How not to wear a watch (basically just an excuse to share some cool photos)
When I was down London this weekend meeting up with some of my WatchCrunch besties I had the pleasure of popping into the Watchpro event and seeing some Enoksen watches in the metal and was really taken with their design and ethos.
Yesterday, on my train home, I got on their website to have a mooch around their other offerings and inexplicably fell for the Fly type B, which I didn't actually get see at Watchpro.
I truly can't explain why I love this watch so much, because previously if you had shown me anything similar my response would have been....
.... I'm usually an applied indices, sunburst dial, sword hands kinda person, but watches can continually suprise us, and so I find myself lusting for this one. At £350 it should be a done deal. The problem? It would be HUGE. 46mm excluding the crown, 49.7mm with the crown and a lug to lug of 55mm... It was.... upsetting news when I discovered it's dimensions....
I had to get to thinking about how I could make it work. Now if someone asks on here "Is this watch too big for my wrist?" I am absolutely the first person to be saying "Wear what you love!", but with my tiny sub-6 inch wrist there is a question of comfort and practicality when I'm trying to wear something so big I could eat my dinner off it. I basically need a bigger wrist and one way of doing that would be to wear the watch over clothing.
Yep... I can guess your reactions right now....
In the great iceberg of "How to wear a watch" wearing one over the cuff is pretty dark territory.
I have NEVER seen someone wearing a watch over clothing on here unless it's been for sports related reasons (G-Shock over your coat when you're out cycling) so I needed to look elsewhere for social proof that it was actually 'a thing'.
Google lead me straight to this guy....
.... Gianni Agnelli, a.k.a. the 'Rake of the Riviera' was the owner of Juventus football club, a billionaire industrialist, principal shareholder of Fiat and an Italian senator in his life time, and one of his quirks was wearing a watch over the cuff.
(Great article about this here, where I got my photos: https://revolutionwatch.com/gianni-agnelli-over-the-cuff/)
Although this is the first guy you come across when when you look up "Watch over sleeves" he wasn't the first to be wearing watches this way. While reading about Gianni I came across the writer and poet Jean Cocteau who apparently used to do the same.
https://www.watchonista.com/articles/history/unlikely-watch-collector-gianni-agnelli
He was an ambulance driver in the Red Cross during the Great War and is said to have worn his watch over his sleeve in homage to the soldiers returning from the trenches, though I can't find any pictures of him doing this.
After learning about Jean I started to look through old pictures from WW1 to see how watches were actually worn in the field. (It was actually quite moving looking through the photos)
There seemed to be a mixture of over and under cuff wearing. I imagine most over-the-cuff wearing was through necessity, such as pilots.
Reading about how watches were used in the first world war and how this changed the perception of wrist watches from a ladies accessory to a symbol of pride for men was fascinating, but there are much more knowledgeable people than I on this forum who are better qualified to cover the subject, so I shall leave that to them.
(If you have time to spare then I found this was a great and very detailed article on trench watches: https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/trenchwatches.php)
So back to over-the-cuff watch wearing...
Apparently when soldiers returned from the war those who had developed the habit of wearing their watch over their cuff continued this on in civilian life, and it also had a practical use as it would keep the cuffs of your Sunday best shirt in good condition as the watch case would be rubbing against them if it was worn underneath. Again I can't find any pictures of men wearing watches over their cuffs in the post-war years, so not sure if this is true.
So there endeth the mini-history lesson. Please support me on patreon 😆
After all that I've decided to leave the Fly B watch for now and go with the more modest 39mm type A dial, probably in brown (which looks much nicer than in the pictures), but it was a lot of fun going down the research rabbit hole of watch wearing and I adore looking through old photographs.
Well done if you made it to the end of my ramblings, wear your watches in good health friends and let me know your thoughts and experiences on over-the-cuff wearing... I'm thinking 'alternative ways of watch wearing' should definitely be a WC challenge theme at some point 😁
Part-time 'writter' @ The Escapement Room, the NSFW watch enthusiasts blog. www.theescapementroom.com/
More from DeeperBlue
Over the sleeve is only appropriate if you are dressed for a specific grueling duty like test pilot, soldier, astronaut, or shoveling Snow.
May I introduce you to the Michael Beasley way of wearing watches? 46mm might wear fine on the ankle
It seems, dare I say, eccentric in civilian setting. I understand "Tool Watch" concept, it's also go to know "Tool Wearing a Watch" concept.
