A watch serves two purposes for a guy: 1. To tell us the time, and 2. To tell the rest of the world our status. Sad but true.
Most women say they look at two things when they meet us for the first time -- our shoes and our watch. It lets them know how far up the ladder we are. (And is also why business is brisk for guys selling "Rolecks" watches for $20 on the street corner.)
Out of Italy comes the newest status symbol watch, the U-Boat. Big (45-53 mm in diameter as opposed to the usual 32-35 mm), and hefty (a wrist-buckling 6 oz) the U-Boat was originally designed by Italian watchmaker Officine Fontana exclusively for distinguished officers of their navy's u-boats.
The project was scrapped, and the watches were never made. Almost 60 years later a cousin of the Officine founder discovered the original drawings and spent the next seven years developing the watches, producing them exactly as they were originally conceived.
Because they have a naval pedigree, the U-Boat watches are made to be read in any weather conditions, day or night (with numbers so large they're visible from across the street), and are waterproof to 3-5 ATM, with some able to go as deep as 10 ATM. The left-sided crown is sealed with a screw cap to keep the Swiss movements clean and dry. A true guy watch. (And, yeah, Arnold owns one.)
With materials as varied as black carbon fiber, sterling silver, steel and 18k gold, you'll find one that reflects your personality. And status. Now we just need to work on the shoes.
From $1500
www.u-boatwatch.com