Bill Murray bowled up for last year’s Cannes Film Festival looking gleefully unhinged. Ignoring the standard suit and tie, the actor rocked a psychedelic short-sleeved shirt, baby-blue shorts and a panama hat. But the most subversive part of Murray’s get-up was his wristwear. On his right wrist he wore an inexpensive Timex, on his left a Cartier Tank. This was notable because – unlike socks, cufflinks or nipple tassels – watches don’t tend to operate in pairs.
Yet Murray is not the only famous face to wear two watches at once. Fidel Castro, Diego Maradona and Hunter S. Thompson all did it, while more recent dabblers include Billie Eilish, Chris Pratt and Drake.
What’s behind all this double action? One explanation is that voiced by “Stormin’ Norman” Schwarzkopf during the 1991 Gulf War. The US general explained that, in order to keep track of two time zones, he wore a Rolex Day-Date set to Saudi Arabian time on his left wrist and a Seiko dive watch set to the time in Washington, DC on his right. Now this may sound reasonable. After all, you don’t want to forget to factor in daylight savings while synchronising a ground invasion of one’s enemy. Then again, GMT watches have existed since the 1950s and were purpose-built to deliver two time zones on a single dial.
Yet this most literal form of two-timing is having a resurgence due to the popularity of smart watches. Last year, when Deloitte surveyed almost 5600 consumers on their watch-wearing habits, 23 per cent said they wore both smart and conventional devices. Admittedly, there was no mention of whether they were paired together. But having multiple options inevitably means decisions
must be made.
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You may have a deep attachment to that vintage Omega that discreetly conveys your impeccable taste. Trouble is, your daily sense of achievement has somehow come to hinge on meeting your “activity goals” as decreed by your Apple Watch. There’s no reason you can’t enjoy both craftsmanship and connectivity, either. Just don’t worry if people think you’re a bit of a prat.
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