If you’re eager to jumpstart your own watch collection and partake in this growing hobby and pastime, be sure to avoid all the following watch collecting mistakes newbie collectors are prone to making!

Watch Collecting Mistake #1: Investing in a Watch You Can’t Really Afford
Never buy a watch that is outside your budget. Besides being just plain fiscally irresponsible, spending too much on a watch will likely leave you too anxious to actually enjoy the wearing the watch; you may feel anxious to scratch or nick it—and devastated when you inevitably do.

While there are vast resale opportunities for luxury watches, you should never consider a watch an investment. It’s nearly impossible to know if a watch is going to appreciate in value; it’s actually far more likely to depreciate.

Moreover, there is really no reason to overspend on a watch. There are many very well-respected Swiss watch brands with very affordable lines that make for great “starter” watches. (Check out a handful of said brands in our blog post here.) 

Watch Collecting Mistake #2: Listening Too Much to Other People’s Opinion
Watch collectors often have strong opinions—for better or worse—on different watch styles. We suggest listening to seasoned collectors, reading watch blogs, poking around on watch forums but taking all that with a grain of salt. Ultimately, select the watch that speaks to your personal style.

Watch Collecting Mistake #3: Shopping Exclusively in the Retail Store
Before bee-lining it to the retail store and put down a big chunk of change for a new watch, consider shopping pre-owned. Seasoned watch collectors know they can save a bundle with a pre-owned watch, circumvent that “fresh off the lot” immediate depreciation that comes with taking a new watch out of the store. (To learn more about the benefits of shopping pre-owned, read our post on the topic here.)

This may require slightly more research to vet trusted retailers and ensure the watch is in “Like New” condition, but it will be well worth the effort if you can save hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Watch Collecting Mistake #4: Not Learning About Your Watch
There are two big reasons to understand your watch. The first is a sense of pride in your watch. Knowing how the movement and complications work will make you appreciate your timepiece even more. Also learning the ins and outs of your watch will build your general watch education, making you a savvier and more informed collector.

The second is watch care. Watch models each require different care: some need to be wound every day, some have a power reserve, some can be more easily over-wound than others. The more you know about your watch, the better you can care for it which will ultimately save you from added repairs (and their subsequent service fees) and help increase its resale value should you resell it down the line.

Watch Collecting Mistake #5: Buying a Fake Luxury Watch
If you are serious about being a watch collector, there is nothing to gain by buying a fake designer watch. Watch collectors know their watches and will quickly sniff out your phony watch—leaving you incredibly embarrassed.

Starting your collection off on a bad foot like this will also tarnish your reputation. The watch community is a tight-knit one and it’s very common for collectors to trade watches directly amongst themselves. But, if you’re known as an imposter collector, it’s going to be tricky to ingratiate yourself to fellow collectors.

There are many other legal reasons to never buy a fake luxury watch and we delve further into those very real dangers here.

For more tips on how to build your watch collection, check out these blog posts:

A Beginner’s Guide to Building a Watch Collection
5 Watches to Start Your Watch Collection
How to Build a Watch Collection

These watch brands may be lesser known outside of watch-collecting circles, their fascinating designs that build upon the long-standing traditions of watch making but totally reimagine traditional wristwatches. We take a look at some of the most innovative watch brands and their most avant-garde designs that will intrigue any onlooker, watch fan or not!

1. Urwerk EMC Watch

Founded in 1995 by Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner, the independent Swiss-brand Urwerk is known for its incredible mind-bending, ornate, and fascinatingly complex designs.

Radically unconventional, Urwerk watches barely resemble a wristwatch in any traditional sense, but their design and complications are firmly rooted in classic watchmaking techniques. To wit, Urwerk’s first watch collection, the Urwerk-101, featured a wandering hour display, a complication that dates back to the 1600s, that shows the hour with a three-armed disc that points to the minutes which are listed on an arc-shaped track at the bottom of the watch case.

