Before you start reading this piece, you must know that the watch, today, holds little value as an instrument to keep time; the most important reason behind someone buying a watch is the branding, the glamour and the image that stays associated. It shows what you are capable of investing and with how much accuracy.
Ever since smart-phones invaded the corporate life (and lifestyles), they started marking an executive’s or officer’s status within the business world. But here’s where most of us go wrong; the smart-phone is one helluva gadget that keeps you ticking against tremendous work pressure, it lacks the subtlety to make that forceful yet silent statement. That’s one arena still dominated by the wristwatches and needless saying, there are more eyes to admire a watch’s salience than the features of a smartphone. And while you will find people frowning as you peep into your phone (maybe to check the time but that’s not good etiquette) during meetings, but glancing at the watch won’t piss people off. Rather, it’s more of a style statement unless you do it too often.
But here comes the catch: What kind of watch should go well with the kind of things a busy executive undergoes? From a tech point of view, it’s either a self-winding automatic or quartz; since both relieves you from the painstaking duty of powering it up on a regular basis. Just take care that the SWA type is COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) certified (i.e. a chronometer) to make sure you do not arrive at the scheduled meeting more than 6 seconds earlier or 4 seconds late. For watches larger than 20mm (diameter), it is -5 seconds and +8 seconds.
Now, the style. Wearing a diamond-studded, gold watch to the office is heresy (unless you are the boss), so a plain steel case, black/white dial, steel/leather bracelet watch is always recommended as an office wear. And unless you are in NASA or in the international automobile races, you do not need to wear a complication to split time into a zillionth-of-a-second or display the lunar phases. That kind of zing is suited better for the golf course where the next deal depends on measuring and overcoming the efficacy of the swing made by the other party. For the boardrooms and meetings, at the most, you need your watch to make you aware of the passage of time and if you are a travelling executive, to mark the date and time for your destinations.
So, to cut the long story short, here are a few recommendations that sit well in the boardrooms as well as on the corporate dinner table. Of course, you may certainly go for others according to your preference and budget, but it is always a sane choice to work your way up. So, the list follows:
• Citizen Minute Repeater Chime Eco Drive Perpetual Calendar
• Citizen Dual Tone Twin Date Perpetual Calendar
• Seiko Premier Perpetual Calendar
• Tissot T-Sports Automatic
• Bulova BVA Automatic
