Beers and dress watches.
Okey, dokey, the 1WC is over for me, so I can now enjoy my other watches! The first thing I did when lost the battle is I've took my tools and my new straps from the drawer, tried different straps on different watches and came out with this.
Violet/purple for my Murph 38 and a gorgeous glossy burgundy for my RW Tank) With this watch - strap combination it was really hard to fight the temptation of wearing this thing everywhere, and I wasn't sure I wanna fight this temptation at all!
So last night me and my wife decided to go to the local beer point. Very small pub, where they have 13 different craft beers on taps and more than a hundred options in cans or bottles. Also they have some beer snacks like jerky, various nuts, croutons with cheese, garlic or horseradish and, of course, fries, fried jalapeño cheddar, smoked ribs or drumsticks.
This is what I call a variety!
This is a super casual place, where they only have one table and a stand around the perimeter of the bar. It would be a miracle to fit more than a 20 people inside, so usually everyone just take the beer outside, and stand around the tubs. You don't want to go there all dressed up, there's nothing fancy about this place and the beer is really the star of the show.
I was lucky enough to sit inside and have a view of a poor beer aficionados drinking their cold pints around the tubs, wearing their jackets) The theme of the place is containers and they have those tiny MAVESK napkin holders everywhere)
Anyway, you have the gist of what this place is all about.
So bringing a delicate dress watch here might be a no-no for someone. Oily snacks and frequent beer spillage isn't the best environment for something that is splash-resistant in a best case. And for someone the idea of wearing casual attire with a small formal watch is ridiculous. Not for me)
@Deeperblue once said in the bits, that we somehow restricted our watch photography to the straight wrist shots, so I decided to try out my very limited picture taking skill and get a photo of the watch in a context of an outfit. In a best traditions of amateur photographers I cut out my head and legs completely, while trying to focus on a watch.
I'm not always trying to look like a lumberjack, or a dated 2010s hipster, but this is how I more or less dress. T-shirt, an overshirt or sweater and a denim/corduroy jacket. I don't even have a suit, so I don't really have other options than to wear my dress watch casually. But I think it works! If you can wear a dive watch with a suit, why can't you wear a small dress watch with a red flannel? The concept behind those fashion ideas is the same - the contrast between your clothes and your watch.
And this isn't a big watch either. It has whooping ~25mm in "diameter", and while rectangular watches are a bit of a cheat code due to their bigger wrist presence and different perception, still this watch is absolutely "too small" for a current standards. But I think that this is exactly why it works so well. Dress watches are made this way, so they are not standing out from an otherwise understated look. They are small, quiet and overall thin. Thin enough to slide under the cuff, but also they have thin bezels, thin our markers and thin hands. For sure, tank is a bit different, with an inspiration from an industrial design of a military machine and bold Roman numerals, but even with those queues everything is still thin and small, so the watch remains elegant. So if this watch is not standing out from a formal attire, it also looks understated in the casual one. Not popping, not screaming, but adds to the whole picture. This is why I don't understand the Orient Bambino or 40mm Max Bill, or 40mm Vacheron Patrimony with no complications. Don't get me wrong, those are beautiful watches, but I'd rather prefer it in the smaller cases. Specially with a Max Bill, which was originally designed in 34. Call me a retrograde, or "traditionalist", but this is how I see it.
There's very limited amount of accessories which can elevate the look without standing out, and I guess that glasses and small watches are the easiest ones to pull off. I've read this article ones that we perceive the person, wearing glasses, as smarter and more collected one. But while wearing decorative glasses might be a complete douchery for some, wearing small watch surely gets you bonus elegancy and understatement points. Do you need those points at the beer spot, where people are wearing sweats or even pyjamas? Well, maybe not, but on the other hand, you still don't look like you are trying too hard. Or even just hard.
We had a discussion started by @Lord_Dappingtonshire is 34mm watch is too small? No. It's a perfectly normal size. By that time I think everyone knows this.
Yet there are conversations. Is it too small? Depends on why you asking. Maybe you tried the watch you really like just to realise that it's not looking good on you and now you are questioning your preferences. At the end of the day, there's nothing wrong about having the external opinion. Maybe you are just trippin, who knows.
