For you guys…

My assumption has always been that, to a first approximation, nobody notices me, what I'm wearing, my clothing, etc., at all - everyone's too busy thinking about themselves!  So, I've always just worn whatever...   torn jeans, ratty t-shirts, etc., etc.  

One day, buddy of mine came to visit, and we went to the local Porsche dealership to test drive a couple of cars.  I asked a sales guy to test drive the base Cayman.  He got the keys and off we went.  My buddy, meanwhile, is a well-dressed gentleman, has a high-falutin' European accent...  just drips class.  He asks to drive the base Cayman, and the sales guy tells him, "Oh, I'm so sorry.  We don't have any of those in stock at the moment.  All we have is the Cayman GTS.  Let's go for a ride.  You'll love it way more than the piddly-little base Cayman."

They take one look at me in my stained t-shirt, and of course they're happy to show me the base model.  My buddy shows up, and they immediately peg him for a dude who can spend $30k more for the GTS model!

I'm not sure what the moral of the story is.  Dress like a hobo to get a good deal?  Or, dress like a hobo and people will treat you like a hobo?  

I'll wear whatever watch I like on any given day, for any given occasion.  But, then again, maybe the best thing to do is to do the exact opposite of me!

In 50 years I have never gave any consideration to what watch I should wear based on my attire. And, in the very likely event that I committed some fashion faux pas (brown shoes/black watch strap OMGOMG!! etc.) Nobody ever called me on it.

In my eyes, wearing a G-Shock with a suit is like wearing sneakers with a suit. Sure, a few people are into that, but I think it’s tacky.

I’m dressed casually way more than I am dressed up. What’s the point of having a nice watch if not to wear it for nice occasions? In fact, there aren’t enough fancy occasions to give my dress watches enough wrist time, so I tend to wear them with casual outfits.

Again, why have fancy watches if you’re not going to wear them? If you’re the type to wear a G-Shock with a suit, you’re probably giving your G-Shock enough wrist time to begin with. Give it a break and throw on your nice watch for the night.

EDIT: to clarify, I LOVE G-Shocks. I would collect hundreds if I didn’t have any self-control (or budget).

Wear whatever makes you happy, just be aware what you wear sends a message to others. If you're aware of what you're signalling, and accept the consequences of your signals, have at 'er. 

I sadly think about it more than I like to think I do. There was a time I didn't (back when I was a happy software developer). These days I'm a freelance Business Consultant and I've found putting thought in my personal appearance and brand is important. Like it or not people treat you differently and I've found my clients listen to my advice and well hire me more readily if I kind of look like I have my shit together. However, I never want to look like I'm rolling in money either as that also sends the wrong message. This may change in the future with Remote work being the norm as I really only need to look like I have my shit together from the shoulders up these days.  

Not sure how I landed in a career were I need to think about branding and marketing myself as much as I do. At heart I just want to make things and get my hands dirty. Oh well, the day I retire it's going to be shorts and socks with sandals every damn day. :)

Unless you’re truly a one watch collection kinda person, i don’t get why. I’ll wear whatever whenever as well, but I like matching my watch to my outfit on occasion, especially on the rare ones where I have to clean up.

But no one has ever commented on my watch, so I make the assumption that no one really cares.

Now, that's one confident man. Love it!

Agree!

My wife would kill me if I wore a G-Shock with a suit. Other than that I don't think about it much.

in my opinion its nice to matching the watch with the occasion. it doesnt have to be expensive but proper outfit is better. so formal occasion in a g shock? it doesnt feel right for me 🤔

To me, it seems like there's a false dichotomy.  Happiness vs. appropriateness.  Has the gentleman in the photo somehow convinced himself that the only watch that could make him happy is one completely opposite the style of his tuxedo?

Is someone else only able to feel happy with a dress watch, even when wearing shorts and sandals?

I own watches that make me happy.  I'll wear a dressier one with a dressier outfit, and a more casual one with a more casual outfit.  I'm happy when each gets some time on my wrist.

There's a reason to avoid a … style mismatch, like the one portrayed above.  Judging someone by their watch (or other article of clothing, or their entire outfit) is superficial.  But this world is full of superficial people … so the superficial details end up mattering to them.  If they can be so easily swayed in my favor, why not make the trivial level of effort to shape their opinion of me?

Clothing (and accessories) are a form of communication.  Like all communication, it can work for you, or it can work against you.  There is a possibility that that choice of watch is conveying the precise message that gentleman (in the original photo) wanted to send.  Or it's possible that he does not know what message he's sending out there.

But I can say with 100% certainty, the message that he's sending is not one that I would want to make.

Re: "I'm not sure what the moral of the story is.  Dress like a hobo to get a good deal?  Or, dress like a hobo and people will treat you like a hobo?"

Judging by what you said happened, it could be "dress like a hobo and they'll let you test drive a Cayman".
That's pretty cool, right there 👍

 

Fine by me.... as long as you are comfortable :-)  
I certainly have worn dress watch with shorts or casual attire.  

I agree 99%, but I disagree that only "superficial" people make those sorts of judgement calls. We all do, every single time we meet someone. 

When you meet someone at first, how they dress and act creates an image of them in your mind. After some time getting to know the person you form a more accurate, and less superficial opinion of them, but we can't get to know everybody we meet at that level. So some people remain the "weird guy" in the purple trousers at that wedding you went to last summer, or the smelly dude on the train.... 

