Watches in the Wild (Home of the Hype, Volume 55)

Disclaimer: Conference watch.

This is the fifty fifth in a semi-regular digest of cool watches I happened to see this week.

Past posts in this series have been hashtagged to #watchesinthewild

As always, my general policy is that I never ask for wrist shots (because approaching strangers and distant acquaintances to talk about watches is already weird enough) so all pictures below are sourced from the internet. People are mostly cool, I try not to annoy them.

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I am writing this missive in the Uber back from the airport to home, to the soundtrack of my driver (an elderly Japanese man) singing under his breath to Rihanna's "Only Girl in the World." It definitely puts a smile on my face.

Given the near constant rain on my side of the country, I have, for the past week, been subject to the constant and hoary jokes about how lucky I have it and how I'm going to sleep so much better away from my wife and kids while at a conference in Miami.

It is true of course that the parent of young children doesn't sleep well (or at all some nights).  But i am a somewhat poor hotel sleeper and I do actually LIKE my wife and kids....so it all is a bit of a wash in my mind.  Get on a plane for six hours to sleep poorly.  Color me somewhat unimpressed.

I also get the sense that when people hear that I am going to South Beach for a conference, they think it will be all bikini clad ladies and drinks by the pool.

For those of you who travel regularly for work, you of course know that I spent zero time in a cabana sitting across from her.

And spent much more time in an under ventilated conference room across the table from these fine gentlemen.

Not that I'm always against work travel.  I think a change of pace is always nice and there are deals to be done and things to be learned.  And some watch spotting too, in that watch nut city that is Miami Florida.

There will be little commentary this time around.  I did not have time for conversation.  Work had to take precedence.

But watches, oh my watches, you were seen!

One more thing. @rowiphi once wondered if I could identify a fake in the fly.  To him, I offer this.  At a very schmancy steakhouse in South Beach, I was seated next to a lovely woman wearing what was quite openly a two tone date just with a fluted bezel.

I thought little of it immediately (there are many such datejusts in this world) but when it flashed in the light....I realized it had a gold version of the explorer dial.....no date as you might surmise but a cyclops all the same.

When she caught my perplexed expression directed at her wrist, she gave me the dirtiest look I've received.  The plight of the watch spotter.

I hope you enjoy.

On the plane and in the airport

Rolex Cellini Cestello

Seen on the wrist of a man struggling with a bag into an overhead bin.

Did you know Rolex once made thin hand wound dress watches like this?   There's such amazing personality here, from the cushion style case to the hinged horn lugs.  Steel sports watches are fine but I wouldn't bag on Rolex nearly as much if they still did stuff like this.

I tried very hard to talk with this man but a very pregnant woman asked if I wouldn't mind switching my aisle seat for a window so she could stave off motion sickness.

Missed opportunities.

Longines hydro conquest on rubber in black

Seen in SFO airport.  Asked briefly about this and only got a confirmation that it was what I thought it was.  Alas.

Everose Sky dweller on rubber strap

On the wrist of a passenger in first class.  

Gold Rolex Day Date Champagne dial

On the road of a passenger in business class.

Rolex Datejust, Blue with diamond markers

On the wrist of a passenger in main cabin plus.  I am sensing a trend here.

Rolex OP Rhodium Dial

The dude seated next to me in economy. He did NOT want to talk.

Omega Planet Ocean, old model

On the wrist of a man desperately trying to catch his connection to Detroit.  Go Niners but I felt for him because he definitely wasn't going to make it.

At conference

So many Datejusts, Submariners, GMT Master IIs, and Daytonas

Finance guy cliche is finance guy cliche

Almost as many standard Nautili and ROs and RO Offshores

At least two Patek Phillipe moon phase calendars

Remember, Subs for analysts, Daytonas and GMTs for VPs, ROs and RO Offshores for MDs and Nautiluses for people who don't grasp the concept of relative value yet still somehow manage to run financial firms.

I kid of course. We all know watches have no real value.

Moonwatch Moon

Worn by a recognizable hedge fund titan that is certainly worth many hundreds of millions of dollars.  I wanted very badly to ask him why he owned it.

It feels like he was trying to make it a joke but it almost feels like too serious looking a watch to be a pure joke.

Shinola Canfield

Seen on the wrist of an analyst from a Michigan pension fund.  I complimented the Detroit pride and he beamed.

Heuer Carrera Vintage

Worn by an old friend working at a large university endowment.

His first comment on seeing my PF, " you clearly are charging your investors way too much if you can afford a Parmigiani."

My first comment on seeing his Heuer, "Your funds clearly don't deliver enough returns if you have to wear a 75 year old watch."

The joys of ancient friendship.

Heuer monaco

Seen on the wrist of a pension fund manager I'm friendly with. Too large for.his wrist

Gold yacht Master 2 on oysterflex

On the wrist of a hedge fund manager waxing poetically about raising money to benefit poor kids in Los Angeles.

I have no doubt on his sincerity but it was something of an odd look.

Many Breitling Chronomats, SuperOceans and Navitimers

Almost all gigantic modern models.  Which is fascinating given the spread of wrist sizes.

Corum gold dollar watch

Seen on the wrist of a managing director I'm friendly with at a rival fund who looks like a freckled fifteen year old boy with wrists to match.

I didn't know that people actually bought these.  Quite large (43mm ish) and quite thin.

Oh-Meg-Ah Seamasters, speed masters and heritage model

Is it weird that I don't generally see many Omegas in my line of work that I view seeing this many as notable?  Like I wonder what it is.

Hublot Classic Fusion

Hublot big bang 

Hublot big bang Chrono

The European family office guys really leaned hard into the Hublots, mostly steel but some gold.

Maybe there was a group text?

Patek Aquanuat

AP RO Offshore Chronograph in gold

On the wrists respectively of German and British fund managers next to me with a similar strategies. We stared at each other like pudgier versions of characters in a Sergio Leone film.

Appropriate really, as I've always thought of myself as resembling an extremely low rent Eli Wallach.

What cool watches did you see this week?