Wearing multiple watches sounds like a faux pas. While these days, there’s rarely a “wrong” way to approach style, there is a right way to double up timepieces.
Despite being sartorially traditional, I have zero qualms about wearing two watches at once. It actually happens quite often since I never take off my Omega Seamaster. I don’t wear it in the shower, but other than that, the watch is always on my person. It’s meaningful to me. Still, I have several watches in my rotation that also need to see the light of day.
Today, I’ll cover the topic in surgical detail. Why do people wear two watches anyway? Does it mean anything? How does one do it from a style perspective? I’ve got lots to cover. Here’s everything you need to know!
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Why Do People Wear Two Watches? A Practical Perspective
The main reason to wear two watches is for personal style purposes. Believe it or not, it doesn’t always have to be unconventional, gaudy, or subversive. Some wear two watches to maintain a sense of meaning (like I do). However, there are pragmatic reasons people go double wristing too. Let’s cover those first.
First, some people actually use their watches. Sometimes, it’s for work (perhaps they need to use functions hands-free, so apps are a no-go).
Not all watches do the same things. Yet, you might want to have all those things available at once. If you’re overlooking several time zones at once, you might want to have three to five time zones available. This may require two digital watches. Or perhaps you’re a day trader and want to track the time of every major marketplace around the globe.
You might be doing weather research and need to use an altimeter, barometer, and compass tracker. So, you wear your GPS hiking watch along with your more style-forward analog watch instead of constantly switching back and forth.
Of course, you could use a world clock on your computer. But perhaps your Apple Watch (or any type of smartwatch or fitness tracker you may have) isn’t as necessarily durable. And again, there are benefits to being hands-free.
Safety is another reason. Divers have better options than traditional mechanical watches these days. They all use far more sophisticated wearable dive computers. But many also wear serious dive watches as a contingency plan. You don’t necessarily have to wear watches on your left wrist when wearing them for practical reasons. Maybe you’re left-handed or just prefer it on your right (or one on each).
Now, how do you wear multiple watches on one arm? Let’s take a look at it from a fashion perspective.
Multiple Watches on One Arm: Some Style Tips
There are so many ways to wear multiple watches. You can go big or go home and stack them up for a layered aesthetic. Or, you can strike a balance for a look that’s more traditional but also a bit more exciting.
For a balanced look, you might try doing these:
- My favorite approach involves an extra-small watch with a decorated clasp. Many ladies’ watches have these features. Wear that watch on your inner wrist (again, the “feminine” way). Then, wear a bigger watch more traditionally, with the dial on the top of your wrist. It’ll look like you just stacked a thin bracelet with your timepiece.
- Combine an analog piece and an electronic watch.
- Partner a very simple, subdued piece with a bigger watch with more wrist presence (just make sure you pick the correct watch size for your wrist).
- Wear a watch that belongs to you and one that belongs (or belonged) to somebody else, perhaps in homage to them. It may be a family heirloom or your spouse’s watch.
Now, if you want to make a statement, try one of these approaches:
- You can pair a vintage, delicate mechanical watch on one wrist and a modern tool watch on the other one. This is a statement in that you don’t traditionally wear a watch on each wrist. Left-handed people may wear their watch on the right hand, but having a watch on each is rare.
- You can wear two watches with significant wrist presence on the same wrist. It’ll look stacked, like wearing multiple cuff bracelets.
- You can wear two moderate or small-sized watches with the same color palette on the same wrist. You’re basically treating the watches like well-matched men’s jewelry.
What Does Wearing Two Watches Mean?
Truly, there’s not a single universal meaning to wearing two watches. In some Asian cultures, doubling up symbolizes prosperity and wealth. Of course, you’d need two luxury pieces to do this. And it isn’t just a symbol in the traditional sense; it’s showing off what you’ve got.
There’s a symbol called “Segal’s Law” (hilariously because the “law” was misattributed to a gospel radio personality named Segal). Segal’s Law states, “A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.”
So, wearing two watches may be communicating that you’re always skeptical. In this era of countless conflicting news sources, skepticism isn’t such a bad thing!
There is no single reason or right reason to wear two watches. If you feel it looks good or just want to do it, don’t be shy—wear two watches!
Personally, I love a mix — mechanical watches with digital ones, small models with big ones, and so on. But my favorite reason to wear a watch is for sentimentality.
My 28-millimeter GoldenEye Omega Seamaster is my wedding watch. I don’t wear rings. As such, I never take it off. Remember my style suggestions? Well, I’ll often wear my Seamaster with the decorated clasp on my outer wrist. Then, I’ll partner it with a bigger sports watch with the dial on the top of my wrist, too. Again, it looks like I’m wearing a stainless steel bracelet with another timepiece.
You may do this with a family heirloom that you never want to take off too.
A Second Watch To Symbolize A Particular Event
Perhaps you wear a second watch to signify an important event. These may include:
- The time of your birth or the one of your child.
- The time of the death of a loved one.
- Any other time of a particularly striking event that changed your life forever.
Birth year models were made the same year as your birth. Or, you can commemorate that or any of the above, by ensuring your second watch is always set to a specific time. Obviously, this wouldn’t be your timekeeper, so you’d pair it with a more functional timepiece — hence the doubling up.
Conclusion: Give It a Shot
Wearing two watches isn’t traditional, but there are many great reasons to do it. Give it a shot, whether it’s sentimental or just for style purposes!
As always, these topics can become real debates, with people arguing for hours about what is right and what isn’t. But at the end of the day, there is no right or wrong approach to this. Because it’s always a matter of personal preferences and tastes, you will have to decide for yourself where you stand.
Either you love it, hate it, or don’t care. If you love it, go for it!
Do you wear two watches? Have you ever considered it? Let us know in the comments below!
