The Fuss Over a Travel Watch , men's stuff part twenty

A couple of years back, my wife grew concerned about my travel while wearing an expensive watch.  She had read about a robbery in which a man had been shot for his Rolex.  It happened at a popular restaurant in Houston, at the same time I was visiting Houston with my Rolex Submariner.

At her uber-strong-suggestion, I started looking for an inexpensive watch to wear on certain travel.  

While searching, my 4 requirements for a travel watch were a) a bezel or chronograph to show elapsed time on flights or a task, b) a large display for easy reading, c) a stainless steel non-ostentatious case, and d) appropriate to every day business wear and working out.

The winner for me turned out to be an inexpensive Wenger (Swiss Army) Terragraph Men’s Watch with Swiss quartz movement. 

The watch came with 3 complications-

1. A 12-hour chronograph function, enough to track most tasks and flights.
2. A sweep second hand in a small inner dial (next to the 3).
3. A day of the month display

When asked to describing the watch, my wife said, “utilitarian.”

Cosmetically the Terragraph has an attractive white textured face with luminous hands and markers, a Swiss Army Brand Emblem at the 12 o’clock position, and a sapphire crystal on the stainless steel case.  It looks solid, and at 43mm, it’s an easy read even without my reading glasses. In that sense it reminds me of an IWC Portuguese. 

The one thing I could not abide was the cheap wristband it came with.  It was a very dark brown (almost black) calf leather band that was stamped to look like croc.  With time, the faux finish began to chip and show the lighter leather beneath. 

 

The original calf leather band.

There is also an issue with a leather band, namely smell caused by perspiration.  With time even a high quality band will begin to acquire an odor.  Most of us with expensive propriety leather watch bands (like Jaeger LeCoultre) are mindful of this and are careful not to wear the leather bands in summer where we’re likely to be outside perspiring or similar situations.  This type of care considerably extends the life of the band and lessens the need for an expensive replacement in a year or two.

The solution I found for my Wenger travel watch was to purchase a unique rubber and leather watchstrap from Rubber B.  They make watchbands that have alligator leather on top, with rubber on the bottom. I chose a 22mm with a “Jet Black” rubber base on the inner side, and alligator leather with a "Cognac" finish on top.  So when I travel, I have perfectly respectable leather band, which is not affected by perspiration odor.  The one caveat is that because of the unique dual rubber/leather construction, the band was stiffer and took longer to break in for comfort.

The small irony here is that the watch band cost more than the watch.  But in this case, it was well worth it. 

Still…

For travel where security is not a concern, my go-to-travel watch is still my Rolex Submariner.  Aside from it’s inherent indestructibility, the metal (non-odor catching) Oyster Bracelet come in handy.  I don’t have to worry about changing watches to work out in the hotel’s gym or pool, or if I want to go out for an exercise walk in the area I’m visiting.  At the same time the watch is completely appropriate for most business meetings or business dinners. I have the old “pre-ceramic bezel” 16610-case, which I believe more elegant than the present day 116610-case.  While both cases measure 40mm, the new 116610 looks more “bulky” due to its larger crown-guard and lugs which are almost twice the size of the older model. I find the new crown-guard particularly unaesthetic.

-John P.

Wenger Terragraph Men’s Watch

Stainless steel case

White textured chrono dial

12 hour chronograph function

Luminous hands and markers

Date display

Swiss quartz movement

Sapphire crystal

43mm

Original Strap-Dark Brown (almost black) calf leather strap, stamped to make it look like croc.

Claim it’s water resistant to 100 meters.

Price- $150 (estimate)

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Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso, men's stuff part nineteen.

Let's talk men's watches.

In terms of quiet elegance for daily life, my Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Grand Taille (pictured left) takes the grand prize over all the other watches I own.  It was a Christmas gift from my wife in 2013 and I've grown very fond of it over the past year. 

As a watch enthusiast I had lusted over the Jaeger Reverso for a number of years, but was on the fence about my next major watch purchase between a Reverso or a PaneraiLuminor 1950 GMT. I had finally decided on the Reverso, and was actively pondering which Reverso model I was going to purchase when my wife gave me the Christmas surprise.

My wife’s choice for me was a simple stainless steel GT with only one complication- a small inside dial for seconds.  The strap is light brown alligator leather with a stainless steel butterfly clasp assembly.  I also have a second alligator strap in black. The watch tastefully understated. It's an inconspicuously branded luxury good that is likely to be recognized only by other watch aficionados/enthusiasts.

