well. 

My best random watch conversations in order.

1. Sinn 104 - learned about the countdown bezel
2.  A Lange und Sohne Datograph - spent a pleasant hour at a very nice cocktail bar with a somewhat underdressed gentleman who will be worth far far more money than I ever will.
3.  Ciga Design Blue Planet - made fun of my Roadster by calling it a Franck Muller.  I asked him why wear a watch when you can't read it anyway.  We are now watch buddies.

My worst conversations in reverse order.

3. Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean - "this isn't a seamaster.  This is a planet ocean."

2. Breitling Navitimer 38 - "it's better than a Rolex" 

1. Rolex GMT Master II - "Rolex has a special technology that means you don't need to change the battery.  No one else has it."

I have learned not to bother with submariners or bb58s.  Muggle to enthusiast ratio is too high.

One of my problems is that it’s hard to tell what somebody‘s wearing without staring. So it’s kind of a leap of faith…is that watch made over the course of 29 months by 3 87 year old Swiss men, or is it for sale in Skymall? And I’m terrified I’ll have to spend an hour listening to some guy extol the virtues of his Bolex. 

Sky mall - that’s a throw back….

Love that black bay!

Whenever a medical worker is taking my pulse, if they aren't using a phone or smartwatch, I want to say something. I did once. I think it was some big rugged looking SKMEI digital. It's not like that was picked up locally so I figured there would be some worthwhile response. 

Nope, the young lady said it was an old watch from her father. If you're thinking there was some sentimentality in this, you are mistaken. It seemed much more like she needed a watch and dad had an extra one lying around, the end. Womp womp.

BTW, back when I wore my Mickey Mouse watch more, pulse takers would comment on it a good portion of the time.

Man, that comment about the Rolex not needing a battery is classic. You wonder how that person got successful enough in other aspects of life to even afford a watch like that if they didn't know enough to research even a single thing about the watch they are wearing.

Rolex owners (and I say this as a Rolex owner) are pretty freaking cliche sometimes.

Yeah I was at Black Bear Diner and some dude was wearing a Tag Heuer Monaco. I walked up to the table and said, "beautiful Monaco, man!" He looked at me like I had just accused him of stealing a Slurpee from the nearest 7-Eleven. 

Being honest, we mostly just use the wall clock. 

Yes! Just yesterday I saw this woman with a very cool Queen Elizabeth Swatch so I complimented it and she was so excited to talk about it.  Apparently the Queen changes colors throughout the day. She took no notice whatsoever of the watch I was wearing 😂

I'm intrigued by the special technology.

I'll occasionally say a quiet "nice watch", but I try not to make a big deal about it or draw attention to them.

I just remembered another one ... complimented someone at a party on his Sub. He said it was given to him for his tenth year anniversary at work (he's a manager at a meat rendering plant ... ). Went to take my own watch off my wrist to show him ... and the rotating bezel on my watch fell off in my hand! I did a quick redirect and we stopped talking about watches. (My watch was no Sub--it was an Nth.)

I’ve encountered some real weirdos, so I don’t say anything anymore. Weird as in I would not be surprised if I found out their watch came from the guy locked up in their basement. So I say nothing, and if I’m approached I usually just say “Thank you. My wife got it for me”. That puts off most of them. If they press on, they get “I just like the way it looks” and they shuffle off, my secret identity intact.

i no rite??!?!?!

I do wonder what people think about how watches were powered before batteries were invented.

Maybe they believe that all watches were rolexes.

Either that or they felt you wanted to steal their watch 😀

Not everyone who has a nice watch is into watches.  Sometimes its gifted to them and they hardly bother to even read or google it up.  An acquaintance was wearing a Speedmaster moonwatch.  And I asked them about it, and they said, "Oh yeah, it's a Moonwatch".  And like the conversation ended there. He either was not interested to talk about it or about watches overall because he probably bought it because it looked nice. Sometimes when you talk to another enthusiast, their face will light up slightly since you actually recognise their timepiece.

