TimeCaptain

Let’s imagine that TimeCaptain has been invited by a prestigious watchmaker to design his own timepiece. What would he create? What would power this new timepiece? What innovations would TimeCaptain introduce? Let’s find out as we discuss TimeCaptain’s own fantasy design — the TC.

As many of you know, I work in the financial field. I wear suits and ties and I spend my time in meetings, offices or business functions. My fantasy timepiece would be suited for business and formal attire. I would create a dressy timepiece that would complement fine suits, dress shirts and blazers. I would create a sophisticated piece for sophisticated men, but with a clean dial. The idea here is to create a seemingly basic timepiece that APPEARS simple but has a serious engine inside. The TC is inspired by timepieces such as the Bvlgari Octo, the Hublot Classic Fusion, the Panerai Radiomir 1940 and the Cartier Santos. The TC would be elegant and masculine. The TC would not be a tool watch but it would have a solid and somewhat rugged feel. The TC would be your go-to piece for important presentations, weddings, galas, and date nights.

I have always favoured manual movements because I feel that self-winding mechanisms are an unnecessary gimmick. Although I enjoy my automatic watches, my fantasy timepiece would be powered by a hand-wound movement. This, I hope, would allow for a thinner movement. I would want an 8-day power reserve because I love the idea of winding the watch only once for an entire week. My favourite complication is a power reserve indicator and I would place it on the back of the TC, just like my grail PAM00422. Why? This keeps the dial uncluttered and clean while still allowing you to see the power reserve when putting on the watch. Let’s say you want to wear your TC to a wedding and then switch to your Submariner the next day. You grab the TC, wind it until the indicator shows 1 day, and off you go. Let’s say you want to wear it all of the work week. You crank it up until it shows 5 days.

The TC would have a seconds hand — probably a sweeping seconds, but I am not sure. It would certainly have a seconds reset function. This would allow me to synchronise the time on the watch. I love this feature. I would include a date display on the TC and it could be HIDDEN. You could open or close the date window. You see, sometimes you want to grab the TC for one evening or one day, or you just want to set the time quickly. In these situations, you wish you had no date to set. The TC will give you that option by hiding the date window — it can show only seconds, minutes and hours. And when you want to wear the TC for several days during the week, or consecutive weeks, you can open the date window and enjoy this complication. At first glance, the TC is really basic: seconds, minutes, hours and maybe you see the date. But in reality, you have a power reserve indicator, a seconds reset and 8 days worth of juice. If you ask me, that’s a pretty serious movement.

Having multiple straps is essential for the TC. Hublot probably has the best quick-change system and I would have something similar. The TC would be sold with several different straps and a bracelet as well. My straps would be inspired by the Hublot Classic Fusion — wide and thick with super deployant buckles. One TC could be worn on brown leather, black leather, rubber or even a bracelet. I do not understand why all high-end timepieces do not already come with multiple straps.

The TC will have a titanium case because I love the colour and application of this material. I am, after all, a motor racing fan. I thought about rose gold, but I am not a precious metals guy. A titanium case, with an accompanying titanium bracelet in the box set, is what I want. The dial will be black because this gives the best formal look while still looking awesome on brown leather straps. As for style, I want a modern look. I want a case with sleek, sexy curves and a combination of brushed and polished surfaces. I like stick indices for minute markers like on a Rolex Datejust II. I also like the way Rolex puts very small numbers on the minute track above the markers. I would do the same- from far you see the markers and when you look very closely, you see the numbers above the markers.

I love my 38mm and 39mm watches and I would love to be around that size. However, I don’t know if such a small size could accommodate my desired movement. I suspect that 43mm would be the right size. This is OK because I have large wrists and can pull off a big watch. I’m aiming for a slim case because I need the TC to fit under French cuffs. The crown will not screw in because I prefer a crown that can be wound quickly and easily, and I certainly don’t need water resistance.

Which watchmaker could best execute the TC? Panerai is the obvious choice for the movement, they are already making the very type of movement that I need. But Panerai only makes THEIR style and would never do a special dial for the TC. TAG Heuer are too much about sporty movements. Hublot would be an excellent candidate and they are one of my inspirations. But perhaps a better candidate would be IWC. They have “masculine” in their DNA and are doing some 8-day movements already. IWC has a history of dressier timepieces while having roots in rugged tool watches. The IWC Ingenieur lineup was also an influence for the TC. So IWC could be the best house to produce a TC. But there are still many other options, Montblanc might be another outstanding candidate.

If nobody ever gets on the TC bandwagon, I could always save for a Radiomir or a Classic Fusion. The world is full of amazing timepieces. But the TC is a fantasy that represents my current values and tastes. Would you buy a TC? Should we order some and sell them on WatchPaper? How about one of the inspirations for the TC? As always, the fun is in the search…

Yours truly,

TimeCaptain