Watch Snob: The Flawless Watch

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The Watch Snob is in. What Is The Ultimate Hipster Watch?

I live in L.A. and often find myself at evening events where the dress is upscale but casual (as in jeans, leather jackets and the like, but mostly of the Barney's persuasion). I feel like I have a decent collection of watches for daytime/business and more formal evening events, but just tonight, while I was at a more rock 'n' roll kind of event, I found myself wondering what a good watch would be for these environments? Neither my Rolex GMT nor my Patek Calatrava really seemed to fit. Any thoughts on a fine watch that can be worn at downscale -- dare I say, even "hipster"-- evening events, but where most people in the room are wealthy and wearing expensive yet informal clothing?First of all, let me unequivocally state that I am not a fashion consultant. Questions like yours ring as hollow as if you were asking me for the appropriate pattern pocket square to accompany your argyle socks. Ask me about the inherent merits of a fine timepiece, but please not as some sort of accessory to match your rock ‘n’ roll wardrobe. Still, your question amused me and I cannot resist a reply. Your so-called “downscale” events seem so utterly contrived that I envision a gathering of trust-fund hipsters arriving on fixed gear bikes with 35-mm film cameras slung over their shoulders. Let me guess, most of your friends are wearing vintage Hamilton army watches on canvas straps, and your Patek and Rolex just feel too bourgeois. It would seem to me that in this stylistic race to the bottom, the perfect timepiece would be a 1970s Casio calculator watch, preferably on a steel band. Be sure to wear it intentionally loose so it hangs off your wrist as you clutch your Pabst Blue Ribbon, lest anyone think you care enough to have it sized properly. I haven’t checked, but I’ll bet Barney’s sells special editions of these watches, marked up accordingly for you and your friends. What Is The Best Watch To Invest In?

I'm looking to purchase a rose gold watch in the range of $60K to $80K. My preferred brands are FP Journe, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. My main criteria are an attractive, uncluttered appearance, a watch that I'll want to keep and then hand down, a watch that will largely hold (and possibly increase) in value, a watch that will suit me well for the next 15 to 20 years.Congratulations on being the exception in a week of otherwise inane questions. I also commend you for your taste in timepieces. All three brands are worthy of consideration in their own right. While all three will have watches that meet most of your criteria, Patek is the only one I can say with some certainty will hold (or increase) its value. But I am not a proponent of the timepieces-as-investments school of thought. Your other criteria are more important, and if you intend to hand this watch down, return on investment will be measured in other, more important, ways.Regardless, I think I have the perfect watch for you: the Patek Philippe 5146 Annual Calendar. Despite the presence of a moonphase, power reserve, date window, and day and month subdials, it remains remarkably uncluttered. The watch falls squarely in your price range, and you’ll surely want to hand it down to your offspring, assuming he is worthy. Question From A Watch Knob

I just graduated from college and my parents gave me a Rolex watch for a present. I’m not a watch kind of guy, but I don’t have the heart to tell them that. So now I just wear the watch when I dress up or when I know I’m going to see my parents. But it keeps stopping when I don’t wear it, and I can’t be bothered to set the time, so I don’t. Is it wrong to wear it like that? I just check my phone for the time anyways.Every once in a while I see a question like this, and it makes me want to pull the plug and drive straight to Glashütte or the Vallée de Joux for a week of purification. The only hope I have is that your parents are more intelligent than you and didn’t waste their money on a real Rolex. Continue Reading

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