If I could only own one watch for the rest of my life…

If you’re into watches, like me, and you aren’t some billionaire listed in Forbes, sadly enough, also like me, chances are you’ve asked yourself this question: If I could only own one watch, which one would it be?

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I know that one day I will buy myself a nice luxury timepiece. Even if I were to be fortunate enough to be able to afford more than one, there’s something appealing about having just the one watch and making it your trademark. In any case I find it fascinating to think of the criteria this watch should fit and then set out on an Internet supported quest to try and find a watch that ticks most of the boxes. In this entry I’ll walk you through the latest set of criteria I devised and the watch I think fits the best. But hey, I’m not buying it any time soon, so I’m bound to change my mind at least 10 more times.

First of, I want this timepiece to be mechanical and Swiss made. I’m aware that mechanical watches are less accurate than their quartz counterparts, but the idea that your watch keeps running as long as you wear it has got to be intriguing to every boy that first learns that such a thing is possible. And if I were spending serious money on a watch, I want more than just a basic mechanical movement; I’d want a somewhat special and/or innovative movement. I’d want the watch to have a Swiss made movement, for obvious reasons. I’m sure there are plenty of decent to very good non-Swiss made watches, like Seiko, but there is something about a Swiss watch that just has an unparalleled pedigree to it.

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The next criterion is closely related to this last point. I want the watch brand, or even the specific model, to be history packed. Many brands and models are connected with great stories. Many of the modern frontiers have been explored with a watch on the wrist. These watches or their respective brands have become iconic. I know that you can’t buy the exact watch that went to the moon or climbed Mount Everest, but nevertheless, it’s just appealing to own a watch that’s a descendant.

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Another important criterion for me is utility. Yes, I know the price to functionality ratio of a Swiss luxury watch will never be as good as that of a G-Shock but a G-Shock will probably not match many of the other criteria I have. This being said, Swiss watches, and luxury watches in general are often laden with useless complications. Arial Adams from ABlogToWatch wrote a great piece on useless complications some time ago. Although, I have to admit that even some busy dials can be esthetically very pleasing, I generally find myself gravitating towards cleaner dials. The only complication I have found myself using is the date complication. Given this is a quest for a ‘middle of the road watch’, I would say the watch should have at least a date complication and shouldn’t by loaded with useless complications.

The watch I’m looking for will, theoretically, be the only one I have so it needs to be sporty enough to wear on casual occasions and dressy enough to wear with a suit. In my opinion, this has become easier. It’s fair to say that, in the past, a firewall existed between dress and non-dress watches (chronographs, divers, …) but I think this wall has been mostly demolished. For example, nowadays wearing a Rolex Submariner with a suit is totally expectable. Only the most sporty and most dressy watches remain out of bounce in this regard.

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A final criterion, and probably the most subjective one is that I don’t want the watch to be to braggadocios. I want people who don’t know anything about watches to appreciate it, if they ever notice it, and would want watch aficionados to acknowledge the choice. I don’t want my watch to be to out there; I’m wearing it for myself, not for the others. To me, there are two elements that contribute to the braggadocios character of a watch. One thing that can make it too prominent is the size, although it is all in all quite a relative. I have pretty small wrists so even midsized watches look suitably big on me. Concretely, this means that I don’t even consider watches that are over 42mm. Guy’s with larger wrist might be able to get away with a larger watch without is being really obvious they are wearing a large watch. The second element be conscientious about is the materials used in a watch. It goes without saying that a gold watch with a diamond-incrusted dial will attract more attention than a stainless steel watch with leather strap. Don’t get me wrong; having gold elements in your watch can make it very classy and sophisticated. However, I believe that if you opt for a watch with precious metals it should be because you think it looks better that way, not because you want to show of your wealth.

So which watch is my top pick right now? I would have to say the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Master Co-Axial 38,5mm. I would go with the blue dial, because, although I haven’t seen this one in person, people who have seem to be blown away by how it looks. So now lets run it past the criteria I set out above.

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Yes it’s a Swiss luxury watch with a mechanical movement. However, it’s not just any movement. This particular movement encompasses two great innovations, which are indicated in the watch’s name. The first one is the fact that it’s a Co-Axial movement. Without going into the technicalities, the innovations of the movement make that it need to be serviced less, renders it very efficient and enhance shock resistance, the latter two of which improve precision. The word Master in the Omega’s name means that it’s antimagnetic. Magnetism is detrimental to the functioning of a mechanical watch. This is why brands like Rolex and IWC feature watches like the Milgauss and the Ingenieur in their range. This type of antimagnetic watches, which are often referred to as scientist watches, were originally for men working in environments where strong magnetic fields were at play, and thus have a special and somewhat iconic place in a watch brands collection. However, Omega was able to totally revolutionize the antimagnetic watch with it’s Master movements and has started to incorporate it into more and more of its watches.

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Omega is definitely a brand packed with history. In my opinion it doesn’t have quite the same pedigree as Rolex in this regard but it has to be in the top 5 brands in terms of the richness of the brands historical background. Probably the best-known part of Omega’s history is that NASA chose Omega to go up in space with the astronauts during the Apollo 11 trip to the moon. Furthermore, this particular model was also worn in the James Bond movie, SkyFall, just like the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean.

With regards to utility, the Aqua Terra scores very well! As discussed previously, it has all the components to make it very durable. Furthermore, all Aqua Terra watches have at least a date complication, which is perfect for me! For those that like a busier dial, Omega leaves you the option to add on a lot of other complications, such as a day function, GMT or Chronograph. Whichever configuration you go for you’ll have a very legible watch with at the least a date indication.

James Bond seems to be the epitome of both wearing suits and action I think it’s safe to say this watch will be versatile enough for most!

Finally, I think this watch also hits the spot in that it’s subtle in its luxuriousness, it’s not too braggadocios but offers nice design details and finishes but will probably look like another stainless steel watch to the untrained eye. The fact that one can choose the size is very useful. The watch comes indeed in either 38,5mm or 41,5 mm for the Aqua Terra with the simpler complications, other complications only being available in larger formats.