Watch geeks love the phrase “GADA watch,” meaning a “go anywhere, do anything” timepiece—something both feature-rich and eye-catching, a rugged and durable watch that doesn't compromise on style.
Here at WIRED, a related question has been floating around the Gear desk for some time. What’s better, one all-rounder premium watch, or a varied collection garnered for exactly the same cash outlay as that piece that also covers every scenario?
Determined to answer this horological conundrum once and for all, WIRED set the same budget for each approach to find out. Let's start with our pick for a GADA timepiece.
The One Watch: Tudor Black Bay GMT
Watch fans can never really be satisfied with one watch. We love to pretend that there is a “holy grail” or “exit watch” out there, but really there’s no end to this journey. However, we also love to argue, and one permanent conversation starter is the concept of a one-and-done.
It can’t be too high-end, for the true GADA watch must be something you can wear on a hike and in the pool, as well as to a formal function. Ideally, you’d be able to wear it around a major city without fear of theft, which rules out pretty much any Rolex, but we’d still want it to be something you can take pride in among horological snobs.