The Watch: Daniel Wellington

So this one basically was a no-brainer. I'm from Wellington and my brother, well, he's called Daniel. Need I say more?

Apart from that little coincidence (is there ever such a thing?) I'd be lying if I said I wasn't loving this watch. It's got an unoffensive preppy thing happening and it's very sophisticated. But more than that it's also easy. And by easy I mean it goes with everything - honestly.

Daniel Wellington, who actually was a real person, inspired Filip Tysander (the founder of Daniel Wellington - confused yet?) to fuse classic timepieces with weathered Nato straps. Why? Well Mr. Wellington wore his Rolexes this way, as did James Bond in Goldfinger. The idea was about being unpretentious while remaining gentlemanly (you know, the whole je ne sais quoi relaxed debonair thing). Essentially the strap has the unique ability to dress-down any dressed-up look. De-formalizing if you will. And all while staying sharp - which, by-the-way, is alway the point. 

If your budget is more dash than cash then Daniel Wellington is the perfect option. I usually pair mine with several bracelets and charms because nothing beats a good wrist party. What's more the strap is completely interchangeable and each is named after a prominent British university town. Technically I should have worn this one (because I went there) but instead I chose both the Exeter and Belfast straps. After all, two straps are always better than one...

Learn more about Daniel Wellington and shop the collection here.

- Photos by Alexander Atkins

Jean Richard 1681 Ronde

Simplicity is elegance. And if elegance is king then JEANRICHARD's Ronde Central Second Gold undeniably holds court.

(FYI elegance is in people. I mean did anyone else see Lee Radziwill's T Magazine cover?) The pink-gold (!) casing visibly houses the Swiss watchmaker's signature self-winding JR1000 movement, featuring 27 jewels, a white lacquered dial, and a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. While all that certainly sounds impressive, if you're anything like me you'll probably have no idea what it means. Fret-not, dear reader! Just check-out that aligator strap (I'm thinking Patrick Bateman would definitely be into it).

While I've often chatted about watches, this is different. For starters the $13,000 price-tag makes this timepiece rather, ahem, aspirational. But considering the current state of global finance I'd say wearing your savings is probably wise. And a watch is probably a slightly smarter investment than a Saint Laurent sleeveless jeans jacket - just sayin'.

*For more information about JEANRICHARD's Ronde Central Second Gold click here.