Did someone ever tell you that you couldn't wear your dive watch on a leather strap? Or that your watch was too big, on the wrong wrist, or somehow in violation of some arcane set of watch nerd rules? Jason and James dig into as many of these rules as they could find online and it’s a fun and lighthearted chat into the more regimented side of both horological and sartorial concerns.
Hi there, good watch folks of the interweb. Allow me to settle the debate over whether wearing divers on leather is heresy. Two questions. Question one: who made the first dive watch? Answer: Panerai. Question two: what kind of straps were the original Panerai watches fitted with? Answer: Yep. Leather! Have a nice day!
I have a request to put out the the TGN fam... I just bought a Seiko SPB255 (very happy with it). It comes on a custom woven nato but I'd like to add a metal bracelet to the mix. I ordered one from Amazon that was good... but the hollow end links are a poor fit. Does anyone have a line on better fitting PVD end links or an OEM/replacement bracelet? Thank you!
Thanks for the lead on the Thermocell! Monsoon has arrived and the mosquitoes are in hordes. The thermocell drove them away from our patio for hours. Fantastic!
Here’s one rule everyone in the Watch community needs to follow: Don’t Judge and Don’t Assume. As someone who has lots of tattoos and a real professional job, I get looks all the time when I walk into a Rolex dealership. They are so outdated! What a joke. I’ve been in Omega Boutiques and Tudor ADs where I’ve stood next to guys in suits, while I’ve been in there in my day off in flip flops and skull t-shirts wearing a Planet Ocean. They don’t judge and they get it. The olden days of forced conformity are long gone and part of a dying breed. Enjoy YOUR style and YOUR watches and respect that not everyone is you! Here’s another rule we should all follow : bring someone new into the wonderful world of watches! Thanks TGN!
Another fun episode. As James sometimes says, strong opinions, loosely held. As long as you enjoy it, who cares what you do with your own watches?
I occasionally try to coordinate the watch strap to belt/shoe color, but stainless goes with everything :). And for those who wear wedding rings, agree it would be more than silly to have one in each color...three if you have a rose watch.
I personally don't wear divers on leather, but have no problem with the concept. As Jason said in an earlier TGN, it is very unlikely that you will unexpectedly find yourself in dive gear with tanks about to jump into the water and no time to change your watch or strap. And if you did have to make an emergency, no-notice dive, I imagine the story would be well worth the replacement strap!
Not really a "rule", but I prefer yellow/rose gold on brown leather and steel/white gold on black straps. I feel no rancor to those who switch this up, just a loosely held preference (that I myself have broken).
I don't know if this is a watch rule, really, but this reminded me of one of my employees. He's a younger guy who has a small collection of a few watches that he rotates based on his outfit. They're all quartz watches, and 100% of them have dead batteries! It kind of drives me crazy, but he just wears them for style as an accessory. I told him about mechanical watches, and he was pretty shocked to learn about it. I'm thinking about buying him an automatic Seiko or Hamilton or something.
A timely conversation on strap hardware matching for me as I just acquired a Seiko SPB255 and was looking for TGN approved NATO/Rubber Straps with black/DLC hardware. Any recommendations on where to source quality Straps with non conventional hardware?
A seemingly oft ignored aspect of the never ending size debate in watches is that watches are not like shoes or hats, you don't simply "find your size" and then buy watches that fit. There is no real sizing rule.
I have a small wrist that on average comfortably fits a watch 35-39mm but in a dress watch 33mm looks great and a 42mm Speedy looks great too. Proportions are everything and getting hung up on wanting every watch to be a certain "perfect size" is silly in my opinion. If every watch was 40mm some would look cramped & heavy and others decidedly blank & void, not to mention the thickness penalties that go along with case size.
Not a rule per say but when I was on the Rolex forum (shudder) people would flame anyone that put a 6 digit Rolex on a nato. I would love to do a grey nato for my 214270 but then again the bracelet is so comfy. Anyone have a 6 digit Rolex on a nato and/or no why all the hate for this combo?
Slightly off-topic to this episode, but commenting here because it is the most recent. James/Jason, have you seen Miyota has a new traveller's GMT movement, the 9075? Very little online outside of a WUS thread or two. Apparently it will be in a new LIP Nautic Ski GMT which looks pretty sweet but thick (https://www.lip.fr/en/830-nautic-ski-auto-gmt-41-mm.html), and a new 43mm Bulova dressy piece. Any intel (or speculation) on how long it will take to get that movement into some of the affordable independent brands like Halios/Lorier/Baltic/Astor+Banks? I get that it is likely not a drop in replacement for GMTs using Sellita/Soprod/ETA movements and a they may need a new case design. But I would be thrilled to see it in some <40mm <$1000 sport watches soon!
How about the rule about dress watches and nato straps? I wear my gold vintage must de Cartier on a nato! But people are appalled by that mix - and I love it!
Great episode and I am glad you had a good time in NC Jason. One correction. If you are on the NC side of the Appalachian mountains we call them the Blue Ridge mountains. On the TN side they are called the Great Smoky Mountains.
Unless you’re a complete Luddite or in the witness protection program, watches aren’t necessary, so why not have fun with them? My booze world has so so many “rules” and most of them come from the snobby set. Screw rules! Go your own way and enjoy these luxuries.
The “matching all your metals” rule is a rough one. Sort of like trying to match all the wood furniture in your house! It doesn’t work, and if you do match them all it looks way too coordinate and boring.
The gold/dress watch with casual clothes is great — sort of like wearing cordovan loafers with casual clothes, as it adds an interesting pop.
