Source:
https://scmp.com/article/1309147/myth-watch-out

Myth to watch out for

Never think that an expensive timepiece enhances a man's virility. Instead, it reflects his style and spirit

A luxury timepiece should reflect your style, distinction and spirit. Photo: Thinkstock
A luxury timepiece should reflect your style, distinction and spirit. Photo: Thinkstock
A luxury timepiece should reflect your style, distinction and spirit. Photo: Thinkstock
An expensive watch might make you feel good, but it hardly enhances your virility. And, contrary to what many style rags fervently espouse, a luxury timepiece should never, ever be employed as an instrument of self-love.

Far too often, glib advertisements invite us to live vicariously through our timepieces. Nothing wrong with that, really - not until we take the message too seriously and end up, along with our prized watches, a parody of the machismo we envisioned. So forget about channelling Lewis Hamliton's road savvy, Jay-Z's swag or Daniel Craig's mojo as you strap on their endorsed tickers. For a wrist-aided testosterone spike, you're better off working the dumbbell.

For those fortunate enough to indulge in expensive watches, we suggest that you think of them not as an extension, but an expression of who you are. The watch as status symbol is a tragically outdated marketing rhetoric. At best, it instils misplaced pride. At worst, it turns watch appreciation into a blood sport; a game of one-upmanship where vanity outweighs taste and sensibility.

Instead, we recommend that you see them as stature symbols; a true reflection and measure of your style, distinction and spirit. For men out there who are comfortable in your own skin, here are five recommendations that might have your personality writ large over them.

 

The Breitling Emergency II reveals an adventurer's readiness for life's unexpected situations.
The Breitling Emergency II reveals an adventurer's readiness for life's unexpected situations.
The Adventurer - Breitling Emergency II
No, owning a barbed-wire tattoo doesn't qualify you as one. The true adventurer thirsts for the world and its vast expanse. From experiencing oxygen depravation atop Himalayan peaks to life-threatening frostbite in the Arctic, the adventurer submits to the forces of nature, yet constantly holds out for a triumph of the human spirit.

That said, leaping into the pages of a National Geographic magazine is fraught with danger. And having the right tool is vital to the adventurer, especially when anticipating sticky situations such as plane crashes, shipwrecks and all manner of potentially fatal mishaps in isolated locales. One such instrument is Breitling's Emergency II watch.

The watch's key virtue is its dual-channel satellite distress transmitter. The feature is part of the international Cospas-Sarsat system, which has saved 26,000 lives since 1985. Among its benefactors is Mark Spencer, a hunter who was rescued from near death last year after being stuck in the Alaskan wilderness for more than 48 hours. Wearing the Breitling Emergency, the Emergency II's predecessor, he activated the Emergency Locator Transmitter, and a rescue team was able to pinpoint his exact location and airlift him to safety. So yes, it works.

 

The Artist - Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Granulation Panther
Just because the artist has the means to demonstrate proclivity for objects of luxury doesn't make him a fraud. Andy Warhol, for one, openly proclaimed his affection for Cartier's timepieces, and he was as authentically tortured and eccentric as they come.

Also, forget what the artist might proclaim about not caring if his art is misunderstood. Nothing makes him happier than for people to "get" his work.

Similarly, if he were the audience, we imagine nothing would please him more than to have sniper-esque discernment when evaluating his peers' output.

A recent timepiece that the artist will no doubt enjoy ruminating over is the Rotonde de Cartier Granulation Panther, a watch steeped in decorative art history.

Pioneered by the Greeks and dating to the third millennium BC, the granulation technique consists of creating tiny balls from threads of gold, which are cut and heated over a flame. Each tiny grain of gold is then painstakingly pieced together to create the shape of a motif, which in this case depicts the profile of Cartier's feline mascot. Even the most jaded of critics would be hard-pressed to deny the watch's deft artistry.

The Rotonde de Cartier granulation panther 42 mm watch draws the artistic to the intricacy of its face design.
The Rotonde de Cartier granulation panther 42 mm watch draws the artistic to the intricacy of its face design.

Above left: Artist Andy Warhol was devoted to his Cartier timepieces. Photo: Corbis

Above right: The Rotonde de Cartier granulation panther 42 mm watch draws the artistic to the intricacy of its face design.

