Life is full of different scenarios and situations, and that’s a pretty great excuse to own a watch for every single one of them! From historic pieces, to watches at the vanguard of modern design, and everything in between, available to purchase right now on www.eBay.com/luxurywatches, here are the watches for every occasion and great pieces to begin building a collection.
Dive Watches
Under sea exploration has, since the early 20th Century, served as an inspiration to watchmakers and brands looking to equip the pioneers exploring our oceans. Even if you don’t go any deeper than the shallow end of the hotel pool, these watches have got you covered.
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First released in 1997 with men’s and women’s lines, the Patek Aquanaut has rapidly become a talismanic family of watches from this celebrated brand. It cuts a sportier more pragmatic figure from a manufacturer renowned for its elegance. Its 40mm stainless steel case and rubber strap make it a robust watch built for the depths.
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Boasting the Co Axial movement first created by famed horologist George Daniels, the Omega Seamaster with blue dial and 42mm case on a steel bracelet manages to be ruggedly practical, without sacrificing any style points.
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The Rolex Submariner, even if you don’t know it by name, is almost certainly what most people picture when dive watches are mentioned. With a history spanning nearly 70 years, and a lineage that goes back even further, it’s a piece that’s always been at the forefront of subaquatic timekeeping. The Submariner might also be one of the most collected watches in Rolex’s catalogue.
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Panerai’s entire existence is due to the dive watch, having won a government contract in the 1940’s to provide watches to Italian Navy frogmen. The masculine 44m case, in tonneau shape, with black dial and three sub-dials, is replete with large Arabic numerals in trademarked Superluminova.
Everyday Watches
The watch you wear everyday is the one that is going to do most of your talking for you, so you should pick something that represents the qualities you want to present to the world.
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No list of watches would be complete without something created by the legendary Gerald Genta. The Royal Oak, featuring his signature octagonal design, with display back and azure blue Parisian hobnail dial, is a fantastic everyday watch that’ll comfortably tide you over into more formal occasions if you find yourself going directly from the office to an evening event.
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Arguably the most quintessential of watches, from the most famous brand of them all, the Rolex Datejust is pretty much shorthand for a man of substance who values quality and knows style when he sees it. You’d struggle to pick a better timepiece to rely on day after day
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Just because the everyday watch in your collection is a workhorse, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t also be a thoroughbred. The Tag Heuer Monaco is a watch with impeccable pedigree, named in honour of the iconic Formula 1 race, and designed by Jack Heuer himself. The Monaco represents a leap forward in horology, being the first automatic chronograph. Celebrated favourite of screen idol Steve McQueen, famously worn in the 1971 film "Le Mans," with its eye-catching blue dial and square case, it’s a design classic.
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Dependable things in life aren’t very often excitingly idiosyncratic, but when you’re really discerning and lucky enough to own a Panerai Radiomir with California dial, then you can pretty much have it all. The truly original numbering, equally split between hour markers, roman numerals, and Arabic numerals, emblazoned on an ebony coloured dial makes for a manually wound masterpiece with three day power reserve.
Wedding Day Watches
Wedding watches are just like wedding suits. Choose something classic, because those photos are going to be on your mantelpiece for the rest of your life. You do not want the watch equivalent of a shiny rental suit and polyester cravat sat on your wrist on the day!
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For the most important day in your life, it seems only appropriate to wear some of the most important advances in watchmaking history. The 5970P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph from Patek Phillippe is an enduring testament to the genius of Swiss watch making. The intricacy of the movement, the ticking heart of a watch, that can mechanically chart the passing of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years from now until the end of time, stands as a wonderful metaphor for a loving marriage.
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Like all FP Journe pieces, the Octa Automatic Reserve in rose gold is a thing of absolute beauty. The 40mm rose gold case houses a movement from a manufacturer that has three times won the august Aiguille d'Or grand prize from the Fondation du Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. It is a serious watch for a serious but joyful occasion.
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The Audemars Piguet Quantieme Calendar Moon in gold embodies the kind of masculine elegance that we’d all hope to exude when standing at the front of the church with the eyes of our loved ones upon us. In addition to such practical considerations as time, day and date, the perpetual calendar movement also charts the waxing and waning of the moon. The kind of romantic touch that seems fitting for a wedding day.
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Your wedding being a day and a date to remember makes the Rolex Day-Date Yellow Gold a very apposite time piece for the nuptials. While no groom in his right mind would try and upstage his bride on the big day, that doesn’t mean he needs to shrink into the background either. It’s hard not to be worthy of a little admiration when wearing the yellow gold case and bracelet offset with a silver dial.
Vintage Watches
The charming irony of vintage watches is that they hold a timeless appeal. They looked elegant 40 years ago as they will 40, 50 years in the future. As Oscar Wilde said, only the modern ever goes out of style!
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The Day Date, touted by Rolex as “the ultimate watch of prestige,” manages to be elegantly anachronistic. In yellow gold with leather strap and a subtle 36mm case, it is a watch that does not blend in with the modern pieces produced today. It wears its antiquity on its sleeve.
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The Omega Speedmaster was the first watch to be worn on the moon, an accolade that cements its place on any list of vintage watches. With its lunar pedigree, the Omega Speedmaster has a truly astronomical following, making it a very collectible piece in whatever iteration you opt for.
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Patek Philippe has long been proud of its reputation for creating instant family heirlooms, with adverts declaring that you never really own a Patek Philippe, you’re just holding onto it for the next generation. The 5036 Annual Calendar Moon watch in yellow gold, lives up to that reputation. With its long treasured complications and self assured aesthetic, it’s a piece that will be eternally loved.
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An aficionado favourite from the moment Rolex released it in the late 60’s, the Ref 1680 with its novel date display functionality is deserving of a place on any list of classic watches to collect.
Holiday Watches
If your everyday watch sends a message to your colleagues and clients about what a solid, reliable kind of guy you are, your holiday watch can reveal the wilder side of your nature!
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It doesn’t matter if you spend your holidays on the golf course, like the namesake of Richard Mille’s Bubba Watson White Ceramic Watch RM055, on a tennis court or piste in the respective styles of brand ambassadors Rafa Nadal, or Alexis Pinterault, Richard Mille has something for you. Pretty much the unofficial watch of super yachts, Richard Mille with their hyper technical pieces and distinctive shape, complement any leisure activity.
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Holidays are about taking a break from the ordinary, and there is nothing ordinary about the MB&F Horological Machine No 8 Can Am Gold Titanium! Rejecting even the idea of turning hands, the MB&F HM8 Can Am is rendered in white gold and titanium, using Arabic numerals on two rotating discs to indicate the time. Its asymmetrical design is a testament to MB&F’s signature commitment to doing things differently. This avant-garde case houses an original movement secured on an alligator leather strap.
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For those who vacation in every corner of the world, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Worldtimer, has you covered. Capable of telling the time in every time zone in the world including a day/night indicator, the elegant dial depicts a polar view of the globe surrounded by the world’s most prominent cities. It’s exactly what you need when you know where you are, but not when you are!
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Perhaps equally as usable as a diving watch, the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra exudes a dress down confidence that makes it a perfect piece for the man whose holiday takes him to challenging spots. With a comfortable 38.5 mm case size, its an unobtrusive watch that allows you to do whatever it is that you get up to in your down time!
To explore and shop @WatchAnish’s “Timepieces To Start Your Collection,” visit eBay.com/LuxuryWatches.