Unlike the dive watch, the pilot’s watch has not become ubiquitous in the public view, and when a company like IWC tries to sell a Big Pilot based on how authentically designed and functional it is, I feel as if I’m being sold a costume accessory.

If you’re still unconvinced, consider that I also like to wear aviator sunglasses and Schott bomber jackets. These are two items that, like dive watches, have shed almost completely their military origins, but would I ever wear them together?

The idea itself is clever and while the end-products certainly look cool, I found the execution to lead to a deeply frustrating build experience, and I say that as someone with years of “tinkering” under my belt. I was looking forward to populating my bookshelf with more complex models, but presently I cannot in good conscience recommend these kits.

The One Watch is the endpoint somewhere off in the distance of a journey that is highly personal, but for me, I think I've gotten as close as I may ever get with the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600 m in 39.5 mm sizing, with a black dial (reference number 215.30.40.20.01.001).

Tudor DID do everything right with its North Flag, and yet this is a model that went nowhere. I’d go so far as to say that there is Tudor “pre-North Flag”, and Tudor “post-North Flag”, and the current trajectory that Tudor is on is almost entirely due to this model not taking off, when in fact it objectively had everything going for it.

The variety of scents on offer leads to a paradox that you find in every enthusiast hobby: on one hand people can’t stop wanting to try what’s new, but on the other hand they are happy to spend large amounts of energy online debating what their choices would be if they had to limit themselves.

When I first sat down to write this piece I thought it would be relatively straightforward, just a story about something from my childhood that still fills me with great memories. It didn’t take long for all the knowledge I’ve acquired since then to kick in and make me realize that there might be far more to the “Real American Fragrance” than just the juice in the bottle.

In the decade-plus that I’ve been into watches, I’ve noticed that there is a very, very small handful of watches that are universal. And when I say universal, I mean that with as much certainty as I can glean without a formal data set. These are watches that pretty much everyone likes and that any watch collector who’s not simply looking to flex will enjoy. In fact, these watches are well-known to be as appreciated by collectors as are their Pateks and Rolexes.

While I’m not convinced about COACH’s approach to “fashion”, this is a company that has proven over the decades that it has “style” covered, in spades.

Saying the Rolex Datejust is a “nice” watch is a take so obvious as to be basically useless, so in this article I’m going to take my time to unpack my own experiences with the Rolex Datejust 36 mm, and try my best to lay out why this watch is as good or bad, exciting or boring, as you want it to be.

It’s one thing to try hard once, it’s completely another to bring your A-game each and every time, so in my view the line between “making a good first impression” and “fooling someone” is thin. For me, the later ways you present yourself are just as important - if not more - than the first, consistency being a highly desirable attribute in any setting.

The great news I have for you is that you can project this consistency (among other positive qualities) and reap all the rewards that come with it, by indulging some of the passions that lead you to this site daily, particularly those associated with Everyday Carry, or EDC.

Watches that appear in this series really are what I consider “hidden treasures”, that is to say models that I am confident could tempt more buyers, if only they were provided a second chance at more exposure. For this first entry, I’m going big (literally, more on that later…) with something from my own collection: a watch from a powerhouse brand, boasting a world-class movement with multiple complications, and very robust performance specs, all wrapped up in a design package that add up to a piece I believe would be worthy of a “Bond Watch” title.

Let’s now unearth the Omega 231.10.43.52.06.001, known more manageably (but only slightly) as the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Co-Axial Chronometer GMT Chronograph 43mm.

Am I just old fashioned and out-of-touch, or is the Swiss Army Knife indeed still relevant in today’s marketplace as part of an everyday carry loadout?

The Tiffany x Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 is a disgrace and for the first time in over a decade of watch collecting, a watch has made me feel physically ill. But, we CAN do something about all the terrible things it represents!