Opinion

How maturing in my watch collecting journey changed my view on date windows

Jamie Weiss

Something that’s a real source of pleasure for me is that every member of the Time+Tide editorial team has very different tastes and perspectives on watches… And that we love arguing with each other about who’s got the ‘correct’ take on different intricacies of this watch hobby.

Case in point: date windows. Many watch enthusiasts – or perhaps more accurately, purists – argue that date windows often ruin a watch’s aesthetics. There are also countless debates about date window positioning, especially with 4:30 date windows. And like many aspects of watch culture, I’ve often found myself at odds with my colleagues.

Jamie Baume Mercier Riviera Azur 300m wristshot — My Baume & Mercier Riviera Azur 300m, which features that controversial 4:30 date window.

I can’t tell you how many discussions I’ve had with Borna in our Melbourne Discovery Studio about new watches, for instance, where he’s complained about a date window, and I’ve said, “nah, I don’t mind it, I like a date window”. He’s a purist, too. He tends to favour small, simple dressier watches – and more power to him. Zach, Pietro and Russell also fit into this camp.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC IV dial — I really like the 45mm, 4:30-date-windowed Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC IV.

But as someone with really big wrists and a terrible short-term memory, I’ve been in the opposite camp: I tend to like larger (or really, just average-sized), sportier watches, and I’ve always wanted date windows on my watches. Indeed, I often find myself checking the date more often than the time when I wear a watch – maybe that’s just how my brain is wired. I get a bit of a kick out of being the common touch, a contrarian point of contrast to my colleagues’ sometimes rarified views. “In the real world, people like bigger watches and don’t care about 4:30 date windows, team!”

rolex land dweller 40 rolesor wrist — I’m not alone in thinking the date window of the Rolex Land-Dweller ruins its symmetry.

Well, more accurately, I used to. As I’ve matured in my watch-collecting journey, I’ve found that my previously dogmatic stance about date windows (and indeed many aspects of watch collecting) has shifted. In fact, these days, I find myself increasingly irritated by date windows on watches.

Zenith G F J Calibre 135 flatlay — My favourite watch of 2025, the Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135, has no date window – and that’s no surprise.

Really, this is a case of suffering from success. I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I get to review watches frequently, so I’m not usually wearing the same watch every day. I recognise that this is a very privileged position to be in – if I told my 18-year-old self that this is where I’d be in life, he wouldn’t believe me. And while my watch collection is decidedly more modest than many members of the T+T team, I’m doing alright, as they say.

My Furlan Marri x Time+Tide Outback Elegy became one of my most worn watches of 2025, in no small part because a lack of date window made it easy to rotate into my weekly wear.

Which gets me to my point: when you’re frequently swapping watches, meaning that some watches in the rotation run out of power reserve, and then you have to go through the rigmarole of winding, resetting the time and crucially, resetting the date. Before you ask, I don’t own a watch winder – yet – that might be another stage of ‘The Sickness’ progressing…

patek philippe golden ellipse 5738 1r wrist — Hot take: this Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse would be ruined with a date window.

In the grand scheme of things, having to play with a watch’s crown and adjust the date or day displays is hardly a massive imposition. But I’d be lying if I denied having left the house on multiple occasions wearing a watch with the wrong date set. That’s just embarrassing. It also really bugs me when watch brands don’t colour-match their date wheels to their dials. Again, is this a dealbreaker? No. My Grand Seiko and my Citizen don’t have colour-matched date wheels, and I love those watches. But it’s something I definitely complain about when reviewing more expensive watches.

vacheron constantin prestige de la france — My current hyperfixation: the Vacheron Constantin Prestige de la France. Image courtesy of Bulang and Sons

To be clear, I still don’t buy the argument that date windows necessarily ruin the aesthetic of a dial. But I dunno, man. All of the watches I’ve been fantasising about lately don’t have date windows! Maybe I was a date window hater all along? At the same time, I’m also gravitating towards smaller case diameters, despite not having the wrist to pull off really small watches (the grass is always greener on the other side, my small-wristed friends), and dress watches more generally.

Is this just me evolving as a watch enthusiast? I feel like the Principal Skinner meme, questioning myself: “Am I so out of touch? No, it’s the children who are wrong…”

cartier1 — I’m extremely envious of Pietro’s EU-exclusive Tank Louis Cartier.

Like with many things about watches, there’s no right or wrong answer. Taste is subjective, and tastes change, too. I also recognise that this is an example of extremely nerdy hyperfixation on a very niche element of an already niche hobby. Then again, the joy of watches is admiring all the little details…