My Watch Quest

I still own the first “cool” watch I ever purchased.  My aqua and yellow skeleton Swatch with gray and yellow ribbed wristband of 80s era pop culture fame still reminds me of how much more self-confident I felt the first time I wore it to school.  Did it actually make me cooler?  Heck no, I was still a major geek in junior high.  I’ve since lost the red rubber vertical swatch-guard, but it’s still a reminder of my first watch purchase which led me from the function of a black calculator watch (see…real geeky) to fashion where the purpose of the watch was as much a statement of style as was telling the time. 

During my college years and early years of employment, I’ve become confident in who I am and in my sense of style, but my watch purchases have only slightly developed with my trend toward department store designer watches which offer style a measure of style and a great deal of affordability.  My choices have ranged from digital watches for running triathlons with my wife, to a nice watch to match my charcoal suit, and more recently to a gold and silver skeleton fossil which reminded me of seeing the gears of that very first Swatch.

I’m now to the point, where quality and craftsmanship are overcoming my self-imposed or better yet salary-imposed ceiling of $175 for a designer watch.  Talking to friends and colleagues, a quality watch represents a symbol of success or accomplishment.  While a small degree of this applies to me as well, it wasn’t enough alone to drive me into the world of horology.  For me I want a watch that will stand the test of time (oh yea, that pun just happened).  I’m tired of being frustrated every time I scratch a bezel or wear the color off a metal band.  I’m tired of replacing watch batteries.  I’m tired of disposable watches that can’t get wet or can’t take life’s normal wear and tear.  I want a quality watch which will someday fill my children with memories of their father instead of a disposable one filling a landfill somewhere.  But most importantly, I’m finally mature enough (as long as we aren’t asking my wife) to appreciate and to properly maintain and care for a quality timepiece. 

So where do I start?  There are at least 178 major watch companies worldwide and approximately half of those would classify as a luxury watch company and of those there are twenty companies with well-known reputations like: Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, Cartier, and Jaeger-LeCoultre.  It would be pretty easy to drop ten grand on a new watch with any luxury brand and be done with my search, but I want to be sure the right blend of craftsmanship, reliability, and style of a luxury timepiece with the affordability of my wife's permission (If you say it works any different at your house, just test it and at best you'll find out she's only letting you think you're calling the shots).  Call it impossible, but this is my quest: to build a watch collection which make’s sense to my mind, heart, and wallet and along the way I hope all my readers benefit from what I learn.  If I’m going to spend the money then I’m going to do the research to make sure there is no buyer’s remorse because at these price points I could easily find out how much an ulcer costs.