What would your career's "tool watch" look like?
You do important things every day and contribute your part to society, but let's be honest, you're not an astronaut. More than likely you're not a saturation diver either. You probably don't work on underground particle accelerators and you might not even know where the nearest railroad is. If you are in one of these fields, PLEASE let me know, but even so the nature of your work more than likely doesn't necessitate a fit-for-purpose watch. However, I'll bet there is a design out there that could be a good tool for your day to day, even if that day takes place mostly in a cubicle!
So tell me, what is your "______'s watch"? It could already exist, but if it doesn't, what might it look like? What might it do? Does it need to be water resistant or coffee resistant? Measure elapsed time or elapsed spreadsheets? No need to stick to traditional complications, get whacky! I'd really love to hear what you have to say.
Vostok Wobbly-Crown Ambassador Setting new records for time between watch purchase and watch disassembly Grail: Omega Constellation Globemaster
I spend my day staring at spreadsheets. I would start with the Casio CA-56-1, but add some more functionality to the calculator (enough to exceed the calculator on my phone, without increasing the size).
There's limited usefulness to it, though, because I would only need it when chatting with coworkers (and therefore away from my laptop).
That's why I don't see my watches as tool watches. They're stylish accessories that also tell time.
I spend my day staring at spreadsheets. I would start with the Casio CA-56-1, but add some more functionality to the calculator (enough to exceed the calculator on my phone, without increasing the size).
There's limited usefulness to it, though, because I would only need it when chatting with coworkers (and therefore away from my laptop).
That's why I don't see my watches as tool watches. They're stylish accessories that also tell time.
I really like the idea of a practical calculator implement! The worst part of calculators is never having a good one with you when you need it. That's an idea worth exploring!
Am a RN. Needs to be hypoallergenic, be able to sustain endless exposure to body fluids and handwashing chemicals as well as the occasional scrubbing clean with a toothbrush and the UV sterilizer.
When ai worked direct bedside in ICU, i wore a Luminox Titanium Navy Seals diver for a decade. Was the perfect fit.
I work as an analyst, so my job’s watch would probably need to have the ability to graph and track trends while knowing the difference between an innocuous anomaly and something potentially serious.
So basically my watch would just be me wearing a big Flavor Flav clock necklace.
I inspect military weather stations, so my watch is used as a tool for telling the time, and for timing when to take readings(can't always have a phone with me). My ideal watch would be easily legible, and able to track a second time zone, since our records are done in Zulu time.
We aren't paid big money, and any of the people I know who do it tend to not be flashy people, so a luxury GMT is out.
I maybe be biased since I own one, but I think the Marathon navigator is the perfect watch for the job. It's easy to read, can track a second time zone, and is inexpensive enough to be worn anywhere, yet nice enough to be a bit of a "treat" for yourself.
Am a RN. Needs to be hypoallergenic, be able to sustain endless exposure to body fluids and handwashing chemicals as well as the occasional scrubbing clean with a toothbrush and the UV sterilizer.
When ai worked direct bedside in ICU, i wore a Luminox Titanium Navy Seals diver for a decade. Was the perfect fit.
That is so freaking cool. First of all, thank you for the work you do! I always find it interesting when companies like Citizen et al mention hypoallergenic materials and wonder what percentage of the public needs that, but certainly in your line of work, that's a major deal!
I work as an analyst, so my job’s watch would probably need to have the ability to graph and track trends while knowing the difference between an innocuous anomaly and something potentially serious.
So basically my watch would just be me wearing a big Flavor Flav clock necklace.
See I really see a place for open software smartwatches on the market that are beautiful and built to last. Of course a few swatch brands mess around with that stuff, but having such tools on your wrist without the whole "planned obsolescence thing" would be amazing. Like imagine the ability to always have a program or application open on your wrist, regardless of the program, wherever you go... even if it's the bottom of the ocean. Dream.
I inspect military weather stations, so my watch is used as a tool for telling the time, and for timing when to take readings(can't always have a phone with me). My ideal watch would be easily legible, and able to track a second time zone, since our records are done in Zulu time.
We aren't paid big money, and any of the people I know who do it tend to not be flashy people, so a luxury GMT is out.
I maybe be biased since I own one, but I think the Marathon navigator is the perfect watch for the job. It's easy to read, can track a second time zone, and is inexpensive enough to be worn anywhere, yet nice enough to be a bit of a "treat" for yourself.
Man, all the real men are coming out of the woodwork! What a cool job! My favorite movement for futzing around with watches is the Ronda 515.24H, which is $12 on esslinger and just beautiful to use (reliable GMT hand and the most satisfying machine gun date wheel). I've always loved the idea of truly affordable GMTs. I like the marathon but aside from the new Benchmade my prospective father-in-law gifted me, it's hard to love CFRP on my wrist. A dream project of mine is converting a Casio Duro to a GMT, just nice and legible with the functionality of divetime and a forgetaboutit price. Thanks for sharing!
