Reply With QuoteGreat question.
I’m not sure you’ll know the answer for a few years really.
But this is one I think will age well whilst still being rooted in its era;
Every decade or so has a distinctive look. The colours of the 1960s, the shape of the 1970s, the bling of the 1980s and from the 1990s... well, let's forget about that decade. Nothing looks more dated than a TAG from that time.
Do we even have a watch that defines the design aesthetic of the 2000s or 2010s? I see lots of watches inspired by every era from the 1920s onwards but I struggle to put my finger on any watch that is clearly from this time. Perhaps some of the analogue G Steel models but as we all know, G Shocks don't count.
Can you think of one? And if so, how will it look in 20 or 30 years or more? To future watch nerds, will they see it like we see a nice Longines from the 1950s or will it look like a TAG Link?
Oh, and don't be lazy and just moan about watches bigger than 42mm.
Great question.
I’m not sure you’ll know the answer for a few years really.
But this is one I think will age well whilst still being rooted in its era;
Not sure about the 2000-2010 decade, I mostly remember oversized fashion watches from that period, but 2010-2020 was dominated by reissues from the 50-60's and faux patina, and they will probably all be considered kitsch and will most likely age badly.
Everything made by Hublot.
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I’m going to state the obvious and say any Breitling with a yellow, orange or blue face. Additional points for an ornate and fragile bezel.
U Boats.
I saw the title and thought- aah, a great thread!
Then I saw the answers and thought- may be not:-)
For me the answer is in the original post. There is no particular watch style that epitomises today’s age. Of the mainstream watches, I don’t find anything that is going to age particularly badly. May be some of the smart watches.
Last edited by RAJEN; 17th July 2021 at 00:02.
If I could answer the OPs question, I would be head hunted by a major watch maker and would earn a fantastic salary and all the perks that go with it.
I like everyone else here cannot answer the question so I shall continue to be retired perkless and in poverty.
Anything with faux patina.
Anything over 42mm.
Nowt wrong with hublot I’ve owned a couple I can tell you they’re very well made watchesOriginally Posted by WatchFanUK23
It won't matter. Wearing a watch will go the same way as wearing a hat.
I think anything with particularly bold styling tends to age badly. So I would guess most Hublots, RIchard Milles and dare I say it, the current seamaster pro (which I think is a lovely watch)
I appreciate the original question asked answers not to be lazy but I think it’s easier to pick out features which are typical of this time,like glossy ceramic bezels, oversized cases, the use of bronze, and cream lume are all features of the last 10-15 years. I’d probably throw in the SM300 in the list above given it matches those criteria.
As depressing as it is to say, probably those ghastly wood watches.
Most Kickstarter microbrands won't age well I think. Think the 2010s can be defined by those. 2000s maybe the rise of the Sub homage and 2020s maybe the rise of the everything homage?
Should be apple watch or Fitbit style watches for 2010s?
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I think the XXL watches will not age well. I mean the 45+ millimeter ones.
You have to be a bodybuilder sized guy to wear a Breitling Super Avenger and not look silly, imho.
Seems unlikely that most Kickstarters will even register.
They are made in tiny numbers and will vanish in the course of time, being as baffling to most as all those tiny Swiss brands from the 70s.
I think ceramic bezels will define the 2010s and been seen as a bit gaudy in time. Ceramic might last, but I think the overt use of it will become less apparent in time.
Of course, I may be totally wrong.
Todays smartwatches will 100% age poorly, being seen as those LED watches you had to press a button to illuminate or a Commodore PET in 20 years time
M
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Last edited by snowman; 17th July 2021 at 09:17.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
If that’s true I’ll eat my watch.
I’d say we are lucky to be living through a decade where there is so much choice, from case sizes to materials, retro 80’s digital and faux patina 60’s divers through to modern Big brands plundering their back catalogue and Garmin/apple watches amd microbrands there’s never been so much choice - and as a result I don’t think there has been a defining watch type which you can say will/won’t age badly
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Great question and I’d also unfortunately think the Omega Seamaster. Purely because it’s so tied in with Bond films of the era.
I’d also throw in the Corum bubble for good measure
The TT Explorer.
I agree smart watches will age badly, mainly because the tech will be out dated within months not years, obsolescence is built in to them. Some of the early designs are even starting to look a bit clumsy.
Both IWC and Omega designs tend to date quite badly historically and I see no prospect of change there, it’s a side effect of changing designs on a regular basis and not evolving designs as others do; however fashion tends to come back around so they will have their day in the sun again, exactly as the vintage market is showing now. I think the larger PO might look a bit naff in 20 years time though.
I think faux aged lume is here to stay, it’s one of the few ways of adding ‘character’ and ‘charm’ to a modern watch, it might not be as prevalent as it is now. Ceramic bezel inserts are also here to stay but ceramic cases might date, similar to the 90s Rados.
Others have been mentioned already, Hublot, RM, U Boat, along with quirky Panerai will all date horribly. Lastly an unpopular opinion for sure but…
Fat cased Rolex! It was awful when released, it’s not got any better with age and Rolex are starting to replace the design language already.
Not sure about the Seamaster. I bought one on my honeymoon nearly 25 years ago (the first Pierce Brosnan auto version) and although slightly changed the design is still much the same. I think I sold it as it became a very common watch, I remember going to a business meeting and all 4 of us were wearing the same watch! - If it’s still being made a quarter of a century after introduction I don’t think it has really dated tbh
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I would definitely agree with this one.
I'm not sure about salmon dials, they seem to be very on trend right now but I can't decide if they will age badly or not.
