The Armoury Lightbox

Three Watches on the Road

I am on the road in Japan for the next ten days sorting things out with our various suppliers as well as taking a short break for myself. I like the idea of having the right watch for the right occasion so even if I’m travelling, I try to have at least two watches with me. For those starting to build a small collection of watches, it can be useful to base your first acquisitions around their intended uses. 

A discreet sport watch like the Explorer I on a strap rather than a bracelet gives you a bit of versatility for work and play. A steel bracelet is nice but sometimes too sporty. I like the additional texture and colour you can get from a fine strap instead.

A true dress watch that is small, simple and formal like the Reverso is great for those big days and special occasions. You could potentially wear your dress watch with a tux but some purists would argue that you shouldn’t be wearing any timepiece with black tie.

A chronograph or a diving watch would cover the remaining bases. Something that is very much on the sporty, casual end of the scale and in a larger case size. You could dress it down further with a nylon or a rubber strap. The easy choices would be the Speedmaster (pictured) or the Rolex Submariner (preferably without date). A little of the office, a lot of the weekend.

There are some great watches out there but the earliest ones that I bought and kept followed the logic I laid out above. Happy hunting!