Watch The Throne

What feels like forever ago, on a family vacation in the Caribbean, my father bought himself a duty free watch like most guys tend to do.  With his new Omega chronograph he had no need for the Heuer diver he had been wearing since before I was born.  My Dad isn't really into material items so having two watches makes absolutely no sense.  To remedy this now surplus of timepieces he ended up giving his old watch to me.  At the time I was excited that he had given me the watch, but didn't really think much of the watch itself.  I already owned a time keeping device and being young and very stupid meant that said time keeping device was my sweet Nokia cellphone.  The Heuer eventually feel by the wayside and got beat up over the years as I grew up and began moving my life up and down the east coast.  Recently I revisited the watch and thought that it might make sense to get it refurbished.  The watches that I do wear are mostly of the cheap, but reliable variety.  I don't always take the best care of my shit and for some reason I end up getting extra negligent with nicer things.  It makes no sense, I know, but definitely lends itself to buying lower end watches.  I called up TAG Heuer to get things in working order (the watch now had cracked and scratched crystal and a nonfunctioning bezel), but since the watch was over 25 years old TAG told me they would not be able to service it.  As a side note, I'm not sure if people realize this or not, but Tag Heuer's North American headquarters are in Springfield, NJ.  I ended up taking the watch to a local jeweler who shipped the watch out to Atlanta, GA to get it refurbished via a third party.  It just came back all spiffy and now looks as good as it keeps time.  I know I don't normally talk about my own stuff on here, but I think the "new" Heuer looks great paired up with a spare olive/beige and red NATO that I had lying around.

-L.A.S

Pitti The Wrist

I guess this is kind of an addendum to my treatise on F/W novelty.  But, then again, it's really just a typical product recommendation.  Anyway, this whole camo thing has really blown up lately, eh?  I mean, it makes sense.  Military influence has been a part of menswear since the beginning and this is simply its latest and greatest (subjective) incarnation.  Not everyone is down with it.  In fact, a lot of people find it foolish.  For those of you who appreciate it to some degree or those of you trying to appreciate it, why not start with a new NATO style strap?  This little number was floating around the interwebs yesterday so I naturally sought out this new thing called Google to track down some more options since not everyone rocks with 18mm spring bars.  I, of course, ended up at RLT watches who have been featured on Sart Inc before.  No surprises there.  The UK watch dealer has lots of great NATO straps, and offers both a 18mm and a 20mm camo NATO G10 strap.  They're about $14 before shipping and, like I said before, a great entry point into all this traditional military by way of Italy steez.  Wondering what it's gonna look like paired with your Rolex?  No?  Me neither.

-L.A.S

Timex Heritage Watch

I've gotten more inquiries this week regarding a Timex watch I posted on Tumblr than anything else so I figured I'd highlight it here for anyone who believes one site run by me is already more than enough.  I stumbled upon this timepiece while searching for Timex's Oversize Camper, which was supposed to drop in July, but has yet to show up in to many places - it is available on Timex's Canadian site and in store at select Nordstrom locations.  Anyhow, when I was browsing Nordstrom's Timex stock I found a model I had never seen before.  The Heritage watch is a pretty good looking number coming in at under 100 bones.  That's kinda pricey for anything Timex (especially when you can get a Camper for like $20), but still a cool looking option for those of you in the market for a new watch.  Part of me thinks that some of the pricepoint is dictated to the "topstitched, leather-lined canvas strap" it comes with, which is quite the buzzkill for anyone who planned on switching in a fresh NATO first and foremost.  If you're the kinda guy who has mulled over dropping north of a Benjamin on another Timex at, say, J. Crew you might want to do some browsing first.  As one can imagine, the "upscale" Timex market isn't incredibly deep, but that doesn't mean you can't find some handsome watches with a little digging.  I did an admittedly half-assed search to find this watch on the cheap (Amazon, Timex.com, etc.), but couldn't locate it elsewhere.  Who knows, maybe it will show up at J. Crew.

-L.A.S

Heritage Wrists

No one could ever convince me to switch out my NATO straps, but I can only speak for myself.  For those of you looking to give your current watch straps a break after a long summer, J. Crew has just released some cotton watch straps geared for F/W.  By offering olive green, chambray and railroad stripe straps they are surely tapping deep into the heritage well to snag every last drop.  What isn't exactly my cup of tea may very well be your holy grail so if this interests you, buy them here for 20 bucks a pop - wax not included.  I would surmise a strap like this probably looks best with a vintage or vintage inspired field watch.  Don't worry, you can buy those at J. Crew too.