Or maybe it's the opposite. You know you like the watch. But you need an external validation to get one. Now you are questioning your confidence. Can I pull off something like that? Will it look weird?
You know what's weird? Ralph Lauren wearing solid gold Apple Watch, which he did not know how to operate. Rumor has it that he never managed to get through setup screen. It does add up to his already douche image, but it fits his persona perfectly. And this man was a trendsetter. What a time to be alive.
Or you know what's also weird? Wearing a watch and not setting correct date or/and time. You bought yourself a Rolex without a quickset date, not me. You knew that it would take you an approximately half an hour to set your watch. Now face the consequences of your action. Or take your tool badge and wear it with pride. Either of this works.
Would Ralph Lauren or Andy Warhol care about what others think of their watch habbits? Should you care? Everyone is weird, so I don't think so.
At the end of the day - great design is a great design. Cartier gave us the idea of blending brutalism and elegancy, and this concept been exploited by numerous of designers, including the man itself, Mr. Genta. Like Royal Oak in 33mm is still a Royal Oak. Tank is still a Tank, even when made by Piaget, or in my case by Raymond Weil. Santos is still a Santos even downsized to 29mm. Those don't look bad in smaller sizes, and for some ideas, like for a Max Bill - the less is 100% more. The Max Bill himself made his watch in 34, and with a designer like this, it was totally calculated and intentional. The same goes for a precious metal watches. Solid gold Submariner is looking absolutely ridiculous in my opinion, and it crosses the line between a kitch and a full-blown horrible taste. But if you think that you can pull off something like this, then I applaud you for your confidence or your insecurity. Either one of yours is much bigger than mine. I'd rather stick to 34mm Tudor Prince.
To finish this on a high note, here the arbitrary wrist shot
And more wonderful beers I took home
Musician, sound engineer, software developer and aspiring watch collector. Fan of vintage watches and old-fashioned clothing. Chef of faux patina.
and I'm that extra crispy weirdo
What a very eloquent end to your adventures with @Aurelian and his hateful challenge.
I am in total agreement with your comments on going with the unexpected watch, and also really enjoy seeing how people wear their watch as part of a complete outfit.
I think going with a contrasting dressy piece was a classy move 👌
What a very eloquent end to your adventures with @Aurelian and his hateful challenge.
I am in total agreement with your comments on going with the unexpected watch, and also really enjoy seeing how people wear their watch as part of a complete outfit.
I think going with a contrasting dressy piece was a classy move 👌
Thanks!)
Adventure is so much better when there's a beer at the end)
I want to have a real Tank someday, but this Raymond Weil 5768 is also very tasteful (since it's very close to the Cartier design). I hope this post will encourage more people to try out unexpected combinations)
Can't call myself classy, but I'm very happy with an outcome) Watch itself is pure class tho)
and I'm that extra crispy weirdo
I’d rather be a weirdo than boring!)
Looks like a great place to eat and drink. I tend to ignore any aesthetic guidelines for what to wear and when, though I also don’t own any delicate formal watches. I’m into craft beers myself and was looking over your wall. That beer you took home…the brewery says their original brewery is in occupied territory, and so they are currently renting equipment and brewing elsewhere 💪💪💪. Cheers 🍻 From a cultural perspective, I’m surprised it’s written in English.
Great post, thanks for sharing! I appreciate seeing how the watch goes with the outfit too. No one has ever accused me of being fashionable, but I would like to lean more into wearing dress watches with casual clothes. I’m a big fan of the look!
Looks like a great place to eat and drink. I tend to ignore any aesthetic guidelines for what to wear and when, though I also don’t own any delicate formal watches. I’m into craft beers myself and was looking over your wall. That beer you took home…the brewery says their original brewery is in occupied territory, and so they are currently renting equipment and brewing elsewhere 💪💪💪. Cheers 🍻 From a cultural perspective, I’m surprised it’s written in English.
Their hometown was de-occupied during the Kharkiv counteroffensive, but it's not neither safe or manageable to get back to their original location. And equipment is most likely lost anyway.( This is a common theme for our business to relocate somewhere not that dangerous to continue the operation.
