Editors' Picks: The Watches We're Wearing This Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Now that it’s finally Turkey (or, Tofurky) Day 2024, the editorial team here at Teddy thought it would be fun to share the watches we’re wearing while spending time with our friends and family. Maybe you need something that can withstand a rogue gravy pitcher or maybe a louder piece as a nice distraction if the table conversation goes, ahem, in the “wrong direction.” Take a look below at our picks below and share your watches (and stories) in the comments!

Jonathan McWhorter: Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm

The watch I’m wearing to Thanksgiving this year is my new-to-me Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical, you know the one: media-blasted steel with the black dial. It’s not the latest reference with the H-50 movement, but the previous version with the ETA 2801-2. Nevertheless, an honest and easy-wearing watch that’s a great travel companion when expeditioning to the hazy, wild realms of Extended Family. I also make this choice as a bit of a small-talk chess move (maybe more like checkers), knowing that watches will be a guaranteed point of conversation in almost all of my interactions over the holiday. Given that I work in the watch industry (a decidedly niche profession), everyone will want to know what I’m up to these days, what’s a good watch to recommend for XYZ, what watch I’m wearing, and what is it that I actually do for a living again?

The Khaki Field is a deliberate choice to set myself up with a straightforward answer to most* questions that I’ll inevitably be ~fielding~ dozens of times between the various Thanksgiving get-togethers I’ll be attending. The Khaki Field is an interesting watch if you care about watches, is a great starting point for someone who is watch-curious, but if you don’t care, it doesn’t require a whole lot of explaining to describe any nuance because there really isn’t any- and that’s fine, too! And now we can get back to playing cornhole with the cousins, and I can get back in line for my third helping of sweet potato casserole.

Mark Bernardo: Nodus Avalon II Bronze

Except for the 4th of July, could there be a more quintessentially American holiday than Thanksgiving Day? It’s a tradition that goes all the way back to the nation’s founding, a day of putting aside differences, celebrating the fruits of the year’s labors, and feasting with family and friends. It’s also the acknowledged gateway to the holiday shopping season — and even though many traditionalists may lament that Black Friday often kicks off before the turkey and cranberry sauce are even digested these days, others might point out that this celebration of consumerism is pretty darn American as well. As per my own tradition, I will not be partaking in the Black Friday shopping rush this year (I’m more of a wait-till-Christmas-Eve guy), but I will be doing all of the stereotypical Thanksgiving stuff: Macy’s parade in the morning, football in the afternoon, large dinner with family in the evening. And to stay on theme, I will be wearing an American-made watch — my Nodus Avalon II Bronze.

Nodus is a Southern California-based microbrand that takes its name from the Latin word meaning an intersection of pathways — i.e., vintage and modern design sensibilities. It makes its watches (plus regulates and tests them) at its HQ in Los Angeles from imported parts, including Japan-sourced automatic movements. The Avalon is one of the brand’s dive watches, with a 43.5mm, turtle-shaped bronze case, a nautical blue sunburst dial, and a ratcheting dive-scale bezel with a notched edge and a dial-matching blue ceramic insert. The broad, sword-shaped hands and prominent wedge-shaped indexes all have a gilt finish and a splash of lume for easy legibility in the dark (or underwater, where this watch will certainly not be worn on Thanksgiving, despite the case’s 300-meter water resistance). A relief-embossed sword motif adorns the steel caseback, behind which beats the self-winding Miyota movement, Caliber 9015, with a 41-hour power reserve — plenty of time to get you through the feasting and shopping and into the weekend. The watch comes on a strap made of a proprietary hybrid rubber called “Tecstuff,” which is not only quite comfortable but also represents exactly the kind of American ingenuity that we’re celebrating on this holiday.

Danny Milton: Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Green

I haven’t usually been one to think too much about which watch I wear for a particular holiday, but this thought exercise got into the spirit. That being said, the choice ended up being pretty easy as my watch is one that I’ve opted for most this year in general: My Omega Seamaster Diver 300m…the green one. I picked this watch up right around New Year’s 2023 and rang in 2024 with it so it already has a festive memory tied to it. After today, I will have fond pumpkin pie-related memories to look back on. Something about the chameleon-like green color of the dial and bezel fits the Fall season and feels very appropriate for Thanksgiving.

