Size Doesn't Matter, Literally.

While Captain Slow meticulously curates his collection, and Jezza favors the big and the bold, there is a thing or two that we can learn from Hamster’s approach to watch collecting.

Being the most fashion-conscious of the trio, some people are quick to assume that Richard Hammond’s criteria is limited to household brands; stylish, yet expensive watches that we’ve all heard and seen before.

And I don’t blame them, Hammond often sports timeless pieces on television. Like the emblematic Submariner or the GMT-Master II. Or the distinctive JLC Reverso Squadra. Or the Speedmaster. Or the Monaco. Or the Luminor.

You get the point.

But after binging the latter half of Top Gear, the entirety of The Grand Tour, and some serious watch spotting, I believe there’s an admirable trait in his watch-buying journey. 

And that trait is ignorance.

Bear with me here.

“Ignorance” in this case refers to how they fit - not just the brands or colors. Judging by his “TV watches” (read: watches worn for television, a term coined by culinary icon Emeril Lagasse) Hamster wears a lot of oversized pieces.

And he wears them with confidence. Perhaps because he knows the reputation these brands offer, which is why the majority of his watches are luxurious. But even if a pigeon stole a 48mm Railmaster off of Trafalgar Square and dropped it on my stickman wrist, I’d start having doubts.

But no, Hammond would wear that piece as if it was nothing.

For a man who has admitted being insecure about his height:

“Every compensatory measure that anybody who is diminutive in height has ever made, I've done.” - Richard Hammond, Diary of a CEO Podcast.

He seems to be completely careless about his watch-to-wrist ratio. Fan forums (and even Mail Online, funnily enough) flood posts about his watches, criticizing how the thing is too big for his wrist.

Like the Tissot T-Touch he’s wearing above. You can find threads about how it looks like a dinner plate when he’s wearing it.

But he doesn’t care. 

Another good example would be the Breitling Chrono Avenger. Some might argue that a proper watch shouldn’t exceed 80% wrist presence. Hammond definitely didn’t pay attention to that, it looks more like 97.6% in this case.

And that is a commendable mindset. As someone who spent 2 months contemplating whether or not a Casio DW-290 might fit my wrist, this is a great reminder to not take things too seriously.

To just buy things because one: you’ve got the money, and two: you like it.

After all, you buy watches for yourself, not for other people. 

Perhaps Hammond falls short (sorry) in comparison to May’s eccentric collection, or Clarkson’s wrist-bombing pieces, but his love for classics and undying confidence make any piece work. Seriously, I strive to have that kind of confidence.

And you should too. Who cares what other people say?

Oh, and I almost forgot. Never write a piece on Richard Hammond without mentioning the infamous Sea Dweller, burnt to a crisp.

P.S. This is part 2/3 of my research about the Top Gear Trio’s watches. 

Read James May’s piece here: https://www.watchcrunch.com/dt1202/posts/the-most-uninteresting-interesting-man-in-the-world-217789

All watch photos are sourced from: https://www.instagram.com/grandtourwatches/?hl=en