Here is a quick nod to the Every Swell Man should Learn series, and this is something that can show how swell you really are to those around you. There comes a moment in many mens life where he is asked to toast another; whether it be a celebration of a career advancement, a retirement, a birth, or marriage, you should be ready to shower your mate with praise. There are a few simple tasks to composing and delivering the perfect toast. Not all of us are public speakers, and delivering a toast in a crowd can be daunting, so I will give some tips to quell those fears as well. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Recreation
Every Swell Man Should Learn…
I read a blog post recently on The Art of Manliness called “What the Young Man Should Know” from Harper’s weekly. It was a great article from the 30s that was a list of skills or tasks that the author believed every young man should learn. It included a few A few items that are still important today, and a few that are no longer necessary (keeping a horse), practical (chopping wood), or advisable (hitch hiking), but it is a great list none the less. I thought for all of you swell readers I would update it for the modern man. I have compiled a list of skills that every swell guy should learn in their lifetime.
I think that this post may spawn a loose series of small posts about how to carry out these tasks; after all I can hardly give you a list without telling you how to accomplish it. So look for some of these items coming up in the category ESMSL, so on that note let’s begin.
Garden and gun
A friend turned me on to this publication some time ago. He came over for a dinner party at my house and said “I know you will appreciate this, talk about being swell, well this is it it’s all in here.” Well he was right I was all in… Well once I got past the title that is. I am speaking of Garden & Gun, for those of you in the know, I don’t need to tell you how great this magazine is Garden and Gun really is about all things swell, specifically in the south.
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Red Bull Air Racing
Summer is starting to wind down, but I am not giving up on it quite yet. One “summer” event that I would love to take in live would be the Red Bull Air Race.
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 
The Red Bull Air Race was created in 2003 by Red Bull the energy drink maker, Taking their tag line “Red Bull gives you wings” quite literally. The air race is a series of international speed-plane obstacle course races. The pilots have to navigate the course in the fastest time. Continue reading →