-L.A.S

Doing You A Solid

J. Crew's final sale is not as epic as I would have liked, but there are a few things to get excited about, one of which being their solid NATO style watch straps going for $10-$15 a clip.  Keep in mind these are for 18mm watches so I recommend breaking out your ruler before breaking out your plastic.  I'm not sure what the motivation is behind a fire sale on such a versatile accessory, but one can only assume it has been determined by someone important that regimental stripes are most definitely what the cool kids are buying these days.  I guess that leaves the solid joints for all us broke ass losers. What a shame.

[Editor's note: It's open season on the striped ones as well.  Please ignore my terrible jokes/observations from above.  Looks like J. Crew will have some new options for us soon.]

-L.A.S

A Time To Bid

My buddy Nick just threw up some of of his insane collection of rad stuff on eBay and if you head over you can check out the vintage treasure trove for yourself.  Get some perfectly worn in boots for F/W or maybe one of his killer watch gems - shit, maybe even both.  Nick's watch game is pretty much unrivaled and I never thought I would see the day where he unloaded a few of his babies.  I have no doubt that he's probably going to regret some of these sales, but his loss can be your gain or your wrist's gain for that matter.  I'd head over soon too because knowing Nick's taste everything will be gone sooner rather than later.

-L.A.S

Central Standard Time

Thanks to Fred over at Unabashedly Prep I was tipped off to Central Watch, another treasure trove of nylon watch straps.  It's a little biased towards our friends with 18mm springbars, but overall a nice little selection of what can easily become your best friend this time of year.  I've said it before and I'll most definitely say it again - loading up on watch straps is easily the best way to keep things fresh without having to go out and spend $200 on a shirt or new pair of pants.  You can keep your wrist understated ("Hey Mom! Look, my watch strap matches my chinos!") or go for some serious pop ("Hey Mom! Look, my watch strap matches my favorite summer 40 oz!"), it doesn't really matter.  Central Watch is a little on the pricey side until you realize that they are actually charging you for 5 straps.  Since I am a math genius I'll go ahead and crunch the numbers for you - that's a $5.99 per strap clip.  Winner winner grosgrain dinner!

-L.A.S

Triwa Watch Straps

Since 2006 Triwa has been making a variety of colorful watches for all the eccentrics who feel the need to know what time it is (this is about the point where a grumpy old man would yell, "Get a job you bum!").  Specially for S/S 2010 Triwa has branched out and created their own NATO straps for their own and all other watches alike.  The straps aren't revolutionary, but I know how hard it is to track certain bands down so it's good to see the supply side of the market increase - actually, I'm not sure if I've seen anything like the "Jamaican" strap before.  All models come in both 20 and 22 mm sizes so all off us rocking with non 18 mm joints can finally oneup our skinny banded brethren.

-L.A.S

Speaking Of Watch Straps

Nick kicks out the S/S inspiration via a Nato, a Porsche and a little California coastline...

-L.A.S

Vintage Watches At Asos

And now back to our regularly scheduled sartorial nonsense...

I'll be the first to admit that Asos is not the first place I would turn to for a vintage watch.  In fact, I was really surprised when I found out they were even selling them in the first place.  All of these are extremely out of any price range I thought I had ($940-$2,900), but are definitely still cool to look at.  Isn't that why we love blogs in the first place?  Seriously, who doesn't enjoy staring at awesome shit they can't afford?  At the very least they can help you find that style or model you love so when you are perusing the bargain bin at Amazon you're not completely overwhelmed.  In case you cared, I'm personally digging the Cyma joint the best with it's perfectly faded numbers and hands that can only come from being born during WWII.  And yes, I'd be switching out these watch straps, especially on the Tag and Omega, quicker then you could wind 'em up.

-L.A.S

Back In Black

T Magazine points our way to a new collection of special edition Rolex watches given the "all black everything/murdered out" treatment.  All of these redone vintage timepieces were produced in limited batches of 50 each and attempt to channel the now imfamous watches "supposedly released by Rolex in the late 1960s for the Royal British Army soldiers stationed in South Africa."  Check out the website here.  Rolex + mythology + matte black = one bad mama jama.

