One often sees the subject of watches come up here in the comments section as well as on Ivy Style’s Facebook group, usually concerning which timepieces might confer an Ivy aura. That can be a wormhole, since people wore a variety of watch styles over the decades. However, there are watches that were popular during the Ivy heyday and share traits of the Ivy wardrobe.
A large part of the style was about pared-down simplicity: jacket without darts, trousers without pleats, shoes without laces. And it was modern. Per the Fashion Institute of Technology, “Ivy was a cutting-edge look during its heyday.”
Right off, that casts a shadow on the Cartier Tank and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, as their designs are very much rooted in an earlier epoch. Particularly examples featuring numerals of the Roman sort. By the heyday of Ivy Style, Roman numerals were an anachronism. Even lofty Ferrari abandoned Roman numerals on its shift knobs in favor of Arabic in the 1950s.
Understand that both the Tank and Reverso are gorgeous timepieces and are among the true enduring classics of watch design; there is just nothing particularly Ivy about them, though many were indeed worn in period. Even by Don Draper, who wore a Reverso on “Mad Men.”
Now let’s jump forward to “The Great Gatsby” film adaptation of the 1970s. If I enjoyed wearing wide ties and wide lapels over flared trousers, I would want to complement my outfits with an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (1972) or a Patek Phillipe Nautilus (1976). These are two more watch design classics that remain popular today, but they too are aesthetically very representative of the period in which they were created.
Now you are probably thinking, “OK, smart guy, so what would you consider an ‘Ivy’ watch?”
That’s a tall order, but I can put forth a style that best represents the heyday period. It is simple, unassuming and modern; something that looks like it was designed somewhere between 1954 and 1967. Something simply round, generally with minimalist stick markers in lieu of Roman or even Arabic fonts.
IWC
This style is the one that features most prominently in watch catalogues of the period as well as Playboy and Esquire pictorials of the era.
Omega
It’s no accident that the vast majority of watches worn in Mad Men were this exact style.
Oyster Prince 7965
Size matters; note that all the watches illustrated above are 36mm or smaller. Even 36mm was considered rather large a half-century ago. Today’s versions of many of the classics shown here have unfortunately grown to elephantine proportions apparently in order to properly complement the current trends for mega-mansions, SUVs, steroid-pumped men and silicone-enhanced women. A modestly sized timepiece is more period appropriate and keeps the watch in its place as an accessory as opposed to a focal point.
Senator
A great Ivy-appropriate watch would be a period Glashütte Senator. A simple, elegant case and dial, but accented by Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9. And look at that font. Just a glance at those numerals conjures visions not of The Great Gatsby, but rather Sputnik, Telstar, and we’re going to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. And bongo drums.
For aficionados of budget wristware, there is a period-correct option that has the right look, the right size and the right price; the Seiko 5, available for less than $100. First introduced in 1963 as the Seiko Sportsmatic, this fully mechanical and automatic-winding Seiko is built like an army tank and is considered genuinely respectable wear in horological circles. A modest step up is the Seiko SARB035 for $330 which features a very handsome ivory dial.
Since most men own but a single watch, it is (like eyeglasses) something usually worn seven days a week. As a result, it is understandability a very personal item. Do you have to wear an “Ivy” watch with your Ivy outfit? Certainly not. Your timepiece of choice can serve as an effective counterpoint to your outfit in lieu of an adjunct. If you are lucky enough to have inherited a beautiful and treasured watch such as the aforementioned Cartier Tank, so much the better, and wear it with pride. — JAMES KRAUS
James Kraus, pictured in top image, is the founder of Jet Age Media.
I wore a Timex with a ribbon (takes a likin’ and keeps on tickin’), and replaced it with a Bulova Accutron that was a Christmas present from my parents because it was the watch that the astronauts wore into space.
The Bulova Accutron (and earlier Hamilton Electric) are great choices as Ivy Era timepieces, very much in keeping with the technology and future-orientation of the era in which we were planning to land men on the moon. I almost included the Accutron Spaceview in my examples. Blatantly and proudly exposing it’s futuristic electronic movement, it was a sort of GTH watch.