There were a lot of tourists and foreigners hanging out at the craft beer shops, specially in Kiyv since Ukrainian craft beer is always outstanding quality and bar culture is very developed and modern.) As a beer enthusiast I always drink beer while traveling, trying out local stuff and I often miss Ukrainian beers. The taste is much deeper at home.)
Also, it's very important to mention, that most of the young businesses in Ukraine are working on the European markets. We are much closer culturally to West than the East, so craft products will usually have Ukrainian and English labelling. I'm friends with a couple of craftsmen and they all have English versions of their web pages. One of them is making miniature figurines of fictional characters like Marvel or DC superheroes, Warhammer 4k characters and other stuff like this, and he have 80% of his profits from selling abroad.
The place is super chill and what got me completely is that they are offering kimchi as a snack. I have spicy mix of ghost, reaper, naga and habanero peppers and I put this in every dish I don't share with my wife!)
Great post, thanks for sharing! I appreciate seeing how the watch goes with the outfit too. No one has ever accused me of being fashionable, but I would like to lean more into wearing dress watches with casual clothes. I’m a big fan of the look!
Thanks! I have a big love affair with a leather straps and smaller, less sporty watches tend to look better on em than for example a steel divers.) I really wanted to give this watch a shot with a most casual look I have, but I was waiting for a right strap to compliment it. With a smaller case size the strap/bracelet will have more wrist space and become a crucial part of the whole picture. With a right strap you won't regret wearing dress watch with everything.)
The feeling of wearing more elegant watch is amazing and 100% worth trying out!)
Their hometown was de-occupied during the Kharkiv counteroffensive, but it's not neither safe or manageable to get back to their original location. And equipment is most likely lost anyway.( This is a common theme for our business to relocate somewhere not that dangerous to continue the operation.
There were a lot of tourists and foreigners hanging out at the craft beer shops, specially in Kiyv since Ukrainian craft beer is always outstanding quality and bar culture is very developed and modern.) As a beer enthusiast I always drink beer while traveling, trying out local stuff and I often miss Ukrainian beers. The taste is much deeper at home.)
Also, it's very important to mention, that most of the young businesses in Ukraine are working on the European markets. We are much closer culturally to West than the East, so craft products will usually have Ukrainian and English labelling. I'm friends with a couple of craftsmen and they all have English versions of their web pages. One of them is making miniature figurines of fictional characters like Marvel or DC superheroes, Warhammer 4k characters and other stuff like this, and he have 80% of his profits from selling abroad.
The place is super chill and what got me completely is that they are offering kimchi as a snack. I have spicy mix of ghost, reaper, naga and habanero peppers and I put this in every dish I don't share with my wife!)
Glad to hear about the craft beer seen! That’s a pleasant surprise that I’ll look forward to sometime during a future visit. I’ll pass on the ghost, reaper, naga habaneros though :-). My weakness is garlic butter flavored pretzels.
Glad to hear about the craft beer seen! That’s a pleasant surprise that I’ll look forward to sometime during a future visit. I’ll pass on the ghost, reaper, naga habaneros though :-). My weakness is garlic butter flavored pretzels.
I really like garlic croutons.) Pretzels are not that popular here)
But now I want to buy 3 packs of butter and make a homemade garlic salted butter... I love this thing!
