On May 25th of this year the movie Men in Black 3 came out. It is starring Will Smith, and Tommy Lee Jones reprising their roles as the Men in Black. In this movie Agent J travels in time to MIB‘s early years in the 1960s, to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history. The film also stars Josh Brolin as the young Agent K, and Emma Thompson as Agent O
Author Archives: howtobeswell
Top Ten Watches of Historical Significance
I was searching on the internet the other day, stopping at my usual haunts and watch blogs. I was reading all of these great stories of watch histories and it struck me, where can I find the top watches that have really made a mark in history? I did a quick search and I didn’t find any satisfying list compiled, so I took it upon myself to do it.
Here it is; the first thing you’ll notice is that there are more than ten here. Well I took some liberties, and I can, because its my list. I wanted to choose pieces that made an impact, that was he first at something, or contributed something to its legend. I didn’t want to base it on popularity, although the two #10 watches kind of are. Continue reading
Chopard and the Mille Miglia….II
This is the second of a two-part piece about the storied Mille Miglia Race- the exhibition of speed and machinery, the most important auto-cross event in the world, and the Chopard watch that bears its name.
Part 2:
The Chopard Mille Miglia Chronograph. Chopard is a Swiss-based luxury watch, jewelry, and Accessories Company founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard. Chopard initially concentrated on developing precision pocket watches and chronometers. Chopard is regarded as a manufacture, in other words that they make many of their watches and movements in-house rather than using the base movements (ebauches) of other manufacturers.
Chopard and The Mille Miglia
This post is a two-part piece About the storied Mille Miglia Race, and the Historic watchmaker Chopard- the world sponsor and the official timekeeper of Mille Miglia since 1988.
Part 1:
Today is the finish of The mille Miglia, It is Italy’s historic 1,000-mile race which was run annually from Brescia to Rome and back, from 1927 through 1940, and from 1947 through 1957. Hundreds of drivers,and cars have traversed this course, in its day it was the measure of a man and a showcase for a car manufacturer. It was a stage for showing off a drivers prowess, and the beauty and technology of a machine he was piloting. This year is the 35th that the Mille will be run as a vintage racing event. There are a number of automakers whose classic models participated in the original event who have entered vehicles to relive former glories. Continue reading
Ray-Ban Wayfarer
The classic Ray-Ban shades. With the mere mention of that, your mind instantly plays an image of Wayfarers adorning everyone you ever thought was cool. from Don Johnson in Miami Vice to Tom Cruise in Risky business. The year that movie came out 360,000 pairs of Wayfarers sold, a testament to their huge popularity. Bausch & Lomb first created the aviator style of sunglasses in 1936, with that the Ray-Ban company was founded a year later. On May 7 of 1937 Bausch & Lomb took out a patent, and the Aviator became available to the public for the first time. They were originally introduced for the United States Army Air Corps to protect the soldiers’ eyes from harmful light while maintaining a fashionable look. The Ray-Ban Aviator became a well-known when photos of General MacArthur showed him wearing them during World War II . Continue reading
The Skinny Tie
There are so many options in neck wear for men today. Some have varied in popularity throughout history, and most are closely related through a common ancestor. The cravat (or cravatte) is the original neck-cloth, dating back to the 17th century Croatian military garb. Next came the Ascot, which was a more tailored version of the cravat, it was designed for casual or “morning” wear (I saw someone wearing an Ascot looking real smart just this weekend). That was very quickly followed by the bow-ties and string ties. I love bow ties as I’ve said before. Some argue that bow-ties and the cravat originated together, or are even one in the same, I believe they are distinctly different. Frome all of those we can derive the modern-day necktie. Since neckties evolved from the early cravats, their width has varied, stretching from barely an inch thick to a ridiculously wide five inches. Today, the typical tie is about 3.5 inches wide. Of course these aren’t the only options men have, but if you read this blog don’t even consider items such as the Bola tie unless you are an oil magnate living in Dallas Texas. Continue reading
The Art of Manliness
Here is a quick plug for a new blog that I’ve found. These guys have a fantastic site to visit, it is an open forum type of blog, with a number of great groups (nearly 600). They discuss everything from scotch to bow ties, and from books to guns. I think it is a perfect accompaniment to this particular blog you are reading. Check it out: The Art of Manliness is truly swell. You can also sign up for a daily dose of manliness in your e-mail. If you sign up they send you some free stuff to read as well.
Omega Speedmaster
I lived a milestone recently, a few weeks ago I graduated from the Gemological Institute of America and I am now a Graduate Gemologist (I get to put the cool little G.G. after my name). I thought this was the right reason to give myself a graduation gift. There has been one watch that I have pined for, to add to my collection, for quite some time. Being the Omega fan that I am, it won’t surprise you to find out that it is, of course one of their models- The Speedmaster professional. So I rewarded myself with a 1968 “Pre-moon” Omega Speedmaster. There are a number of reasons I chose this particular watch, but one very important one I’ll tell you about later on. For now we will dissect why I like this model.
It is a Chronograph:
Men like machines; gauges, speed, and technology. The chronograph captures all of this in one package all available on your wrist. The chronograph balances aesthetics, technical prowess and utility all effortlessly and equally. They are typically masculine timepieces waiting to spring into action metering; Le Mans races, Olympic track events, and medium-rare tenderloin. No other watch allows you to connect with the movement the way the chronograph does. Starting the timer, you’ll hear a solid click of the clutch engaging and the sweep hand smoothly journeys around the dial. The Speedmaster testifies that its wearer is both capable and refined. Continue reading
Take a Kid to a Car Show
The spring weather is here, and where I live it has been for a while. What that means for people like myself, car enthusiasts, there will be plenty of swell events to see throughout the summer. I am talking about classic car shows. I can not think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than strolling through a lush green park, admiring all the beautiful machines of days gone by. I own a classic car and, I love to spend the day with my family and other car enthusiasts, all the while admiring each others cars. Car shows are fun, family events that any one can enjoy, and range from small neighborhood celebrations to full-fledged invitation only extravaganzas of elegance and machinery. One of my favorites is a well known event in the mid- Continue reading
Don Draper’s Omega Watch
After five seasons now, many watch enthusiasts have been wringing their hands in anticipation for a good enough glimpse of Don Draper”s wrist. We have all wanted to see what watch this 60s leader in style has chosen to wear. Well, all of our patients paid off, and last night (Season 5 , Episode 6) we were rewarded. In a scene where Don was waiting for his wife, he took a nice long look at his watch. In what I am sure was a product placement for Omega, we had a unobstructed view of a beautiful early 60’s omega seamaster with a cross hair dial. A gorgeous watch in gold over stainless steel on a black leather strap.
When I saw the camera pan across the watch I paused the screen and admired it for a moment. Then I did some searching on the Omega Vintage database and discovered what I believe is the correct model. The cross hair is not a common model so it was easier to distinguish against other watches of that vintage. I believe this piece is a Seamaster De Ville reference number 166.0020, it is an automatic with the 24 jewel caliber 565. This is a beautiful example of an Omega as the brand was becoming one of the top quality manufacturers in the world. 
You can still find this watch and similar models online, if you are looking for that vintage look. Sites such as Ebay list many for under $1000. Know what you’re looking for, use the Omega database if you want to be sure of what you’re getting. When you find just the right one, just like Don Draper and his Seamaster cross hair, you’re going to look swell.
How to be Swell 