First off, I’d to apologise for my prolonged absence (travel) and begin (sort of) the week on a high note of usefulness to as many readers as possible- Many weblogs seem to only pay attention to big name marques (understandable when you need to pander to advertisers), as an honest (I’d like to think so) Monsieur, I’d like to avoid (obvious) snobbery and present to you my take on the best watches for any any occasion.

How to Buy Watches

1. The Watch for Everyday

Professional, sensible and won’t break the bank. This Seiko 5 (there are many variations, this is the SNX111) to me is a steal at the sub-$500 price range. Elegant, classic and when worn with your corporate two-piece suit and pocket square, deadly serious- the best part? Remember how I often wax lyrical about the importance of in-house movements? Seiko movements are ALL in-house and at the price range, you won’t feel guilty when it takes a knock on the gates at your local metro station [Shop here]

Wear with: Two-piece suit
Expect to spend: $200

2. The Watch for Weekends

While you can go all “James Bond” and wear your dive watch to the office, I wouldn’t recommend it. I would however give two thumbs up for this timepiece from the engineers at Dievas Uhren Technik. Robust and dependable, the Dievas Focal is the latest from the Singapore-based watch company. Rugged yet aesthetically pleasing, the Dievas Focal is built with 6STEEL technology much like The Reaper (also from Dievas and in my own personal collection). The Focal is machined with the latest CNC technology resulting in clean edges found on many high end brands and further hand refined resulting in sharp well defined light reflection showcasing the steel grain- equipped with 60min bezel for professional divers, the 500 meter rated Focal is somewhat a lefty watch with its double O-ring screw down crown on the lower left hand corner. Swiss ETA 2824-2 powered, built in Germany and sold out of Singapore, all names associated with reliability. [Shop here]

Wear with: Boat shoes, board shorts or jeans
Expect to spend: $1300

3. The Low Cost (True) Luxury Watch

Driven by an Omega 2500 calibre, this self-winding chronometer with co-axial escapement with rhodium plated finish enters the fray as one of those timepieces that cruise under the radar of marque collectors. With a price tag that is undeniably great value for a swiss-made manufacture movement. This Omega De Ville Prestige Automatic is a damn good looking watch for Monsieurs-about-town. Distinctive and timeless with roman numerals, this kind of craftsmanship doesn’t usually come cheap – grab this before Omega changes their minds. [Shop here]

Wear with: Tuxedos, patent leather shoes. Gingham shirt and cardigan.
Expect to spend: $2900

4. The Conversation Starter

A re-intepretation of a historic single-pusher chronograph, Baume & Mercier has dug deep into its 180 year heritage and launched their latest Capeland chronograph. Beguilingly retro, this luxurious timepiece with blue or gold “Breguet-style” hands in red gold or steel takes us back to roaring 1948. Housing a La Joux-Perret automatic bi-compax chronograph movement with flyback and date, the dial though visually busy actually lends credence to the vintage appeal that reinforce that golden age of watchmaking.  With movement visible via sapphire case back, the blued steel screws with circular-grained finish, snarled decor and Cotes de Geneve makes this Baume & Mercier Capeland Flyback Chronograph the watch to watch (and own). [Shop here]

Wear with: Think Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale version) or Tony Stark (The one and only RDJ)
Expect to spend: $7000 for stainless steel model (you don’t want to know what the gold model costs)