Thank you for writing this, it's a really enjoyable post. There are only two situations where I 'must' wear a dress watch. One is at the Sunday Mass and the other is a super formal event like a Coronation or the Ambassador's Reception. I haven't been invited to many of those, although I haven't checked the mail yet today. My "Almost Super Formal Event" dress watch for Weddings and Graduations is a Seiko SUP873P1, which strictly follows Dress Watch "Rules", i.e. thin, small diameter, minimalist, etc., etc. I have a post on WatchCrunch called "Size Doesn't Matter" where I admit I just care about what the dial looks like, and not so much about the size. My most expensive dress watch ($125) is a Tissot Everytime Large, which is its actual name. It's a 42mm dinner plate with no bezel and it's way too big. And I just love it. Not only is its dial gorgeous, there's lots and lots of it. It's like having a really tall girlfriend who's not real graceful. But she's so beautiful you don't care. It also has the world's most erratic quartz second hand, detailed in my other post called "Ultimate Quartz Second Hand Death Match", or something like that. There exists a 38mm automatic version of this same watch, which should be a more "correct" size for me, but I don't want that. It would have a smooth second hand too, but I don't want that either. In spite of, or because of its large size and crazy second hand the thing just resonates with me, that's that, and 'I' really have nothing to say about it. Maybe watches are like food. Some people like broccoli, and some don't. The last time I saw Andy Warhol down at our local Brew House, he didn't like my large elegant Tissot. Who cares what he thinks? And the watch on his wrist was as big as a soup can. Then I looked closer, and saw that it really was an actual soup can. So I like your thinking. My largest watch is a 44, and my smallest is a 34. I like all my watches, even when I can't articulate why. There's no hard and fast rules for me, except the Ambassador's Reception and Church. And even though I won't need a watch in heaven, where there exists no time, I'll still get to have one because God knows that a place where there are no beautiful watches to look at is a pretty good working definition of Hell. Thanks again for this article, it's well written and has insight. But your main point about watches seems to conflict with your choice of beers. You show three cans of Not For Breakfast beer from this "Ten Men" Brewery. Who are they to say we can't have Black Currant Cheesecake beer for breakfast??
Thank you for writing this, it's a really enjoyable post. There are only two situations where I 'must' wear a dress watch. One is at the Sunday Mass and the other is a super formal event like a Coronation or the Ambassador's Reception. I haven't been invited to many of those, although I haven't checked the mail yet today. My "Almost Super Formal Event" dress watch for Weddings and Graduations is a Seiko SUP873P1, which strictly follows Dress Watch "Rules", i.e. thin, small diameter, minimalist, etc., etc. I have a post on WatchCrunch called "Size Doesn't Matter" where I admit I just care about what the dial looks like, and not so much about the size. My most expensive dress watch ($125) is a Tissot Everytime Large, which is its actual name. It's a 42mm dinner plate with no bezel and it's way too big. And I just love it. Not only is its dial gorgeous, there's lots and lots of it. It's like having a really tall girlfriend who's not real graceful. But she's so beautiful you don't care. It also has the world's most erratic quartz second hand, detailed in my other post called "Ultimate Quartz Second Hand Death Match", or something like that. There exists a 38mm automatic version of this same watch, which should be a more "correct" size for me, but I don't want that. It would have a smooth second hand too, but I don't want that either. In spite of, or because of its large size and crazy second hand the thing just resonates with me, that's that, and 'I' really have nothing to say about it. Maybe watches are like food. Some people like broccoli, and some don't. The last time I saw Andy Warhol down at our local Brew House, he didn't like my large elegant Tissot. Who cares what he thinks? And the watch on his wrist was as big as a soup can. Then I looked closer, and saw that it really was an actual soup can. So I like your thinking. My largest watch is a 44, and my smallest is a 34. I like all my watches, even when I can't articulate why. There's no hard and fast rules for me, except the Ambassador's Reception and Church. And even though I won't need a watch in heaven, where there exists no time, I'll still get to have one because God knows that a place where there are no beautiful watches to look at is a pretty good working definition of Hell. Thanks again for this article, it's well written and has insight. But your main point about watches seems to conflict with your choice of beers. You show three cans of Not For Breakfast beer from this "Ten Men" Brewery. Who are they to say we can't have Black Currant Cheesecake beer for breakfast??
thanks.
You see, they are ten men, and you are on your own. They have overwhelming advantage! But you can do whatever you want, drinking "not for breakfast" beer for breakfast is a respectable act of rebellion. Should you really rebel against the beer can? Up to you)
I care about size a lot, because I just don't like the look of a big watch on my wrist.
I've tried 41.5mm watch...
..and left massively underwhelmed.
We have different taste, still 42mm dress watch, no bezel, straight dial is so over the top, that it might actually work. With 'over the top' approach you either want to be just above the line of being disrespectful or way above that, and 42mm Every time is effectively a wall clock. I can't pull it off tho, so props to you.