 

The Rolex GMT-Master IIepitomises the continent-crossing suaveness of the time-conscious Jet-Setter.
The Rolex GMT-Master IIepitomises the continent-crossing suaveness of the time-conscious Jet-Setter.
The Jet-Setter - Rolex GMT-Master II
The early years of air travel were all about journeying in style. These days, comfort and convenience matters. The modern jet-setter knows better than to choose one over the other. He also understands that the conundrum isn't as insurmountable as it seems. For continent-crossing suaveness, all he needs are a few essential items on board: A crease-resistant mohair blazer, a handy moisturiser and a trusty dual-time watch.

For the latter, no model clocks up more style mileage than the GMT-Master II. Birthed in 1955 and known then as the GMT-Master, the watch was borne of a partnership with Pan Am Airways. The iconic two-time-zone watch features a 24-hour bezel for the home time, indicated via a separate hour hand, which can be adjusted in one-hour increments.

This year, the iconic travel companion sports a new blue and black Cerachrom bezel, made from the brand's proprietary hi-tech ceramic material. Incidentally, the makeover is reminiscent of the original versions, which also featured two-toned bezels.

For the jet-setter who values flash and functionality in equal measure, he will be heartened to know that the watch guarantees both in spades.

 

The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Day-Date reflects the presence and restraint of a modern boss.
The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Day-Date reflects the presence and restraint of a modern boss.
The Boss - Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Day-Date
It's not easy being the boss, who in today's hyper-sensitised corporate arena is likely to be better received if he doesn't act like one. By that argument, the boss also needs to dress just as appropriately; a challenging sartorial manoeuvre that, if properly executed, expresses distinction and humility in equal measure.

For a horological equivalent, see Omega. It is, after all, the watch of choice for James Bond, the synthesis of grit and glamour in one winsome package. And it's this amalgamation of presence and restraint, along with no-nonsense utilitarian features, that we reckon the new Seamaster Aqua Terra Day-Date is best suited to the boss.

Suitably low-key in its classic round case, the watch dishes out the essential displays - time, date and day of the week spelt in full - with minimal fuss. There is also subtlety in the watch's sophistication, which doesn't throw off clients or subordinates the way an overtly ostentatious model might. Above all, the watch remains unmistakably authoritative and noble, exemplifying the kind of soft power that the boss ought to wield.

 

The Athlete - Richard Mille RM59-01 Yohan Blake
Away from the office, the athlete may swap his brogues for trainers as quickly as he can, training four hours a day, six days a week, and still not get anywhere close to Yohan Blake's personal best in the 100-metre dash. But heaven forbid if the athlete isn't going to try.

The relentless testing of physical and mental limits motivates the athlete, and in Richard Mille, he finds a worthy compatriot. The independent watch brand famously road-tests its prototypes, strapping them on the wrists of Felipe Massa and Rafael Nadal, among others, during actual competitions.

As its name suggests, the RM59-01 Yohan Blake was conceived after enduring proper track punishment courtesy of the Jamaican sprinter.

A feat of micro-engineering, the watch features a tourbillon mechanism that helps nullify the effects of gravity on timing precision.

More importantly, it certainly looks the part of a souped-up sports accompaniment, sporting flashy green and yellow "claws" that hat-doff the Jamaican flag and Blake's nickname, "The Beast" - a tag that we reckon fits the watch just as well.

Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake wears the Yohan Blake Tourbillon Prototype at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Photo: Dwayne Watkins Photography
Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake wears the Yohan Blake Tourbillon Prototype at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Photo: Dwayne Watkins Photography
The Richard Mille RM59-01 Yohan Blake is a feat of micro-engineering thatembodies an athlete's relentless testing of physical and mental limits.
The Richard Mille RM59-01 Yohan Blake is a feat of micro-engineering thatembodies an athlete's relentless testing of physical and mental limits.

Above left: Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake wears the Yohan Blake Tourbillon Prototype at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Photo: Dwayne Watkins Photography

Above right: The Richard Mille RM59-01 Yohan Blake is a feat of micro-engineering thatembodies an athlete's relentless testing of physical and mental limits.