For a watch enthusiast, the Reverso requires no introduction.  Its art deco design still shines as brightly today as when it first made its worldwide splash with the café society in 1931. The watch was supposedly designed for British military officers who played polo in British Colonial India.  The polo players kept breaking their watch crystals during play, and the Reverso solved the problem by enabling them to “swivel” the crystal face into a reverse position- exposing only the metal back. Hence the name, "Reverso."

Originally the back was a plain metal surface, but with time, Jaeger LeCoultre began decorating the backs of Reversos with everything from the watch owner’s initials to elaborate designs infused with diamonds, enamel, and other creative resources.  One model, the Reverso Duo, has a second watch on the back that can be used like a GMT for a second time zone.

Today, the Reverso is still considered Jaeger LeCoultre signature watch and is available in multiple models, with a large variety of complications, and ranging in size from the small classic size measuring only (L x W) 38.5 x 23.1mm, to the new large Squadra models measuring a full 50.5 x 34.9mm.

In addition to the Reverso collection, Jaeger sports a number of watch lines on its official website, most of which are in traditional round faces.

The company, Jaeger LeCoultre, has been around since 1833 and has had quite a history with royalty, celebrities, and the infamous.  For example Queen Elizabeth II wore a Jaeger 101 movement on her coronation day, and the scoundrel mountebank Bernie Madoff had a Reverso Dou that was seized and auctioned off after his fraud conviction. 

One Caveat- Size Matters when it comes to choosing your Reverso

Having sang its praises; the caveat with the Reverso is its size.  For many men today, who are used to large watches, the original classic size feels too small- at only 38.5mm by 23.1mm.  I think this is the reason Jaeger introduced the uber-sized “Squadra” Reverso that measure a wrist imposing 50.5mm length and 34.9mm width.

Size then, not the complications, was my main concern when choosing my Reverso.  A couple of online bulleting board comments, from dissatisfied purchasers, had stuck with me.

One disappointed purchaser stated he had had to trade in his classic sized Reverso for a Squadra Reverso, at a significant monetary loss, because he simply could not get used to the small size.  With the classic, he had always felt like he was wearing a ladies watch.  (If you want to see how small it looks on a man’s wrist, Google photos of Mad Men’s Don Draper for the first season.)

A second frustrated purchaser also made a size comment. He complained his Reverso was too long in length, and uncomfortable.  What he meant was that because the Reverso pivots, the watch back case is flat and it does not curve to the wrist upon its length like some square watches do.  As a result the purchaser complained that the watch was always slightly uncomfortable on his wrist, and because of this, he didn’t wear it often.  I believe the model he was referring to was the Ultra Thin model.

 

From here you can see the flat back back surface, no curvature to the wrist. For the blog photo, I removed the watch's serial number which is etched on the bottom below the emblem.

Lastly, I had personal reservations against a Squadra Reverso because (A), I felt the oversized Squadra Reverso lacked the elegance of a more traditional Reverso, and (B), I thought the Squadra would be too big for my wrist. My wife had the same thoughts about the Squadra models when she was shopping for my watch. 

For me, my wife’s gift of a Reverso Grand Taille (GT) was the perfect “Goldilocks” size for my wrist.  At 42.2mm Length and 26mm Width, it’s both comfortable and elegant, and fits well underneath my shirt cuff.  It’s the opposite of today’s monster sized overstated watches.  At the same time, I don’t feel I’m wearing a woman’s watch.  I think my wife made a great selection with my Grand Taille.

If you want to get an idea of how it looks on a man’s wrist from different angles and distances, catch the 1999 movie “The Thomas Crown Affair.”  In it, Pierce Brosnan's character, Thomas Crown, wears a Reverso Duo, which is the exact same size as the Reverso GT.

As an interesting aside, the Reverso worn by Pierce Brosnan in "The Thomas Crown Affair" was actually owned by him (it's said hes' a big Jaeger fan), but the "Jaeger LeCoultre" lettering in the face was edited-out in close-ups of the watch. Presumably this was because Brosnan had a promotional contract with Omega at the time due to his James Bond films.  

 

With my pen and reading glasses, this photo provides size scale for the watch.

One last caution- in the online watch review by “The Talking Hands,” one of the online reviewers warned, “They should warn you that these things are made of butter.”  He was observing that just as the watch is extremely beautiful, it is also extremely vulnerable to scratching.  I have found that to be true even of my stainless steel model due to the high polish finish. You do have to be mindful while wearing it.