Well in your line of work, I have to imagine a luxury watch is in itself a tool, when it comes to the psychology of business! My only office experience is at a nonprofit, where luxury watches were not exactly encouraged. However I can't tell you the amount of meaningful conversations I've had with donors about the watch they were wearing and the places that got me. It's funny though, you see a guy wearing a gold Day-Date and you know not to ask, because you can just tell he's not a watch guy. There's "I like watches" and then there's "I bought a Rolex because that's just what you do". Yet you see a Reverso or a Speedy like yours, and you know you've got common ground. Best of luck on landing the Datejust and GMT Master!
I would say the Credor Eichi II in blue enamel for no reason other than I really like it and sometimes I wonder what time it is. Not much functionality is needed for my run of the mill desk job, so why not go straight for the dream?
For an architect, I’d probably say as a functional tool likely an Apple Watch since we are attached to Outlook more than we’d like and having something that could extend notifications would be useful (and equally depressing 😂).
For a watch in the traditional sense, there aren’t any specific complications or bezels (as far as I know) that would lend the profession any immediate assistance but if I’d list my personal criteria it‘d be something like the following:
Under this criteria can probably come up with a couple watches but to further narrow down for me - 40mm max case size or lug-to-lug under 50mm. Chronograph might be useful on occasion - timing bezel also considered.
Scouring the interwebs, I come up with the Sinn 356 Pilot Chronograph. The only drawback being the relatively tall case height making it a bit difficult to swing it as a part-time dress watch. But those occasions are VERY rare. If anyone has suggestions I’d love to hear them!
i work in perfusion - Ecmo and heart lung machines. So, in the icu (for all the Covid patients) and in cardiac ORfor open heart. I’m always around a lot of blood ; so Something blood themed, like the AnOrdane eye of Sauron would be cool… but also want lume (night shift), date (for insane long shifts where I loose track and need to write on a chart), and a sweep second, and timing bezel (time off Ecmo testing).. So dive watches for the win. they also mesh well with my ocean hobbies. Can’t find a striking sanguineous looking model though…
Tiny bit of a stretch: I look at maps all day and at times focus on parts of both the US and other parts of the world. So a world timer of any kind, while not necessary would probably be the most fit for my profession
I used to work in an auto workshop, i ran between desk and the shopfloor, occasionally i got my hands pretty dirty with grease and grime so cleaning with specific handwash fairly often before i get my hands onto keyboards or mobile. So i do put on watches with water resistance.
I used to meet people / customers from all walks of life and i prefer not to put on any rolexs in case reflecting an image i did not intend to.
And i seldom went with bracelet for that matter as i deskdive too much and with the stuff / tools i touched, the clasp would have looked horrible in days, rubber was the option i went along mostly. Sinn tegimented bracelet was an exception.
Now i m not working, i wear anything i want lol.
I work in Finance so I suppose I ought to buy a Patek. There doesn’t seem to be any right watch for office wear nowadays, looking around me I see everything from an absence of watch, Apple Watch, Rolex, G Shock, FW91 and up to Patek
Tiny bit of a stretch: I look at maps all day and at times focus on parts of both the US and other parts of the world. So a world timer of any kind, while not necessary would probably be the most fit for my profession
Who needs a man that can tell you the time when you've got one that can tell you which states border Missouri with his eyes closed?
For an architect, I’d probably say as a functional tool likely an Apple Watch since we are attached to Outlook more than we’d like and having something that could extend notifications would be useful (and equally depressing 😂).
For a watch in the traditional sense, there aren’t any specific complications or bezels (as far as I know) that would lend the profession any immediate assistance but if I’d list my personal criteria it‘d be something like the following:
Under this criteria can probably come up with a couple watches but to further narrow down for me - 40mm max case size or lug-to-lug under 50mm. Chronograph might be useful on occasion - timing bezel also considered.
Scouring the interwebs, I come up with the Sinn 356 Pilot Chronograph. The only drawback being the relatively tall case height making it a bit difficult to swing it as a part-time dress watch. But those occasions are VERY rare. If anyone has suggestions I’d love to hear them!
See I think a bracelet mounted module with simple haptic feedback for notifications would be great, rather than a dedicated smart watch. I'd love to wear my "real" watches with some added functionality, especially in a package that's unobtrusive and doesn't need to be plugged in every dang night...
I used to work in an auto workshop, i ran between desk and the shopfloor, occasionally i got my hands pretty dirty with grease and grime so cleaning with specific handwash fairly often before i get my hands onto keyboards or mobile. So i do put on watches with water resistance.
I used to meet people / customers from all walks of life and i prefer not to put on any rolexs in case reflecting an image i did not intend to.
And i seldom went with bracelet for that matter as i deskdive too much and with the stuff / tools i touched, the clasp would have looked horrible in days, rubber was the option i went along mostly. Sinn tegimented bracelet was an exception.
Now i m not working, i wear anything i want lol.
So as somebody that's historically dealt with ultra scratch prone environments, settle a debate for me. Proud sapphire crystal, or proud bezel? I've always seen a case for both but personally the idea of dragging my crystal around in an engine bay makes me feel squiffy.
I used my bezel to time my lunch break today. Does that count?
