As an indicator of one’s status or taste – or lack thereof – watches have become the new shorthand. Since the Great Watch Revolution of the 1980s, when mechanical timepieces returned in force as a backlash against cheap-and-nasty quartz, and when vintage watches started to appear in auctions in greater numbers, awareness of the wristwatch has acquired a new significance.
Previously, anything more obscure than a Timex or an Accurist was appreciated only by cognoscenti. Watches were far too small to be in-your-face indicators of serious wealth – not like the Ferrari or Maserati that might have parked in front of Monaco’s Hotel de Paris.
Take Rolex. While everyone now recognizes the name, back in the 1950s and 1960s the brand was known almost exclusively by the pilots and professional divers who actually needed the functions the watches offered. Today, watch literacy has soared. As for brands such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and even the ineffably famous and recognizable Cartier, they were only understood by aristocrats and the gentry. What has changed is that now everyone from the cab driver to the doorman, to the dentist to the divorce lawyer – especially the divorce lawyer – knows the difference between fine timepieces and those sold to mere mortals.
As a result, one’s choice of watch is as important as the quality of the handbag, the cut of one’s suit, the appropriateness of a tie’s pattern, the height of the heel. If such things matter, you might consider watches fitting both your personality and the occasion.
The Italians advise three timepieces at the very least: One that suits your occupation, a dress watch for sober, formal or evening wear, and a robust watch for sport or holiday. And as for finding a watch to suit your personality, or even the one you wish to project, visit our store.
