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Back in the office? Cheer yourself up with the help of a new work watch Back in the office? Cheer yourself up with the help of a new work watch

Back in the office? Cheer yourself up with the help of a new work watch

Thor Svaboe

Editor’s note: Here at Time+Tide, we not only want to cover all of the best watch releases in the articles we write but also offer some of those watches at the Time+Tide Marketplace. We work hard to make sure the pieces we are proud to offer in our Shop are not only quality watches that we would love to have in our own collections, but also horologically interesting and watches we believe would find happy homes in our readers’ collections. So with that out of the way, let’s take a look at five back-to-work watches that are currently available in the Time+Tide Shop and would look great on your wrist as we slowly make our way back to our offices after COVID.

DOXA SUB 300T

Back to work watches

 

Is the dress watch dead? Look at Oscar night: film stars in tuxedos on the red carpet with large steel sports watches popping out from under their cuff. What does this have to do with the tough DOXA SUB 300? Well, everything. It means that you can beat off those back-to-work blues with an iconic vintage diver from DOXA. You no longer need to relegate your favourite dazzling coloured tool watch to weekend wear.

The DOXA SUB 300, worn on the comfortable beads-of-rice bracelet, is tough enough for any adventure, yet hugs the wrist with a sleeker profile than you’d imagine, and you can’t argue with the rich history, infused with Cousteau and the infancy of scuba diving. This is an iconic piece, with a perfect cushion case with eye-popping colours, backed up by a solid ETA 2824-2 movement under the caseback with a 42-hour power reserve.

But when you leave the suit crumpled on the back seat of the car on Friday afternoon and put on a wetsuit, what it really wants is to join you in the aquatic blue wonder. With one of the most legible dials around and a depth rating to 1200m, this is your perfect wingman as you delve into the deep. Price: The DOXA SUB 300T is available from our Shop at $2990 AUD. 

Tissot Petite Seconde

Based on a 1943 model, intricate detailing makes the Tissot Petite Seconde a superb combination of vintage style and crisp legibility — you will be going back to work in style. There is a sharp balance between dressy and casual, with the watch coming on a hand-sewn soft brown leather strap with a discreet 11.35mm thickness and 42mm case. The dial is an exquisite background of silvery white, with the classic touches of feuille hands and the swoopy Tissot logo at 12.

The minutes are marked by a slim black outer track, and the Arabic numerals are a vintage delight, especially the open 9 and closed 4, echoing a bygone age of strict elegance. The real eye-catcher, though, is the namesake petite seconde register at 6 o’clock with its minute, yet complex, form.

The pointer is a sword-shaped hand with a small counterweight, touching the second track precisely with its needle tip, and it pops with its silver sunray finish. The simple round brushed and polished case is balanced perfectly by the delicate bevels on the thin lugs, another detail from the rich vintage history of Tissot in Le Locle. The vintage touch is complete with the satisfying manual winding of the solid ETA 6498-1 movement, and this comes with the Time+Tide elegant leather pouch included. Price: The Tissot Petite Seconde is available from our Shop at $1425 AUD.

Raymond Weil Freelancer

Olive green is the elegant touch that sets the new Freelancer apart from the competition, along with its detailed and imaginative dial. Raymond Weil is setting the standards on how to create balance and interest in what is an elegant time-only two-hand dress watch of 42mm.

RW has managed to infuse this with a sporty touch via the tough fabric strap and brushed case, yet still emphasising the elegance in what is a superb dial design. The many visual layers of the olive green dial starts with a smooth detailed minute track against the rehaut, while the applied hour indices sit within a brushed circle surrounding the beguiling Clous de Paris centre. This has contemporary straight-edged hour and minute hands with applied Swiss Super-LumiNova, and no seconds hand to distract us from the main attraction at 6 o’clock.

This is where the dial goes from suave to beguiling, with a broad, polished bridge holding the vivid theatre of the exposed balance for all to see. This openworked detail alone would have made any other dial special, and here, with all its openworked charm, it becomes the focus and zen-like centre of time. Price: The Raymond Weil Freelancer is available from our Shop at $3150 AUD.

Mondaine Swiss Railways stop2go BackLight

We have recently covered this here, a crisp and classic design for an everyday watch, with the legibility only a formal Bauhaus-inspired design could impart. And what better to strap on when the white shirts get ironed again, popping on a red leather strap.

The bright red seconds lollipop hand will remind you of the time passing towards the upcoming weekend (even though it’s only Tuesday morning). The Mondaine has a twin motor quartz movement geared up to a smoother gliding seconds hand than you thought possible from dependable quartz, and takes its visage from the official Swiss Railway clocks.

 

There is something deeply satisfying in wearing this minimalist chic steel-cased Mondaine, and, at night, a quiet yet intriguing light show begins. The hands have strong Swiss lume applied to the underside, creating a dazzling effect of green-tinged glow, levitating the handset and adding a new dimension. Price: The Mondaine Official Swiss Railways stop2go BackLight is available from $1099 AUD.

Baume & Mercier Clifton

Baume & Mercier Baumatic

A sharp vision in one of the colours du jour, a deep blue dégradé dial sets the tone for this Baume & Mercier Clifton. This new reference in the Clifton range hits the right spot size-wise with its svelte 40mm, though the dial is what first catches your eye.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic 10467 Review

The dégradé blue colour is a rich navy in the centre – darkening to an almost black towards the rehaut, ensuring perfect legibility of the sporty touch of 5-minute markings outside each delicately applied polished indice. The sharpness of these work in perfect unison with the alpha hour and minute hands, while the seconds are marked by a classic needle with a square-tipped counterweight. The only thing one might wish for would be a touch of lume, but the elegance of the blue scene more than makes up for it.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic 10467 Review

The discreet date window is dark with a modern font for the numbers, with the final touch being the thin crosshair that ties all the dial elements together. The in-house movement BM13-1975A calibre comes with the reassuring text telling you that this is a Chronometer with a superb 5-day power reserve, visible through the sapphire caseback.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic 10467 Review

The balance between sports and elegance is carried through to the elegant 5-link bracelet with its brushed connecting links and a 3-fold clasp, a surefire winner from Baume & Mercier. Price: The Baume & Mercier Clifton is available from our Shop at $4700 AUD.