Time Gentlemen, Please: The Parallels Between Tailoring & Watchmaking


Hello friends. Let’s put tailoring aside for a moment and talk watches, shall we?

We just held a vintage watch appreciation night, which I know some of you attended, showcasing unique classic timepieces from leading dealer Shawn Tan’s collection. That night, there were some lovely pieces on display from Shawn’s shop Heirloom Gallery, including examples from Patek Philippe, Rolex, TAG-Heuer, Omega, Vacheron Constantin, Zenith, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and many other iconic manufactures.

Watches of that sort aren’t inexpensive, but they’re beautifully and painstakingly crafted, made of precious materials, and they last decades, holding their value and representing real return on investment. I might add that they also look great — and if impressing people or displaying discernment are important to you, they act as potent status symbols and signifiers of connoisseurship, too.


Sure, there are plenty of perfectly decent, functional watches out there that will look fine and tell the time. But are they long-term investments? Will they grow better looking as they age? Will they make you feel more confident and assured? Do they tell a story or express your taste? Are they works of art? The answer is: No.

It’s much the same with tailored clothing.

You can take the equivalent of the ‘cheap quartz’ route, if you like. Or spend a bit more and get the sartorial parallel of a bang-for-buck ‘beater’ automatic (like a Seiko SKX-007 — pretty good, but… well, it’s no Submariner). Alternatively, you can invest in something lovingly crafted from valuable materials, something with true lasting value and real ROI, something that improves with age, and that also happens to look beautiful on you.

The choice is yours.

Until next week…