How to Choose the Best Watch for Every Occasion?
In this day and age where information is passed from one to another through networks of signals and motherboards. Where the daily commute is a hustle and bustle to your next meeting and event. The world is changing ever faster and the only constant now, is time. And, for the busy individual who is moving from one activity to another, looking for the perfect everyday companion, nothing is better than a wrist watch. A stunning watch is more than just a complement to your wardrobe but a telling statement about your personality and style as well. But, no one watch can or should truly be the be all and end all of one’s occasions and outfits (unless that watch happens to be a Patek Philippe 5711A Nautilus, but who can truly afford or even get one of those these days?).
Choosing the right watch for you needn’t be a complicated task. Whether you’re looking for a versatile go everywhere do anything daily wearer, or a reserved and sophisticated piece that is only for special events. Having a variety of watches to choose from to fit the occasion perfectly is the ideal, and it shouldn’t be out of reach for us. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what we think are the best timepiece for every occasion; From Black tie and professional events, to sportswear and weekend casual, here are the best watches to suit all your occasions.
#1 Professional Settings: TISSOT PRX 40 205 T13744101104100
Whether its in the boardroom or out for a meal with a client, a watch that is versatile and subtle will and should be the perfect complement to your outfit. It should be restrained yet distinct, classic and timeless, conveying a sense of elegance with a subtle nod to your own individual taste. Well, the Tissot PRX T1374101104100 is the perfect watch for the occasion. Exuding 1970s charm with an integrated bracelet design, harking back to angular sports watches of the era popularized by the Royal Oak and the aforementioned Nautilus. With only 3 hands and the date, packed in a nicely svelte 40mm tonneau shaped case, and attached to a neatly designed angular integrated bracelet, it is an iconic and timeless design that looked ahead of its time in the 70s and is still timeless today even after half a century. And while It may look the part of a luxury Swiss-made sports watch but it certainly isn’t priced like one. And that is the best part about this fantastic watch: it costs only $510. Granted a sacrifice had to be made somewhere to give the watch its immensely low price and it is in the movement where Tissot made the sacrifice. The PRX is powered by a Swiss ETA Quartz caliber, and to purists and enthusiasts, it may seem like a deal breaker but it really shouldn’t be. If you think about it, the reason why sports watches like the Royal Oak and Nautilus even existed in the first place was because the quartz crisis was about to wipe out the reign of mechanical watches. Casing a quartz movement in a case design that harks back to that pivotal era is the perfect vintage throwback to a substantial turning point of Swiss luxury watchmaking, making it also the perfect boardroom/meeting watch.
#2 Wedding/Black Tie Events: Citizen Eco-Drive One AR5044-03E
Depending on an individual’s lifestyle and the ones of those around them, weddings and black-tie events aren’t exactly things that will happen to us often. Maybe once or twice a year perhaps, but not enough to warrant needing a watch specifically for the event, right? Wrong. Now, this is me cheating here (slightly), but as much as we’d like to be able to have something truly outstanding that we will wear only once or twice a year to the best events, there still needs to be some form of practicality and versatility to the watch so that you can at least wear it for other (formal) occasions too, right? But you’ll still want to go all out for events like these, and what better way to go than with a svelte watch that beautifully and effectively showcases the technical prowess of the watchmaker: The Citizen Eco-Drive One. There’s no going around the fact that the Eco-Drive one is a thin watch, it is after all, the thinnest light powered watch in the world, coming in at only 2.98mm thin. Its design and execution are as refined and subtle as the technology powering it, with a stark black dial, slim polished applied indexes and only 2 hands. Fitted in a two-piece construction ceramic-metal-composite (cermet) case that is held in place by 4 visible screws on the watch. Now, it may sound almost brutish with the visible screws and the 2-piece case construction, but it really isn’t, just look at it. Being a timepiece that combines the best of fine watchmaking with modern technological innovation, the Citizen Eco-Drive One is undoubtedly one of the finest and most unique watch of choice for all your Black-Tie events.
#3 Outdoor Use & Sportswear: Casio G-Shock Mudmaster GG-1000-1A3DR
It should go without saying that the last thing you’d want to do is head out to the great outdoors with your Professional/Black-Tie affair piece. Functionality and durability are the name of the game here. And while I would personally recommend any Seiko automatic field watches (particularly the Alpinist), that’s my preference and its not exactly the most practical choice either. The best outdoor use & sportswear watch will have to be something durable, and practical, something that isn’t just tough but has features that you can actually use in times of need. It’ll have to be a G-Shock, but no ordinary G-Shock, it will have to be the Mud Master GG-1000-1A3DR. There is a lot to like about the GG-1000. It’s a result of Casio constantly working on improving what they have done in the past. But with that said, this is a radically different watch from your run-of-the-mill G-Shocks, because of Casio’s use of carbon in the case construction to protect the watch and shave even more weight off too. Casio has always placed more focus on analog-digital style dials for their higher end watches, and the same can be seen here.