Urwerk continues to surprise and delight its fans with its unrivaled creativity. And, in 2014, the brand was awarded both the Innovation Watch Prize and the Mechanical Exception Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève for its EMC watch that used their proprietary in-house EMC Movement that could measure the oscillation rate of the balance wheel and display the variance on a timing indicator.

2. Roger Dubuis Excalibur Knights of the Round Table

Named after its co-founder Roger Dubuis, a highly skilled watch engineer who worked at Patek Philippe before breaking out on his own, the Swiss watch manufacturer Roger Dubuis takes a similar approach as Urwerk to combining time-honored complications with extremely creative designs.

Roger Dubuis boasts a thrilling collection of complex and intricate skeleton watches and women’s watches with dramatically stretched roman numeral hour markers. One of its standout designs is the Excalibur Knights of the Round Table which features 12 miniature knights, sculpted with immaculate detail, cast in 18K rose gold and arranged around a dial of black jade.

But what really distinguishes Roger Dubuis is that each of its watches meets the exacting standards of the Geneva Seal, a centuries-old award given by the Bureau Officiel de l’Etat Pour le Contrôle Facultatif des Montres de Genève to watches of the highest class that pass its rigorous processing and movement inspection. Roger Dubuis’s commitment to the highest level of quality and

3. MB&F HM4 Thunderbolt

Independent Swiss watch brand MB&F is named after its founder Maximilian Büsser and his coterie of friends and fellow watchmaking innovators, including Peter Speake-Marin, Laurent Besse, and Eric Giroud. Backed by the experience and expertise of this watchmaking collective, MB&F has churned out some of the most impressive and innovative watches in recent history.

MB&F divides its watch collections into three core groups: Legacy Machines, comparatively simple round watches with a signature top-center balance wheel; Horological Machines, unprecedented and unparalleled avant-garde designs with unusual watch case shapes and dials; and Performance Art, extremely limited-edition timepieces that demonstrate the watchmaking mastery of the brand.

Aesthetically speaking, MB&F’s futuristic designs draw a lot of inspiration from science-fiction and engineering. One strong example of the brand’s eccentric watches is the HM4 Thunderbolt which is modeled after a World War II-era A-10 aircrafts with its dual engine-shaped “pods” (as MB&F refers to them) that display the time and power-reserve indicator.

4. Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes

Before we dive into Greubel Forsey, a quick refresher: the tourbillon was developed in 1795 and patented in 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. To greatly simplify, gravity can throw off the timing regulator of a watch; a tourbillon aims to counter the drag of gravity by placing the timing regulator for the escapement into a rotating cage to make an overall more accurate timepiece. Today, tourbillons are generally considered more of demonstration of watchmaking know-how than a necessity to improve accuracy.

Greubel Forsey’s watches largely center on the tourbillon escapement which the brand continues to incorporate into their designs in increasingly novel ways. One standout model for the watchmaker is the Tourbillon 24 Secondes which, without delving too far into the mechanics, features a fast-rotating tourbillon, positioned at a 25-degree angle, to make for an even more precise tourbillon.

In turn, Greubel Forsey has received industry-wide praise for its technical achievements in haute horology with multiple awards from the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and Watch World Awards in the brand’s short lifetime.

Shopping online for an engagement ring is a convenient way to purchase a ring and can save you a decent amount in the process. However, for all its ease, online shopping can still be a very daunting experience: rings start to look exactly the same but the prices vary wildly and you’re second-guessing the quality of the ring—and your budget.

To put your mind at ease, here are our best tips to shop online for an engagement ring, ensuring you get the exact ring you imagined and at the price you wanted.

1. Set Your Budget.
Whether you’re shopping online or in the store, your absolute first step in engagement ring shopping should be to set a budget. (To learn more about how to determine your engagement ring budget, check out this blog post.)

Once you have a figure in mind, determine what are the absolute musts for your ring (like it must include an oval-cut diamond and pavé band) and the points where you’re more flexible (like, the diamond doesn’t need to flawless). Finding the perfect and wallet-friendly engagement ring is about prioritizing what you want to invest in and then scaling back on the less-important features. Rest assured: you can find an engagement that checks all your style boxes and is within your budget.

