Q. Hello Gonzo.

Teacher here; working under a large educational institute. My wants are simple. You got anything that you might think look good upon someone who finds jeans and t-s a disturbing trend as teaching attires? Many among my brethren do. I pity them for missing another excuse to wear a nice watch at work.

I was seriously looking for Swiss equivalents that can get away with just about any suit – not that I wear suits as teaching attire all the times – and came across a few interesting but quirky ones which I can’t wear to work. The rest – somehow – missed the beat. They appeared too plain. And perhaps, dull.

That’s why I am here. The sheer volume of the collections scares me even more. Browsing is not something I’m good-at with.

Just to fill in: I’m fine with suits not from Tom Ford, Brionni or Savile Row though I won’t mind going for them someday. Then I’d like a Patek, a Lange or Vacheron or maybe all three. But I won’t wear them to the college; in that case, to anywhere with chances of bumping into people on bikes, skates/skateboards or scooters. I’d prefer a fine dress watch that’s just not so fragile, which is now. I’ve had previous experience about what it means to be broken beyond repair; thanks to some idiot balancing on the staircase handrail.

A. We arrive at a very interesting point – A top notch dress watch that’s not Swiss and capable of handling regular wear and also few hazards every now and then! It should be a robust dress watch. However, before we go to that; I firmly believe slovenly dress – though doesn’t always indicate a slovenly mind – slows down actions and maybe also thought processes. So, good Sir, I second your distaste for jeans and t-s as work wear in an educational institute. A suit – in my least humble of opinions – is the dignity of certain professions; reflecting its esteem and position it holds within the social structure.

Now to your query and I’m delighted to say there are many among the modern dress watches that you can wear every day and getting struck by errantly moving cyclists and skateboarders is not going to do any damage – if at all – other than putting a scratch on the glass or the case. Under such an unfortunate circumstance, their modern, shock protection methods will come to play. They are definitely far more robust and reliable than a Lange, Vacheron or Patek. Under a suit, they will remain even lesser prone to damage.

A blue– or black-dialed Seiko Presage, I think, is going to put your query (and worry) to an end; there’s also a white dialed version available. But somehow, I got a feeling you won’t like anything else after you see this Citizen Automatic Titanium, also with blue and black dial options. That’s a real tough material.

Watches mentioned in this post are listed below.  Click to see details and buy them:

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