The ever-eccentric David Byrne once famously posed the question that’s followed us into culture and life itself for decades: “And you may ask yourself, ‘Well... how did I get here?’” Ideally, that’s the same question you’ll ask after reading this article, looking at yourself in the mirror. Only you’ll be wearing one of Hublot’s many bold iterations of their Big Bang—maybe the yellow translucent one—with a suit and a pair of shorts.
Okay, maybe that’s a little too far. Or maybe it’s not. I’m not here to judge or decide that for you. I’m here to make a simple proposition, and you’ve probably guessed it by now: it’s time to start mismatching our watches and outfits.
Hear me out—when you wear a digital watch with an evening suit, it works. Not in a conventional sense, but because of the visual friction between the dressy and the geeky. It’s this same visual friction that juxtapose between both elements to stand out more than if they were paired with something expected. Think of it as each element sharpening the other. Suddenly, the watch makes you look smarter than you are, and the suit looks more considered than it already is.
Take another example: a black long-sleeved shirt, a New York Knicks tee layered over it, cargo shorts, some battered Timbs, and Cartier’s highly coveted Tank à Guichets on the wrist. It’s odd and it sounds like chaos, but it works because it’s deliberate. You get the sense that the person wearing it understands the rules but is secure enough to ignore them. That, to me, feels like personal style.
That look, by the way, was worn by Timothée Chalamet courtside at a New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics playoff game. And if you’ve been paying attention, you’d know it wasn’t a one-off. The guy has been blurring fashion codes for a while now—casually pairing a Cartier Panthère and Baignoire pieces with SGD80 tees, and at one point, even stacking two mini Cartier Tanks on one wrist like bangles.
He may be the one leading the charge in unconventional dressing, but he’s not the only one. Style icons like Tyler, the Creator will wear a vintage gold Piaget with tube socks and shorts. A$AP Rocky might strap a diamond-covered Patek over layers of grungy outerwear and a kilt.
In any case, these names weren’t brought up to convince you to start dressing as vibrantly as they do, but to see the freedom in what they’re doing. They’re not wearing watches the “right” way. They’re just wearing them their way.
If you’ve ever had an intrusive thought about putting on a watch but withheld because it might not necessarily fit the occasion, I’d argue that maybe it’s worth doing it anyway. The urge itself is a good sign—that’s probably your personal style trying to get a word in.
Let go of what is societally expected. Liberate yourself. But you also don’t need to wear a rainbow Daytona with a business shirt to prove a point, there are subtler ways to bend the rules. Swap the bracelet out for a leather strap if you can and slip it onto an informal look. Try out limited-edition collaboration pieces. Take the Domino’s x Rolex Oyster Perpetual, for instance. It’s a traditional dress watch in every sense, except for the Domino’s logo at 6 o’clock. A touch of playful finesse goes a long way and doubles as a conversation starter.
That said, mismatching doesn’t mean dressing without intention. The basic tenets of good style still apply. Use colour strategically; look up the colour wheel and find complementary tones that clash well with each other. Balance your proportions—don’t overload your wrist if your outfit’s already heavy. But most of all, you have to own it. In a world where everyone’s trying to “get it right,” maybe the most compelling thing you can do is stop making sense.
