The “Go Everywhere” Watch

The French Riviera in the summer of '85

During a leisurely lunch with my watch loving friend, the notion of the “go everywhere” timepiece surfaced. “A watch like X, you can take anywhere. Swimming in the Mediterranean, showering, the sauna. Even lovemaking.” Wait. What? Lovemaking? “Whatever happened to being naked?” I queried.

“Well, you are naked. You’re just wearing a watch, for Chrissake.” My friend defines nudity differently than I do. None the less, I saw his point. And so, I asked myself the burning horological question, “Is there a go everywhere watch?”

I own a few dive watches, although I have never dived, nor will I probably ever dive. But I get it, it’s really a sport watch. And I own a couple of tool watches. Watches which help you tell the time in other parts of the world, or in different time zones at the same time. Or in case your tachometer isn’t working in your souped-up sorts car and you want to check the RPM’s. I get all of that.

But say I’m heading out, and will have only one watch on me. It’s going to have to be durable and probably battery-free. It’s going to need to be able to withstand heat and cold, wet and dry. And dust. And sand. The good thing about the sand/beach thing, is that if you go to a regular beach or a clothing optional one, you can still wear your watch. After all, if you keep you watch on while you’re making love, as my timely friend alerted me, then a beach, sans vêtements, is a no-brainer, c'est n'es pas?

Lago di Venera, Pantelleria, hot springs and mud bath

Not to omit mud, by the way. I mean, you never know when you’ll meet the person of your dreams at the mud baths and you’ll both want to make love passionate love right then, right there, in the mud, with your watch on. So, it has to be a consideration too, you know?

Personally, I don’t think it has to be a really expensive watch. But it has to be made well, to withstand all the shocks one will subject it to, even if most of the incidents are of a pleasurable nature.

May the fourth be with you

At my current level of involvement in the horological rabbit hole, my money is on the Doxa Sub 200 WhitePearl (reference: 799.10.011.10), a snow-bright diving watch. It’s priced reasonably, at under $1000, it’s durable, in all kinds of water. And it’s a really comfortable watch to wear. It feels like you’re not even wearing anything at all! A great skinny dipper, as one of my British friends remarked. Yeah, swimming. Beach. Got it.

It comes with a stainless-steel bracelet or a rubber strap, so if you really want to “all weather” it, the rubber strap is an option. I think it would look just fine within a business casual setting. Maybe not at the Met, but a film preview, sure it would be fine. Even with sneakers and khakis, just as long as those khakis are somewhat tailored and properly fitting. I’m wearing it now, and we just got back from the surgery center. Not me. I was merely the driver. But the watch came in handy, as the discharging nurse was looking for the time and her Apple watch was dead. She looked over at me and sure enough, my analog, manual wind watch, had it covered - time to go! And off we went.

Whenever I do decide again to go somewhere, the Doxa will be on my list to go with me. After all, you never know what, or who, you might run into. As my uncloaked clock loving friend would say, anytime, anyone, anywhere. Sure, yes, make time for everything and everyone. And take your go everywhere watch with you, just because.

 

 

written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola - limited rights reserved