LowBang

Undecided: Tag Heuer Silverstone or Breitling Datora Vintage Watch

I am hitting the big 4-0 this year (scary!) and was thinking of a nice present to get myself. Aside from my dream trip (around Western Europe for two weeks) it didn't take me too long to decide the other thing I want to get for myself is a nice vintage watch. I'm still yearning for a replacement to my Tag Monaco (I lost it!) but now feel I don't want a direct replacement as, upon reflection, it felt a little chunky whilst wearing. 

After scouring watch forums, databases and 'expert' blogs I've nailed it down to these two but I just can't decide which one. Please help me decide! I've brought it down to these two watches as I had a few requirements;

• wanted a non-round bezel as I have many of those in my collection
• wanted a vintage watch
• wanted a new watch brand that currently isn't in my collection 
• sapphire glass goes without saying (which I guess it doesn't since I'm saying here)
• wanted a blue or dark watch face with at least the numeral date appearing. 

I thought the Tag Silverstone is a good alternative to the Monaco but am worried about the chunkiness of it. Breitlings is a brand I've never had, and never really thought too much about as I thought it was out of my price range. I love the retro design of both of them and like the fact that they are both New Old Stock but am not sure which one to get. I am really torn, please help me choose and plead your pros and cons!

 

Icon: Robert Redford in Three Days of the Condor

I don't think anyone personifies All-American style better than Robert Redford. While he started with quite preppy looks in the 60s (Barefoot in the Park) nowhere did his look come together than in Three Days of the Condor. Note the wool knit tie and Herringbone jacket. The casual preppiness is a look that can work for anyone. It's a look that I've absolutely mimmicked but modernised and made more geographically relevant by wearing a lighter jacket with narrower lapels and a cotton knit tie rather than a silk or wool knit tie. And of course, more modern jeans with slimmer lower legs and a darker colour. I've always found it to be a look that can be dressy enough for the office but not feel too stuffy to make you feel uncomfortable. A classic American look, personified by an icon and that can be copied and modernised to your style.  

Inspiration: Bruce Willis Die Hard II and his winter gear

I read a mention of this movie in GQ recently and reminded me how much i used to love this movie; not for the plot, partly for the action but mostly for what our hero Bruce Willis wore and carried himself in the movie. Yes, the movie was pretty average, it by no means compared to the original, but it did one thing better than the first; clothing the star. Sure, you couldn't do any worse than what Mr. Willis was wearing in the original; beat-up slacks and wife beater is probably the lowest rung you could go on the sartorial ladder. 

The clothes you see Willis's John McClane in is not what your typical action here clothing. No bulging t-shirts here. It's a sequel that's set in winter in washington DC so we're talking snowing and cold. Function slightly over form as these clothes did fit him well. But these clothes suited the purpose for the scene; shawl collar sweater, checked flannel shirt and cordoury trousers. All suited for a harsh night of gun-toting in the snow. 

I remember after watching the movie wanting to wear the exact same thing. I came pretty damn close too; cordoury trousers? check. Blue checked flannel shirt? double-check. Shawl collar sweater? triple-check (or at least half a check as my sweater was blue, not grey). 9mm Beretta and pithy comebacks? Guess not. Thanks for the memories though Bruno. 

 

Inspiration: Maria Bello and the guys on Prime Suspect

Source: nbc.com

I tweeted about this a few days ago that I mentioned that I've been an early fan of NBC's Prime Suspect (a 'reimagining' as they say these days of the UK version made famous by Helen Mirren) for many reasons; Maria Bello's stand-out performance, a return to New York's gritty underbelly and the great ensemble cast.

One thing I've noticed over recent episodes is that the male characters play their part perfectly as NYPD detectives. And essentially dress the part perfectly as well. Most of them dress as I would expect a real New York City detective to dress; plain white or lightly dressed shirts, oversized jackets and wide-ish ties. The only one that provides any sort of satorial inspiration is ironically Maria Bello's Detective Timoney. While she dresses androgynous most times there are points that are points that are interesting; riding jackets and boots (as below), neutral sweaters, vests and, of course, the short-brimmed hat. It's not like I would dress like her, but there are some points of inspiration to take. 

(Apparently her look is inspired by Clare Munn, CEO of tcgagency, a social media & branding agency, in particular the hats).

 

Found: Sunspel, James Bond's polo shirt and t-shirt maker

Source: Jamesbondlifestyle.com

I've been on a bit of a Bond fascination recently and was quite curious to find out where the t-shirts and polos he wears comes from. Yes, aside from the suits and tuxedos, there are times where we see the secret agent in something a little more casual. After a bit of searching I was able to find out. Unlike his suit brands which tend to span movies and generations (Tom Ford more recently, Brioni in the past) his choice of polos and tees is a little more mixed and anonymous. In Thunderball he famously wore a navy long-sleeved Fred Perry polo but more recently in the movie Casino Royale he has been sporting his polos and t-shirts from UK maker Sunspel.

Established in 1860 )you can find the rest of their history here) the most important thing to know is that they are most famous for their boxer shorts (introducing them to the UK market from the US), t-shirts and polos. They have recently introduced a Women's line and are now shipping internationally from their online store. Pick up a grey Melange crew neck t-shirt and blue polo shirt and begin to look and feel like the British agent himself.  

Site: Sunspel.com

Icon: Sean Connery, Thunderball

Source: The Suits of James Bond
I happened to catch one of my favourite James Bond films, Thunderball, the other night on HBO which reminded me just how much inspiration I take from these movies. Obviously of clothes but generally how to be a man as well. You may not be able to carry off swim trunks as well as Connery but you can absolutely take lessons from him on the most versatile leisure wear, how to match polos with trousers and that a well-cut suit will always make you look sharp, even in the tropics.

NB. There's much controversy around the scene captured above. In it, Connery wears light brown twill trousers with a black long-sleeve polo shirt which he pushes the sleeves up well past the elbow, exposing his biceps. In the shot above the sleeves clearly look to be bunched up but in other parts of the scene they do not and quite possibly they have been replaced with a short-sleeved version. If you've ever tried doing this yourself it's quite impossible to push up the sleeves of a polo so high and make them neatly sit so well. Personally I'm convinced there was cinematic trickery at play.