2. Visit a Jeweler.
We know this is counter-intuitive but hear us out: a quick trip to your local jewelry store will help you understand the engagement ring styles you like most. Browse the different diamond cuts and center stone settings.

If you and your partner are shopping together, encourage them to try on different carat weights, diamond shapes, and settings. Take note of the diamond-cut and carat weight that looks best on them; even if your S.O. as their heart set on big diamond or a specific cut, they may be pleasantly surprised by something they hadn’t previously considered because rings can look so different on every hand.

If you’re shopping in secret, learn your partner’s ring size before hitting the stores. (Here are some subtle ways to determine their ring size.) Most jewelry stores will carry a variety of sizes for couples to try on so you can get a clearer visualization of how the ring will look on the hand of your soon-to-be fiancé. Again, note the diamond cut and carat weight you love most as this will greatly help you while browsing online.

3. Familiarize Yourself with the 4Cs.
Once you’re back at your computer, start narrowing your search with the general engagement ring style, usually diamond cut and metal type. You’ll likely see prices vary wildly for what looks like the exact same ring. What gives??

The difference in prices is usually attributed to the diamond size and quality which makes understanding the 4Cs (or the universal scale diamonds are graded upon) so important. This is also where the must-haves vs. nice-to-haves you weighed with your budget come in to play.

If you want a big diamond but don’t want to spend beaucoup bucks, you can save a lot by shopping for a Very Slightly Included (VS) or Slightly Included (SI) diamond instead of a Flawless (FL) diamond. Flawless diamonds have no inclusions (lines, clouds, and other imperfections), even under 10X magnification. VS or SI-rated diamonds’ inclusions are only visible under 10x magnification but, to the naked eye, look virtually flawless and are comparatively much more affordable.

Alternatively, if you want a Flawless diamond, you can cut costs in other ways, like by picking a different metal type for the setting. We break down the differences (in both cost and care) of the most common engagement ring metal types—silver, platinum, and white gold—here.

4. Pick a Metal Type and Purity.
An engagement ring’s metal type and purity can influence the cost—but can look nearly identical when you’re browsing online.

Before we delve into how this affects your online shopping, here’s a quick refresher on gold and the different purities: pure gold is a very soft metal (prone to scratches and nicks), so it’s often combined with an alloying metal like zinc, nickel, and copper to make it more resilient and durable. The ratio of pure gold to alloying metal is called the metal’s purity, reflected as 18K, 20K, 24K, etc. The higher the karat number, the purer the gold and therefore the expensive the ring will be.

That said, the difference in appearance between an 18K and 20K yellow gold ring can be nearly indistinguishable online. Knowing in advance the metal type and purity you want for your ring can help you focus your search and ensure you’re putting your budget towards the design features that are most important to you.

5. Check the Website’s Return Policy.
Before you click purchase, review the online retailer’s return policy. Some rings can take several weeks to ship so, in the event that you need to exchange it before you propose or it doesn’t fit immediately after you pop the question, make sure the delivery and return window coincide with your proposal timeline.

And cross-check the website to see if any kind of customization, like having the ring engraved, nullifies the return policy. If it does, consider having the ring engraved after you present it to your new fiancé.

Stumped on what to get her for Valentine’s Day? Skip the chocolate and flowers and surprise her with one of these jewelry and watch gifts that she’ll enjoy year round!

1. Raymond Weil Shine Watch
Raymond Weil has an incredible knack for designing elegant watches that won’t break the bank. Three gifts in one, the Raymond Weil Shine collection includes interchangeable watch straps so your beloved can easily swap out the watch bracelet to suit her outfit, making the Shine the ideal everyday timepiece.

2. Bulgari B.Zero1 Ring
One of our all-time favorite designs, the Bulgari B.Zero1 ring is a modern-day classic. This elegant ring exudes luxury, thanks to its sleek and architectural design. The B.Zero1 ring is offered in yellow, white, and rose gold (with white gold being the most popular choice) so select the metal type that best suits your partner’s style.

3. Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Collection
One of the jeweler’s most beloved designs and a popular pick for Valentine’s Day, the Elsa Peretti Collection features feminine lines and gentle curves that carry a deeply romantic appeal. While heart-shaped jewelry is a popular Valentine’s Day motif, Elsa Peretti’s abstract approach to the heart makes it feel a bit more artistic and sophisticated.

4. Le Vian Precious Stones Collection
Le Vian is known for its vast array of colorful gemstones, from Forest Green Tsavorite to Blueberry Tanzanite, which add a playful feeling to all of its jewelry. Add a splash of color to your S.O.’s jewelry collection with unique and rare colorful gemstones from Le Vian. Consider pieces with her birthstone to imbue your gift with even more sentimental value.

5. David Yurman Cable Classics Bangle
The Cable Classic bracelet has a surprising romantic backstory as designer David Yurman originally created the bangle for his wife Sybil. Lo and behold, this gift became the foundation and is now the signature motif of the David Yurman brand, founded by the married couple.

Make a new Valentine’s Day tradition and surprise her with a Cable Classic bangle or cuff. Because of the wide style variety offered, these iconic bracelets have a collect-them-all appeal making them a great gift to give with each relationship milestone.

6. CHANEL Earrings
The interlocked CC of CHANEL is one of the most instantly recognized company logos in the world—and is a surefire way to wow your stylish girlfriend or wife. If your partner is always leading the fashion pack, you can’t go wrong with a pair of CHANEL logo earrings. We’re sure they’ll become a regular part of her wardrobe rotation.

7. Cartier Ballon Bleu
Released in the mid-2000s, the Cartier Ballon Bleu is one of Cartier’s youngest watch designs, but its stately yet delicate design has immediately classified it as future Cartier classic. The Ballon Bleu is a gift she’ll cherish for years to come. And its low-key and timeless design lends itself nicely to any style type and for any occasion.

8. Cartier Love Bracelet
Opened and closed with a screwdriver meant to be kept only by you, the Cartier Love Bracelet is a deeply romantic design, meant to symbolize loyalty and faithfulness. The Love Bracelet has been a Cartier best-seller since it was introduced in the 1970s but the brand recently released a slim version of this iconic design that is perfect for younger and trendier couples.

9. Rolex Datejust
This classic Rolex model has quickly become a favorite among women who are gravitating towards larger case sizes. Rolex offers the Datejust in a wide variety of hour-marker, dial, and bezel combinations so you can tailor a Datejust gift to her exact taste.

For more tips on how to find the perfect jewelry or watch gift for the woman in your life, check out our post on partnering site CADCAMNYC here!

In an ideal world, our wardrobes would be chock full of watches for every occasion: an evening watch to pair with your tuxedo; a no-frills watch with a leather strap for the office; and a stainless steel watch for running errands on the weekend. However, most of us need a watch that can do double-duty and can easily be dressed up or down.

Here we round up our favorite diving and sporty watches that look just as sharp with a t-shirt and jeans as they do with a finely tailored suit.

Rolex Submariner
The Rolex Submariner is the brainchild of René-Paul Jeanneret, a former Rolex board member and diving enthusiast who, in the 1950s, pitched the idea of a diving watch that was elegant enough to wear every day. Although it took some convincing—and the helpful intervention of Jeanneret’s friend Jacques Cousteau—Rolex ultimately designed the Submariner.

The Submariner’s overall design hasn’t changed much over the last few decades, making it one of the more decidedly “sporty” watches (aesthetically speaking) on this list. However, because the Submariner is so iconic and it was originally intended to be a dressier diving watch, it kind of gets a pass and looks as sharp with a tux as it does with a scuba suit.

Omega Seamaster Aquaterra
The Omega Seamaster is unmistakably a diving watch. The Seamaster exudes a prototypical sporty flair, primarily thanks to its distinct hour markers and wide rotating bezel, specially designed for easier underwater legibility.

