Played Out?: Oversized Watches

 

Panerai, the heavyweight champ of big, military-inspired timepieces, is introducing a 42mm version of the Panerai Radomir, featuring a slimmed-down (11.5mm) case.  This is interesting news and I wonder if it may sound the death bell for comically large watches. 

I've always appreciated large watches (especially chronos and divers), but somewhere this trend got out of hand.  Watchmakers (especially those without any design ethic) started ascribing to the formula that bigger was always better.  The over-sized watch became the accessory equivalent of an SUV with tinted-windows and 22-inch rims.  Like drunk frat boys, these massive timepieces demanded your attention. Unfortunately, the size of many of these watches only served to accentuate their ugliness. 

Sadly, the functional advantages of large watches have been lost amongst all this ostentatiousness. The large, no-nonsense design of military watches were essentially functional - you needed to be able to quickly access your time situation when navigating a B-52 through German anti-aircraft fire or attaching explosives to a submarine in murky waters.  But what I beg you, is the functional benefit of a diamond encrusted 48mm Jacob & Co - besides maybe all that ice blinding a paparazzo? To a lesser extent, there is something silly about an investment banker rocking a Panerai that won't fit under his shirt sleeve.

So I'm pleased to see the return of more restrained timepieces.  My theory is that Madmen has played a part in this trend. The show's jet-age aesthetic is best captured by Don' Draper's perfectly-fitted grey suit, crisp white shirt, slim tie, pocket square and understated Longines watch.  If I had the scratch, I'd buy the Glashutte Senator Sixties which is a wonderful interpretation of 1960's design.  In the meantime, I'll have to be satisfied with my Omega Aqua Terra - though I'm planning on switching out the metal band for a crocodile strap in the very near future.