A watch speaks volumes about who you are, conveying everything from your sense of style to your outlook on the world. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to make a mistake when pairing a watch with an outfit, especially if you own more than one timepiece and do not know how to look your best.
Thankfully we have put together a few helpful hints that you can use to inform your watch and clothing decision-making each day. Whether you are heading to the office, hitting the club, hanging out with friends or venturing into the wilderness, we have an idea for you.
1) Embrace Analog or Dig Digital?
Analog watches have been around for centuries, originating in the 16th century as an evolution of larger clocks. Because of their heritage, as well as the complex processes involved in their manufacture, they fit in with more formal occasions. By contrast, digital watches only arose in 1972 and quickly went from being high-value luxury items to bargain basement timepieces. This means that they are seen as more casual, making them great for use in relaxed settings where a valuable vintage analog watch would seem out of place.
Analog watches are a classic choice
2) Study the Strap Colour
Whether your watch has a leather strap or a band made of any other material, its colour will be instrumental in determining if it matches an outfit. Having a good grasp of how to match clothing colours will give you the grounding you need to make the right decision here.
3) Observe the Occasion
Your watch should not just reflect your personality but should also be a mirror of the environment in which it is being worn. A durable diving watch is not ideal for a dinner party, just as a subtle dress watch will look out of place on a mountainside.
4) Learn about Leather
Leather is a popular material for watch straps, and if you are wearing a watch with a leather strap then the chances are that other accessories which form the outfit will also be leather-based. A rookie mistake is to mix and match leathers of different hues, which leads to an unfortunate clash. Instead, ensure your leather shoes, belt and wallet are of the same colour as your watch strap.
5) Match Metals
If metal is a more appealing material than leather, you should still think about how it interacts with the rest of your outfit. Popping on a gold watch next to some silver cufflinks is not a good look. And if you wear a ring, it also needs to be matched by the metal of your watch, both in terms of the strap and the bezel.
If the metals match then your watch and ring combo will work well
6) Consider Body Size
Watches are made in different sizes for a reason; it is not all about fashion and impact, but about the practical advantages of offering timepieces that fit different body shapes. A larger diameter watch is better suited to larger gentlemen, while those with slimmer wrists and arms will find a smaller timepiece more appropriate. Avoid the temptation to snap up the biggest watch just to show off if you have not got the body to match its heft.
7) Take a Holistic Approach
When you really want to impress with your watch choice, it pays to build the entire outfit around it, rather than simply matching one or two elements. This is particularly important for formal occasions, or events at which this kind of attention to detail will pay dividends in social terms. Think about how your watch compliments or is offset by your clothing and accessories such as your tie, socks and shoes.
8) Avoid the Ostentatious
People who are fanatical about watches can see them as the main event of an outfit; something which should draw focus and be the centre of attention. For a real gentleman, the reverse is true. A watch needs to blend in and work with an outfit, not fight against it to stand out in a garish, showy way.
9) Ignore the Cost
A watch might serve a practical purpose, which makes it tempting to go for the cheapest option in spite of how inappropriate it might be in terms of aesthetics and durability. As a counterpoint, you might assume that the more you spend on a watch, the better it is to wear in any situation. Connoisseurs realise that in reality the cost is irrelevant. Instead what matters most is how well a watch blends in with the outfit, with ‘does it match?’ being the key question to ask at all times. If the answer is ‘no’ then nothing else is pertinent.
For more information, you can visit the following infographic from Tic Watches below:
Infographic from Tic Watches: Gentleman’s Guide to Matching a Watch with an Outfit
Hopefully, this rundown of tips to help match a watch with an outfit has been useful, giving you the framework, you need to make the right decision.