For more information on these beautiful watches, I've placed below a couple of YouTube Links.  

One is a short 13 minute review of the Reverso by “Talking Hands," specifically the Grand Reserve with an 8 day power-reserve-indicator on the back. This is the one where we are warned about the watch's "butter" like delicacy to scratching.

The other is a simple demonstration of the pivot action of a Reverso GT. Incidentally, it does show the "correct" way to flip your Reverso.  Push it in halfway (left to right), then flip the face to the back, then push the rest of it in sideways until it locks in place (again, left to right). This prevents accidental scratching of your Reverso.

-John P.

If you're a watch enthusiast, here are some additional watch related posts:

The Seiko Professional Divers Watch, men's stuff part ten

The Hamilton Jazz Master, men's stuff part eight

The Rolex Submariner, men's stuff part three

Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas) wearing a stainless steel Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso GT with brown strap in "Money Never Sleeps," the sequel to the classic 1987 movie Wall Street.

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Christmas Gift Ideas for Men, men’s stuff part eighteen

“Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope."
-Bill Cosby

If you’re a woman and starting to face unease as to what you’re going to get your husband for Christmas, you’re in luck, this post is aimed at you.

Every year I speak to at least one friend who is frantically looking for last minutes gifts for her husband. The reasons for this is are: One, men usually don’t open up about what we want, and Two- men and women really do think differently.

So here are seven y chromosome gift ideas that I hope will be helpful-

Gift Idea Number 1: Scotch and Cigars- These can’t be beat as stocking stuffers or individually wrapped presents.

Scotch- There is a large variety of single malt Scotches you can purchase from $50 on up to several hundred dollars. There are also small bottle sampler box sets that you can break up and put into his stocking. (They’re similar to the small bottles they serve on airplanes.)

Cigars- Make sure the cigar is in a tube. Otherwise it will grow stale before he can smoke it on Christmas. Cigar accessories also make good gifts- compact leather travel cases, cigar cutters, small humidors, crystal ashtrays, etc. The key here is to avoid large sized humidors or similarly over the top merchandise. A small item is preferable as he can easily fit that into any area of his office or bedside table. (Oh and don’t forget to pack some wooden matches for him to light up with.)

If you already know his favorite cigars, you can purchase presentation boxes usually for about $200 to $300.

Gift Idea Number 2: DVDs- Buy him a DVD of his favorite movie or television program. Note that I said his favorite movie or television program, no chick flicks. If that means Chuck Norris, then that means Chuck Norris. Christmas is not the time to try to help him grow.

Gift Idea Number 3: A basic Hamilton Field Watch- Admittedly this can be a tricky item, but most men like watches, and I believe most men would welcome a field watch as an addition to their collection. And what better field watch than the original? Hamilton has recently lowered their prices on these basic watches and they can be purchased for as low as about $100 for a quartz movement model, to about $300 for a mechanical version.

Gift Idea Number 4: A Personalized Needlepoint Belt- It’s like being given permission to wear red socks with a black suit. Just make sure you match up the belt pattern to match his hobbies or interests. (Warning, a sense of humor is essential for this gift to work.)

Gift Idea Number 5: A basic clothing item like a white cable-knit sweater- Not much to elaborate here. We’re talking about a basic clothing item most men have had in their wardrobe at some point in time. If this specific item doesn’t meet the bill, think of some other basic clothing item he loves that needs replacement with an exact like item. For example say his favorite navy blue Lacoste shirt is becoming frayed, or he has an old pair of topsiders that are falling apart. I think you get the idea. Just make sure it's the exact same size and brand.

Gift Idea Number 6: Wet Shaving gear- Now this idea is risky. If he is a confirmed electric shaver man, or an analytic engineer type, forget about this one. However if he is the type that likes a little elegance in his life, or likes traditional stuff; this gift may take. To find out more about this, visit my post, “On Wet Shaving.”

Gift Idea Number 7: A Swiss Army Knife- Even if he already has one, trust me, he can always use another one. I have one in my desk, and one in each car. I also have one with a corkscrew in my travel shaving kit. That way I can always open a bottle of wine while on the road.

Finally, if all else fails, get him some soap on a rope. He will get the message and this will guarantee that he will be more forthcoming with his Christmas list next year.

John P.