No, seriously. How many watches should a man own?
Like shoes, ties, and other special clothing accessories that a man could own, the answer is subjective. Before we go on, though, let’s have some fun here:
Think of an ideal number of watches that every man should have in their collection and maybe write it down somewhere.
Don’t cheat and go to the bottom of the piece first. We are genuinely interested in what you think.
Once you are done with that, you can continue with the rest of the piece.
In This Article...
So, How Many Watches Should You Get as A Man?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Where we can have an agreement is that every man should have at least, one watch in their collection.
It is often said that wristwatches are being phased out daily. What with the smartphones and presence of clocks almost everywhere we turn today.
While watches are great for telling the time, they are there for much more than that. Completing your dressing, indicating that you are a gentleman that cares about the time and more, you just need to have at least one of these beautiful units.
If you are having issues choosing a watch for a man, see our resource on the subject here.
Guide to Men’s Watches
Instead of giving a specific number, we have approached this question in another way.
Don’t look for the number of watches that you need to have as a man. Instead, consider having watches for the different purposes that will come up and require one.
Let's dive into how you can do that too.
#1 Work Watches
You should have at least one wristwatch that you wear to work.
Your work watch can be a dress watch, an outdoor watch, or a rugged timepiece, depending on the kind of work you do.
We also encourage that your work watches be durable timepieces since they will be broken out of the watch case every day. For something that spends so much time on your wrists, you want to ensure it can hold well against any abuse it might encounter. Not that you are seeking to abuse the watch, though.
Speaking of work watches, we have discussed some great picks under our watches for professionals’ category.
Some of the resources there include fine watches for law enforcement agents, top picks for medical doctors, great watches for nurses, amazing picks for firefighters, and some of the best wrist gear for mechanical engineers, among others.
#2 For the Outdoors
Besides work, the average man also likes to spend some time outdoors.
Whether you are playing catch with your kids, fetch with the dog, or heading into the woods for camping, you will need a watch that can handle the condition right.
At UberWrists, we have developed an entire category around the best watches for different outdoor activities. In there, we have buying guides for hunting and fishing watches, the best budget hiking watches, and top watches to go diving/ swimming/snorkeling with.
Depending on the kind of outdoor activity you are interested in, this buying guide will get you to choose the best pick in no time.
#3 Everyday Watch
Now, this could be a little confusing.
If you wear your watch to work every day, can that not be your everyday watch also? Yes, and no.
Dress watches, such as the ones you can wear to work, are built to last. However, that does not mean they are expected to be worn around the house in the evenings, on weekends, or at yard parties. That is where an everyday watch comes in.
Fortunately, your outdoor watch (from above) can also double as an everyday watch. As long as the outdoor watch is not too specialized to any outdoor activity, it should have the backbone to handle anything you throw at it daily.
#4 Watches for Special Occasions
We don’t know about you, but we like to have some watches that only come out on very special occasions.
Your definition of a special event could differ from ours, though. For us, these are the dinners, galas, award shows, red carpet parties, and related events.
On those days, you can slap on your Rolexes, Omegas, or other top-quality timepieces from reputable brands.
Most times, the watches in this category come as gifts – either from someone to you or from yourself. These watches sit pretty in your collection like some trophy.
That said, you don’t have to break the bank to get watches for special occasions.
For example, there are great automatic dive watches selling for under $2000 and some very classy swiss automatic watches for below $500. If you happen to be into moon phase watches, we have a guide to nice ones retailing for under $500 also.
#5 Family Heirloom
This is not a compulsory one. However, it would be nice if you could start a family heirloom movement. Especially if there isn’t one in your family yet.
The best thing about a watch is that it will almost always stay in fashion. Even though there are other methods to tell the time now, they still complete a proper gentleman’s outfit. Using them as objects of family heirloom is, thus, very advisable.
You could go the vintage way looking up full hunter pocket watches with a great value for money. They might have reigned a long time ago, but they are still in-trend right now.
Otherwise, we recommend automatic watches for the simple reason that they simply will not die. As long as they have been built with good quality, that is.
Under that category, you might want to look at some swiss automatic watches. The swiss have a promise of quality behind their units. Besides that, they are also a beauty o look at and will remain so for years to come.
Automatic GMT watches also add a special touch to the mix. They will not only keep time for as long as possible, but they also have the added GMT functionality on top.
What Type of Watches Should A Man Own?
There are a lot of watches on the market. Segmented into categories, there are still a number of them to look at. We recommend catching up with this guide to different watch types where we discuss these classes and categories – based on build, movement, area of manufacture, and more.
With that, you can make a better choice on the kind of watch to buy for different purposes.
Final Verdict
From our end, we believe every man should have at least four watches. The number should have been pegged at five, but the everyday watch could also double as an outdoor watch sometimes.
While that is the floor number, there is no limit to how many watches a man can own.
We have checked different country’s laws (please don’t quote us on this ha-ha) and we don’t see any upper limit to how many watches an individual can own. In other words, you can get as many watches as interests you.
