Specificity

Specificity

noun

  1. the quality of belonging or relating uniquely to a particular subject.

So I’ve been giving some thought to watches and specificity, by which I mean watches for particular purposes.  I realize that I consider all watches to be fairly specific, not just tool watches.  While the Cartier Tank works with just about anything, to me it’s a dressy watch.  People wear divers with suits, but they’re sporty at heart and belong in or at least near the water.  For some reason, I’m not exactly sure what type of watch the Speedmaster is, but most other watches have a type and purpose in my mind. 

This subject came to me when I took this pic

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After I stopped laughing at myself for wearing a camo NATO into the wods like I'm Rambo, I got to thinking. Most people would agree this watch fits the setting.  So do I, that’s why I wore it.  But it got me thinking about why.  Not why it fits, but why I wore it.  Why not another watch?  Look, I’m not orienteering, fighting Nazis, or otherwise in need of a no-nonsense field watch here.  I’m going for a walk in the woods.  Sure, a fairly strenuous walk, but still just a walk.  I won’t need to see the hands in the dark, use the watch to find north, or coordinate attacks with Fox squad.  Other than telling me how long I’ve been walking, I don’t need anything from this watch, so why not just wear any watch?  Literally, any watch I own could have handled this duty.  And, it should be noted, while I have several G Shocks, it annoys me no end that people always strap on the G because they’re going to play with the kids in the yard.  All but your most delicate and/or expensive watches can handle tossing a ball around, but dudes act like they may be beset by ninjas at any moment and need to rock climb their way to safety.  So why on earth do I do the same thing?

What I eventually realized was that I like watches with specific purposes.  Almost every watch I own has a purpose, or at least I can list the types of situations in which I would wear it.  I recently bought a diver, it’s for work and during the summer will be for swimming.  Fancy party?  Most likely the Tank, DJ, or vintage Vulcain.  Visiting NASA or going to a race of some type?  I guess that’s what the Speedy is for.  

Now there are two ways I end up with a new watch.  The second, more common in recent months and most likely a passing fad, is I see something on WC and either go buy it, or it points me in the direction of a type of watch I want to explore, and then I buy something.  The first way though, the way I bought most of my watches, is that I identify a situation I’m likely to be in and I look for a watch for that situation.  When I wanted an automatic watch I wouldn’t need to take off while swimming I picked up an SKX.  When I wanted something automatic, but simple with a seconds hand and 24hr markings for work, I got the Vaer in the picture above.  The second time a patient knocked a spring bar free and the Vaer ended up on the floor, I got a G Shock.  I identified a need and found a watch to fill it.

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It turns out this first, older, way of watch identification/procurement lines up with my personality in some way.  I’m not a prepper, but I do love to be prepared.  For some reason, I live for the moment there’s a need for an item or skill, and I’ve got it.  And for some reason, this has translated to my watches.  I want to know I’ve got a watch just in case I get invited to the bottom of the ocean or into space.  If fresh hostilities break out between the US and Nazis, I wan’t to know I’ve got the perfect watch for parachuting into Germany to kick zombie-Hitler’s ass.

Now I have, many times, told people on here that collecting strategies or theories are silly and they should just buy what they like.  I still believe that, and despite this post believe I live it.  That said, what say you?  Do you find your watches have a specific purpose?  If not, why the hell not?

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I try to justify my watches with purpose and one purpose alone !! My Happiness!! Without Enjoyment it’s nothing… 😛

For that it deserves a dancing watermelon….😂 I know it’s pretty selfish

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Given the popularity of divers with overkill specs you’d think most dudes out there were Navy Seals 😂

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I hadn't thought of my inner child, but I'm sure my love of being prepared started in childhood.

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SNWatchNerd

Given the popularity of divers with overkill specs you’d think most dudes out there were Navy Seals 😂

Ha, too true. I'll admit that I loved the thought my SKX was good to 200m, but things have definitely gotten way out of hand. A watch that can legit survive at 200m is all anybody needs. If you're one of the 9 guys who go deeper, you absolutely aren't relying on a mechanical watch for safety.

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You know what, I was prepared to laugh at this sort of specificity, but I actually think you make a lot of sense.

If we accept the general premise that almost all watches are silly, overly engineered thingsa for what they do, having watches for specific purposes makes things more fun for me. I have my work watches, my weekend watches, my exercise and rolling around in the dirt watches.

I'd even take it a step further. Having specific watches for specific experiences actually makes me seek out those experiences which I enjoy more....like having a fancy watch suited to a cocktail bar or nice dinner makes me want to see out those experiences a little more. Same with a watch that I wouldn't mind taking to a ball game...it reminds me to go to watch my beloved Oakland A's a bit more. Maybe a field watch would inspire me to take more hikes or a diver to dust off that PADI designation.