They’ve done a great job in combining the functionality and durability of a G-shock with the aesthetic appeal of a ‘traditional’ analog watch. Hybrid dials like this one, have been a mainstay of modern Japanese watchmaking since the 70s and they really found their stride in the 80s. The LCD screen may be small for some, but it is highly legible and offers snappy performance too. The hands are useful when needed, and are used to display certain features that we’ll get into later. However, they are usually performing their default time-telling functions most of the time. Casio’s cutting-edge screen and ultra-lightweight carbon means that there’s virtually no compromise between functionality and style. You get the feeling of immediately wanting to fiddle with the watch the moment you hold it in your hand. Now, you can connect a smartphone to this watch with the ‘connect’ button at the 3 o’clock position and using the G-Shock app, allowing you to adjust the watch using the app if you don’t want to use the buttons. All in all, in terms of looks, functionality and durability, the Mud Master is easily the way to go when it comes to the perfect outdoors/sportswear watch.
#4 Travelling: Edox Geoscope Limited Edition ED07002-3 CI
Going from country to country and crossing time-zone to time-zone can be tiring, and if you’re crossing borders all the time, the last thing you need is a watch that can’t keep up with you. For the travellers, you’ll undoubtedly need a watch with Universal time, a watch that can be easily and conveniently adjusted as and when you go. For this very purpose, the Edox Geoscope Limited Edition ED07002-3 CI is a beautiful and luxurious option for you. A well-travelled man is often one of exquisite taste and substance, so of course, he will require an equally sophisticated companion, and there is nothing that carries more refined sophistication than a complicated Swiss timepiece. And not just any old complication; while chronographs and calendars as nice as they are to have might seem plain to some, unless of course you’re talking about annuals and perpetuals, though those are in a completely different price range entirely. How about this Edox then, a unique colourful planisphere dial showing the globe as viewed form the south-pole with an inner bezel displaying 24 divisions, making one complete revolution every 24 hours along with a GMT display and the position of the sun as well. All of this astronomical horology (pun intended) packed into an elegant and compact 42mm case makes the Edox Geoscope the perfect traveler's watch for the sophisticated traveler.
#5 Weekend Casual: Armand Nicolet JS9 Diver A480ASN-NS0MA4480AA
The perfect weekend or casual watch will go with anything effortlessly and should not make more of a statement than your Black Tie or Professional setting watch. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun or bold. If your weekend can take you from casual outdoor activities to an evening out, then a robust and refined timepiece will make the perfect weekend watch for you. And few things define robust and refinement like a Swiss diver: Particularly, the Armand Nicolet JS9 Diver A480ASN-NS-MA4480AA (quite a mouthful, I know so we’ll just refer to it as the JS9 Diver gilt). Now, it should come as no surprise to anyone why the perfect weekend casual watch is a dive watch, the design has been around since the 50s and is still as timeless and versatile today as it was over 60 years ago. So versatile and timeless is it that almost every watchmaker in the industry has tried their hand at making one (to varying degrees of success of course).
In terms of looks alone, the JS9 seems to have pulled it off, with a stout and angular 44mm case, angular and blocky applied indexes, and bold, equally angular hands as well. It’s a sharp looking watch, and while on paper it has taken the usual dive watch recipe, its execution of the design is a rather striking and unique one too. Powering the watch is the AN2846-9 which is a modified ETA-2846 so reliability and accuracy is pretty much covered as well. Now, a diver of this stature covers the robust part pretty well, but what about refinement? Well, that’s where the gilt comes in, with rose gold sprinkled on the indexes, hands, bezel markers, crown and bezel edges. It certainly gives a touch of subdued dressiness and refinement to this otherwise industrial design. All in all, the JS9 Diver gilt is the perfect weekend casual watch, from a dive at the beach to the fanciest restaurant in town, the JS9 is the watch you can always rely on no matter the occasion.
And That’s A Wrap!
And there we have it, the best watches for every occasion. Now, keep in mind of course that this is all based on our own opinions, and if you have a different/better watch per occasion in mind, we’d love to hear your thoughts too! Afterall, watches are meant to be more than simple tools and accessories, they’re an expression of our individual personality and style as well. With that said, we hope we’ve at least managed to help you better understand the importance of having the right watch for the right occasion.
