Getting dressed is a series of small decisions, and which watch you put on your wrist is just as likely to be noticed as the colour of your T-shirt.
Get it wrong and it’ll stick out like a sore thumb. Get it right and you’ll feel like a million bucks.
But, before we get started, it’s important to remember these ‘rules’ aren’t really rules. They’re more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ (Pirates of the Caribbean anyone?)
Here’s what I actually think about before I choose my watch for the day.
1. Match the formality, not just the colour
A chronograph with a tachymeter bezel is a brilliant watch, but it’s a sports watch, and it’ll look out of place under a suit jacket at a wedding.
Save the tool watches for weekends and the dressier pieces – thin cases, simple dials, no unnecessary complications – for anything with a tie involved.
2. Strap material talks louder than you think
Leather is formal, rubber and nylon is casual, and metal bracelets sit somewhere in between depending on the finish.
I’ll swap straps on the same watch depending on where I’m headed – my Christopher Ward Trident GMT goes on a NATO strap when I’m travelling and a rubber when I’m at the beach.
3. Case size should suit the sleeve, not just the wrist
A big watch under a slim-cut shirt cuff will fight to get out, and it looks awkward doing it. If you’re wearing tailoring with a close cuff, a smaller, thinner case will actually sit and move better.
Can you wear a dive watch with a tuxedo? James Bond did. Are you James Bond? Probably not. Will anyone really care? Again, probably not.
4. Metal tones should echo your other hardware
If your belt buckle, glasses, or wedding ring are silver-toned, a yellow gold watch case can clash. Sure, it’s a small thing, but keeping your metals consistent across the outfit is one of those details that quietly makes everything look considered.
5. Dial colour can do some of the work for you
A watch with a navy, green, or brown dial can act almost like an accessory colour, echoing a tie, a jumper, or another accessory elsewhere in the outfit. It’s a more subtle trick than matching a strap, but it’s one that I often notice.
Finally, it’s worth noting again, none of this is really about rules. It’s about paying the same attention to your watch that you’d pay to picking a tie or a pair of shoes.
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