Plus or Minus Thirty Seconds: Time & Watches
I don’t consider myself a watch guy. I’m not lusting over a Rolex Daytona or spending more on a timepiece than I did on my first car. But I do wear a watch almost every day. That habit didn’t come from fashion. It came from the Army.
In the Army, punctuality was fundamental to mission success, operational effectiveness, and discipline. When I was a tank platoon leader, if your company was supposed to cross a phase line at 0600, that didn’t mean “around 0600.” It meant exactly at 0600. The standard was plus or minus thirty seconds. That was the window. Arriving too early or too late could compromise the mission and disrupt the battle rhythm of the entire organization.
My Watches
To me, a good watch is like a good pair of boots, or a good blade, it does its job, it lasts, and it fits your style. I’m a university professor, a husband, a father, and someone who still gets his hands dirty from time to time. I don’t need a watch to say anything about me beyond, “This guy’s on time.”
Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate a few pieces. Not a giant collection. Just a few watches, each chosen for a reason. They’re practical, durable, and have just enough character to make them worth wearing.
In no particular order, these are my watches:
Victorinox Swiss Army Field Watch
This watch was a gift from my wife on our wedding day in 1998, and I wore it every day for years. It has a classic field watch design, basic black dial, 24 hour notations, luminous hands, and a stainless steel case that has taken its fair share of knocks. My Victorinox went with me to Iraq in 2003 and kept perfect time through the heat and dust. Nearly three decades later, it still runs. I wore it to dinner on our 27th wedding anniversary, a quiet nod to where we started and everything we’ve made it through since. It’s rugged, reliable, and still ticking after all these years. Kind of like the guy wearing it.
Best I can tell, this model is no longer in production. Victorinox Watches
Apple Watch Series 6
My Apple Watch was a Christmas gift and became my daily wear for a couple of years. I liked the alerts and how seamlessly it connected to my iPhone and MacBook. It was convenient, especially during busy semesters when messages, calendar reminders, and health tracking all lived on my wrist. It was also with me when I turned fifty while visiting Alaska, a trip filled with spectacular views, family memories, and reflection of a half century of orbits around the sun.
That said, the short battery life is hard to overlook. My Apple Watch barely makes it through 24 hours on a single charge. These days, it still gets some wrist time when I want to be fully connected, which isn’t often. Most of the time, I’d rather wear something that just tells the time and leaves the rest alone.
Ambici Classic Black
Two of my students, who happened to be brothers, started a wooden watch company called Ambici. They were outstanding students, and I did my best to support and encourage them however I could, including buying one of their watches. Ambici offered models crafted from maple, sandalwood, ebony, and the Classic Black, which is the one pictured here. Their watches feature a Miyota 2115 quartz movement from Citizen. It is light, accurate, and surprisingly fun to wear.
They did caution me not to wear my Ambici in cold weather, but I didn’t listen. On a rather chilly trip to Boston, the wooden case cracked. When the brothers graduated, they surprised me with a new Classic Black model, this time with my initials engraved on the back. That gesture meant a lot, proof that a simple watch can carry more than just the time. Geaux Reed & Riley!
Unfortunately, Ambici is not actively making & selling watches anymore. Ambici 2015 Kickstarter Campaign
Emporio Armani Sportivo Chronograph AR5963
Before deploying to Afghanistan in 2012, I wanted a watch that looked sharp but wasn’t overly expensive or sentimental. I needed something presentable for interacting with high-ranking officers and other dignitaries, but also durable enough to take a beating in the field. The Emporio Armani Sportivo Chronograph AR5963 struck the right balance. With its bold silver dial, sturdy stainless steel bracelet, and clean design, it leaned more toward sporty professionalism than flash.
It wears very well and my Sportivo performed reliably during a high operational tempo year in Afghanistan. While I don’t wear it often now, it reminds me of that chapter of my life and still gets a little wrist time on occasion.
Best I can tell, the AR5963 model is no longer offered. Emporio Armani watches
Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 42mm H70605160
My usual instructions for birthdays and Christmas are simple: “Don’t buy me anything.” But for my last birthday, I made an exception and asked for this watch. The Khaki Field Auto was inspired by the watches Hamilton supplied to American and British soldiers during World War II, and it still carries that same rugged, no-nonsense character today. The deep green dial is what really sold me. It’s subtle indoors, almost muted, but step into the sunlight and it comes to life with a rich, emerald glow that feels right at home in nature. It is my favorite for daily wear. It reminds me of the discipline and clarity that military life instills. You get up. You get moving. You stay on time.
Seiko King Samurai Manta Ray SRPE33
This one is a tank, pun intended. It’s the kind of watch you could wear in a rainstorm, on a ruck march, or while pulling kids on a tube across the bay. There’s something comforting about a watch built to take a hit and keep going.
Seiko has a long reputation for making reliable & affordable watches and the King Samurai series is no exception. The name “Samurai” was originally coined by the watch enthusiast community, not by Seiko. When the watch first appeared in the early 2000s, collectors noticed its angular case design, which reminded them of a samurai’s helmet. The nickname stuck and eventually became so widely used that Seiko embraced it unofficially.
The “King Samurai” label, however, originated with Seiko as part of their modern upgrades to the original Samurai design. The Manta Ray edition adds a little personality to the toughness, with a deep blue dial patterned to resemble the movement of water and rays gliding just beneath the surface. It’s a serious watch with a bit of beauty baked in.
For some reason, Seiko includes a “dive extension” clasp on many of their dive watches. I found the extension uncomfortable, as it pressed against my radius bone. I experimented with several strap options, sailcloth, leather, rubber, and eventually came full circle back to the original bracelet. I swapped out the clasp for an aftermarket version that doesn’t include the dive extension, and that solved the problem.
Why I Don’t Own a Rolex
If you are wondering why there’s no Rolex in my collection. The simple answer is that I’ve never felt the need to own one. Sure, Rolex makes excellent watches and has built a global reputation. But much of that reputation is driven by marketing and scarcity, not innovation or practicality. I respect the brand, but I’m more drawn to watches that offer value, purpose, and a personal connection, not just status.
To me, a watch says something about the man wearing it and a Rolex mostly says, “This guy can afford a Rolex.” That’s fine for some, but I’d rather wear something that reflects character, utility, and maybe a few stories picked up along the way. All that said, I am not opposed to owning one. If an interesting Rolex comes along at the right time and price, I might add one to the collection. But I’m not chasing it. A watch should fit into my life, not the other way around.
Final Thoughts
I may not be a collector in the traditional sense, but each of my watches carry a story. Some remind me of the places I’ve been. Others were gifts from people I love. A couple have seen real action in a combat zone, but they have all seen some kind of “action”, whether in the field, on a campus, or family time. For me, my watch is a representation of time and showing up when I say I will.