How to pick the best watch for your wedding
Russell SheldrakeWedding season is very much upon us and making those final decisions before your big day can be rather stressful. For watch addicts like us, deciding which watch to wear on your big day can be one of the biggest decisions you have to make. And while there will be many guides from lifestyle publications say that you need to stay extremely classical, wearing a dress watch like a Cartier Tank or a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, I think what matters more about a wedding watch is how it makes you feel and what connection you have to it. Don’t let yourself be pigeonholed into wearing a piece that doesn’t speak to who you are.
Bearing that in mind, I wanted to build a short list of things to think about when considering what to have on your wrist before you walk down the aisle. Hopefully these are concepts that can be carried across all price points, even if the examples given my stray into the upper tax brackets.
Matching metal
You’ll have likely already picked out your wedding ring, and this will become the most important piece of jewellery you own, so it’s a good idea to have your watch match the metal colour of your wedding band. You don’t have to have an exact match in terms of the metal or karat weight, so if you have a platinum wedding band, you can always go for a stainless steel or white gold watch, for example. But having a tone that matches is always a nice touch, given that they will both likely be living on the same hand.
J.N. Shapiro
Why not take that matching theme one step further with a ring made by the same watchmaker who create your timepiece? American independent, J.N. Shapiro, is a master of guilloché and not only are his dials adorned with his engine-turned patterns but the case bands can be too. For to order and to mimic the case band of his Resurgence model, Shapiro will give the same texture to your wedding ring. You can, of course, get the ring in the same gold as your watch and if you are able to get a piece from Shapiro in time for your wedding, I think this is possibly one of the best ways to tie your accessories together.
Something to pass down
We all know the most famous tagline in watches by now. “You never truly own a Patek Philippe…” and this is a great way to look at your wedding watch. You want something that will last as long as your marriage and one that you can pass down to the next generation to maybe wear on their special day. And given its recent release at Watches & Wonders earlier this year, it’s hard for me to think of a better Patek for this job than the Golden Ellipse. It’s an elegant watch that wears perfectly with a suit, and given its design codes being linked to the golden ratio, has a timeless style to it that will mean the next generation will still want to wear it. Price: US$60,100
Couples’ watches
Having a watch that matches with your betrothed can be a lovely way to connect the two outfits which can often be very different and only show similarity through something like flowers. We’re not saying you need to go to the extreme lengths of Ed Sheeran, who had two matching, bespoke, pieces made by Roger Smith for him and his wife to wear at their wedding, but the concept can be carried over to many other brands. Whether you opt for a larger and smaller size of the same watch, or perhaps just a different dial colour, this can be a great way to have a strong connection to each other’s looks, and build both your collections at the same time. My one piece of advice here would be to go for something that is a classic design that has many different variations, like an Oyster Perpetual or a Royal Oak, so that you have a lot of options to play with. Price: US$6,100 (Oyster Perpetual 36), US$5,650 (Oyster Perpetual 31)
Add some personality
Watches have always been a brilliant way for people to express themselves. So, on one of the most important days of your life, it’s a great idea for your watch to speak to who you are and what interests you. A keen fan of aviation? Reach for a Navitimer. Always been into comic books? A Batman GMT or even a Spiderman AP might fit the bill. Or even if you just want to show that you care about the environment, maybe strap on an Oris with a recycled dial. Whatever your hobbies and interests are, there will be a watch out there that speaks to it and having that feature in your wedding day is a great way to have your personality shine through a very subtle way. Price: US$4,200 (Oris Aquis Date Upcycle Calibre 400)
Whatever watch you choose to wear on your wedding day, make sure it’s one that you will want to keep hold of and when you look back on those wedding pictures, will continue to bring a smile to your face.