You Can Only Wear One For Life (Pt 2): Breitling, Omega, IWC, TAG Heuer – these were your responses…
Zach BlassEditor’s note: For a watch collector, horological monogamy is a huge challenge. The idea of limiting yourself to one watch, or one brand, is enough to give most watch collectors the sweats. But we like to have fun at Time+Tide. So we challenged you all to pick one of four brands in part one. The challenge: you can only wear one watch brand for the rest of your life – what are you wearing? For part two, the four brands competing for your loyalty are Breitling, Omega, IWC, and TAG Heuer Over 450 comments later, here are some of your responses.
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The case for Omega: Catalogue diversity, brand prestige, space exploration, James Bond
While I do not have an exact total, it is clear scrolling through all of the comments on our challenge post that Omega took this one home. Most simply commented the brand name, but those with extended commentary all noted similar themes. Firstly, the diversity of the catalogue is immense. Yes there are some models that get more time in the limelight – the Speedmaster with its space and moon associations and the Seamaster with its 007 association – but there is a very wide range of sizes, designs, and materials to explore. As @mayor_of_bbq noted above, you can opt for an Aqua Terra as a smart-casual daily, a Speedmaster as a sport-casual daily, a Seamaster for a robust daily, and Deville or Constellation for dressier moments. Before setting any filters within Omega’s watch finder platform on their e-commerce page, 1,706 options are on display. You cannot get bored within the modern catalogue, and, of course, if we include vintage it only gets even more expansive.
The case for Breitling: Robust, reliable, and Georges Kern’s strong overhaul
For Breitling, most advocates in the comments centered around the notion of Breitling as a professional’s watch brand. With Georges Kern reigning the brand in, and finding the focus of Breitling and their core, the offerings have been as strong as they have ever been in the modern era. There is still playfulness, with rainbow-accented SuperOcean watches, vintage-inspired hits like the Datora Copper 42, and overhauled Chronomat designs that took the once-dated in feel collection out of the ’90s and into the present. The brand’s offerings, perhaps, are not as expansive in range as Omega, but with a contained catalogue their watches all live up to the Breitling name and the robustness and reliability, both historically and at present, that draws fans in.
The case for IWC: Sensible design, diverse catalogue, material exploration, and quick-change straps
IWC, like Omega, was lauded in the comments for having collections that each strike different notes for different tastes. There was also a lot of praise for their innovativeness, with an expansive range of EAS X-CHANGE interchangeable straps and their exploration into coloured and proprietary ceramics. But, while they certainly have explored colour, there is also an appreciation for the brand not necessarily running too wild. At their core, there is a sensibility and IWC design-ethos that, while at times sombre, offers a sense of familiarity and warmth that puts collectors at ease. You know what you get with an IWC watch, and it’s typically a final product that meets a high-bar for its price point.
The case for TAG Heuer: Rich racing heritage, the Monaco, impeccable vintage, and George Bamford
TAG Heuer’s votes within the comments, understandably, focused in on the brand’s racing heritage and the fondness for Carrera and Monaco watches. When you think about it, from a two-watch collection standpoint a Carrera could easily serve in smart-casual and formal settings (or any setting for that matter) with the Monaco being a playful foil with its avant-garde squared nature and rich McQueen tie-in. TAG Heuer also, for the most part, plays in friendly price points, at least within the luxury level, to work with. And, unlike all the other three brands, you could also elect to explore the smartwatch route as well.
While I doubt George can be summoned in Beetlejuice form by saying his name three times in a mirror, it is important to note, while skirting the parameters of the challenge a bit, that Bamford’s customisation of TAG Heuer watches offers a whole other expansive range for TAG Heuer monogamists to play within. This introduces even further variety that would allow you to never get bored within the brand.