A wristwatch doesn’t have to be boring and utilitarian. Your timepiece can reflect your style, making a statement to the world about who you are. Creating a watch wardrobe helps you build a collection full of watches that go with your lifestyle and clothing and which are an extension of your personality.
Building a watch wardrobe is about purchasing watches you’ll want to wear and change out often, so none of your watches will be sitting around collecting dust. It also provides you with plenty of accessory options so you’ll always have the right timepiece for the right occasion; the watch you wear while hiking or at the beach would be out of place at a wedding or business event.
To complete your watch wardrobe, you’ll need more casual watches, as well as higher-end statement pieces like Rolex watches.
Start with an Everyday Watch
The best way to start building your watch wardrobe is by buying a quality everyday watch. This watch you can wear daily, and it is nice enough for the office and professional events without being too flashy. Your everyday watch should be adaptable so you can wear it from the office to a night out or a family barbecue on the weekend. This watch should pair just as great with a plain t-shirt and jeans as it does with an expensive suit.
You’ll want to buy a classic-looking watch that won’t be out of style in five or ten years. Minimally designed dress watches are a great place to start. You can find a high-quality watch with understated design elements. Look for watches with smaller cases that have simple black dials and slim hands.
Leather and metal bracelet bands are a great choice for your everyday watch. If you’re interested in a metal bracelet band, consider purchasing one containing mixed metals. A yellow and white gold or stainless steel watch band goes with more jewelry and clothing already in your wardrobe and is on-trend.
You’ll want to spend enough money to get a good-quality watch that is durable enough for everyday wear, but you don’t want to break the bank on this purchase. You should be able to find your everyday watch for under $500. A high-quality classy watch does not always cost that much. Since there are luxury watch replicas with identical designs and finest quality.
Add a Sporty or More Casual Watch Next
More casual watches, like a sports watch, should be added to your watch wardrobe next. These watches tend to have oversized dials and offer additional features beyond keeping time. They’re great to wear with casual outfits on the weekend or during your workout.
Sport watches have chronographs that act as stopwatches and timers, perfect for weekend athletes and pilots who need to time their actions. These watches have extra buttons to start and stop the timers, and the dial’s bright numbers on a black background make it easy to read the time. They may also feature a bidirectional rotating bezel, which acts as a tachymeter for measuring speed.
Some sports watches are designed to be worn when swimming or diving, as they’re waterproof to depths of 100 meters or more. These diving watches offer an enhanced ability to read the time underwater and in darker environments. They’re also resistant to corrosion.
Sport style watches have more colorful bands available in cloth, leather, and waterproof materials like silicone. The larger clock face of a sports watch offers bigger, easier-to-read numbers than a dress watch. A sports watch caters to the needs of your lifestyle and is durable enough to survive any activity.
The Statement Piece
Your statement watch should be reserved and worn only for formal occasions like weddings and black tie events. This watch should make you feel special when you wear it and complement your formal attire. It can feature added diamonds or gemstones or a precious metal band, but it shouldn’t be over-the-top or have a loud design. Your statement watch should look sleek and sophisticated.
Many luxury watches are considered statement pieces. Their iconic brands and designs never go out of style and have remained popular for decades. Brands like Rolex are known worldwide and are treasured heirlooms to pass down through your family.
Look for watches that offer quartz in-house movements for the most accurate timekeeping. Or, for more classic appeal, opt for a timepiece with an automatic movement that uses your wrist’s kinetic energy to power the mechanism. If you purchase an automatic watch, you’ll need to learn how to wind it correctly to keep it working, especially if you only wear it occasionally.
You can find luxury watches available in leather bands or metal bracelet styles. Higher-end bracelet-style bands feature precious metal such as gold or platinum.
A statement watch is a luxury item, so consider it like other luxuries in life; you pay for the quality and value you’re receiving. Luxury watches are an excellent investment because their style is timeless, and the right luxury watch maintains its value.
Styling Your Watch
You don’t want your brand new watch clashing with the clothing and jewelry you already own. Think about how you’ll match your watch to your outfits as you’re building your watch wardrobe.
Always pair your watch with clothing and jewelry that match its purpose and formality. You wouldn’t want to wear your luxury watch during a CrossFit workout, similar to how you wouldn’t wear dress shoes to the beach. Match your watch to your occasion and outfit.
Proper watch styling includes more than wearing the correct watch for the occasion. You need to make sure you’re complementing the colors and style of your clothing and jewelry. One of the most common ways to match is with your shoes. Try to pick a watch that works with the design of your shoes.
It’s just as important to style your watch to the jewelry you own. If you frequently wear a 14k gold chain, consider buying your statement watch of the same color and metal quality. Avoid platinum and stainless steel bands that clash with your gold chain unless you are purposefully styling a mixed-metal look.
Start Building Your Watch Wardrobe
A good watch wardrobe contains an everyday watch to wear at work, a casual or sporty watch for the weekend, and a luxury watch to wear during formal events. The watches in your wardrobe should reflect your personal taste and work with your lifestyle.
The timepieces you add to your wardrobe should be ones you love and are excited to wear. There are no limits to how many watches you can buy for your wardrobe or what designs you can sport.
Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at BlueFashion. She has been steering the website's content and editorial direction since 2013. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra's expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.