The post is more about 'wear what you like and not be afraid of going smaller'. Andy Warhol couldn't be bothered to set the time, so he doesn't have any voice on your watch choices! If you want to wear a wall clock - it's your wall clock. But if you will ever have a thought of trying a 30mm watch, be sure, you'll also have my complete approval!
thanks.
You see, they are ten men, and you are on your own. They have overwhelming advantage! But you can do whatever you want, drinking "not for breakfast" beer for breakfast is a respectable act of rebellion. Should you really rebel against the beer can? Up to you)
I care about size a lot, because I just don't like the look of a big watch on my wrist.
I've tried 41.5mm watch...
..and left massively underwhelmed.
We have different taste, still 42mm dress watch, no bezel, straight dial is so over the top, that it might actually work. With 'over the top' approach you either want to be just above the line of being disrespectful or way above that, and 42mm Every time is effectively a wall clock. I can't pull it off tho, so props to you.
The post is more about 'wear what you like and not be afraid of going smaller'. Andy Warhol couldn't be bothered to set the time, so he doesn't have any voice on your watch choices! If you want to wear a wall clock - it's your wall clock. But if you will ever have a thought of trying a 30mm watch, be sure, you'll also have my complete approval!
I don't have a 30mm, but I do have a 34mm, which is a Jules Jurgensen my Dad got me for Christmas 1986. It's a stunner. My latest watch is a little Alba AEFD557 field watch. Beautiful deep black dial. I think it's 36mm. It's a little jewel, as is my Seiko SNK375, also 36mm. Black dial with red stripe. My "Very Formal Event" watch is the Seiko SUP873P1 - 37mm and 7mm thick. Dial looks like a working man's Credor. Somebody recently posted a photo of a watch called a Wyler. It was 28mm. I would wear that because the dial was gorgeous. The wall clock dinner plate Tissot I have makes no sense but the dial really resonates with me. The dial of the Seiko chrono you are wearing is just too good looking. Do you still have it? Maybe you could come back to it and grow to like it. You are a free thinker.
I don't have a 30mm, but I do have a 34mm, which is a Jules Jurgensen my Dad got me for Christmas 1986. It's a stunner. My latest watch is a little Alba AEFD557 field watch. Beautiful deep black dial. I think it's 36mm. It's a little jewel, as is my Seiko SNK375, also 36mm. Black dial with red stripe. My "Very Formal Event" watch is the Seiko SUP873P1 - 37mm and 7mm thick. Dial looks like a working man's Credor. Somebody recently posted a photo of a watch called a Wyler. It was 28mm. I would wear that because the dial was gorgeous. The wall clock dinner plate Tissot I have makes no sense but the dial really resonates with me. The dial of the Seiko chrono you are wearing is just too good looking. Do you still have it? Maybe you could come back to it and grow to like it. You are a free thinker.
I sold this watch to another collector, so I don't have it anymore. But you are 100% correct about the dial. The texture, the depth. Everything about this dial is 3D. Hour markers are raised with the dial and raised yet again near the bezel. Those markers would have an "oily" or pearl reflections while playing with a light.
I've been wearing this watch for a month, nearly every day, and despite the dial is unbelievable (specially for a 250$ watch) it just didn't felt right. But 25mm Raymond Weil tank feels 100% at home for me. I wanted to love this Seiko so bad, but I guess it didn't click. At the end of the day, I happy that this watch found it proud owner, who wanted this exact model. Which means it still will have a proper love. Just not from me)
Ah, total beer snob here, and I appreciated both the craft beer and your Raymond Weil pairing with that outfit. It reminded me of my similar Hamilton:
Drinking beer around here is typically done in jeans (Fall/Winter), but I've been known to pair my jeans with a blazer (sport coat) for a dressier yet still casual look (I call it "casual elegance"), and with that one can wear a variety of watch styles and still be on point.
Warmer months are shorts & a casual shirt, no sense getting fancy, and even a diver would work. In fact, I'm wearing that right now.