I don’t own any of them but Orient makes some classic watches of similar designs to the above. Their reputation is well regarded from what I’ve read. Also reasonably priced in the $150 -$450 range for most of their models. I have a gold tank watch from Seiko that I use as my “dress” watch a NATO/ribbon strap from Brooks Brothers. https://orientwatchusa.com/product-category/watch-collections/mens-watches/classic/
My 18k gold Seamster Deville, which is identical to the watch shown except for a white dial,
dates from 1963. I am the original owner. With occasional maintenance it keeps perfect time.
I only wear it on “State Occasions”
My father wore a Hamilton watch, and I have followed that path for sentimental reasons. I now have four, two from the 50s and 60s which were made in the USA, and 2 modern ones. I don’t know whether they are especially Ivy, but all are simple designs on leather bands, with second hands. One has a date function, and none have Roman numerals. About 20 years ago, I bought an LL Bean camping watch in stainless steel on a ribbon band and I use it when I want a watch that can be seen in the dark. I also have a military Wittenauer that I think is from the 40s or 50s. Now that I list them all, it strikes me as rather a lot of watches for one guy, but none were especially pricey, and I enjoy wearing them. Interestingly, when my father’s Hamilton was stolen, he replaced it with a Timex and wore Timex watches for the rest of his life. My father was not an Ivy leaguer by any means, but I think Timex is about as Ivy gets. They’re inexpensive, usually of simple design, and reliable. A lot of men who can afford much more expensive watches seem to wear a Timex.
The windup wristwatches that we college students wore during the Heyday were all made by Timex, and we certainly didn’t know anything about NATO/ribbon straps.
You made me think. I don’t think I had a ribbon strap on my Timex until the late 70s. After the original leather strap broke, I put a stainless steel Speidel “Twist-O-Flex” on it around 1963.
The only two watches that I can comfortably wear without violating basic New England Trad principles are the Timex T20491 and the Timex T20501:
https://www.amazon.com/Timex-T20491-Reader-Gold-Tone-Leather/dp/B000N62EPK
https://www.amazon.com/Timex-T20501-Reader-Silver-Tone-Leather/dp/B001EYUVQY
Could you provide us with a list of “basic New England Trad principles”? Thank you in advance.
I, too, wear a Bulova (scored on eBay for $30) on a grosgrain ribbon band, although I think it’s circa 1980s. Still, it’s elegant and minimalist: gold toned with a 35mm champagne face, accentuated with stick markers. Very thin – about 8mm I’d say – which allows it to fit perfectly under shirt cuffs and jacket sleeves; something which today’s over-sized watches fail to do.
@A Guy Called Classic
They can all be reduced to a lack of ostentation.
Favorite watch is Seiko 7t92 Chronograph on tan NATO band. I’ve played golf, gone shooting, cycled, swam in the ocean, run marathons and showered with it without a second thought for over twenty years. Omega Seamaster is not worn with such abandon. The wife owns the tank watch now. It looks better on her.
Will
I would imagine that Bulova, Hamilton, Longines, Elgin and Timex graced a large proportion of wrists, being, as I recall, readily available at jewelry stores everywhere. Many men’s watches were likely graduation gifts, and the parents bought locally, “a good one he can keep a long time.”
As for size in the 50s and early 60s, you’re right, they were much smaller: my Dad’s “Kent Deluxe” ( a Kay Jeweler’s brand c. 1950) is in front of me now, and measures only 32mm. That was not a particularly small watch when I was a kid. My “watch guy” says it’s a good one, Swiss movement, and for some reason, French case.
I wear 2 Christopher Wards (English, Swiss movement) which is dead simple time-only, hand-wind, and with a white face and sticks marking the hours. One round face, one square, both 40mm, which is as big as I want to go in a wristwatch.
“Since most men own but a single watch,….” This mildly embarrasses me, since I own about 10 — two nice and reasonably expensive ones that were gifts, and about eight or nine Swatch Irony watches, which are my favourites. Ivy? Probably not. But I love their mix of functionality and artiness.