However, its sister model, the Seamaster Aquaterra, puts a luxurious spin on the original Seamaster. While you’ll still get that quintessential Seamaster look-and-feel thanks to its triangle-shaped hour-markers, the Aquaterra’s dial features a unique teak motif which was inspired by vintage Italian wooden yachts. The Aquaterra elevates the formal appeal of the Seamaster, making it a handsome but not stuffy watch option.

Patek Philippe Nautilus
Until the 1970s, watches were pretty cleanly split between sports watches and luxury watches; there was little cross-pollination between these two fundamental watch categories. However, Patek Philippe wanted to be the first to bridge that gap and challenge the wildly popular Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with an even more refined sports watch that would appeal to luxury watch connoisseurs. In turn, they commissioned famed watchmaker Gerald Genta to develop this newfangled watch category.

And Genta introduced his signature design, the Patek Philippe Nautilus. The Nautilus draws its sports watch flourishes from its porthole-inspired octagonal watch case shape and brushed stainless steel finish. But it still exudes that classic luxury watch persona thanks to its horizontally embossed dial and stark hour markers.

Breitling Heritage Collection
Breitling is best known for its hefty watch cases which make them a cool statement piece but also makes them a little tricky to wear with a suit as your sleeve catches on the watch case, creating a very unattractive and rumpled sleeve situation.

However, Breitling’s Heritage Collection harkens back to the brand’s foundational models that feature a slimmer watch case profile. Select a model with a metal or mesh metal bracelet to give the watch more board room appeal.

Panerai Radiomir
You wouldn’t know by looking at it but the Panerai Radiomir was a cutting-edge diving watch in 1936 that offered unparalleled luminosity (ideal for underwater reading) and was specially-commissioned by the Royal Italian Navy.

The Panerai Radiomir looks the least like a traditional diving watch which makes it easy to transition into more formal settings. We picked the Radiomir over the (somewhat similar-looking) Luminor for formal-wear because the Radiomir’s crown doesn’t have the crown-protecting bridge. While this unique crown distinguishes the Luminor and makes it even more water resistant, it can be a little cumbersome under a fitted suit or button up sleeve. To make the Radiomir look even more sleek and polished, skip the rubber watch strap in favor of one in leather.

Before the introduction of the David Yurman Albion collection, colorful gemstones were typically reserved for special occasion or evening jewelry. However, the breakout Albion collection redefined jewelers’ approach to gemstones and made these bold and sprightly stones appropriate for every day wear.

A cornerstone of this popular collection are the Albion rings. Distinguished for their impressive center gemstones, often set with a halo of small diamonds, that gently curve outward in a beautiful checkerboard motif.

Here we explain how to spot a real from a fake David Yurman Albion ring.

Look at the Albion Ring’s sizing area.
The cables of an authentic David Yurman Albion ring twist all the way around the shank and carry through to the inside of the ring. There is only a very small section on the inside bottom of the ring that is smooth to allow for sizing. Knock-off David Yurman rings, however, are often smooth along the entire inside which makes for a very quick-and-easy giveaway that you are looking at a fake.

Evaluate the overall symmetry of the Albion ring.
Genuine David Yurman Albion rings are very symmetrical. The two cabled bands (or shanks) are evenly sized and spaced at the top of the ring, underneath the setting.

Phony Albion rings, however, are usually less precise. The cabled shanks are often slightly different widths. It can be hard to notice the difference between the two bands at first glance, but, if you follow them up towards the setting, you’ll notice that the bands are asymmetrical and not spaced evenly on either side at the base of the gemstone setting.

Be cautious of genuine materials.
Curiously enough, some convincing knock-off Albion rings will be made with authentic gemstones, diamonds, or sterling silver. So, even if the ring is made with genuine fine materials and stones, it’s not an immediate indicator that it’s real.

