Daily wearers. Daily beaters. Whatever you want to call them – we normally spend days on end trying to find our most perfect suitor. I mean, you don’t really want to fork out many thousands of dollars on a luxury watch if it’s not going to appease you or your unique requirements. The amazingly large spectrum of watches available to us can lead one to suffer from the well-known but debilitating phenomena of “analysis by paralysis”, so we’ve put together a list of some of our favourite daily wearers with our affiliated partners over at MR PORTER to help you out.
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Automatic Chronograph
Who wouldn’t want a genuine high-end, Swiss luxury watch as their daily beater? And the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Automatic Chronograph is one of the finest examples available right now. At 42.50mm in diameter and 13.70mm in thickness, the Overseas Automatic Chronograph’s stainless-steel case is ergonomical, comfortable, wearable and can easily be dressed up or down. The colour palette of the Overseas Automatic Chronograph is clean and discreet, while its details are sharp, precise and very beautiful. You can opt for the time-only version, but the chronograph would be the choice for me purely for the appeal of its mechanical properties.
Oris Aquis Hammerhead
Easily one of my favourite watches on this list. Priced wonderfully well and packing a whole lot of bang-for-your-buck, the Aquis Hammerhead is splendid. I love the darkness of the watch, offset subtly by the blue seconds hand and dial highlights. The day-date functionality is a welcomed addition, as is the durable stainless-steel case and bracelet. At 45.50mm in diameter is does carry some heft and probably won’t slide easily under a shirt cuff, but for those of you who dress more casually for work and in general, the Aquis Hammerhead is going to tick a lot of your boxes.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon
The first of three watches from Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Master Ultra Thin Moon is a corporate-world-friendly watch. Its dark aesthetic is exquisite. The black sunray dial sits well within the Master Ultra Thin Moon’s 39mm wide stainless-steel case, and at 9.90mm it’s going to sit on your wrist with a super low profile, perfect for the traditional suit and tie combo. The darkness is offset gorgeously by the stainless-steel hands and indices, as well as the moonphase indicator. The added date sub-dial register is the proverbial cherry on top of what is a very impressive watch.
IWC Pilot’s Mark XVIII
Simple. Direct. No nonsense. These are the words that spring to mind when I look at the IWC Pilot’s Mark XVIII. There is nothing unnecessarily added to the Pilot’s Mark XVIII. It’s purposeful, resolute in its agenda and features unwavering quality with minimal compromise. The Pilot’s Mark XVIII has a clean black dial, white printed hour numerals and broad lume-filled hands. The black background of the day window continues on the Pilot’s Mark XVIII’s theme of being fuss-free, and at 40mm in diameter and 11mm in thickness, the stainless-steel case merely adds to the its appeal of being to the point. The typical do-it-all kind of daily beater.
Piaget Polo S
One of the most underrated daily wearers on this list, the Polo S appeals to us on multiple levels, thus its inclusion. The bezel of the 42mm wide, 9.40mm thick stainless-steel case features a brilliant horizontally brushed pattern, offset by the smooth look of the rest of the case. This horizontal theme is continued with the blue horizontal ribbed dial pattern, creating a very appealing spectacle. The Polo S has a similar, direct vibe to it like the Pilot’s Mark XVIII, but it does feature some very cool stylistic cues. Don’t forget, you’re going to be look at your watch essentially every day, so you’re going to want something that can walk the walk and talk the talk all whilst looking good. The Polo S does all that and then some.
Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Chronograph
Engineers rejoice, for we have the watch for you. Or maybe your job is just so damn boring that you need something to look at just to pass the time, pun definitely intended. Meet the theatrical spectacle that is the Defy El Primero 21 Chronograph. 44mm wide, 14.50mm thick and made of brushed-titanium, the Defy El Primero 21 Chronograph features a 1/100th of a second chronograph that needs to be seen to be appreciated. That’s a beating frequency of 5Hz, meaning that the Defy El Primero 21 Chronograph has one of the smoothest running seconds hands in the business. Also available on a full titanium bracelet, I find that a rubber strap is far more comfortable over lengthy periods of wear.
IWC Pilot’s Spitfire Chronograph
Why does the chronograph seem to appeal so much in a daily wearer? It’s not like people use it from a functional perspective. Maybe they do, but certainly not as much as watch-wearers did decades ago. The Pilot’s Spitfire Chronograph is the second piece from IWC to feature on this list. Fundamentally, the combination of a day-date function with a chronograph in a package like the Pilot’s Spitfire Chronograph’s would mean that it’d tick almost all of your boxes. Great dimensions, a beautiful colour scheme and the chance to kill some paid work time playing with a chronograph. What else would you want from your daily?
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Large Duoface
The Reverso is an icon of watchmaking, in this century and in the last. It represents sophistication, style, class and status. So, it should come as no surprise that the Reverso Classic Large Duoface is featured on this list. The Reverso Classic Large Duoface is the quintessential Reverso, in that its two faces are completely opposite. One side features a very business-like white dial with silvered guilloche in the centre of the dial, while the other side has a black dial with Clous de Paris finishing and a day-night indicator that can be set to different timezones. The Reverso Classic Large Duoface has a prominent art-deco look that is both timeless and utterly beautiful. Stature wise, the Reverso Classic Large Duoface is on the small size, and at 28.30mm across and 10.30mm thick, its stainless-steel case may not have enough presence for many to be a feasible daily. But, exceptions do exist, and thus you can probably find the Reverso Classic Large Duoface strapped to the wrist of those who appreciate the delicate nature of watchmaking.
Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950
Perhaps the polar opposite to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s gentle looking Reverso Classic Large Duoface, Panerai’s Luminor Submersible 1950 is big and intrusive. With an aesthetic like that, the Luminor Submersible 1950 is going to suit someone who really wants their watch to scream presence. At 47mm in diameter and made of titanium, the Luminor Submersible 1950 is the biggest watch on this list albeit the most robust. The iconic crown guard and shape of the Luminor Submersible 1950 means that this watch can and will handle the rigors of daily wear. The black ceramic bezel, black rubber strap and overall rugged look of the watch may lead you to believe that this it’s a brute, but rest assured that there is a hell of a lot of intricate watchmaking going on. Not for the faint-hearted, the Luminor Submersible 1950 will happily take whatever life can throw at it with a smile.
Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix Day-Date
The second watch from Vacheron Constantin to feature on this list of the best everyday watches is the Fiftysix Day-Date. As polarising as the Fiftysix collection has been, the Fiftysix Day-Date does have a lot of valuable qualities you can use as part of daily life. Along with its time-telling capabilities, the Fiftysix Day-Date displays the day and the date in its sub-dial registers, right and left, respectively. It also has a power reserve indicator displaying the remainder of its 40-hours of power. All this information is captured beautifully on the silver dial, encased in a very wearable 40mm wide and 11.60mm thick stainless-steel package. Fairly dressy but still casual-looking enough to wear at work or at play, the Fiftysix Day-Date is an exceptional daily wearer.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Geographic Automatic
The final watch on the list of the best everyday watches and the third Jaeger-LeCoultre to feature is the Master Geographic Automatic. Featuring a beautifully arranged assortment of functions, the Master Geographic Automatic displays the time along with a 24-hour indicator, a 24-timezone indicator, the date as well as the 43-hour power reserve. All of this sits on a silvered dial in a very subtle 39mm wide stainless-steel case. It’s a rather classical watch that would suit a typical shirt-cuff set up, but the Master Geographic Automatic can probably be worn with a smart-casual type outfit, too. What does that mean? Well, casual Fridays means you can still proudly wearer your Master Geographic Automatic.