Great piece, James. Couldn’t agree more about Seiko. As I sit at the court house right now, I’m wearing a Seiko 5 SNKL23 on a dark brown croc strap. I get compliments on it every time I wear it and it only cost $75 (though the strap was far more).
Baume & Mercier Classima. Classic and simple.
The only watch I wear:
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/75437?page=mens-classic-field-watch-gold-plated
A Guy Called Classic,
Frugality, reluctance to change, reliance on the “tried and true”, abhorrence of things showy or gaudy, pride in the past, a strong need for tradition and continuity.
The King of the Ivy watches is the Seiko SARB065, also known as the “Coctktai Time” watch. Designed by a Japanese bartender and made in Japan, it has a very 60s Mad Men vibe to it. Very elegant, simple, mechanical and space-agey.
Let me guess, it’s a watch that tells you it’s 5 o’clock somewhere….
As befitting a watch designed by a mixologist, the Seiko SARB065 is a bit more Hipster than Ivy. First, there were no men’s watches with an ice-blue dial back in the day; and secondly, at 40mm this Seiko is a big boy. Finally, it commits a grave horological sin: the manufacturer placed a small movement in a large case. This is betrayed via the inset day window. That said, it does carry some period design cues.
The Speidel Twist-O-Flex is ultra period-correct and is still available! My dad wore them on his Hamilton. http://www.speidel.com/magento/index.php/watchbands/metal-band/twist-o-flex-bands.html
For summer there is one watch that is an Ivy must-have:
Daniel Wellington Men’s 0202DW Canterbury Stainless Steel Watch with Tricolor Nylon Band
Similar to a Timex Week-ender, but more quiet since it lacks a seconds hand. Slim, elegant, ultra-WASPy and quite affordable. Perfect for taking the boat on a spin around Nantucket harbor. How can this watch not be a staple in every Ivy wardrobe with a name like DANIEL WELLINGTON?!??
I recall the Twist-O-Flex bands as well. Great 60s name. My father had one, and I still can feel the pinched skin and pulled wrist hairs when I tried it on as a kid. No doubt I put it on incorrectly, but probably for that reason, I have always preferred ribbon or leather bands.
You remember correctly, pinched skin and pulled hairs were inevitable.
I keep it about as simple as you can get: Timex. I have a field watch on a NATO strap and an Easy Reader on a leather strap. That’s all I need, and they are old as the hills. They, you know, just keep on ticking.
A watch is a wearable appliance. The strap can be Ivy as we know, much as a belt can be. My watch itself can no more be Ivy than my IPad or cellphone. Maybe you can make a case that a pocket watch and chain/fob is Ivy. In the early part of the 20th century, a wrist watch was considered a woman’s watch and Scott Fitzgerald had doubts about wearing one, only to be teased about it by Hemingway.
Note that an Ivy Watch does not have to be a low-budget watch as many seem to believe.
Many diehard Ivy enthusiasts back in the day were corporate VPs, bank presidents, doctors and other nobs that had a modicum of disposable income. They generally did not wear a steel Timex; just as they did not usually drive around in a Chevrolet Biscayne Fleetmaster.
Even the well to do but ascetically–inclined old money New England Ivys generally wore something like a Hamilton, Elgin or Longines (usually gold) and drove unpretentious but upper-class cars the likes of an Oldsmobile 88 or Chrysler Newport.
Love this thread and terrific story. I have the Omega Seville as pictured. Inherited. I wear it to church on Sunday’s. For the work week it is a Seiko. stainless steel. 221. Roman numerals. No fuss. No bells and whistles. And on Saturday’s it is a Timez Weekender and this includes A rotation f set of straps per the season.
Chris Sharp is going to try an investigate where preference for a Timex on a striped band, mentioned in 1980’s preppy handbook, came from. If anyone has any anecdotes, please share here.
Seems I recall fall and winter for your leather watchband. Spring and summer for your striped grosgrain bands because of the toll sweat, humidity takes on your leather band. Stripes came into play for color..