Busted. It was nice to meet you even briefly and no wonder you didn’t speak with me when I clearly said dial and meant bezel.  I was nervous 😬 😂 

Well, let''s chalk one up to the negative experiences

Complimented someone on a blue datejust, fluted bezel, oyster bracelet in the elevator this morning (I think it's a 126334 but despite @celinesimon 's best efforts Rolex references confuse me).

"Man, this isn't a datejust, this is a ROLEX."

Sigh.

When I was once in the Navy we went out on bars and night clubs. We had guys that gotten there Rolex or nice watch stolen out there without a trace because they got so dam drunk and wasted.

I very much keep to myself when I'm out, except when I see someone wearing a watch that I either recognize or at least looks like it has potential to be a cool watch. If I recognize the brand, I just say, "Hey, man. I like your Omega!" If I can't recognize the brand or reference but it seems like it could be something other than a fashion watch, I say "Hey! I like your watch!" Multiple times I've gotten some pretty awesome responses and even some conversations about watches. The least chatty ones simply say "Oh, thanks, man!" and nothing else. My favorite interaction to date was a guy wearing a gold Rolex Datejust on a camo nato strap! Haha. I instantly recognized it as a Datejust and since I'm a nato guy, was floored to see it on a camo one no less! Assuming that only someone into watches would do that, I enthusiastically went up to him and told him that it was next levels of cool wearing a Datejust on a camo nato. THAT ended up being a cool interaction. He was super stoked someone appreciated it. 

I relate to this and my results have varied over the years but have trended toward awkward. Totally agree with @Edge168n, NEVER engage a Rolex Sub wearer because many (but not all) Sub wearers aren't really watch people. I also never engage anyone I know to work in sales for the same reason. I was at once at an extended family gathering and spotted one of the husbands wearing a pre-ceramic bezel Sub and I commented on how nice it was and at first, he forgot the model name, then proceeded to pronounce it "SUB-muh-REEN-err" SMH! That ended that conversation real quick. 

Pre-pandemic when I traveled for business (virtually non-existent now) I constantly saw great watches when boarding planes and was able to strike up some good conversations with some people wearing them. I once found myself in a Vegas hotel elevator with an older gent who lo' and behold had an original GMT Master Pepsi with the Bakelite bezel on his wrist. Wow was that neat to see and strike up a conversation about! 

On the receiving end, I remember one time leaving an Apple store and having someone essentially follow me out because they saw my Daytona and come out and ask "is that the new ceramic Daytona? Wow I've never seen one in person!" Obviously a fellow enthusiast so we engaged in a cordial and quick chat about it. 

I myself have stopped doing it because I don't want to call needless attention to several thousand dollars parked on someone's wrist. Doing so in a public situation where you don't know who is listening is downright dangerous these days. Obviously this is a very first-world problem and specific negative surrounding Rolex and other hyped luxury brands. Nonetheless, it's a very real problem with potentially dire consequences.

After enduring many awkward interactions, I've found that instead of opening with "Nice watch!" it's better to start with "Do you collect watches by any chance?" 

Potential scenario #1: "Uh, no, why?"

"Oh, I just noticed that the watch that you're wearing is a favorite among collectors. Bye now." 

Potential scenario #2: "Why yes I do!" Watch buddies for life. 

It depends,I usually don't say anything unless it's a pretty chill situation but usually I go,"cool watch. " And leave it at that. I'm always up for random watch talk, but don't really expect much. But people still like having their watches complimented. Great ice breaker for customers FYI. 

I was recently having lunch with my wife at a Mexican restaurant and I noticed the waiter's modded skx.  He walked away and I said to my wife, "he has to be a watch guy, he has a modded watch on.  Should I say something?"  She said, "nah."  About 20 minutes later he brought us the check and said to me, "Is that an SPB you are wearing?"  We chatted about watches for a few minutes, he was a super nice guy.  We have been back a few times and he always gets us in his section and we chat about watches a bit.