Good morning, afternoon, evening, or whenever!
Today, I’m writing straight from the beach. No desk, no outlets, no dimly lit cafe. Just my beach chair, a book - And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi - a cold beer, and the fanciful hope that I’ll actually tan for once instead of turning a certain shade of salmon.
Speaking of salmon, the watch on my wrist is the Kurono Tokyo Anniversary Toki:
*collective gasps fill the internet*
A…a dress watch??? On a…a…a Bond stRAP?? AT THE BEACH????
Yes. All of those things. Life is short :)
I was making some coffee this morning and wearing the Toki on its original leather strap; you know, the good stuff. My plan was to get to the beach around 10:30, and it’s a quick drive, so around 10 I went to switch out my Toki for a dive watch. I figured the SKX007 or 173 would jump out, since a quick SeikoShake or two and you’re good to go, but for some reason I had a really tough time taking off the salmon dial dress watch from that detail-driven Japanese microbrand.
Wear it to the beach, my intrusive thoughts said, just do it, see what happens.
Typically I would just ditch that idea and push through to wear a diver, juuuuuust in case I find myself in a random need to free dive to the bottom of the harbor here. But let’s be real, that’s not going to be a thing, and the biggest barrier really became the leather strap after I got over the hump of water resistance. The Toki is rated at 3 atmospheres, or approximately 100 feet, but without a screw down crown that’s more of a “totally fine if you’re caught in the rain” as opposed to a “let’s dive to 100 feet because math.” I wouldn’t wear the watch in the shower or submerged in the sink doing dishes, so why would the beach be okay?
…I could just…take off the watch…and leave it in my bag…if I want to swim in the water…because the primary purpose of being at the beach today…if we’re being honest…is to sit on my butt and pretend I’m not opening my work computer tomorrow…
Excellent. Problem solved. So the strap, since it was by no means going to be on leather (mostly because I’m sweating and covered in sunscreen, which all means a pretty gross leather strap), of course became a nato. Bond nato, to be precise. I liked the coordination between the black and grey strap colors to the care and text color - one could even say it was a coordinato - and I thought the juxtaposition of an action film character with a cocktail-style dress watch was oddly satisfying.
So now, I’m at the beach, I’m wearing a dress watch, and…nothing happened. In the best of ways. I’m happy looking down at a brilliantly colored salmon dial, watching the colors and textures change depending on the sun angles, and I haven’t the slightest worry that the watch will be ruined like most of the internet would warn and expect. This brings us to the title of this article, and what exactly we’re to do with watch boundaries:
Do, don’t do, but either way, do you!
While I did end up going into the water with the watch on, let the record reflect that no watches were harmed in the writing of this ramble, and I did not attempt to test that 3 ATM water resistance.
I for one think that there’s an endearing and reasonably adventurous quality to putting a watch outside of its comfort zone. Would I wear a vintage watch with similar specs in the same setting? Debatable, but likely no, given the often finicky nature of vintage watch construction (plus the often barren wasteland that is the replacement parts market). However, for a modern watch with modern parts, modern QC, and modern specs, I’m not worried about a little bit of salt air and some sunscreen on the crystal.
Still a little hesitant? Don’t take it from me then: take it from Kurono Tokyo’s founder and visionary, Hajime Asaoka:
"Blemishes accumulated are unique to the wearer and is a written record of his journey and adventures through life. Owners should spend their time in meaningful pursuits rather than worry about scratches. Hence the design embraces such blemishes, adds character, and looks better over time” - Hajime Asaoka.
Now, granted, while this quote was given in reference to the brand’s upcoming release, to me the sentiment rings true for any watch (within reason, mind you).
I think the bottom line here is if you’re afraid to use it, don’t buy it; if you’re afraid to ding it, don’t own it; if you’re afr-okay you all get the idea. Even from the perspective of a dress watch, these little objects are purpose-driven tools that have often transformed into luxury.
A day at the beach with a non-beach watch might just serve to remind us all of this simple, yet oh so important piece of advice:
Wear your watches, folks!
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to finish that beer and continue working on my watch tan.
As always, wherever you are, and wherever you’re going, many thanks for stopping by.
Excellent article and encouragement to do you! As per the recent Instagram comment, happy to see you breaking all those silly watch strap “rules.” Bone nato on the Toki looks unsurprisingly fantastic!! Well written, well said, and well worn!