But a tell-tale sign that the Albion ring is fake is the faceting of the gemstone. David Yurman uses a very special faceting technique that gives the center gemstones of its Albion rings that unique convex checkerboard motif. It’s very hard for forgers to replicate that faceting so fake Albion rings will often have a checkerboard motif with larger squares.

Examine the Albion ring’s cabling.
The David Yurman Albion ring features two cable bands that start at the corners of the stone’s setting and gently taper closer together at the bottom of the ring or the base of the ring shank. On a real David Yurman Albion ring, the cabling of each band will twist in the opposite direction and meet in a chevron pattern at the bottom of the ring. Fake David Yurman rings, however, will usually feature cables that twist in the same direction.

This doesn’t apply to every David Yurman ring but it’s good to take note and see if your ring in question checks off any other red flag boxes on this list.

Get an expert opinion.
The only real way to determine the authenticity of your David Yurman ring is to bring it to a jeweler. A jeweler can thoroughly examine the item, looking for signatures and other miniscule details that will definitively sniff out a real from a fake David Yurman Albion ring.

To learn more about TrueFacet’s authentication process, check out our blog post on the topic here!

The fashion forecast for 2019 calls for serious “look-at-me” statement jewelry, some of which are bold and modern riffs on classic jewelry styles. Check out our list of five jewelry trends you should try this year!

1. Pinky Rings

This trend is a carry-over from 2018 but pinky rings are expected to grow in popularity. To master this trend, lean into the retro appeal of pinky rings that enjoyed their heyday in early 19th century Parisian fashion. Look for vintage (or vintage-inspired) pinky rings with a thin band, filigree detailing, and, if you’re so inclined, perhaps a delicate diamond setting.

2. Thick Gold Hoops Earrings

Hoop earrings are a foundational part of any jewelry collection—up there alongside a pair of diamond studs, a statement cuff, and a classic timepiece. However, this year, tastes are gravitating towards thicker and bigger gold hoop earrings. As a very general rule of thumb, be aware of your personal comfort level when it comes to the weight of your earrings. Heavy earrings can uncomfortably pull on your lobes so you may want to limit wearing weightier styles just for an evening.

3. Heavy Chain Jewelry

Forget the delicate layered chains of 2018, the new year is all about chain jewelry with over-sized links. Necklaces and bracelets alike are being pumped up in size to make for a dramatic twist on this jewelry basic. For the truly daring, consider adding a chain-link choker necklace that sits higher on your neck or collar bone. This bold style pairs perfectly with a crisp white button up and jeans.

4. Coin Charm Bracelets and Necklaces

Coin jewelry is one of those trends that frequently comes and goes and, when it comes to 2019, it’s “in,” in a big way. Skip the single coin pendants in favor of layers of coin necklaces and charm bracelets bedecked with dangling coins. We particularly love coin necklaces with a heavier chain that puts a youthful and edgy spin on the overall charm-bracelet-meets-necklace look.

5. Colorful Enamel Jewelry

Enamel jewelry saw an uptick in popularity in late 2018 and is sticking around through 2019. Be on the lookout for oversized bangles and cuffs made of colorful enamel to infuse your wardrobe with playful touches. When it comes to carrying for your new enamel jewelry, a little warm water and mild liquid soap is all you need to keep it clean. Steer clear of liquid jewelry cleaners which may be too harsh for enamel.

Our watch brand choice is definitely a reflection of your character. Read on to see what your watch brand says about your style!

Omega

Omega has been a huge and longtime industry game-changer, breaking records in diving and aviation watches and churning out most stylishly sporty watches like the Seamaster Aquaterra and Speedmaster. Omega watches are less flashy than Rolex but still widely respected as one of the best Swiss watch brands.

The Omega man is a bit of an engineering and science nerd, fascinated by space and ocean exploration. That said, you learn best by doing. It’s not enough for you to visit the planetarium or watch a documentary about ocean currents. Instead, you signed up for sailing lessons and can now tie a bowline like a real sea dog. You throw yourself into all your passions and love broadening your horizons with real hands-on learning.

