The London Lounge

In the realm of menswear, watches are unusual because they combine technology and ornament; watches have a serious job to do. In some instances, they have four or five serious jobs. Each watch tells a story about its owner.




* INVITATIONS: Creative Black Tie: formal or semiformal clothes with an individual touch, or Black Tie. Break out your vintage (discreet) watch that is small in diameter and slim, one which will slip in and out from under your French cuff shirt. Always match your cufflinks with the metal of your watch, or match the stone of the link to the dial color of your watch.

* WELL SUITED
Generally speaking, analog watches are more formal than digital; gold and platinum watches are fancier than stainless; leather watchbands are more casual than metal watch bands, you will also find among this line up are multifunction watches, known among pendants as Sport-Utility time pieces, or SUTs. Some of these SUTs are more prestigious than diamond–studded Rolexes. That is because the best of them function as a stopwatch, an alarm clock, an altimeter, a thermometer, a barometer, and a dual-zone timekeeper that is perpetually readjusted for accuracy by satellites in outer space. Remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder; remember to match your links.

*AT EASE
The best of both world’s blazers and trousers replace suits, ties are optional and polished loafers can stand for wing-tip oxfords, the best of both worlds. Here again opt for the SUT time piece.

* TIME FOR IT (WORK IT OUT)
But unlike those merely pretty pieces, plastic, rubber, or flexible watch bands are the most casual of all. In short, the dressiest watch you can own is a gold timepiece with a BIG hand and a little hand, and a sweep-second action. The most casual is the basic digital model with plastic strap.

Dear Sir,

I understand that Black Tie calls for “no watch” in matters of elegance.

My Van der Bauwede can take either metal or leather. As a matter of personal preference, I much prefer an alligator band in ranking order to anything metallic.

Dear Sir. You are somewhat correct, for those of us whom like to don our time piece the consensus is that the model must be a leather band, my watch of choice for formal-occasions is the Dufonte by Lucien Piccard, which is a gold case, white dial tank, 1in. in diameter w/ a crocodile band, please remember the rule match your cufflinks with the case of your watch. Also your watch should not be worn high on the wrist but below the wrist bone and should slide in and out from under your shirt cuff.