It may be more a matter of personal taste, but the Swatch watches look sort of cheap and plasticy. Maybe I associate Swatch with those cheap casual decorative watches kids used to wear in the 80s in middle school.
Regardless of the brand, if you are going for sophisticated and elegant, you want a watch that the right size for your wrist. Too small looks feminine and too big looks clunky and gaudy. It should just “look” like a finely machined piece of metal (possibly with a leather band), not a plasticy toy. Generally simplicity is preferrable to excessive decoration on the face or band. And the face itself should be relatively simple. And it just shouldn’t feel light or cheap when you pick it up.
What sort of suit? 2 piece or 3 piece? And what sort of watch? Pocket, wrist or breast?
A 3 piece suit is an ideal excuse for a pocket-watch. I use a pocket-watch anyway, as I reacted badly to plastic and leather wrist-straps and metal straps made mincemeat of my shirt cuffs. It’s just a no-name cheap watch.
I’m female, but I bought a gold men’s Citizen watch with a black face in 1988 because I wanted one that would set off my new engagement ring better than the cheap black rubber sport watches I had been wearing. I wanted a men’s watch for the larger face. I think I paid about $80. It has a gold adjustable band.
I still wear that watch and it still runs and looks great.
Stay away from Dakota Watch Company. Their watches look fine, but they’re built quite cheaply. A casual beater watch from Dakota, that you might wear for working outdoors or on a camping trip, is fine, but I wouldn’t wear one with a suit.
Hah! I think I just found my next watch - rather far from my initial price range, but what the hell. It’s understated, elegant, and rated to over 600 feet - plus, the orange face will make it easier to pick out of my sock drawer!
And I’m pretty sure it’ll go equally well with a pinstripe or charcoal suit.
Most high end watches - Omega, Rolex, TAG, etc, have a continuous sweep second hand. Really it still ticks at about 8 bps, but to the casual observer, it appears continuous.
Yes and no. The “sweep” second hand is not a proxy for authenticity - it is simply a function of being automatic. All automatic watches sweep, regardless of brand (though as msmith pointed out, it’s actually a lot of very small ticks). If a watch ticks the seconds, it is a quartz. And Omega does have quartz models.
It CAN tip you off to a fake if the model is supposed to be automatic. If you see an Omega 3570.50 Speedmaster with a ticking second hand, it is most assuredly fake.
I wore this watch on my wedding day, while wearing a tuxedo. Wore it for a year prior, and continue to wear it to this day, 10 months later. If I was judged because of it, or if someone was appalled by it, everyone was classy enough to keep their collective mouth shut about it. 98% of the time, it was covered by a sleeve, so what does it matter? It tells time, doesn’t advertise my social status )or lack thereof).
I wanted a men’s watch for the larger face. I think I paid about $80. It has a gold adjustable band.
