It has been one full year since nearly all dance parties around me were shut down.
During the year, over 500,000 people have died of COVID19 in the US. How horrible.
I completed two Moderna COVID vaccinations a month ago. Yesterday, state officials expanded vaccine eligibility. I should be ready for getting back on social dance floor soon (with caution, I might add).
When I gave a thought on what to wear to parties, a question of "what is 'proper' wristwatch for Tango?" came to my mind.
I remember some ladies replicated the "Gatsby" look from 1920's in 2019 year end party to welcome new "roaring 20's". I liked that.
Why not searching for a cosplay item?
Here is a few points to consider.
(a) Style.
Historically, the Golden age of Tango dancing was usually agreed on as 1935-1952; which can be divided to 1925-1940 and 1940-1955. But Tango was already popular in 1910's and 20's. Styles from the era (late 1910's-early 1950's) should be fine for reenactment party cosplay.
Style is critical for costume. Divers' watch or colorful "pop" watch won't do stylistically for classical tango milonga. Also, styles from 60's, 70's and later may not sit well with 20-50's reenactment cosplay. They are out.
For Tango nuevo (2000-), anything can go with it, including contemporary "street" styles. But let's think of old-fashioned Tango party here.
In 1910's, there was Art Nouveau style, with organic, curvy, animal or plant-motifs (think Tiffany's lamp). They were artistic. But era of men's wristwatches came a little later. At the turn of the century, wristwatches were not widely worn. Tesla car of today, I guess. Art nouveau can be really seen in decorative and bigger pocket watches.
Wristwatches were issued for WWI soldiers. As such, they were early military watches at first. Not sure if they go well with parties.
Following the Art Nouveau, industrial and geometric Art Deco style became popular. The style was popular in 1920 and 30's. To cosplay for Tango parties, Art Deco is the way to go.
Another historical style in the era (1920-1930's) was Bauhaus, came from German architecture schools. The concepts of Bauhaus schools have had long influence on industrial designs. Bauhaus style watch can work. In my opinion, they look too timeless and less statement on the bygone era, though. A little sense of nostalgia is an important factor in Tango culture.
[Examples of the three styles in mens wristwatch. Only vintage style-inspired modern watches are shown. Vintage watches are not included.]
You can learn a lot from surfing ebay for vintage watches from the era. For Art Deco styles, famous makers include Bulova, Hamilton, Tissot, Gruen, Elgin, Longines, Cartier, Jaegar-LeCoultre, Omega, and Baume & Mercier. Surviving companies issue modern version of vintage-inspired watches.
I admire vintage watches for their styles. But they can be expensive, function poorly (or don't), pain to maintain, and offer no waterproofing. For now, I do not plan to buy actual vintage myself.
I wouldn't call myself a watch collector or enthusiast. But I do have about 20 watches in my drawer that came to me over years; dress/formal, business, sport, casual, art/fun, even an inherited Rolex. Among them, I already have a few Bauhaus style watches. After all, who doesn't like the functional easy reader timepieces?
I want something stylistically new to my collection. That also makes Art Deco (or Art nouveau) an interesting candidate, because I don't have it.
(b) Automatic/mechanical
I usually do not buy quartz watch. Too often they quietly run out of energy (battery) and die in my drawer. In these years I bought only old-fashioned, shake-or wind-and-go automatic (or mechanical) watches, except for a couple of EcoDrive/solar watches for sport. Automatics generally cost more compared with quartz, but they have a certain appeal of artisanship.
Besides, quartz watches did not exist until 1969 when Seiko revealed it. Mechanical watches stylistically match the 20's-30's.
(c) Cost/budget.
A watch can come from $5 to over a million $. I've found $20-50 decent automatic watches with square, tonneau or rectangle Art deco designs in ebay and in Amazon. They are visually identifiable as Art Deco and will work fine as costume jewelry for dance parties.
Or, should I go for something more expensive, like ones from famous brands, to send a different message and feel good about wearing it? In the case, the watch would be more of a piece of personal accessory of daily/occasional use than a cheap cosplay item for parties.
Well, it's a judgement call. I don't really sell or trade my watches. Although use of quartz watches will diminish once their battery dies, automatics can stick around for a long time. It may worth buying a serious watch (but not 'too serious to wear' to dance parties). I'll sleep on it.
So I am searching an automatic watch with Art Deco (or perhaps, Art Nouveau) design, possibly with good water/sweat resistance and lume. Radium was discovered in 1898. Even in 1920's, luminous watches were there, although they used radioactive paint that caused cancer in jaw and throat of watchmaking workers. Lume is fine, stylistically. Personally, I dislike watches that are hard to read. Good lume helps to read and I like it.
I'll take my time to choose something I like. Good thing I have no deadline for this one.