When I was a lifeguard as a teenager, the fifteen minute graduations on a divetime bezel were what I lived by, man. The guy coming to relieve me always knew I'd know if he was late, so I spent most of my teenage summers in air conditioning being paid to do homework. Bliss.
My work is mostly overseas. Whether I'm in my bird or in the dirt with everyone else I work for or with, it'll always require precise timing. As much of a romantic as I am, I love to rely on mechanical pieces, but more often than naught we are issued digital toys to suit the task. The piece becomes a good secondary if I can't afford to play with it primarily though.
I've been using the bezel on my Seamaster as a pseudo GMT function. It can also function as a timer if I'm out and about because I never need to time anything over an hour.
Practicality aside for dreaming, If I'm working in the plane I'd say a timing function is a must, lume or a lit display, and possibly multiple timezones (sometimes people work in local time and others in Z/GMT)
On the ground, I would need something with at least 10 bar, shock resistance, 13mm thick at the MOST to minimize any snagging, and legible at a glance.
Never really gave it thought to dream up a piece but now it has me thinking, what would I really need out there? haha
My ultimate dream is to have a small company that does exactly this kind of stuff, making a watch for exactly what a person wants and needs. This has been so fun to read about so many interesting professions and requirements. You know you've got a real job when you use the words "on the ground!" Packing ZT and chrono functions onto a dial seems like a noble and challenging task! I know Omega did an SMP with all that stuffed in to good effect once, but there must be a desire in the market for both functions today.
My ultimate dream is to have a small company that does exactly this kind of stuff, making a watch for exactly what a person wants and needs. This has been so fun to read about so many interesting professions and requirements. You know you've got a real job when you use the words "on the ground!" Packing ZT and chrono functions onto a dial seems like a noble and challenging task! I know Omega did an SMP with all that stuffed in to good effect once, but there must be a desire in the market for both functions today.
Haha appreciate the humbling words but anyone making a living has a real job.
Not sure if ZT + chrono would make a functional setup but that's definitely where the beauty of design would come in. Most of the time, I've learned that you can be creative with how a watch is setup if you want to wear it badly enough. Part of what makes this hobby so fun!
I‘m a software engineer for medical device. not sure what we’re supposed to wear :-D
Maybe something digital? A Casio? F-105w?
Or maybe something with a high Gauss rating because I work with electronics? So a Millgauss or an Omega Railmaster or similar…
Railmaster👍🏻 underrated.
Like the silver grey ish dial variant very much.
My job means I'm frequently working with people in other time zones (so GMT is helpful), I often timegate stuff to keep things moving in really tight timeframes (so timer and/or alarm good), occasionally working in pretty awful conditions and am routinely in places where any 'connected' device and your phones arent allowed (so no smartwatches).
So Breitling Aerospace for me.
So as somebody that's historically dealt with ultra scratch prone environments, settle a debate for me. Proud sapphire crystal, or proud bezel? I've always seen a case for both but personally the idea of dragging my crystal around in an engine bay makes me feel squiffy.
I never worried about the crystal 😉, as long as its not being smacked right on surface, i much prefer the crystal taking all the rough and scruff, as not all my watches come with ceramic bezel insert.
Even if they do like the cw in the picture, they do get shattered due to how thin they are.
With that being said, my brothers exp 1 crystal was shattered after he dropped it from waist height. (he was holding it while trying to lock the door, and... Dropped 🥶)
My job means I'm frequently working with people in other time zones (so GMT is helpful), I often timegate stuff to keep things moving in really tight timeframes (so timer and/or alarm good), occasionally working in pretty awful conditions and am routinely in places where any 'connected' device and your phones arent allowed (so no smartwatches).
So Breitling Aerospace for me.
I totally forgot about the Aerospace! Another commenter and I were discussing the fuss of integrating chrono function and GMT on the same dial, but the ani-digi solution is certainly an optimal way to do it! I like the function of the thin little hands on the aerospace, but aesthetically they drive me nuts! I used to have one of those "Tough Solar" ani-digi Casios, and I loved that watch. Similar function but... resin. Not ideal.
Having a CS degree and being in IT, I would guess these days it would be an Apple watch today. in the 80s and 90s it would probably have been a Casio Data Bank.
In the 70s it would have been a HP-01
In the 60's maybe a Navitimer.
Man those vintage Navis were something else...
I work in editorial ... so usually its something low key and versatile.
I'm an engineering manager at a big tech company. Dress-wise, everything is super casual, though it'd be nice for something that easily dresses up or down. I sit at a computer every day, so something with a non-metal strap & buckle would be good for not scratching my laptop (& not getting scratched by my laptop). I work with a team distributed around the world, so a world timer or a GMT that can track at least 3 time zones would help. I have absolutely no need for a chronograph complication. And I'm a woman in a male-dominated field, so it'd be nice to have something that isn't outrageously masculine.
Things that come to mind that could or do fit the bill, in no particular order:
Having a CS degree and being in IT, I would guess these days it would be an Apple watch today. in the 80s and 90s it would probably have been a Casio Data Bank.
In the 70s it would have been a HP-01
In the 60's maybe a Navitimer.
HP-01 is the one 💯 DBC-150 not too shabby either 😉