I guess you had to be there. In the 1950’s Lord Elgin made some beautiful watches. Round yellow gold 14kt cases with simple faces and black bands. Lognines was the Rolex of the 1950’s. Again simple round faces sometimes with tiny diamonds in white gold or yellow gold — very thin with black bands. These watch were and are not ostentatious. I
In my opinion only a cad buys himself an expensive watch. You can bet your last dollar that when a Gentlemen is sporting an expensive watch on his wrist that it was a gift or inherited.
Well, I guess that means that anyone who inherits an expensive watch must be one damn son of a cad.
Note: anyone buying a solid gold watch encrusted with (rather ostentatious) diamonds in the 1950s was most likely buying an expensive watch. Those cads!
No, Mr. Kraus. My point is that 99 percent of the time a gentlemen, especially in the 1950’s, acquired an expensive watch as a gift or by inheritance. For example, a birthday or anniversary gift from his wife. They just did not go out and buy an expensive watch to wear.
Mr. Kraus. I absolutely agreed that an Ivy Watch does not have to be a cheap watch. I also believe that a gentlemen can be well dressed wearing a simply inexpensive watch such as a timex
Nice article, Mr. Kraus, but I must point out that the OPH does specify that the Speidel Twist-O-Flex is not preppy. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that it is not Ivy but I personally do not see that wrist band as classic. Mind you, the mention of “no stretchy Speidel watchbands” is in the women’s accessories section, but is preceded by “man’s Timex on a grosgrain band” as acceptable to wear.
https://issuu.com/fiyero109/docs/toph
I wear an old, gold Concord tank on a brown band that was my father’s as an everyday watch. My parents gifted me an Omega DeVille for my prepschool graduation, an exact modern version of the won shown. I’m saving that one for dress wear with suits for work when I enter the workplace. It is a somber watch and borderline big at 39mm. I do have thin wrists because 39mm still fits in the classic dress watch size range.
As for the link of the OPH, skip to page 68 (women’s accessories) to see the text I quoted.
While the Twist-O-Flex and its ilk are period correct and fun (in an ironic way) today, they were indeed considered a rather downscale item. As John T. Molloy stated in the immortal Dress for Success (1975): “Gentlemen do not wear cheap expansion bracelets; they are a symbol of the lower classes.”
BTW: If any of you masochists out there want to read about what it’s like to be a Watch Man (long read; includes a mention of Brooks Brothers): http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/20/confessions-of-a-watch-geek
No common denominator among any of the watches depicted in the article and/or those mentioned in the comments. Doesn’t this seem to suggest that there is no such thing as an Ivy watch. This is my own watch, the Timex T20491, simply because it’s so unpretentious:
https://us.shadestation.com/media/thumbs/920×920/media/product_images/Timex-Watches-T20491fw920fh920.png
I might as well quote the rest of what John T. Molloy pontificated regarding wristwatches circa 1975. Nothing to do with Ivy per se, but a good read on the zeitgeist of the period between Ivy Heyday and Preppy Handbook: “A gentleman’s watch is thin, plain and gold, with either a gold or leather band. Gentlemen do not wear skin-diver watches or astronaut watches or Mickey Mouse watches to the office.”
Faneuil: The common denominators of the watches selected for illustrative purposes were thus:
Simple round shape
Overall simplicity of case and dial design
Use of unadorned index hour markers in lieu of Arabic or Roman numerals
Might I cast my vote for this Seiko watch (SUP880):
http://cdn2.jomashop.com/media/catalog/product/s/e/seiko-solar-white-dial-black-leather-men_s-watch-sup880.jpg
@Faneuil Hall:
Thank you. That’s what I wanted to write in the first place. There is no such thing as an “Ivy” watch. Every understated, classic and well-made watch will do. Therefore the Tank and the Reverso are perfectly fine. Daniel Wellington (mentioned above) is the opposite of everything that “Ivy/Preppy/Trad” stands for. All this questions about the “Ivyness” or “Preppiness” of things or even food and drinks are missing the point.
@ Boston Bean and Mark Redhouse:
I know that. My comment was a failed attempt to be funny. I should get into the habit of using emoticons. Forgive me.
@James Kraus:
I see absolutely nothing simple or unadorned about those watches.
