“Don’t baby it. It’s a tool.” That’s what David Concannon, the chair of the Explorers Club’s expedition committee, tells the real-world adventurers who get to take one of the Club’s three Rolexes out on a trek. But it’s also a useful way to think about your own budding watch collection, even if you’re not wearing any of yours into ancient Scythian tombs, or down the Mekong River: you want watches you’re excited to wear, not ones you’re afraid to put on.
That logic bears out in a booming vintage market, too, with pieces fetching unheard-of prices even in the face of a pandemic—especially when they show signs of serious, unique wear. (If you’d rather take a shortcut to the heavily patinated look, we’ve got you covered.) But being a watch owner is less about owning and wearing the “right” watch than finding the right tool for you. Which might mean turning to the Apple Watch, as GQ staffer Daniel Varghese did. With the right tweaks, his watch “helped me organize my day around taking care of myself.” Like Concannon says: it’s a tool. Don’t baby it. —Sam Schube, senior editor