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SNWatchNerd

Given the popularity of divers with overkill specs you’d think most dudes out there were Navy Seals 😂

🤣🤣🤣 0.3 atmospheres would be plenty for me!

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I enjoy this rumination and even I have a general rubric of specificity. I bought a modern diver with a sapphire crystal because no vintage watch could fill that function. What suffers are the watches that are great generalists. Most vintage watches fall into this category. Also, watches like this.

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God tier post !

😂

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Edge168n

You know what, I was prepared to laugh at this sort of specificity, but I actually think you make a lot of sense.

If we accept the general premise that almost all watches are silly, overly engineered thingsa for what they do, having watches for specific purposes makes things more fun for me. I have my work watches, my weekend watches, my exercise and rolling around in the dirt watches.

I'd even take it a step further. Having specific watches for specific experiences actually makes me seek out those experiences which I enjoy more....like having a fancy watch suited to a cocktail bar or nice dinner makes me want to see out those experiences a little more. Same with a watch that I wouldn't mind taking to a ball game...it reminds me to go to watch my beloved Oakland A's a bit more. Maybe a field watch would inspire me to take more hikes or a diver to dust off that PADI designation.

I’ll just point at that you can agree with my premise while laughing at me and my meanderings.

My only issue with specific watches for specific activities is that I also love the idea of a watch with memories. When we swap watches so often, each one has fewer memories. Also, nobody says “my dad gave me this watch and I remember him wearing it like once because he had so many others”. C’est la vie I suppose.

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77red96

🤣🤣🤣 0.3 atmospheres would be plenty for me!

Me too if we’re being honest.

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Aurelian

I enjoy this rumination and even I have a general rubric of specificity. I bought a modern diver with a sapphire crystal because no vintage watch could fill that function. What suffers are the watches that are great generalists. Most vintage watches fall into this category. Also, watches like this.

I realized while writing this that I also have vintage watches that I own mostly because I think old watches look great. Maybe that’s enough of a purpose, but it doesn’t seem to fit the bill.

Also, I was sure you were going to Rick roll me with that link. Of course the watch equivalent of Rick rolling is this

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thekris

I realized while writing this that I also have vintage watches that I own mostly because I think old watches look great. Maybe that’s enough of a purpose, but it doesn’t seem to fit the bill.

Also, I was sure you were going to Rick roll me with that link. Of course the watch equivalent of Rick rolling is this

Vintage works well in most office settings. I think that is specific enough. Today's modern generalists may never find a home however. (Alas, no Rickroll, just a very earnest Islander.)

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Aurelian

Vintage works well in most office settings. I think that is specific enough. Today's modern generalists may never find a home however. (Alas, no Rickroll, just a very earnest Islander.)

I don’t know. An all-around watch to just wear on a normal day is specific enough for me. As for vintage at the office, I don’t work at an office. The single reason I’d even consider working in one is that I have watches I’d like to wear more often but they aren’t suitable to my work.

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thekris

I’ll just point at that you can agree with my premise while laughing at me and my meanderings.

My only issue with specific watches for specific activities is that I also love the idea of a watch with memories. When we swap watches so often, each one has fewer memories. Also, nobody says “my dad gave me this watch and I remember him wearing it like once because he had so many others”. C’est la vie I suppose.

Totally and I would. Don't you worry about that.

My only issue with specific watches for specific activities is that I also love the idea of a watch with memories. When we swap watches so often, each one has fewer memories. Also, nobody says “my dad gave me this watch and I remember him wearing it like once because he had so many others”.

I think I agree with this statement in the extremes, but I think the number of watches we can have real strong sentimental feelings about is pretty large (at least in normal people terms). I peg mine at about a dozen. I perceive the real problem being the flipping at the edges of collections which just spreads it out too thinly.

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I used to have specific watches for specific occasions, now i Just think; what are the chances of me sweating today? Ie if Im going to sweat = FXD. Not sweating = Taisetsu. Hence, now i only own 2 watches.

I do have a dedicated work Seiko to time my stuff, but I figured my FXD could cover that too

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M.addd

I used to have specific watches for specific occasions, now i Just think; what are the chances of me sweating today? Ie if Im going to sweat = FXD. Not sweating = Taisetsu. Hence, now i only own 2 watches.

