by Maria Bellotto @thecashmerediaries 

Whether you love to keep an eye on the relentless passing of the minutes that stand between you and the end of the day, whether you like to dream when in New York they toast to the sound of Mimosas and in London, it’s tea time, or whether you wear watches, perhaps stopped at 8 o’clock in 1995, as a purely aesthetic matter… we understand you. 

Since its invention, the watch has become a true icon, that ever-present touch in both men’s and women’s wardrobes, straddling innovation and let’s face it-this platitude served up on a silver platter! – timeless class.  

We are not supreme experts on the subject, and we do not wish to rise as critics of Haute Horlogerie, we are simple – not too much – tastemakers and so take the advice to follow as our personal selection under the banner of timeless style with the usual twist à la mode. 

Next up is a Gourmode roundup of timeless watches, great classics that we can sometimes borrow from some gou gou avo’s drawer or nab by making a few well-deserved miles in a row before it goes sold out. 

Classic lines, leather straps, timeless designs: whether you have a dandy relative with a watch that has been the object of your desire from countless backward turns on the dial or whether you are a true admirer capable of discovering cult pieces among windows of vintage boutiques, in short, whether the object is a legitimate, illegitimate inheritance or whether you are an astute seeker of beauty with a retro soul, with such a piece you can play rightful heir to the punctual heir. 

Whether Cartier, Patek Philippe, or Jaeger LeCoultre, it matters little, we gou gou are like thieving magpies we love beauty, you know.  

Inspired by a tank seen from above – the French like to mix style and ars bellica – Cartier’s Tank model is a symbol of timeless elegance. Not for nothing was it a favorite of Jackie Kennedy, who owned one in 18-karat gold, which was sold at Christie’s auction in New York for nearly $400,000. 

We like the classics, men’s model with a lived-in leather strap, a treat the one with a black or burgundy dial, worn with a soft sweater or peeping over a shirt cuff, as the Advocate teaches.  

Bonus points if it’s the gou gou who wears the men’s model, and for an even more irreverent touch, the answer is a very elegant Calatrava by Patek Philippe. Très chic!  

And for the eternal undecided, so as not to risk being paradoxically late for the watch change between the office and grand soirée, the most sophisticated solution is a Reverso Duetto by Jaeger LeCoultre, one face “sober” and another opulent and decorated with diamonds: perfect from morning to evening dress. Be careful though, if you steal it from your mother’s drawer, remember the face you found it in and bring it back strictly by midnight! 

When we think of our favorite jewel watches we imagine them to be sensual, provocative, extremely sophisticated yet wild-spirited, inspired by the animal world.    

One among them is Cartier’s Panthère, whose sinuous forms are reminiscent of Maison’s iconic feline and have consecrated the model as a watchmaking icon from the 1980s to the present. 

Animal inspiration goes roaring with Bulgari’s Serpenti model. The watch case is the head of the snake that swirls voluptuously around the wrist with a precious strap that resembles the animal’s scales.

In 1904 Louis Cartier granted the wish of the famous aviator, Alberto Santos-Dumont: to read the time while in flight. Cartier turned watchmaking upside down by creating the first wristwatch, the Santos by Cartier, which then became the adventurer’s watch by definition.

And you know, as true gou gou’s we love to soar the skies in search of adventure, especially if it ends with a well-deserved plateau of the freshest oysters and a glass of champagne while enjoying summer evenings on the French Riviera… but we digress.

Despite the remarkable work of his friend Louis, for those who loved swimming (and loved watches at the same time), the turn of the century was a dark time; at least until a young Englishwoman, Mercedes Gleitze, in 1927 became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. And she did so with what would become a true watchmaking icon on her wrist: a Rolex Oyster.  

Ça va sans dire that the watch turned out to be 100% waterproof and went down in history along with its adventurous owner as the first completely water-resistant watch… and thus could not help but be named after our favorite mollusk. 

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual also takes on the guise of Cosmograph Daytona, worn by none other than Paul Newmann and designed to meet the chronometric needs of professional racers. A jewel born for racing. 

But then air, water, earth, and … fire? In this review of heroic feats, we cannot forget Omega’s Speedmaster, which with the Apollo 11 mission in the hands of the astronauts became the first watch to have gone to the moon. This memorable feat earned it an equally memorable nickname: Moonwatch. 

It’s true that nowadays among the rich brands’ catalogs, the gou gou is spoiled for choice, but if you ask us, a good old classic model without too many frills will be a faithful ally for any adventure… even if it’s just surviving on heels during Fashion Week or arriving alive at the end of the day for drinks at Bar Basso. 

Therefore a solid chronograph always makes its mark, whether on the gou gou’s wrist at the office (to remind him of summer sailing) or on the mademoiselle gou gou’s – strictly stolen from him. 

However, the real hero, the one who sweeps you off your feet, does not take himself too seriously. It’s not for nothing that even Daniel Craig, after James Bond’s Seamaster Diver and Benoit Blanc’s Seamaster 1948, showed up with a MoonSwatch on his wrist.  

With the collaboration between Swatch and Omega – made of Bioceramic and not plastic, OK we know – you can buy a ticket to a space mission a bit like at the movies, but only if you’re savvy enough to still find seats at the box office given the global out of stock. Our favorite missions? Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter! 

In short, the gou gou know it, self-deprecation will never go out of fashion – that’s why we like the colorful plastic watch.   

Embarrassment of choice if we jump on the brand par excellence, precisely Swatch. But don’t turn your nose gou gous: from the Grand Prix, a cult vintage in its crazy 90s colors, to the Elementary, these watches are the perfect accessory paired with a serious outfit. To remind us to play it down at all times. 

Long story short, whatever your model of the heart is, every gou gou loves to wear a wristwatch even if only to make the classic gesture of checking the time and looking tremendously busy. 

Quelle heure est-il, gou gou?