I have noticed that at our club (Philly’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood) on the weekends in the summer, the men are wearing tri-colored watch bands on a very simply field watch style face. (Timex seems to carry the day). they are communicating a type of lifestyle – after a morning round of golf, walk over to the pool and dive in and swim, get out and walk over to the poolside cabana for lunch and a G&T. These watches just seems to work aesthetically with golfing attire, swim attire, and they take you into cocktail hour. The simple face against the colorful band, is saying “this is not work, but play, and when enjoying the weekend, I need a lot of durability and some style for sports – which is how I relax”. They draw just the right amount of attention, but never ever to much.
@Christian:
On page 65 of Paul Fussell’s book, “Class,” he singles-out two wristwatches for being upper class: the Cartier Tank and the “cheapest and simplest Timex, worn with a grosgrain-ribbon strap, changed often: black ones for formal wear are amusing.”
I think this illustrates your concept of “fun and juxtasposition” in dressing well, as a formal, expensive tuxedo worn with an inexpensive ribbon-band watch is amusing because of the contrast between formal and casual elements in an ensemble.
I have an Enicar 18K watch, which was found among my late father in laws things. Around 38mm, around the Enicar brand name, is the planet Saturn with its rings.
Looking at it now, it’s probably repairable, not running, I’ve seen serviced GF models selling for around $200 on Ebay. I doubt my watch could be serviced for $200, probably closer to $500-1,000.
I’ll get it looked at someday.
But, it surely qualifies as an Ivy watch, with its Arabic numbers, plain black hands, and 6:00 subdial, all on a beige dial.
http://www.ivy-style.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/paul-fussell2.jpg
Paul Fussell! UPenn professor.
Interesting. Must’ve been inherited from a relative who got it in the ’30s-’50s. Or it’s an inexpensive watch in the tank mode. It’s hard to imagine him, or any other English professor, springing for a pricey watch when they could use the money to spend summer in Europe.
I think that an “Ivy” watch is just a simple, elegant watch which includes tanks, Timex and round face watches. I like the fun look of a Timex on a grosgrain band but I find it Summery and not a perennial look. I was looking into a Timex and the current model is 41mm which is ridiculously big, like those Daniel Wellington watches.
watches, tie and socks seem to bring out the best variety of comments in this group 🙂
sorry-ties. . .
I like my Timex Expedition (black, with black and grey NATO band), except its 40mm and just a bit bigger than is ideal
My trusty speedmaster does it for me
I agree with Educator. I am long time reader, but new contributor of comments under handle of Philly Trad – my city which has a rich tradition of Ivy/Prep/Trad lifestyle, complete with schools, clubs, attention to attire, athletics (Boathouse Row anyone?), culture, etc. etc. Unfortunately, all of the great Trad haberdashers have moved on, and so one can find common cause on sites such as this. The watches piece really spoke to me, I think, because it represents how little details in man’s presentation can provide a lot of information. Watches are one of those details.
I was fortunate to inherit a 1964 Bulova Accutron 214 from my grandmother, who wore a larger men’s watch for legibility. Small by today’s standards (about 35mm), with a very clean dial – small applied sticks and squares instead of numbers, no date window, and 3 hands.
It was the pre-quartz electric watch that used a vibrating tuning fork. The second hand sweeps smoothly around the dial, and there is no crown on the side of the case – one must flip up a ‘key’ on the back to adjust the time.
It slowly gains time with a modern battery cell (about 5 minutes over a few weeks), but despite it’s modest horlogical value it has history and character. Perfect for wearing with tailored clothing as it effortlessly sides out from under shirtsleeve and cuff to check the time
Its positively modest design and size makes it, as Christian noted, an accessory, not a focal point.
Rolex GMT Master II (or Submariner) in “Froggy” or “Pepsi” dial.
I can’t get my head around the notion that a man who drops hundreds of dollars on cloths, comes up short on watches or shoes…inherited or not.
Prof. Fussell’s watch was the old Seiko SFR234, the predecessor to the currently available Seiko SUP880.
