Published on June 19, 2024
Lorenzo Sodi
Pitti Uomo is a major fashion gathering in Florence, Italy where brands bring their best to buyers and fashion editor alike. But, perhaps more interestingly, Pitti Uomo transforms the streets of Florence into an urban runway on which guys from around the world with more than a passing interest in style go about their business — even if in some cases that business seems just to be hanging around waiting to be photographed — in their best threads and, of course, some excellent watches.
We pondered the relationship between men’s fashion and watches in more detail earlier this year, and what’s fascinating about the intersection of fashion and watches is how to situate the timepiece within an ensemble. To give you a sense of how that plays out, this year we saw a tonal pairing of a tasty vintage Rolex GMT Master Pepsi (red and blue) with rose and mid-blue summer plaid, and we saw high-waisted military green Bermuda shorts paired intelligently with a beat up old Elgin field watch with a matching green strap. Both looks were killer, the watches working as perfect accents, and there are many more great pairings to consider below.
As is often the case at fashion shows (including Pitti Uomo in previous years), Rolex dominated. Horological snobs might look down on this choice because the Crown is so often the default choice for so many, be they collectors signaling their access to rare references or those just getting into this obsession. But a more nuanced read on this tendency is that Rollies are fabulously versatile watches that one can rock with each new outfit—which some men will swap throughout the day. Breakfast might call for a casual look, lunch something more daring, and dinner that perfect summer suit. What better than a Rolex for all occasions?
But it wasn’t just Rolex at Pitti Uomo this week. The urban catwalk brought out Paiget, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Cartier, as well. But our favorite watch was a vintage Tudor Sub on a turquoise bracelet.
Below are the 13 best watches from Pitit Uomo 2024.
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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in White Gold
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi This limited edition white gold Royal Oak has a hefty reference number: 15510BC.OO.1320BC.01. the 41 mm case is a classic, and the dial, of course, features the signature Grande Tapisserie engraving that adorned the original by Gerald Genta. Stylish tailor Angel Ramos who is never shy of wearing color, teamed it with large tinted aviators, a navy guayabera shirt and eye-catching folliage-print trousers to ensure that watch and ensemble made quite the pairing.
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Cartier Pasha de Cartier
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi Photographer Milad Abedi rocked his elegant stainless steel Pasha reference WSPA0021 at 30mm with high-waisted double-pleated trousers and tonal tee to let that fabulous zebra-print smoking jacket (an Angel Ramos signature design; see previous) take center stage… though the hair and beard combo is pretty hard to beat too.
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Elgin Field Watch
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi We are accustomed to American’s sporting smaller European watches, but here we have a European sporting a smaller American watch. Elgin was Chicago’s Rolex back in the day, and as the maker of early field watches for military use, Elgin remains one of those brands you can still collect at reasonable prices—for now, anyways. Look closely at this wrist-rig: One spring bar is bent, the other popping through the drilled lug, and the strap is too small. It’s perfect.
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Patek Philippe World Timer Reference 5510
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi Like its wearer, street-style icon, designer and owner of the brand Fortela, Alessandro Squarzi, this Patek Philippe reference 5510, is pure class. And it’s set to Paris time, which is also Florence time, so all is in order with this complication. Squarzi is a vintage collector with a vast archive, and mixes old pieces with modern reinterpretations from his own label. The brown loafers with cuffed chinos are classic summer wear, while the yellow polo with camo work jacket bring this outfit to life, creating a wonderful look for the yellow-gold Patek. Brown shoes with a black strap? Absolutely.
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Paul Croughton in Vacheron-Constantin 35 mm Dress Watch
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi Our own editor in chief, Paul Croughton, is known for collecting mid-century Vacheron Constantin dress watches, which are—and I speak as a VC collector myself—some of the tastiest vintage pieces going. The sheer variety of Vacherons from this era means you’re unlikely to see the same piece on too many wrists. The tonal strap Paul has chosen supports the quiet elegance of this tastefully styled yellow gold time-only VC.
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Piaget Stepped-Case Gold Dress Watch
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi At just 28 by 33 mm, this Piaget dates to the 1980s, and is fully of that decade’s pinache. The stepped case is a classic of the era, and the integration of the spring bars into that case create clean lines with the lizzard strap. Of course, the whole outfit is 1980s prep, and there’s no denying the perfection of this pairing.
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Rolex 1675 GMT Master Pepsi Reference 1675
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi Much to admire here with the pairing of the faded aluminum bezel insert with the sport-coat, but we also like that the wearer is using his GMT to track wherever home is. How infrequently it is that one really uses their GMT in this manner. Notice the missing stitch on the tonal burgendy strap, which only supports the I-wear-it-all-the-time vibe of the perfect travel watch.
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Rolex GMT Master II 16750
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi Neo-vintage Rolexes are going to be five-digit references (~1979-2000s), and this one spells out their charm. Worn by former marine and now photographer, tailor, author and general adventurer Robert Spangle, who is wearing a smock of his own design (Observer Collection).
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Rolex 1675 Nipple Dial GMT Master-II Two-Tone
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi Here’s a GMT Master 1675 that’s nothing like the Pepsi version above. With an all-black bezel and the coveted nipple dial (conical marker surrounds filled with tritium), this two-tone has the obligatory Jubilee bracelet, without which a two-tone Rolex just doesn’t sing. Nerds will notcie that the four on the bezel insert is not a “flat four,” but a “tall four,” indicating that this is a later iteration of the venerable model. Also, gloss dials with gilt printing were found only on later two-tone models, making these especially warm and lovely. Pairs perfectly with that olive linen suit, too, which is unsurprising as the wearer is Jake Meuser, of the eponymous NYC-based tailoring house, J.Meuser, and he made it.
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Rolex Two-Line Submariner Reference 5513
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi The no-date Sub with two lines of text presents the most basic of Submariner dials, and people love it for that reason. Look at the perfect vanilla tritium lume plots, and you’ll see why people fall head over heels for these pared-back divers. The end links and lack of slack on that bracelet suggest it’s not the original, but with a case that strong (meaning unpolished), it works a charm. The look is punk, and if there’s a punk Sub, the 5513 no-date is it.
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Rolex Submariner 5513
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi Proof that the Rolex Submariner is among the most versatile watches one can own, look how the same watch that our punk afficiando above donned fits into this classic summer look. Chambray under a classic gun-club sports coat with matching blue stripes is tied together for a look that’s more country club than The Clash, but no less appropriate.
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Rolex Two-Register Cosmograph Reference 4500
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi Well this is tasty. A pre-daytona Cosmograph reference 4500 in stainless steel, likely dating to the mid 1940s, is something to behold. We’re going out on a limb to suppose that the bracelet is likely by Gay Freres, itself a highly collectible item. You don’t see these in the wild often, and it’s clearly one of the most versatile styles going. Two-register Cosmographs like this are skyrocketing in value, and the condition here is exceptional.
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Tudor-Submariner Reference 7928
Image Credit: Lorenzo Sodi This is the star of the lineup, as far as we’re concerned. The 7920 predates the “snowflake” models that dominate Tudor’s military offerings to elite SCUBA teams, and this one is especially worn with dense patina, espeically the tritium lume plots. But it’s the turquoise bracelet that really takes the cake here, likely a Navaho piece dating to the 1960s. Great tats, killer beard, and that denim work shirt looks perfect over the white chinos. What a combo.
Authors
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Allen Farmelo