Hi there, good watch folks of the interweb. Allow me to settle the debate over whether wearing divers on leather is heresy. Two questions. Question one: who made the first dive watch? Answer: Panerai. Question two: what kind of straps were the original Panerai watches fitted with? Answer: Yep. Leather! Have a nice day!
I have a request to put out the the TGN fam... I just bought a Seiko SPB255 (very happy with it). It comes on a custom woven nato but I'd like to add a metal bracelet to the mix. I ordered one from Amazon that was good... but the hollow end links are a poor fit. Does anyone have a line on better fitting PVD end links or an OEM/replacement bracelet? Thank you!
James,
Thanks for the lead on the Thermocell! Monsoon has arrived and the mosquitoes are in hordes. The thermocell drove them away from our patio for hours. Fantastic!
Here’s one rule everyone in the Watch community needs to follow: Don’t Judge and Don’t Assume. As someone who has lots of tattoos and a real professional job, I get looks all the time when I walk into a Rolex dealership. They are so outdated! What a joke. I’ve been in Omega Boutiques and Tudor ADs where I’ve stood next to guys in suits, while I’ve been in there in my day off in flip flops and skull t-shirts wearing a Planet Ocean. They don’t judge and they get it. The olden days of forced conformity are long gone and part of a dying breed. Enjoy YOUR style and YOUR watches and respect that not everyone is you! Here’s another rule we should all follow : bring someone new into the wonderful world of watches! Thanks TGN!
Another fun episode. As James sometimes says, strong opinions, loosely held. As long as you enjoy it, who cares what you do with your own watches?
I occasionally try to coordinate the watch strap to belt/shoe color, but stainless goes with everything :). And for those who wear wedding rings, agree it would be more than silly to have one in each color...three if you have a rose watch.
I personally don't wear divers on leather, but have no problem with the concept. As Jason said in an earlier TGN, it is very unlikely that you will unexpectedly find yourself in dive gear with tanks about to jump into the water and no time to change your watch or strap. And if you did have to make an emergency, no-notice dive, I imagine the story would be well worth the replacement strap!
Not really a "rule", but I prefer yellow/rose gold on brown leather and steel/white gold on black straps. I feel no rancor to those who switch this up, just a loosely held preference (that I myself have broken).
I don't know if this is a watch rule, really, but this reminded me of one of my employees. He's a younger guy who has a small collection of a few watches that he rotates based on his outfit. They're all quartz watches, and 100% of them have dead batteries! It kind of drives me crazy, but he just wears them for style as an accessory. I told him about mechanical watches, and he was pretty shocked to learn about it. I'm thinking about buying him an automatic Seiko or Hamilton or something.
A timely conversation on strap hardware matching for me as I just acquired a Seiko SPB255 and was looking for TGN approved NATO/Rubber Straps with black/DLC hardware. Any recommendations on where to source quality Straps with non conventional hardware?
A seemingly oft ignored aspect of the never ending size debate in watches is that watches are not like shoes or hats, you don't simply "find your size" and then buy watches that fit. There is no real sizing rule.
I have a small wrist that on average comfortably fits a watch 35-39mm but in a dress watch 33mm looks great and a 42mm Speedy looks great too. Proportions are everything and getting hung up on wanting every watch to be a certain "perfect size" is silly in my opinion. If every watch was 40mm some would look cramped & heavy and others decidedly blank & void, not to mention the thickness penalties that go along with case size.
Not a rule per say but when I was on the Rolex forum (shudder) people would flame anyone that put a 6 digit Rolex on a nato. I would love to do a grey nato for my 214270 but then again the bracelet is so comfy. Anyone have a 6 digit Rolex on a nato and/or no why all the hate for this combo?
Slightly off-topic to this episode, but commenting here because it is the most recent. James/Jason, have you seen Miyota has a new traveller's GMT movement, the 9075? Very little online outside of a WUS thread or two. Apparently it will be in a new LIP Nautic Ski GMT which looks pretty sweet but thick (https://www.lip.fr/en/830-nautic-ski-auto-gmt-41-mm.html), and a new 43mm Bulova dressy piece. Any intel (or speculation) on how long it will take to get that movement into some of the affordable independent brands like Halios/Lorier/Baltic/Astor+Banks? I get that it is likely not a drop in replacement for GMTs using Sellita/Soprod/ETA movements and a they may need a new case design. But I would be thrilled to see it in some <40mm <$1000 sport watches soon!
You forgot the most TGN of all rules... everything on a nato, always.
Right?
How about the rule about dress watches and nato straps? I wear my gold vintage must de Cartier on a nato! But people are appalled by that mix - and I love it!
Great episode and I am glad you had a good time in NC Jason. One correction. If you are on the NC side of the Appalachian mountains we call them the Blue Ridge mountains. On the TN side they are called the Great Smoky Mountains.
ANOTHER great episode!
Unless you’re a complete Luddite or in the witness protection program, watches aren’t necessary, so why not have fun with them? My booze world has so so many “rules” and most of them come from the snobby set. Screw rules! Go your own way and enjoy these luxuries.
The “matching all your metals” rule is a rough one. Sort of like trying to match all the wood furniture in your house! It doesn’t work, and if you do match them all it looks way too coordinate and boring.
The gold/dress watch with casual clothes is great — sort of like wearing cordovan loafers with casual clothes, as it adds an interesting pop.
I sometimes dive with my Breitling on a leather strap, so there. But it’s a Hirsch strap meant for water, with a depth rating of 300m.
I also sometimes wear my dressier watches on Erika’s MN straps. I like the infinite adjustability of the straps and I think they look good, too.
And I often wear that Breitling diver on a burgundy Bund strap, which I love.
Fun episode!