SFR234: http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w179/johnje_photos/Seiko_SFR234-2.jpg
SUP880: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61cCOYZ%2BYIL._UX342_.jpg
LL: It might actually be the Seiko SNF672: http://www.bakzo.com/product_images/a/snf6721__62851.jpg
Re Timex:
In the 70s when I was in graduate school I wore
a Timex every day in lieu of my Omega(see above).
One time I put in in the breast pocket of a Western
Shirt with a snap closure and absent mindedly threw
it in the washing machine. After the full cycle I discovered
the watch. I was actually still running !! John Cameron
Swayze was correct.
Funny, I distinctly remember a television interview with Lisa Birnbaum shortly after the OPH was released where she was at a store and among other items, she pointed out a roman numeral watch and said that roman numerals were more preppy because they were classic and harder to obtain. I looked for any online version of this and could not find it though so i cannot offer substantiation. I remembered it because i had a seiko tank watch with roman numerals at the time.
I am not sure that I subscribe to the general notion that Ivy heyday adherents would have adopted modernistic style in all aspects though. I bet there were just as many Ivy heyday adapters who kept or strived for the American colonial architecture and antiques style of the true blue bloods who inherited such. In the UK it was a true modern look, but not so sure everyone thought that in the US.
If we were to argue over what would have been the most cool, space age watch, then the Omega Speedmaster would seem to win since it was blessed by NASA and actually issued to astronauts. Soldiers on the GI Bill would have also been able purchase Rolex watches at the PX. Back then, Rolex was only 2 or 3 times the price of seiko. Times have changed.
Lambartino,
That’s the Seiko Alan Flusser wears. How in the world did you find out that’s what Fussell wore? Is there enough material for a blog post?
Forgot to mention, the old Concord I wear is a quartz, Swiss quartz. I inherited it from my father who got it as a gift. Apparently, that adds to the Ivyness of the watch.
Would love to learn what watch Bruce Boyer wears.
A ladies watch.
I have a ’62-’63 Omega Constellation with a gold top and stick hands and dial. It’s pretty old school but I prefer wearing one of my Rolex’s or Speedmaster Professional.
Christian,
And what would that ladies’ watch be?
I don’t know. Do you really want me to ask?
Yes, I really would like you to ask.
If Mr. Boyer wears it, it must be right.
Bruce finally got back to me with this:
About watches: I hate those big clunky things with 38 dials and numerous stems that tell you the time, date, temperature in Beijing, your blood pressure, and how many eggs are in the frig. I also hate fancy watches, you know, the ones encrusted with jewels worn by Saudi princes and men who think gold toilets are tasteful.
I have two watches. The one I wear most often is a French lady’s watch, battery operated, that was given to me by Burt Avedon when he was president of Willis & Geiger; he had commissioned the watch. My other watch is a “Deville”Omega. I like them because they’re small, thin, and attractive in a simple , minimalist way. I put brown lizard bands on both because I find they complement any outfit I’m wearing.
Well, well; Omega De Ville (rhyme unintentional), just as shown in the second watch photo above. If Mr. Boyer wears it, he and I must both be right!
Thanks, Christian.
To the companies mentioned above, I’d add Waltham, Gruen, Vulcain, and anything with Incabloc.
I’ve got my Grandfather’s old WWII era Universal Geneve. I’m honestly not sure of the model but it’s a fine watch, with Arabic numerals, with radium paint so that they glow in the dark, and radium painted hands. It has hour, minute, and second hands, and full markings around the rim for second, minutes, and hours. It has a gold case, is a wind up, loses no time (my Father had it serviced about 16 or 20 years ago), and thought I still have the braided gold wire with slide buckle (works like the buckle on a canvas military belt) which Grandfather took off because it was difficult to work the mechanism as he got older. He replaced it with a Speidel twist-o-flex in gold. My hands not being what they once were, I too have retained the Speidel twist-o-flex that Grandfather put on there to replace that original strap. All of my watches are wind ups. I have four that I wear regularly; 2 wrist watches: 1 gold Universal Geneve, and 1 silver Elgin, and 2 pocket watches: 1 gold Waltham, and 1 silver Elgin, though I favor Grandfather’s gold wrist watch. I have other watches, but they’re not worth mentioning for this post, they are all wind ups though.