Over the sleeve is only appropriate if you are dressed for a specific grueling duty like test pilot, soldier, astronaut, or shoveling Snow.
Excellent! In that case I definitely need a dedicated snow shoveling watch 👍
No worse than putting your pants under your socks…
May I introduce you to the Michael Beasley way of wearing watches? 46mm might wear fine on the ankle
Wow. I need to add that to the iceberg. I think that would probably win the bottom slot.
I would happily wear one like your Michael, but around here if you've got something strapped around your ankle its assumed it's a police tag.
It seems, dare I say, eccentric in civilian setting. I understand "Tool Watch" concept, it's also go to know "Tool Wearing a Watch" concept.
Yeah.... Fair point 😆
Can women get away with it any easier??
Agreed, unless you are fighting, swimming, racing, climbing, or about to cross the channel in your Ju-88, it looks a little forced.
I only consider someone ’stylish’ if they have the comfort and confidence to pull off whatever they’re wearing. Most people are stylish. It has nothing to do with the amount of money things cos or what they are wearingt, it’s how comfortable and effortless you make it look. On the whole, most people are stylish because they’ve worked out what works for them.
A smart suit on someone who has never worn one will immediately make them feel and look awkward. Or someone tottering around in a pair of heels when all they’re used to are trainers or pumps will have the same effect. In isolation, a big/small watch on a small/big wrist may look ‘odd’ but it depends on how the person wears and carries it off. ‘Wear what you love‘ definitely works if we tack on ‘…and you’re comfortable with it’.
That Enoksen deserves plenty of exposure given how driven and passionate the owner was!
I have a patient/client/customer who wears a Datejust over his dress shirt. He said he started wearing it OVER to protect his dress shirts in the 50’s as an attorney. Actually didn’t bother me in person and I didn’t even notice it was over the shirt until he pointed it out. You do you girl.
I only consider someone ’stylish’ if they have the comfort and confidence to pull off whatever they’re wearing. Most people are stylish. It has nothing to do with the amount of money things cos or what they are wearingt, it’s how comfortable and effortless you make it look. On the whole, most people are stylish because they’ve worked out what works for them.
A smart suit on someone who has never worn one will immediately make them feel and look awkward. Or someone tottering around in a pair of heels when all they’re used to are trainers or pumps will have the same effect. In isolation, a big/small watch on a small/big wrist may look ‘odd’ but it depends on how the person wears and carries it off. ‘Wear what you love‘ definitely works if we tack on ‘…and you’re comfortable with it’.
That Enoksen deserves plenty of exposure given how driven and passionate the owner was!
The Enoksen guy (Oliver) really sold the brand to me and I thought the watches, the automatics in particular, were lovely. I'd even wear those massive Deep dives which were 46mm and 18mm thick, but with a more modest lug to lug of 50mm.
Ultimately, I bet guy would send me a 'Fly B' to try out.... 🤔
I have a patient/client/customer who wears a Datejust over his dress shirt. He said he started wearing it OVER to protect his dress shirts in the 50’s as an attorney. Actually didn’t bother me in person and I didn’t even notice it was over the shirt until he pointed it out. You do you girl.
Ultimately, it's only 'watch people' who would even bat an eyelid about it. No one I see on a day to day basis would give a toss 😆
I thought they were ’proportional’ and looked fantastic. Just well executed designs.
If I had to wear one, it’d probably be one of the quartz 36mm (they’d also make a great xmas present for my daughter!).
I think I mentioned that the brown dialled, bronze case pilot just looked a awesome. A colour combination you don’t see that often and reminiscent of the Patek Calatrava Travel Time(s) (without the complications obviously!)
I wear mine on the outside of my dive suit all the time... especially when I'm washing the car or doing the dishes.
I thought they were ’proportional’ and looked fantastic. Just well executed designs.
If I had to wear one, it’d probably be one of the quartz 36mm (they’d also make a great xmas present for my daughter!).
I think I mentioned that the brown dialled, bronze case pilot just looked a awesome. A colour combination you don’t see that often and reminiscent of the Patek Calatrava Travel Time(s) (without the complications obviously!)
The chap mentioned that he hadn't sold one brown dial from the website, but people always seemed to like them in person. I couldn't believe the prices of them to be honest. So much watch for the money.
SanMartin and Tandorio make 39mm bronze type-B fliegers.
