Are watches necessary?

Are watches perceived as necessary on Wall Street? This sounds a bit silly since obviously they are not necessary(like shoes or pants etc). But is it weird to not wear a watch for a front office wall street job? Do senior members notice?

22 Comments
 

Yet Lloyd wears a $10 Timex.

Edit: Shrug emoji failure to post on forum software.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

Watches are considered and accessory...cannot compare with pants or shoes....if u go around with no pants u might be seen as a crazy person, not quite the same with no watch i guess....no?

 

This is just an accessory, just like glasses or something like that. It is not necessary, but it looks good. I was surfing the Internet to find something interesting on this topic and I found that people could name a lot of reasons why to wear watches. For example, it is unpolite to check the phone very often to know what time is it. Also, you could know the time hands-free. In addition to all of that, using watches is comfortable, as you don't have to take your phone everywhere. So, it is your choice: to wear this accessory or not, but it is really helpful.

 

No one mentions what a great watch actually does.

It establishes INSTANT dominance.

People associate income with dominance. A watch simply shows to what level you can show your wealth.

If you want to walk into a client situation, a nice watch means that you mean serious business and worth a lot more than they probably realize.

It's not a fashion statement, it's a power statement.

"It is better to have a friendship based on business, than a business based on friendship." - Rockefeller. "Live fast, die hard. Leave a good looking body." - Navy SEAL
 

The only time somebody praised my Omega Seamaster was at McDonald's... Needless to say, I stepped out of the line and got the hell out of there.

"Drill, Baby, Drill" - Sarah Palin
 

It's better to wear whatever makes you feel confident and secure. Some people need a 10k watch to feel this way, other people need a $100 Swatch to feel this way. Why do I wear a watch? So that I can look at the time without having to always pull the phone from my pocket. Simple. Why do I wear a 10k watch? Because I inherited from my dad, who's currently not wealthy, and reminds me that I should probably invest in stocks rather than waste my money buying super expensive luxury shit. Oh and the watch does actually look nice.

"Drill, Baby, Drill" - Sarah Palin
 

Oddly enough, I managed to survive 15 year on the sell side without a watch. This year, my boss gave me a wrist watch as a present - a tongue-in-cheek gesture since I was frequently late for out one-on-ones.

I have a friend who lives in the country, and it's supposed to be an hour from 42nd Street. A lie! The only thing that's an hour from 42nd Street is 43rd Street!
 

Get an Orient Bambino if you're an analyst. Clean, dressy enough, and not obnoxious. I have one now and will wear it till I'm an associate, at which point I'll splurge on something amazing but still not easily recognizable (no Rolly/Audemars/Hublots)

 

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