I do have a dedicated work Seiko to time my stuff, but I figured my FXD could cover that too

I do think it’s entirely possible to have one or two watches. ER seems to be the main thing there. As long as you’ve got 100m on a watch, you could wear it all the time. I find that an attractive thought in that a single watch would have a ton of memories associated with it. But I’m the end I’m just not a small collection person. At least not right now.

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Edge168n

Totally and I would. Don't you worry about that.

My only issue with specific watches for specific activities is that I also love the idea of a watch with memories. When we swap watches so often, each one has fewer memories. Also, nobody says “my dad gave me this watch and I remember him wearing it like once because he had so many others”.

I think I agree with this statement in the extremes, but I think the number of watches we can have real strong sentimental feelings about is pretty large (at least in normal people terms). I peg mine at about a dozen. I perceive the real problem being the flipping at the edges of collections which just spreads it out too thinly.

I don’t know the exact number, but I agree. Something like a dozen watches pleases me more than one or two.

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After I stopped laughing at myself for wearing a camo NATO into the wods like I'm Rambo

No! Don't laugh at yourself! Because as @Maverick5070 said:

My take is that if you can throw on a watch, have a little fun with it like you’re 7 years old again building a fort to defeat the enemy

I love a bit of make-believe fun with watches and often think what watch I would wear if I was a character in a movie.

When I see characters like those in Bullet Train wearing these....

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...while kicking the hell out of eachother hanging onto the side of a speeding train, I start to see the pleasure in the ironic watch choices rather than going for the classic field watch to play Rambo or the massive Seiko to play Arnie.

In my head, when it all hits the fan and we face the end of days, I'm going to be driving around the countryside in a Toyota pickup dressed like this...

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... rocking something ridiculously unsuitable like this...

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🤘💪

So no more specificity for me! Random choices all the way. 🎉

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DeeperBlue

After I stopped laughing at myself for wearing a camo NATO into the wods like I'm Rambo

No! Don't laugh at yourself! Because as @Maverick5070 said:

My take is that if you can throw on a watch, have a little fun with it like you’re 7 years old again building a fort to defeat the enemy

I love a bit of make-believe fun with watches and often think what watch I would wear if I was a character in a movie.

When I see characters like those in Bullet Train wearing these....

Image
Image

...while kicking the hell out of eachother hanging onto the side of a speeding train, I start to see the pleasure in the ironic watch choices rather than going for the classic field watch to play Rambo or the massive Seiko to play Arnie.

In my head, when it all hits the fan and we face the end of days, I'm going to be driving around the countryside in a Toyota pickup dressed like this...

Image

... rocking something ridiculously unsuitable like this...

Image

🤘💪

So no more specificity for me! Random choices all the way. 🎉

Well said as always.

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I have two settings: business and not business. Meaning, watches I have, regardless of their original specific intent or purpose, would need to fall on either one of these two settings, business or not business. Tissot PRX -- flexible, can be both, 1960s Vulcain -- business, Omega SMP 300m -- flexible, could be both, etc.

There are watches that I don't use during the work week and there are watches I don't wear during the weekend. Business or not business. Life is easier with only those two choices. So my thing is more of a fashion call than purpose-driven. I think it's been implied enough times, watches don't actually serve any real purpose in the modern world other than to have fun with them.

So if I'm wearing my expensive Omega and ninjas come crashing through the window, I'm James Bond. If I'm wearing my 1930s Hamilton Endicott and ninjas come crashing through the window, that makes me the Bruce Willis' character in Pulp Fiction (I know that it's not the same watch as in the movie, not even the same year but give me a little wiggle room here). If I'm wearing my Police Batman watch and ninjas come crashing through the window, then

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brunofrankelli

I have two settings: business and not business. Meaning, watches I have, regardless of their original specific intent or purpose, would need to fall on either one of these two settings, business or not business. Tissot PRX -- flexible, can be both, 1960s Vulcain -- business, Omega SMP 300m -- flexible, could be both, etc.

There are watches that I don't use during the work week and there are watches I don't wear during the weekend. Business or not business. Life is easier with only those two choices. So my thing is more of a fashion call than purpose-driven. I think it's been implied enough times, watches don't actually serve any real purpose in the modern world other than to have fun with them.

So if I'm wearing my expensive Omega and ninjas come crashing through the window, I'm James Bond. If I'm wearing my 1930s Hamilton Endicott and ninjas come crashing through the window, that makes me the Bruce Willis' character in Pulp Fiction (I know that it's not the same watch as in the movie, not even the same year but give me a little wiggle room here). If I'm wearing my Police Batman watch and ninjas come crashing through the window, then

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When the ninjas come, whatever watch I’m wearing will instantly become a running watch.

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That mappin bubble back is beautiful