EDIT: Oh, and that plastic cased Quartz Breitling.
All very well, but what if we age badly?
As a general guideline, avoid all signs of ‘fashion’. Strange as it seems, even an on-trend ceramic may seem naff in decades to come .
I remember flared trousers, and moustaches.
Last edited by paskinner; 17th July 2021 at 13:16.
I’m just saying they aren’t going to age well.
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Why is that obvious? It’s not obvious to me.
Simon
Judging from the average age of pics in the "watches worn well" thread, the golden era of watch wearing passed a while back
Last edited by forpetesake; 17th July 2021 at 14:07.
I’m also not clear on why some people think ceramic bezels are a bad thing?
Simon
Stretch that to 43mm and I'll agree with you.
Speaking solely for myself, I don't think they're bad in themselves, but I think the current way most manufacturers use ceramic will look a bit heavy-handed in years to come.
I'm already thinking that.
They are often thick, both top to bottom and across the flat, and the way the markings are engraved/cut/whatever into them isn't always that attractive or refined.
Obviously, only time will tell and some people will always feel differently, but I think that many of the ceramic bezels of the last few years may well be seen the same way as big watches.
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Agreed and this is why I chopped in my original 58 for the blue.
It’s just a design choice, like ripped / baggy / flared jeans. Very popular at a particular time, not inherently bad or good. Glossy, engraved ceramic seems to be something of this particular age.
I don’t think the point is to criticise people’s watches or say they aren’t well made, simply that certain styles are very contemporary, rather than classic, and thus, will age.
A 36mm datejust is a classic, it won’t age but then again, it’s not particularly modern and daring. Nothing wrong with that and I assume most buyers appreciate its relative pros and cons. I think this exercise is in identifying which watches are the opposite to this.
Has the black got faux-patina? I've got one and it doesn't seem like faux vintage luminova to me?
The new Rolex air king
I know its Rolex and we are supposed to like it, I know we are supposed to not say bad things when we see how much someone has spent on it but its an absolute car crash of a design. They took a classic watch and made it look like an Invicta. Rolex have always been wise enough to know that keep it simple and it will always be timeless but every now and again its like their design team go on the lash in downtown Geneva and about 2am go back to a mates house and say "Just for giggles lets submit this to the boss and see what happens" I just dont see in 20 years time someone handing that to their son and their son thinking "Nice one dad"
As someone previously said, the majority of homage watches and micro brands. 20 years time I can see them flooding ebay or whatever the equivalent is then just like the many small brands that were around in the 70s that came and went all filed under "What was I thinking!"
I dont think generations of watches have been all that different, its more slight tweaks than anything dramatic. Its more a case of them reinventing themselves by modernising a little. Making the case size a bit bigger, better materials, adding a date. I think watches that will define this decade will be more ones that have those upgrades like others have said. Ceramic bezel, better WR, case materials, movement, power reserve etc.....
Last edited by robert75; 17th July 2021 at 15:33.
Most things with a Seiko NH35 movement, whatever the make, dial, case, handset or strap, likely to become "cannon fodder" at the back of a drawer.
Last edited by number2; 17th July 2021 at 15:29.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
It’s the creamy aged effect lume they used instead of white like the blue model.
Ah, ok...yes, I see it now when I compare next to a picture of the blue! I don't notice it because I've had so many of Omega's vintage lume which looks brown in comparison!
Very true
I would add to that most of the new Seiko watches from the Seiko 5 upwards to include many of the Grand Seiko. Churned out to the point they have just lost all significance.
So which watches have aged badly from the past?
Digital exploded and has now settled in a sort of balance with analogue and I don't see this changing much.
Some 'fashion' watches have come and then declined, Swatch being an example, but then that is fashion for you.
Currently, Apple smart watches outsell the whole of the Swiss watch industry, This increasing dominance may last a while but will eventually achieve some sort of balance with traditional watches, I doubt either smart watches or traditional will go out of fashion completely. The smart watch market is mainly an addition to the traditional watch market. There hasn't been a bloodbath in Swiss watch sales, similar to the quartz revolution.
I see only one general pattern, small watches. Currently they are worn by only a few, old blokes and a portion of watch hobbyists (who comprise a tiny tiny percentage of the overall population).
Watches have got larger and are still increasing in size. e.g. Since their introduction, forty years ago, G Shocks have steadily increased in size and are still doing so. Currently, Casio is selling more G Shocks per year than they ever have and some of them are absolute monsters compared to the earlier generations.
Mitch
I'm dubious that this will age well
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Looks awful now never mind in the futureI'm dubious that this will age well
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Some of the Graham's well pretty much all of them
Whenever I see a Graham it just makes me think of a posh lighter.
I tend to agree with this, I think the SMP300 has become a classic now.
Don't think they'll age at all. Will be as generally disliked as they are now.
Crown does remind me of a Dunhill lighter. dial reminds me more of one of those zippo novelty lighters
Last edited by robert75; 17th July 2021 at 23:28.
I fear the answer may be watches, full stop. Watches are red hot and have been for the last ten years. Mostly they’re vintage or reheated vintage made louder. Rolex has never been so omnipresent and the brand is supported by huge waiting lists and asset bubbles, along with a few other brands. But when you watch a science fiction movie, is anyone wearing a vintage watch? If you think our decade doesn’t have an obvious style you’re just standing too close to it, it’s right in front of you.
So I have three answers. Firstly, the Rolex Submariner / Daytona / etc.. Secondly, the Apple Watch series whatever. And thirdly, all the others.
Last edited by Itsguy; 17th July 2021 at 22:41.
Bronze watches maybe?
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