-L.A.S

White On Wrist

When Nick first began preaching to me about the white Nato strap I was pretty hesitant to say the least.  I couldn't fathom how if you were going to upgrade your watch strap you would want to go with something so basic - so "white bread" for lack of a better term.  If I remember correctly he told me that he had seen an absolute beat to shit vintage one at some RRL store back in the day and ever since had been on a quest to nab one.  The more I thought about it the more a white Nato strap made perfect sense.  In essence it was just like your favorite pair of white canvas sneaks.  You buy them pristine and they look great, but it's only until they have been through the ringer that they really become something special - it's the stories, the memories, the character, blah, blah, blah.  I had finally seen the light and realized just how awesome the white strap could be, but I had no idea where to buy one.  I looked all over the place, but could never actually find any for sale.  That was until yesterday.

Last week Rob Sawyer, who curates a fantastic blog, posted on the very same subject and linked up to an eBay seller peddling various colored Nato's. Lo and behold, there it was - the infamous white strap for $5.99 in whatever width your timepiece called for (unless you wear an 18mm, sorry).  Long story short: I found my new strap for spring.  What time is it? Time to get dirty.

-L.A.S

Heritage Straps

Probably not the "heritage" you're used to hearing around these parts, but heritage nonetheless.  Gnomon Watches, the best spot to get NATO watch straps on the web in my opinion, has stocked up on some new regimental joints that pay tribute to where you came from.  So far only Italy, France and Germany are accounted for (Word Cup 2010 bias?), but I figured that would still apply to quite a few readers.

Luckily for the rest of us Gnomon has also stocked up on some new colorways begging to hug your spring bars.  No matter what you're feeling this time of year they've got you covered, although the elusive white NATO is still nowhere to be found.  As soon as I'm done writing this nonsense I'm pulling the trigger on that blue and yellow joint to feed my nautical appetite.  Also, anyone who cops the zig-zag is a boss.

-L.A.S

Every Neon Rose Has Its Thorn

As the seasons change so should your watch strap.  If your timepiece happens to be of the 18mm variety J. Crew is stocking a bunch of new bands in both stripes and solids.  Peep the new J. Crew catalog, which features the Monocle braintrust (cool kid points) and some great styling, in its entirety here (Mister Crew with the assist).  Was this post just an excuse to throw up the above image? Damn straight.  Ain't nothing finer than a sharp lookin' strap.  

My personal favorite you ask? That's easy. "Neon Rose" - incredibly stupid name, incredibly fly looking.

-L.A.S

The Watches of Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen's footprint on menswear is undeniable.  The guy had style to spare and to this day designers look to both his on and off screen persona for inspiration.  While I am by no means a watch geek I find McQueen's timepiece history pretty fascinating.  Steve's name and image are associated with a few watches; he only ever really wore one.

In the 1971 action film, Le Mans, Steve McQueen's character, Michael Delaney, is seen wearing a Tag (Heuer had not yet been purchased) Monaco chronograph.  Tag Heuer, to this day, has continued to use Steve's image in various marketing campaigns to aid in selling the classic blue-faced model, which holds the claim of "the world's first automatic chronograph".  It is important to note that while the on screen McQueen is associated with the brand, he never wore Tag off screen.

 

 

 

In his "real" life McQueen's preferred brand of timepiece was Rolex.  In fact, Rolex has its own McQueen "signature" watch, the Explorer II aka "The McQueen Rolex".  This watch is highly sought after today due to its rarity and exclusivity (it was discontinued in 1985).  The watch, itself, is a very handsome model and comes equipped with the much coveted orange 24 hour hand.  Though McQueen did wear his Explorer II off screen his favorite watch was something a little different.

 

 

   

Similar in design to the Explorer II, the Rolex Submariner was McQueen's go to.  This particular Submariner, available exclusively in the UK and produced from 1959 through 1978, was truly Steve's everyday watch.  It was what McQueen "the man" not "the actor on the silver screen" wore on a daily basis.  All McQueen connections aside, the Rolex Submariner is a beautiful timepiece that embodies the classical and understated nature of all the things that I love.  McQueen realized this too and put on his Submariner everyday because of it.

  

 

 

 

-L.A.S

[Editor's Note: Notice how McQueen, who was left handed, wears his watch on his right wrist.]