As far as your style goes, Omega wearers are not so bogged down with fashion—they’re too much on the go—but that doesn’t mean you’ll throw on dirty t-shirt and jeans with holes and call it a day. You care about how you present yourself but don’t like to think too much about it. You have a closet of go-to combos that always look spot on: a cashmere sweater and dark denim for date night; a grey skinny tie and hunter green chinos for work; and a suit that makes you look like a real stud.

Panerai

Panerai watches are immediately distinguished for their unique watch case shape and crown guard. Panerai watches are quickly recognized by fellow collectors in the know, but are relatively unknown to the greater public. This makes the unconventional Panerai watch a great conversation starter and has become a favorite among hip and stylish men.

If you’re a member of the Paneristi—an elite group of Panerai devotees—you are a tastemaker and not just when it comes to watches. You always know about the coolest hole-in-the-wall bars with a taco truck in the back. You were the first to sip on a CBD latte. And you never stopped collecting vinyl.

Panerai style types are the dudes who can wear anything and (to the dismay of many envious wannabes) make it look cool: white denim, AirPod earbuds, a denim shirt with blue jeans.

Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe watches are the crème-de-la-crème of Swiss luxury watches. Largely considered the gold standard of watchmaking, Patek Philippe watches have a quiet elegance, thanks in large part to their no-frills cases and minimalist dials. The man who sports the luxuriously understated Patek Philippe watch exudes confidence, not arrogance.

As a Patek gentleman, you’re very cultured in a non-pretentious way; you’re simply curious and have a fascinating bank of knowledge about odd topics making you a delight to chat with at cocktail parties. You approach everything in a calm, cool, and collected manner which makes people instinctively defer to you as the unspoken leader of any work group or social circle. When you speak, people listen, not because you command attention, but because you look like a guy who just knows things.

If you’re sporting a Patek Philippe, you’re the kind of man who owns a tuxedo and knows that the pleats of a cummerbund always face upwards. You know how to put together an outfit for any occasion—golfing a client, cocktails with the in-laws, or even while doing home repairs– with Don Draper-worthy panache.

Rolex

Rolex is, by far and large, the go-to watch brand for any new or seasoned collector. The brand is universally recognized for its historic and classic timepieces that have each turned into iconic models: the Submariner, the Daytona, the Datejust.

While a Rolex watch is a luxury purchase, the Rolex wearer is very practical man. You thoroughly research any high-ticket item—a flat-screen TV, your car, even your baby’s first stroller—before you finally put down your credit card. You don’t spend your money to be flashy. Rather, you thoughtfully invest in the top-of-the-line whenever possible. So it’s only natural that you’d be drawn to a Rolex watch; they’re timeless watches and a smart investment.

Style-wise, Rolex wearers are fashionable without ever chasing a trend. Your wardrobe consists largely of button ups, crisp jeans, a smart blazer, and a handful of fitted t-shirts. You always look neat and pulled together—but never in a stuffy way.

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer is primarily known for its close affiliation to the history of auto-racing. (After all, its signature model the TAG Heuer Carrera is named after the deadly Carrera Panamericana car race.) It makes sense that TAG Heuer would become the brand-of-choice among gear heads and low-key thrill-seekers.

If TAG Heuer is your #1 watch brand, you probably know your way around a garage and work bench like a pro. In your younger years, you were a fairly tame rebel; yeah, you went skydiving, got too many speeding tickets, and wore Converse sneakers with your tux to your prom, but it was all, in hindsight, pretty harmless. These youthful stunts surprisingly gave you street smarts and have now manifested themselves into lots of practical life skills, like how to change a tire on the side of the highway.

Step into a TAG Heuer wardrobe and you can expect to see loads of faded Levis 501s, work boots, and perfectly worn t-shirts. Your wardrobe is rugged with a nice dose of grunge but never sloppy. You’re not one to spend a lot on clothes because you love to get your hands dirty—and your shirt and jeans in the process. Fortunately, a resilient TAG Heuer watch can keep up with you.