Watches & Attire - Rules & Counsel

[DEP21]

Well, from what I've seen, lawyers are quite slovenly, and most lawyers that I know (even at top firms like CSM or Skadden), couldn't care much about watches. Half of them still wear Timexes. You must remember that a good many of the top lawyers are essentially geeks, and extremely brilliant ones at that. So, style, understandably, is a lower priority. You'll find more "traditionalism" from a mid-western law firm than any of the top ones in the East Coast.

I have heard it said that Panerais are now the choice of the London banking crowd. Is this still the case?

[various121]

Real question: I consider myself moderately well-versed on these things, but I have never heard of declining to wear a watch to a formal event out of respect for the host. In what sense does that show respect? I've been puzzling it over, and I can only think of two possibilities, and they're both pretty subtle:

1) Not wearing a watch could signify that you won't be checking it as if you have someplace else to be.
2) Leaving the watch at home ensures your timepiece does not overshadow the host's own.

Amirite? Or at least close?

Old school rule, applying to formal (white tie) or semi-formal (black tie) events.

I read that the original school of thinking is that when you are attending such an event, there is no other event you are planning on going to, your time schedule revolves soley on the formal event in attendance. As such, you don't wear a watch because there is no need to check the time (wearing a watch could be deemed as disrepectful by host).

[ayz]

the watch is an accessory

therefore the rest of your outfit actually tends to dictate how a watch is viewed

someone dressed sharply with a fitted shirt and in a tailored hugo boss suit wearing a rolex submariner on a NATO strap will be considered "fashionable" and good at accessorizing

someone dressed sloppily and in an ill-fitting $100 suit from men's wearhouse wearing the same thing will be considered tacky and clueless

if the rest of you looks good, you can pull any watch off

[ayz]

take burn notice as an example. i'm sure most people who see a chase-durer UDT would chalk it up as another tacky PVD watch. michael weston rocks it with some sharp looking clothes on TV and suddenly they're sold out and backordered.


also, i think in a thread like this people should post their occupation before chiming in their opinion. i'm pretty sure most of the people here commenting on what's important "in the boardroom" have never been in a boardroom

[TheSanDiegan]

also, i think in a thread like this people should post their occupation before chiming in their opinion. i'm pretty sure most of the people here commenting on what's important "in the boardroom" have never been in a boardroom

I was a partner in a small process engineering firm. I've sat in boardrooms with directors of companies both here and abroad. And to be honest, I never paid much attention to what watch others were wearing. For poops and giggles, I looked back at the few photos I have of me at press conferences andor higher-profile meetings, and guess what? I couldn't see my watch in any of them. And I'm kind of glad, too, as unbeknownst to me I was wearing the wrong kind of watch (for a suit).

I say that tongue in cheek, as I would argue it obviously didn't matter. Or did it? Guess I'll never know. I do know, however, that my choice is more deliberate now than it used to be, even if it's no longer as relevant to my day-to-day life. Based on the knowledge I have acquired - in no small part thanks to this thread - I now wear a different watch with my suits.

[camb66]

take burn notice as an example. i'm sure most people who see a chase-durer UDT would chalk it up as another tacky PVD watch. michael weston rocks it with some sharp looking clothes on TV and suddenly they're sold out and backordered.


also, i think in a thread like this people should post their occupation before chiming in their opinion. i'm pretty sure most of the people here commenting on what's important "in the boardroom" have never been in a boardroom

Well I haven't been in the boardroom and frankly I couldn't care less about what they wear. Its not my world and who equates money with taste anyway.

[flori78]

question. If a Rolex Submariner and an Omega Seamaster (both on bracelet) are not dress watches how comes that many corporate managers wear them in a suit or lust after one?

Don't tell to show just they are successful. Where is taste in case my last assumption is true?

[Raza]

take burn notice as an example. i'm sure most people who see a chase-durer UDT would chalk it up as another tacky PVD watch. michael weston rocks it with some sharp looking clothes on TV and suddenly they're sold out and backordered.


also, i think in a thread like this people should post their occupation before chiming in their opinion. i'm pretty sure most of the people here commenting on what's important "in the boardroom" have never been in a boardroom

I'm a financial analyst. And I've worn my Chase-Durer UDT in the boardroom. AND in job interviews.

[Raza]

question. If a Rolex Submariner and an Omega Seamaster (both on bracelet) are not dress watches how comes that many corporate managers wear them in a suit or lust after one?

Don't tell to show just they are successful. Where is taste in case my last assumption is true?

What is acceptable and what is appropriate are two different things.

[shaunempire]

the watch is an accessory

therefore the rest of your outfit actually tends to dictate how a watch is viewed

someone dressed sharply with a fitted shirt and in a tailored hugo boss suit wearing a rolex submariner on a NATO strap will be considered "fashionable" and good at accessorizing

someone dressed sloppily and in an ill-fitting $100 suit from men's wearhouse wearing the same thing will be considered tacky and clueless

if the rest of you looks good, you can pull any watch off

What about wearing a 42"+ watch on a 6" wrist.

If you can pull off your clothing look, but your watch looks like it should be on Flavor Flavs neck... That's pretty tacky and clueless.

Now I don't know about you.. And I understand that a lot of the corporate world living in their work to pay off debt forever world buys a lot of these fancy watches to impress other guys at work, but what about rich people?

I have a lot of high net worth friends and they don't wear suits everyday because they are multi-millionaires and don't need to impress their managers.. I guess they are tacky and clueless because they aren't dressed up like a guy in an office making 80k pretending to be rich?