A man’s watch is supposed to do one thing above all else: tell the time. But let’s be honest, you probably use your phone to check the hour twice as often as you glance at your wristwatch. In fact, if you’re like most of us, you probably cross-reference your reading of that analog watch face against the digital numerals on your phone, am I right?
As men, we don’t get many chances to accessorize our outfits unless we want to go full Johnny Depp (and most of us don’t). So beyond a ring, the occasional necklace or piercing, and the very clothes on our bodies, a wristwatch is a man’s most powerful accessory for making a style statement. Many gents choose to accentuate that by procuring chronometers that cost many thousands of dollars. Other men choose watches that have oversized, bold faces (that may or may not also be quite pricey), though the era of the massive men’s watch seems to have reached its zenith.
I suggest that you choose a watch that performs its prime directive well — that is, it keeps time — while adding a touch of approachable elegance to your ensemble without costing a week’s worth of pay. Because, if a watch tells time and looks great, who cares if it didn’t cost a grand?
To hear the brand representatives from Filippo Loreti tell it, their fine timepieces are worth a thousand dollars yet priced at only a few hundred. How do they do it? In short, the company has made brilliant use of the technology at its disposal, and I’m not talking about horology. I’m taking about that internet thing.
Way back in 2015, when Lithuanian-born brothers Danielius and Matas Jakutis launched their first Kickstarter campaign to raise money for their year-old watch venture, they had a goal of raising about $20,000 t get the company moving. They ended up raising more than $1 million, becoming the most crowd-funded watchmaking endeavor ever. When they launched a third round of crowd-funding last year, the “goal” was again $20,000, though the brothers knew they would surely surpass it — but they had no idea they would raise more than $5 million thanks to 16,000 backers.
That’s one way Filippo Loreti watches manage to stay so cheap yet look so good: A lot of people invested in the company, giving the brand cash on hand and proving yet again how much the world wide web has changed the way business gets done. Filippo Loreti watches are also always sold direct to the customer without a middlemen jacking up prices through commission or additional advertising and marketing spends.
But there’s another reason these watches are priced so affordably: The exorbitant cost of luxury watches is what the Jakutis brothers say inspired them to start a chronometer company in the first place. Any decent luxury watch has a movement capable of keeping reliable time, and all have looks that catch the eye, though different people of course respond to different aesthetics. So most of what you pay for when you get a Tag Heuer or a Rolex is simply that, the name. Here we have watches that are elegant without being overwrought; offer several attractive features, including day and date information; and that sit right at the intersection of dress and casual. You can wear a Filippo Loreti wristwatch to class up jeans and a T-shirt or to balance out your tux or three-piece suit. You can choose a Venice Moonphase Blue Gold watch to make a bold statement or a Venice Moonphase Silver to keep things subtle.
Whichever Filippo Loreto watch you choose, you can count on a chronometer that by all rights could sell for more than a thousand dollars yet that will be yours for little more than $350 at the top of their price range.
Editors' Recommendations
- The pre-owned luxury watch market is down, but prices for these 2 Rolexes are up
- G-SHOCK, Hodinkee founder Ben Clymer collaborate on final watch in John Mayer series
- Watches reseller Bezel launches new auctions feature for luxury timepieces, new celebrity investor
- Apple Watch set for major redesign with new health monitoring features in 2024
- Legendary outdoor brands Ball and Buck and Luminox combine for the ultimate field watch
