The idea of a “one watch collection” has been a fascination of mine as I’ve gotten deeper into the hobby. Part of the reason, I’m sure, is the growing anxiety I feel when I look down at my similarly growing watch collection and realize that many of these things are simply not getting worn as much as I’d like them to be. This, I’ve learned, is an extremely common sentiment among those with our affliction, and it’s perhaps what leads to every “for sale” post on the various enthusiast forums where we try desperately to thin the herd.
So a one watch collection, which is admittedly not really a collection at all, feels a bit like a utopic fantasy for someone with a herd of watches spiraling slowly, and then quickly, out of control. “Fantasy” here is the key word. I’ll point out right up front that I have no real intention of selling everything off, or limiting myself to one watch in any way, shape or form. The variety that has always been part of this hobby is what draws me in deeper and deeper, and I’ve come to accept to a degree that I’ll always have a number of watches at my disposal, even if I can’t quite come to a decision on what that number should actually be.
And yet, as a thought experiment, the one watch collection persists. We discussed it on a podcast recently and we got so much feedback I wanted to expand my thoughts a little on my own choice for this hypothetical one watch collection, and pretty soon you’ll see our contributors take their own stab at selecting a single watch to wear forever. Trying to figure out what you’d choose to wear if you could only choose one watch helps, I think, to distill what you like about watches to begin with, and might even help identify ways to get you closer to the type of satisfaction with all of your watches that you’d hypothetically get from your “one watch” pick if you had to make that choice for real.
The watch that wins running away for me in the one watch collection contest is my Tudor Black Bay, with a burgundy dive bezel and the METAS certified movement. Now, if you know my collection, and my taste, this might be a bit of a surprise. I have a tendency toward more unusual, even experimental designs, independents, and watches that qualify as “conversation pieces.” The Black Bay, by contrast, is generic, kind of boring, and doesn’t scream “watch enthusiast” from across a room, even though Tudor is a hardcore enthusiast brand. But that’s the reason I’ve picked it.
If I’m limiting myself to one watch, I feel no need to make that watch my entire personality. To an extent, that’s what most of us, myself included, have done with the collective watches we’ve chosen to acquire over the years. We are identifying ourselves to one another and the world more broadly (if they’re looking) as watch people. And I think that’s a great thing – it binds us all together as a community in a really comforting and authentic way. But if my only watch was a M.A.D.1S, I don’t know that I could escape the feeling that I was cosplaying as a watch collector.
The Tudor Black Bay, at the end of the day, is just a good, solid everyday watch that works in literally every situation imaginable. To borrow a tired watch writing cliche, it can easily go from the beach to the boardroom and back.
Zach Kazan
2025-10-09 19:00:00