Even close friends and acquaintances tell us things by how they dress and carry themselves each time we meet them, we just automatically process it rather than consciously think about it. 

All that to say, you're right, people should consider the messages they send when they dress. Even if the message is simply telling people you don't care what they think. 

Honestly, at the end of the day, it really depends on the type of person that you are. At least for me it does. I like to match and accessorize my whole "look" when I go out. I hope to one day own a JLC Reverso as my fine dress watch - I'd personally never pair that with my Jordans, jeans, and my favorite hoodie (no matter how much I love the watch) but that's just me. I have however paired that same exact get-up with my Navitimer/G-Shock/Citizen Altichron.

"Whatever makes you happy" rule applies - if happiness to you is wearing whatever you want, when you want it, just because you can - then that's your answer. If happiness to you means matching, accessorizing, and pairing your outfit to be on a specific theme, then that's your answer. That's my 2 cents anyways 😀

You do you the best you can. I'll do me the best I can. You can choose to like me the way I am and I can choose to like you the way you are...or not... that's what makes this world so much fun, right?

My wife’s only gripe seems to be that “grown-ups wear watches on metal bracelets”.  Anything I wear on a strap gets an eye-roll.  A G-Shock on a bracelet is fine, but a Hamilton Khaki Auto on a nato…not so much.

Given that I almost never go to formal events nowadays, nor to a business or workplace environment,  I am happy wear one of my two dress watches with jeans and tee shirts. I do not need a reason to wear them or not to. But, if I stuck to a watches dress code, my Fredriqure Constant would never get worn. 

I wear what I like on the day and don't dress for other people. 

I don’t own a suit. I’ve been self employed, working remotely from home for over 12 years now. I buy watches I like and aside from Watch Crunch, no one else has ever seen most of them. I guess being eccentric and not fitting into societal expectations is kind of my brand at this point. So a purple G Shock (or children’s Game Boy watch) and sandals with a tuxedo would not be out of the question for me, and would probably be more likely, even if I had a beautifully elegant JLC that I wear at home. 

BTW, where is your Omega Seamaster and Walther PPK? 

When I wore suits to work, I had my Speedmaster on my wrist, but after buying Seiko Solar Arnie, I did not mind switching to it. I do not have dress watches, so when I wear formal attire, I select Speedmaster as a watch. Personally I do not like to wear gshock with a suit. (I like gshocks, but I feel comfortable wearing it with more casual clothing.)

Somebody said that breaking dress rules is ok if you don't break too many at once

I’ve always tended to pick a watch which would (imo) suit the clothes for the day. I work in an office which operates a business dress policy. I don’t have to wear a tie but I like to because I like to. i wouldn’t wear the tie if it made me uncomfortable. 

It doesn’t really make any difference what combination of watch / outfit you wear as long as you’re comfortable with your choices. If you go for combinations which are outside of your particular societal norms, then you have decided to make a statement - in which case, you should be prepared for comments/opinions/looks. You haven’t broken any laws (I’m assuming there’s nothing offensive on the clothes/watch), you’ve just highlighted a a part of yourself for people to notice.

It’s not a faux pas either as long as you KNOW you are doing it.  The industrialist Gianni Agnelli, was always considered a stylistic icon - he also had a penchant for wearing his watch over his shirt cuff - make of that, what you will.

I also don’t even own a suit, though I do have a couple of blazers that almost never get worn, and to say my office has a relaxed attitude toward dress code would be an understatement. That’s to say, if I had to wait for the right occasion to wear a dress watch, I probably wouldn’t even bother buying one. 
 

I’m not sure that goes both ways, though. In my view, it’s far easier to pull off a “nicer” watch with a Texas Chainsaw Massacre t-shirt (which is more how I roll) than it is to wear a G-Shock and formal suit. It’s amazing what some folks can make work, though. 

I once worked in a fashion accessory store. I was the lest fashionable person there. While many employees wore Prada, Gucci, and looked like they were ready for a night out. I wore 5.11, and flannel.  I couldn't care less about being fashionable. I never judged people by the way they looked. And probably the reason I did well. F@#$ the faux pas stuff and wear what you want. People will judge no matter what you do. The only thing important in life is being happy with yourself. 

The guy in the picture actually looks great in terms of how he managed to pull that off. Kudos and respect to him!!💪👍

All I have to say is,

I love the OP's picture, amazing, priceless 😄🤙❕

I used to work with a bit of a maverick. He insisted that the G-Shock square was the ultimate watch and he would wear it all the time including to formal events. Back then it was strange. 

Now with the apple watch people are wearing a very casual looking watch with formal attire. 

My only consideration is "What am I doing today?" Is it raining? (G Shock DW5600) will I be in, near or on water? (Casio Duro or Seiko Tuna Can) Am I going to be in the office? (Seiko SNKK27) So I need to track time? (Casio A158) will I be in a meeting where I can dramatically take off my watch to indicate I am out of time? (Seiko SSB383 Chronograph). In all of those instances I am probably in Jeans and a t-shirt, so it's not the clothes that make the (wo)man, it's the situation s/he finds themselves in. 🤪

To be fair, I wouldn't wear a purple G shock to a black tie function. I'd go for a yellow #straton chronograph, or maybe a green one🤣🤣🤣