I have a friend who's been an outdoor pursuits instructor since the 70s and has worn an 861 Speedmaster on a velcro strap every day since he started.
I'd be concerned about water resistance so would personally choose the Jaeger Le Coultre Deep-Sea Chrono.
If I kept only one watch I would not want complication of any kind. I would accept seconds, they are useful all the time. But the most important things for me would be quality, beauty, integrity and honesty and perhaps a little gravitas.
This watch has them in abundance. But it's not going to happen.
Last edited by java; 5th October 2015 at 17:27.
Well it can only be this ......
Since I wouldnt ever have to worried about servicing, and could theoretically treat it however I want since it would get replaced.Originally Posted by seikokiller
I think it would be an AP 15202ST
Dressy & Sporty enough to work well for both occasions.
39mm so not too big, and nice and thing, so will age well.
Two hands, so when less to get confused about as I go senile, even if I would miss the second hand at the start.
Actually, I've Been toying with simplifying my collection lately, and replacing a few watches with a Jumbo.
Quite hard in practice since i can find all sorts of reasons to keep them all (probably getting past the "hoarder" mentality I have is the hardest part)
Sorry i meant this .......
I am currently of the view that it would be Eddies PRS29a for me
I already have it.
36mm Explorer.
Somewhat tired of the same question or a variant popping up again. Anyway, my answer remains the same -without question or hesitation.
Think this is good fun, I'll play ! Let's take a moment and think through what would be needed from such one watch
* Timeless design
Need to stand the test of time, but how can we know that ? Well, we can take history to help, which designs are considered classic today ? Also needs to be of classic size, for me with a 7" wrist that would be around 36-40 mm depending on how big it wears.
* Fit all occasions
This needs to be a watch that can work in every situation, from the board room (as we have high ambitions), to the golf court, beach, sailboat, or offpist in the Alps. And even though I'll get it repaired, well that's a hassle. And it's not solely lack of money keeping me away from taking a vintage Patek split chrono to a nightclub.
* The right complications
Well this is personal, but I only need a second hand and a date. As much as I love grand complications, sorry, but I can keep track of the weekday, month, year, don't care whatever phase the moon happens to be in, and I will surely take notice of the leap year.
* Strap and strap options
Changning the strap could turn one watch into several different. However, if I had to choose, I'd definitely want a bracelet, or at least the option.
Ok so to the contenders then. It would be hard not to mention the Submariner in this context; it's a true classic and in this day it's considered kosher to wear even on more formal occasions. Since money isn't an issue I opt for the blue dialed white gold 116619, with its matte dial and polished links
Hm, but isn't a Rolex a bit dull and boring after all ? If it is the one and only, and not to forget, for free, shouldn't it be ... more exotic and less attainable ? Well it's hard to discard Patek, the mother of all grails. I'll take the blue faced 5711, as it doesn't get better than this:
Some interesting options in here.
Surprising how many people, even when all barriers (cost, servicing etc) would still go with a Rolex.
Erm... you do realize that those stickers are meant to be removed, don't you?Somewhat tired of the same question or a variant popping up again. Anyway, my answer remains the same -without question or hesitation.
I think for practical reason I would grab a Seadweller, little dull and predictable but it is all you ever need in Land, Sea, and Air
RIAC
As mentioned earlier, it's no wonder they sell a lot of watches! It's by far the 'no hassle, not too flash' option, which in the long term is desirable.
I'd select from the Nautilus, Royal Oak or Overseas range. All can be worn on straps or bracelets, all have decent water resistance and you can choose from steel or gold with chrono, dual time or calendar functions.
AP Royal Oak and Overseas Perpetual Calendars make a strong case, as does the rose gold Nautilus chronograph...
They're quite flash though aren't they? Certainly more flash than a Rolex
The gold ones are certainly. But the stainless steel ones are modestly sized (current ROO excepted) and not a flashing ceramic bezel in sight!They're quite flash though aren't they? Certainly more flash than a Rolex
There's Nautilus annual calendar with chrono I think. Job done! :)
Boring I know but mine would be a Sea Dweller. It does everything you need in a watch, it's built to last, it's gorgeous and it just speaks to me. :-)
Still a Patek though!
But I agree, a steel one could be quite subtle if no-one spots the brand. You could even get away with platinum with most people...
How is a SeaDweller going to look on the wrist of a 70, 80 or 90 year old man?
Answer. Huge.
Here's mine, albeit a little dirty. I'd like to think this could see me through another 40 years or more.
I probably won't live that long so won't have to worry...
They look pretty huge on the wrist of this 56 year old man
One of the reasons I like 34-36mm case sizes
What an odd sort of remark.
However. A GMT Master has been my constant companion from my middle sixties , some fifteen years. Reckon It will see me out. It is on a Jubilee bracelet and I think the combination is unbeatable, at least for me Yes I have other watches, but they all seem to get boring after a day or so.
Last edited by BrianT; 6th October 2015 at 10:39.
Don't worry, judging by a lot of the wrist shots I see on here the watch isn't what people will be looking at on those 90 year old arms - it will be the slackly hanging tattoos
Hmmm.
An idiosyncrasy of mine. I let them fall off. A crazy superstition😄
The 15202 Royal Oak extra thin certainly works. A bit easier to live with than a Nautilus, perhaps. But a little more unique might be a Vacheron Constantin 222. One came up recently and I suppose I could have traded most of the collection for it, but variety is the spice of life. Maybe one day.
As a more attainable choice, the new 39mm oyster perpetual 114300 rhodium dial might just do the job. Certainly an all rounder, nice enough to be nice, but subtle enough not to overdo it either.
I'd like to add white gold into the mix given the choice (why not?), but I can't think of an all rounder that would do it. A sub-second Calatrava would work of course, but I don't think I could manage without a bracelet watch.
