Originally Posted by
M. Montaigne
There are very clear definitions of dress watches.
Simply put, for formal events (e.g., black tie, weddings, funerals) you did not wear a watch out of respect to the host. However, with the unawareness of the general population at large today, it's usually considered acceptable to wear minimalist, understated watches. To me, minimalist watches entail a clean bezel and dial, markings or Roman numerals with white or dark dial. And of course, something that barely peeks out the wrist.
A 42mm loud dive watch is not minimalist, and screams "LOOK AT ME!".
There is also an element of utility here -- formal events go out of their way to be non-utilitarian, and historically, even frivolous with the bounds of the rules. Ever wonder why men's clothes look like uniforms and women can dress as they will? The reason is that historically, the host would wear something more interesting (e.g., smoking jackets) but the key attraction of a formal social event was always the hostess. Men are there as easily swappable accessories.
In that context, wearing a dive watch or wearing any utilitarian watch at all defeats the purpose of a formal occasion, whose entire goal is leisure with no regard for time. If you are checking your watch at someone else's wedding or funeral, clearly you value your own time over theirs. Social faux pas.
Certain features are clearly utilitarian -- lume, water resistance, rotating bezel, and so on. One hopes that if you are in the water at night in your dinner jacket, you are either with a charming lady or sleepwalking. Either way, little use for a utilitarian watch.
Now, if you are talking *business* events, then anything is good to go. Because to be honest, in this day and age, most people have trouble wearing well fitting lounge suits, let alone a black tie rig. Nevertheless, in *formal* business settings, you would be surprised at how much judging goes on in terms of attire. Even the ones who wear Timex and Casio do so to make a statement.
I will say that I have noticed a sharp uptick in the quality of watches that senior executives, investors, and politicians wear. Europe has always been more muted (except for Britain, when it comes to watches -- ah, the irony). But in the US, there is an increased trend towards understated watches among a certain demographic, which makes me happy.
I will say that just because you (or I, or Geoff) do something, it doesn't mean that it's appropriate. In fact, Tom does many things that are clearly inappropriate.
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