If you’ve been paying attention, all over YouTube there have been several Three Watch Collection videos pop up, all of which featuring authors attempting to put the perfect trio together. You are probably thinking you wouldn’t pick a single watch they did, or that their collections are far beyond anything you could ever hope to own. The good news is that your three do not need to compare to the ones you see on the internet. It only needs to suit you and your needs. Today, what we will try to do is breakdown why three is the magic number, what should and should not be in it, and lastly what my perfect three are.
For starters, in Supreme Mathematics, three is the number of Understanding. Understanding is the addition of Knowledge & Wisdom; complete comprehension. “Understanding is built from Knowledge first-and-foremost.” Having said that, it makes perfect sense that as you apply what you are continuing to learn about wristwatches, you become smarter about brands, movements, etc. You should also have a good idea of the different classes of watches (field, dive, dress, pilot, and whatever a Datejust and Aqua Terra are), and what fits and does not fit your personal style. Applying what you know should allow you to pick which of these three types apply to your life.
The one thing to avoid is placing a watch in the three simply to say you have it. It makes no sense to buy a watch for the approval or ‘props’ of other people. As an example, Seiko 5s are all over the internet for being the best of what’s out there in its price range. If that watch doesn’t strike a chord with you (like it doesn’t for me), don’t buy it. You’ll only end up seeing something you really want the day that watch arrives in the mail and the regret will kick in something fierce. Every time you wear the watch, it will suck. You’ll find something wrong with it. Just save yourself the self-loathing and stick to buying the watches you truly love and most importantly will wear frequently.
Yes, the watches in the three should be worn frequently. You should have a situation that calls for one or the other and have no problem switching to the one the situation calls for. Why would you purposefully keep the collection to three and not wear them all? If you have three in mind right now, and one of them is a safe queen, pick another one. It doesn’t have to be worn every single day but at minimum 4 times a month. If your goal is to buy a perfect-for-you-three, then all of them need to be in the rotation. Period. This isn’t debatable.
Now that we have some ground rules, let’s get to my three, so you can see what I mean.
This is my everyday-to-work watch. I work in a business casual to casual environment, and this watch can play between the two perfectly. I can leave the office, go to the gym, and wear this after I get out of the shower with a pair of sweats. For me, it is the perfect watch. Nowhere I go will this be too flashy or too bland. On top of it all, 100 meters of water resistance means I don’t have to worry about getting it wet, and the 5-year warranty (if bought new) means I can wear it without fear of abuse. There is nothing I couldn’t do and nowhere I couldn’t go with this watch.
Omega Seamaster Railmaster 1957 (220.10.38.20.01.002)
On most weekends now, I spend a lot of time fixing things around my house. There are plans to build a café racer, and I’m needed every now and then for some preventive maintenance on our family car. Since I fancy myself the engineer, why not get a watch specifically for one? The 1957 appeals to me more than the current generation Railmaster because the dial isn’t as busy. I often do not want a date complication on the weekends. It isn’t important. Just being able to keep time and work on some things I enjoy is what this watch allows. I can also change the strap and have no problem going to a cookout with friends, or to a ballgame with my son. The perfect taskmaster.
Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute Limited Edition (AB021012/BB59)
It took me a few hours to narrow down what I wanted my last watch to be. I love dials that are busy, but functional. Watches that do more than tell the time have always been a favorite of mine, so the idea of this piece telling time differently is doubly appealing. If you haven’t seen this or heard of this watch before, it is a space watch. It was designed for an astronaut to be able to tell the time when the sun could not be used as a reference in the same way we do here on earth. I considered a GMT function, but I don’t travel as much as I used to, and my sister will be returning from Manilla soon. I won’t need to track a different time zone enough to wear it often enough to justify it being in the rotation. This is just a great piece to wear when I want to have fun with my wrist. I can place it on any strap, and it would look good. It fits my wardrobe as much as the Datejust 36, and it’s a piece of aviation history.
When you are putting your three together, I hope you had as much fun as I did narrow them down. This experience shouldn’t be stressful, so take your time and enjoy it.
Sanford has been a watch lover all his life, but just recently got into the hobby deeply after making some lifestyle changes. Born and raised in Chicago, IL, he offers a perspective of a seasoned rookie – not knowing much, eager to learn, with a keen eye for dumb shit. His writings focus on news in the watch industry, model reviews, and the occasional op-ed sprinkled with a movie quote or two. Be sure to check for his upcoming series’ as well as his assessments of watch trends. Feel free to reach out to him on Instagram!
You can find Sanford at @quest327
