Tommy Bahama and Watch Gang 8-Charles Hutton

Vintage Styling

I bought my first Tommy Bahama shirt back in the mid 90's while working at Nordstrom Glendale. It was expensive, even with my discount, and it was my go-to dress Hawaiian shirt for a long time. I still have it somewhere-I'm not all that hard on my clothes and haven't changed shirt sizes in forever.

There is no Tommy Bahama, which most people probably realize. It was dreamed up by a couple of guys who wanted to create high-end casual clothes, their vision of what a jet-setting beach bum would wear. I've got several Tommy Bahama shirts (I especially like their Christmas shirts), some glasses, house wear and a few decorative items. I also have three of their watches.

Room for engraving

I've never paid full price for a Tommy Bahama watch. It seems as though people take pretty good care of them, but don't ever want to change the battery, and so I've found many on various auction sites for prices that I'm willing to pay. They look nice, and the three that I own say that they have either Swiss or Japanese quartz movements. I've been trying to find out who made them-there aren't any on the Tommy Bahama website at the moment. My best guess is the Geneva Group, which is alluded to in an old online article. The Geneva Group makes several lifestyle brand watches.

A replacement band

Of the three I own, my favorite is the yellow faced one. I bought a nice yellow leather racer band for it, and I think the watch looks pretty sharp. It's easy to read and stands out, but not too much.

The watches seem solid enough, (though on my black faced diver some water got in and left a stain on the crystal), and are based on vintage or casual diver/sports styles, kind of like their shirts, reflecting a past that never was. Initially they sold for anywhere between $115 and $350. There's a couple of hundred on eBay right now for under $100.

Diver with a water stain

Shinola watches operate in a similar niche, a reflection of a past that never was.

Charles Hutton

The Charles Hutton came in a large box, and inside there was a leather watch carrying case, large enough for at least two watches-a nice bonus as I find that when I travel, I'm now bringing a few watches with me, for no other reason than I have many and I can. It is a nice leather pouch.

The watch inside is heavy. After removing four links from the band so that it would fit, I feel it on my arm. According to the Charles Hutton website, it's a Longbridge ($270 list) with a green face, and a case size of 42mm by a thickness of 11.5 mm. It has a Japanese quartz movement made by Hattori (used by Seiko, Lorus and Pulsar).

The brand seems to be based out of England, and is named after an English mathematician. In their story, they say that they base their designs on the "Classic British lifestyle" and specialize in chronographs and other complications. The website has a section devoted to James Bond, calling him the "Quintessential British Gentleman," and saying their watches are built for the modern man in a James Bond way. There are people who keep track of the watches worn in all James Bond films (James Bond favors Rolex and Omega, with some Seiko digitals in the 70s), and Bond seems to prefer diver watches, but I'm not going to mention that to the Charles Hutton people. 

Charles Hutton is sold at Macy's and this Longbridge is currently going for around $100 in eBay. Prices for watches on their website range from $225 to $285.

Did I mention it was heavy? Along with being heavy, there seems to be some sharp edges around the the bezel and base. Not enough to cut, but enough to be slightly uncomfortable as I type this out. As I gather more watches, the little things start to come into play, and the little bit of sharpness does matter-I imagine at the end of a long day you'd really notice it and the weight. 

I do like the pin that holds in the hands, and the day/date function is interesting, with what seems like two additional dials working on the inside of the watch. Also interesting is that the date works in a reverse clockwise way.

The look is unique and I like it. But the weight and the sharp edges probably would have kept me from buying it in another setting.  Eight Watchgang watches, and only a couple would I actually have bought. I might have to give this up-we'll see.

Next Day

I've worn this watch for the better part of two days, and the weight is as such that it starts to slide down my wrist. I can't remove more links without it being too tight to wear, so the weight does come into play as the day progresses. It does look good on my wrist, but again, as I acquire more watches the little things matter.