Billionaire status aside, I will never be as cool as the dude with the mom jeans and ploprof over his sleeve.
When you think about it - we’re ’watch people’ and we hadn’t hadn’t heard of them - so for the sake of 400-odd quid he could send you one and you could give it some exposure on here (on or off the cuff 😉). If you wanted to keep it, I’m sure he could work out a deal…
So, I messaged Oliver and explained my decision dilemma, and after chatting he's kindly agreed to build me a Fly E03 in bronze with a green dial (team colours 🥳) and an STP1-11. Merry Christmas to me!
Next I will work on convincing him to make the type B a 39mm 😁
Billionaire status aside, I will never be as cool as the dude with the mom jeans and ploprof over his sleeve.
You and me both mate.
So, I messaged Oliver and explained my decision dilemma, and after chatting he's kindly agreed to build me a Fly E03 in bronze with a green dial (team colours 🥳) and an STP1-11. Merry Christmas to me!
Next I will work on convincing him to make the type B a 39mm 😁
How cool is that?! Xmas cannot come soon enough!
An example of where microbrands win - a member of public met the the owner/watchmaker two days ago, they had a chat and had something custom made. All because they believed in each other’s passions. Try that at a Rolex/Patek/Omega/Seiko boutique/AD/meetup….!
When I'm wearing something special I always think? What would Mr. T do? He would just tear those cuffs and sleeve's Off! Can't have fabric coving up the Bling! Bling!
So, I messaged Oliver and explained my decision dilemma, and after chatting he's kindly agreed to build me a Fly E03 in bronze with a green dial (team colours 🥳) and an STP1-11. Merry Christmas to me!
Next I will work on convincing him to make the type B a 39mm 😁
Is this an unofficial UK WC uniform thing then? 😂
Is this an unofficial UK WC uniform thing then? 😂
Well, if anyone wants a custom built green watch to demonstrate their WC love, but the upcoming WC GMT is a few too many £££'s (considering the tax we UKers would also be paying), then folks could do a lot worse than asking Enoksen to make them a custom Fly.
Well, if anyone wants a custom built green watch to demonstrate their WC love, but the upcoming WC GMT is a few too many £££'s (considering the tax we UKers would also be paying), then folks could do a lot worse than asking Enoksen to make them a custom Fly.
Do you have any pics of the Enoksen in “away colours”?
Do you have any pics of the Enoksen in “away colours”?
Not that I've taken myself, I'm afraid not. They have a great selection of dials though, looking at their site, and some different hand colours. They do have a 'build your watch' feature on the website, but the combination I wanted wasn't on there so I messaged him to see if he could do it.
Fascinating post! The photographs of the soldiers and nurses from the Great War are a poignant reminder of the fragility of society that is often held glued-together by something as mundane but cohesive as an over-the-cuff wrist watch.
This crazy dude was flexing a Speedmaster outside his pajamas in this faked moon photo.
Just because it’s cold outside, and because it’s not the first time I have done it, and because of this discussion, here is the ‘watch over glove’ shot… not exactly an over sleeve shot, but my jacket is a bit bigger on me than it used to be:
Black and white to really emphasise that chilly feeling (winter sun lies, it always does) and I am on a ‘hook & loop because don’t say velcro’ strap, so it’s just as intended. Bit of a budget speedy look.
If I end up wearing one over a jumper or cardigan again, I will let you know… but my jumpers can be quite big and would probably need the NASA strap replicas that can be worn by small elephants.
Just because it’s cold outside, and because it’s not the first time I have done it, and because of this discussion, here is the ‘watch over glove’ shot… not exactly an over sleeve shot, but my jacket is a bit bigger on me than it used to be:
Black and white to really emphasise that chilly feeling (winter sun lies, it always does) and I am on a ‘hook & loop because don’t say velcro’ strap, so it’s just as intended. Bit of a budget speedy look.
If I end up wearing one over a jumper or cardigan again, I will let you know… but my jumpers can be quite big and would probably need the NASA strap replicas that can be worn by small elephants.
Lovely photo, and over-the-cuff looks totally legit in this scenario 👌
Fun read and history lesson! Thanks ☺️!
My $0.02 - I think over cuff works in black and white old timey pix, but is weird looking in color or in person
As for a 46mm new watch - I always end up hurting my 6” waif-ish wrist when wearing one of my boat anchors on it. Something to consider 😉