Style Note: The Men’s Watch

 
Simple but sturdy, smart but manly. That’s the watch I like, the watch I wear. The men’s watch. I’ve never been into dainty jewellery, whether it’s watches and or any other kind of jewellery. I like the personality and the aesthetics of an oversized wrist time-keeper, as it makes your wrist even thinner than it already is – that feeling of strong and feminine at the same time. It’s chic when you wear it to blue jeans and a t-shirt, and sexy when worn with a tuxedo or evening dress.

It’s not only the elegance and touch of class such a time piece brings to your style, but its attraction as a functional and a mechanical instrument, as well. A man’s watch has history attached to it. T.H. Lawrence wore an Omega Chronograph during the Arab Revolt, between 1916-1918, Mercedes Gleitze wore a Rolex Oyster when she swam the English Channel in 1927, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary wore Oyster Rolex watches when they conquered Everest in 1953. Jacques Piccard wore a Rolex Sea Dweller in 1960 when he performed at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, at 10,916 metres the deepest point on Earth, and the Omega Speedmaster became the first watch to be worn on the moon in 1969. I can not overlook the Rolex Submariner either, James Bond’s choice in the movie franchise until 1995. The men’s watch is an example of design and style in the purest sense – made not for flash, but for function. And that makes it timeless.

Here are a few men’s watches I would be happy to own. Click on each image for a better look.

 
photo: Andreas Sjödin for Vogue Paris, September 2011 | Anna de Rijk is wearing a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, via Vogue.fr