March 28, 2024
Globemaster bezel watch

Editor’s Note: A few years ago, I wrote this piece for all I feel compelled to add is this: learn your bracelets. And read it now. If you can tell a Jubilee from a Link, or if you can spot the subtle differences between a Bulgari, Vacheron and Audemars Piguet bracelet, you’re well and truly on your way to the brand and model. Stay safe out there spotters, nobody likes a stalker.

Watch spotting. Don’t be shy, we all do it, and with varying levels of sophistication. Some among us are smooth as silk, spotting a watch half a room away, approaching the wearer with a smile and leaving shortly after with a photo, a story and the holy grail – a price. If you’re not already that guy, you can be.
Is that a tank or a reverso

The scenario should be familiar. You’re walking down the street with your beloved and you spot a beautiful creature coming towards you. Whatever spins your tourbillon cage – Ryan Gosling’s junk, Nicki Minaj’s trunk – picture it, and squeeze it into something tight. You look down, sideways, anywhere but in their direction. You squeeze your partner’s hand tightly. All of a sudden you become intensely interested in shop displays, the pavement, birds. But at the same time you’re sneaking glances, off mirrors, windows, whatever you can. All too soon, the object of your gaze passes you by. Phew. You exhale. Peace is restored to the kingdom. You get ice cream.

Wait. Is this a relationship column? No, dear reader – fellow watch tragic, this advice is for you. Trust me. The skill you are about to learn, once mastered, will help you go to the next level as a watch spotter. Because any person who loves watches knows, the instinct to scope and assess the wrist game of everyone in the room can be overpowering. And once you spot a two-tone bezel under a celebrity, or a stranger’s sleeve, the urge to file it as a Rolex GMT-Master II or a Seiko diver is strong.

Sounding like you? Relax. I am here to help and I have broken the advice into three key stages, with Good, Bad and Brilliant real life examples: Stage 1 is the initial spotting, with extra attention to how not to get caught in the act. Stage 2 is the approach, which is critical, skip straight to here if you’re rushed for time. And Stage 3 is the close, which can vary depending on your purposes.

STAGE 1: SPOTTING THE WATCH

THE GOOD: MASTERING THE GLANCE

Let’s kick this off by channelling Jerry Seinfeld, who advised George Costanza on the delicate issue of observing cleavage: “Looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun. You don’t stare at it, it’s too risky. You get a sense of it, then you look away!” Once you’ve chosen your target – no matter how rich the pickings in your area, start with one – wander closer and try and get a good incidental, but pinpointed glance. No matter how magnetic the draw, or how rare the piece, resist the urge to stare in a way that will arouse suspicions. The best you can hope for from this stage is a good hunch that it’s worth progressing to stage two.

 

THE BAD: STARING IS NOT CARING

Your mama told you staring is rude. It’s also just wrong. It can lead to embarrassment at best and a shirt-fronting at worst. So many examples here, because, without my glasses, I have the eyesight of a myopic bat; distinguishing a Royal Oak from an Ingenieur at two metres is never, ever going to happen. While blessed with my dad’s bright baby blues, they are largely for show and don’t do much, which is why I fail hard at this stage almost daily. Only last week, a woman seated opposite me at an event had either a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso or a Cartier Tank on and, without my glasses, all I could do was squint at her wrist from entrée to dessert. Later, when I approached her to ask and resolve the mystery, she flashed not her watch but her wedding ring at me: “Married, sorry!” she said. #watchspotfail So bad. So awkward.

A woman with sorrow

 

THE BRILLIANT: CATCH THEM WHEN THEY’RE LOOKING AWAY OR ASLEEP

Ok, so to clarify the second bit…. Watching a stranger in their sleep only really happens in a few socially, or legally acceptable situations. On public transport most mornings on the way to work (there’s always one), or on a long haul flight. There was one flight, from Australia to somewhere (everywhere but Tassie and NZ is a long-haul flight away, let’s be honest) where a guy with an IWC Top Gun Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar was seated next to me. With my terrible vision and the low light I had no chance to check it out while he was awake – my guesses ranged from a JLC Master Compressor to a U-Boat or something terrible – but as soon as he was asleep I was able to get a closer look. The four-digit year indicator, amazing! Brilliant maybe, but still creepy? Definitely.

A weried man

STAGE 2: THE APPROACH

THE GOOD: ADMIT YOUR INTENTIONS

I just pulled off a pretty decent approach, so this is fresh in my mind. It was in a Dan Murphy’s bottle shop. The guy serving me was wearing a long sleeve khaki green shirt but the glimmer of a fluted bezel flashed out when he scanned my purchases. “Do you mind if I ask what watch you’re wearing?” I had enough of a sense of it that it was probably a Rolex, probably a Datejust. He pulled his sleeve back proudly; a 36mm two-tone Datejust with gold dial. “It’s a 1990 model, I bought it four years ago. One of the best investments I’ve ever made.” The key here is to be open about your intentions from the outset. Tell the target you come in peace; it’s watch curiosity is all. The fact is, you’re flattering them with the question. They’ll be chuffed you’ve asked nearly every time.

Globemaster bezel watch

The fluted and highly polished DJ bezel is one of the best giveaways for watchspotters. The tungsten Omega Globemaster bezel does not shine, making the difference obvious. This is a shot by @Andy.tian who replaced the plexi on his ’78 Datejust and had a polish at a Rolex Service Centre. Whatever it cost Andy, it was worth it. This is one hot 36 year old right here.