There is only one useful indicator of a man's self-image: his wristwatch. Once that jacket sleeve creeps up, the sole piece ofacceptable jewelry beyond a wedding ring reveals the wearer's sense of taste and occasion.
要衡量一個男人的自我定位，手表是唯一有用的標(biāo)尺。當(dāng)外套的衣袖向上提起，這種除婚戒以外唯一可接受的飾品，就彰顯了主人的品味與場合意識。
Watch sellers employ a logical Italian dictum: a well-dressed man owns at least three timepieces. The day watch is most important: it is the watch that suits your occupation. If you're in finance, sobriety is all your watch must offer beyond the time. If you work in the media or the arts, you can be more eccentric. If your occupation involves specific tasks -- fromambulance driver, to insurance broker, to 747 pilot -- then, just as with iPhone apps, 'there are watches for that.'
手表經(jīng)銷商流傳的一句意大利格言不無道理：穿著得體的男人至少擁有三塊表。最重要的一塊是日常手表，它和你的職業(yè)相得益彰。如果你做金融，那么手表除了傳遞時間信息以外，還必須傳遞一種穩(wěn)重感。如果做傳媒或藝術(shù)，可以顯得更加張揚。而如果你的職業(yè)涉及特殊工種──救護車司機、保險經(jīng)紀(jì)人、波音747飛行員等等──那么就像iPhone的應(yīng)用程序，適合戴的手表各式各樣。
For watch No. 2, you have more scope. This is your dress-down timepiece, worn everywhere from the beach to the ski slopes or for pottering around in the garden. Whether a sub-GBP 50 Swatch, or a close-to-unbreakable Rolex, it will mean you don't have to worry about a quick dive in the pool or a round of golf. This is your casual watch.
第二塊手表選擇面更寬。這是你的休閑手表，沙灘上，滑雪場，在花園里慢條斯理地勞作時，各種場合都可以戴。不管是一塊不足50英鎊的斯沃琪(Swatch)，還是近乎牢不可破的勞力士(Rolex)，它都意味著你在游泳池里快速下潛或在高爾夫賽場揮桿時，完全可以無憂無慮。這是一塊透著隨意氣息的手表。
Last is the dress watch. If you find yourself wearing black tie more than once a year, or if film premieres, opera visits or smart restaurant bookings keep appearing in your diary, your day watch may lack occasion. For this final part of the trilogy, you may go one of two ways: a classical, slim, time-only gold dress watch -- orblatant bling. The presence of diamonds on your watch will accomplish this for you.
最后一塊是正裝手表。如果你一年中不止一次地佩戴黑領(lǐng)帶，或者是日程中不斷出現(xiàn)觀看電影首映式、聽歌劇或上高檔餐館之類的活動，那么你的日常手表或許就顯得不合時宜。在這個三部曲的最后一部，你有兩種選擇，一是佩戴一款經(jīng)典、簡約、只看時間的金質(zhì)正裝手表，再一種選擇是讓自己顯得光彩照人，這一點可以通過手表上的鉆石來實現(xiàn)。
Where to start? One's first watch is often a gift -- anything from a Timex on up -- received at graduation, confirmation, first job or Bar Mitzvah. It will never be exactly what you want, but you will wear and cherish it from your teens until your first pay check. Then you will be seduced by TAG Heuer, Omega or Rolex, depending on your budget. It will be your first 'real' watch.
具體怎么選呢?第一塊手表往往都是別人送的，從天美時(Timex)起，不一而足。收到的場合可能是畢業(yè)，轉(zhuǎn)正，找到第一份工作，也可能是成年禮。這塊手表從來不會完全符合你的期望，但你會戴著它，珍惜它，從十幾歲一直到拿到第一份工資。然后你會被豪雅(TAG Heuer)、歐米茄(Omega)或勞力士誘惑，選哪一款就看你的預(yù)算。這將是你第一塊“真正的”手表。
Buying well is the key, and it's not as tricky as you might think. As master watchmaker Peter Roberts observed: 'There really are no bad watches out there, because they all have to perform the same basic function and perform it well: tell the time. Manufacturing standards are impossibly high. So you should buy according to your budget and your taste.'
選對手表非常重要，但可能也沒有你想象的那么復(fù)雜。正如大師級手表工匠羅伯茨(Peter Roberts)所言，其實并不存在不好的手表，因為它們都要發(fā)揮同樣的基本功能，并且也發(fā)揮得很好：顯示時間。制造標(biāo)準(zhǔn)高得無法想象，所以你應(yīng)該根據(jù)自己的預(yù)算和喜好來買。
Established brands offer watches that will keep you reliably informed of the time for the rest of your life. Quality mechanical watches start for under 500 euros ($683) from makers such as Tissot, Seiko and Victorinox. (Quartz is simply infra dig, so keep that for your throwaway or unbreakable casual watch.)
老牌子的手表會讓你一輩子都能夠準(zhǔn)確可靠地看時間。天梭(Tissot)、精工(Seiko)和維氏(Victorinox)這類質(zhì)量上乘的機械表起價不足500歐元(合683美元)。(石英手表實在有失身份，所以只能暫時使用，或者是當(dāng)作一種牢固的休閑手表來使。)
'Serious' watches start at around 1,000 euros to 1,500 euros, while a modicum of exclusivity begins above 3,000 euros. To dabble at the high-end of the watchmaker's art, expect to part with at least 5,000 euros. And if you want to wear something unlikely to be seen on the wrist of a fellow guest at a dinner party, start thinking 15,000 euros and above. This gets you into the arena populated bybrands such as A. Lange &Sohne, Breguet and Patek Philippe among others. It will likely buy you a model above their entry-level offerings. Think of it this way: they may both have the same badge, but there's a world of difference between a 3-series and a 7-series BMW. So, too, with wristwatches.
“嚴(yán)肅”的手表下自1,000歐元左右，上至1,500歐元，少數(shù)限量手表起價在3,000歐元以上。要欣賞到頂級工藝，那就準(zhǔn)備至少拿出5,000歐元。而如果你希望自己戴的手表很少有機會與晚宴上的另一位客人雷同，首先就得想想能不能拿出15,000歐元或更多。到此你進入了一個名品殿堂，朗格(A. Lange &Sohne)、寶璣(Breguet)、百達翡麗(Patek Philippe)等都在其列。拿這些錢買到的手表可能超出了這些品牌的入門級。這么想吧：雖然銘牌可能都一樣，但寶馬(BMW)3系和7系還是存在著天壤之別，手表也是如此。