As a previous poster mentioned, it would have to be something quartz for me. I'm looking at the Hydromax on my wrist thinking that it pretty much covers all bases, except for the fact that it's oil filled which would be a pain in the backside come service time if it was the only watch I had.
In what way?
The thread is about a watch for life; so you have to consider how it will look when you are in your later years ...
Personally I think when you are getting on a bit a chunky diver is going to look a little out of place ... but I accept it is a matter of personal taste.
I can't think of any pensioners I have seen with a Sea Dweller or similar.
16610.
Sea Dweller 16660 Matte works for me .
It's the one I'd keep to the end out of my 18038 , 1680 , 1675 ( also these are in the order I'd sell if I had to .)
I get what you saying, but isnt Rolex a bad example? I would say that a SD (the 40mm) or GMT for that matter is quite universal. I have seen elderly people wear a classic submariner and looks perfectly fine, a deepsea is of course more difficult to pull off.
I think that is why many suggested the 36mm DJ ... a fair shout I'd say.
Even smaller, but my Airking, bought 18 years ago nearly new, and the first good watch I bought, is still my favourite and would be my keeper for life. For me it epitomises understated elegance.
It sounds like a grand idea, but with all the flippin that goes on around here do people really expect to keep hold of the same watch for the next 30 to 50 years. Answering the question today, I am in the Sea-dweller camp with a lot of others and I don't think age is an issue, my dad died this year aged 83 and was just short of 6 foot tall and hadn't turned into Mr Burns. He still looked good in the same watch that he had worn since his mid 50s. I agree with comment below, full sleeve colour tattoos will be more of an issue than your watch.
I wouldn't mind this one if money not an issue. Saw it at Patek's exhibition in London earlier this year.
Easy question for me.... 36mm Platinum Day Date with ice blue dial. ( although I've not tried on a 40mm version yet). That will do.
3 months is an achievement for me
Good job its a hypothetical watch
That's why it's a hypothetical question.
I have often considered turning my collection into 'one watch to rule them all' but it doesn't exist. Except hypothetically...
It would have to be my 41mm Datejust II.
I could wear my GS every day no problem at all
Hypothetical - money no object - the Rolex moon-phase would tick all the right boxes.
Last edited by Wallasey Runner; 6th October 2015 at 20:29.
SD 4000 I expect (though I don't own one yet)
Probably VC Overseas Chronograph with black guilloche dial for me
Money no object I'd like a perpetual calendar with a minute repeater in white gold please.
Back in the realms of (comparative) normality the Sea-Dweller is a good choice and, until recently, it would have got my vote.
But I found (and I accept I may be over sensitive here) that it was just too recognisable and that meant that there were a lot of places I wasn't comfortable wearing it because it gave off the wrong impression ("no wonder your fees are so high" etc).
So my real world choice would be one of the watches that led to me selling the Sea-Dweller: The totally innocuous but brilliant Tudor Heritage Ranger. Does exactly what it says on the tin and is a cracking tool watch.
Sorry for the essay - I put quite a lot of thought into the question!
I ran through in my mind a list of watches I’d consider. Rolex 1665 SD? Bezel markers aren’t the full 0-60 set. Rolex 5517 MilSub - love the sword hands, but no date and the need to wear it on a NATO, always, might annoy. X-33? Not waterproof in any real sense. Fortis LE? Possibly, but it’s big and not very pretty. M1? As per the Fortis, except that it’s less pretty; OTOH it has that great chrono movement with all the features. Speedy Pro - not enough WR and no date. Speedy Grail - better chrono than the Pro, but otherwise much the same in terms or WR. 16710, SMP GMT, Planet Ocean GMT? Handy, but not so good for timing things as a 0-60 bezel.
Market value or price don’t matter if you can never sell. It must come down to utility AND aesthetics, not what other people like. So, whilst in the real world I'd love to have a fresh 5517 MilSub with luminova hands and dial, I’d still want the utility of a chrono. I've had quite a few, and never quite found what I want - which includes a Ti case; sword hands; waterproof pushers that can be used underwater; great lume and a centre-minute hand chrono movement like the Lemania 5100 or the HEQ version similar 251.262 quartz equivalent. The quartz movement allows for handy functions like a quickset hour hand, for travel, and a "regatta" feature which allows the chrono hands to be adjusted to operate like a countdown timer - handy for starting yacht races, or for parking meters.
Nothing quite matches this, so I'd have to have a custom built watch of some sort. Given that money is no object, I reckon that my generous benefactor and I could approach Omega and ask for an Omega Seamaster Chrono 2293 (the titanium version, below), which has the same sword hands as my Seamaster Pro 2264, and waterproof pushers; but modded with SuperQuartz 251.232 centre minute chrono hand movement out of the Breitling M1. Omega can make a dial to match, and maybe let me have a set of three lumed bezels like on the SM300 - a 0-60, a 60-0 countdown version and a 0-12 version for travel.
For sure - this lacks the purity of the Rolex MilsSub (any Rolex) but it does everything - without worries- that I’m likely to want in a watch, apart from an alarm. Which, funnily enough, apart from the greater WR and the sword hands, is pretty much where I started this mad game - it’s really just an upgraded version of the Revue Thommen Chrono I had as my only watch for a decade. Which did me very well.
Last edited by HappyJack; 8th October 2015 at 02:20.
The Hi Beat, obviously.
My white dial Daytona was always that 'one' watch for life. Kind of still is, but after two years of ownership I wonder about the Platona.
I'd probably want a 1016, but only on a world where I get constant free replacements as I'd want something slightly more rugged in real life....
I've been wearing my 2001 14060M daily for months and would be happy to do so from now on.
Photographed by Tony (ltf)
scooter
Have you tried one on? They are stunning in the metal...
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