Erin Wilborn: Vintage 1960s ELGIN 358 S.S. 17J Automatic Ladies Watch

This year, the watch I will have on my wrist for all feasting-related activities is my most recent pickup from eBay, my teeny tiny vintage Elgin. This neatly ties into themes of gratitude on multiple levels. First, I am thankful that the seller accepted my lowball offer of $35. When it comes to vintage watch purchases, especially those that take place on the internet, I really don’t like spending much more than that, given the uncertainty of the quality, if the movement will actually work, etc. But, as another point to be thankful for, this watch arrived in working order and is keeping time without a hitch. It’s also in great cosmetic condition for its age, and I’ve seen a couple of other models circulating for higher prices that are worse for wear. 

I’m guessing this watch was produced at the tail end of the ‘60s when the former American-made Elgin moved the manufacturing of its movements, outsourcing production to Switzerland in an attempt to cut costs. This period was the last Hail Mary before the name rights of the once-strong pillar of American watchmaking were sold to Chinese manufacturer MZ Berger Inc. 

While Elgin is typically associated with its Art Deco design era with pieces like the Lord Elgin, I love how uniquely sporty this piece is, and how that contrasts with its tiny stature. The cushion case has a diameter of only 23mm, and the sporty stainless steel bracelet is super comfortable. Also, this piece is complete with automatic mechanical movement, which adds to its charm, seeing that modern watchmakers have completely nixed any attempts of putting mechanical movements in pieces this small (which, I will resist complaining about on a holiday). 

Bilal Khan: Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Excellence Regulator

I love my Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Excellence Regulator though I do not wear it nearly as much as I should. So, when I decided on a watch for Thanksgiving, I figured I might as well wear something a little whimsical and not too serious. I’ve always loved Alain Silberstein’s playful aesthetic signature and, honestly, I am always in a better mood when I’m wearing this watch. It’s also worth noting that this was the first of several collaborative watches done between the Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein as well as the first of many successful Louis Erard partnerships. And if there’s one thing I’m thankful for, it’s creative watch designs that think outside the boundaries of conventional norms.

D.C. Hannay: Seiko Turtle

Upon first receiving this unusual editorial request, I began scratching my head in search of the answer to what, exactly, a “Thanksgiving watch” is. I suppose one could wear a tropical-dialed vintage piece, or perhaps something in warm, autumnal tones of crimson, orange, or gold. But frankly, all of that seems just a little too on the beak, so my line of thinking pivoted toward wearing a special piece imbued with family significance, and that made perfect sense. That would be my father’s 1970 Breitling Navitimer 806, but after further mulling (not of the cider variety, mind you), a more practical solution presented itself. Since I usually end up pulling a good share of kitchen duty on the day, and a precious heirloom and cornbread stuffing don’t mix, the answer was clear: a dive watch.

At first blush, this may seem like a random choice, but hear me out. When assigned KP duty, three wristwatch attributes become most important above all other considerations: waterproof construction, great legibility, and essentially, an easy-to-manipulate timing bezel. And, given the likelihood of banging my watch into the battleship exterior of a cast iron Le Creuset roaster pan, it’s probably a fine idea to not wear anything too rare or valuable. So now, it was an easy choice: although I have a healthy roster of dive watches that could ably fulfill the mission, I settled on a modern-day Seiko diver, which in my case is a Prospex Turtle. 

The contemporary rendition of one of Seiko’s most iconic dive watches, while being ISO-certified, makes for a surprisingly capable piece of kitchen equipment. The stainless steel 45mm case is not only durable in the way that serious cookware and appliances are, its size, while easy to wear with its compact lug-to-lug, becomes a distinct advantage. A bigger diameter means a bigger dial, and the Turtle’s, especially in its most basic white-on-black iteration, is a snap to read, even in the heat of culinary battle. The 200 meter water-resistance rating and substantial rubber strap means it shrugs off repeated handwashing, olive oil splashes, and I’m confident that the Seiko is gravy-proof to at least half a meter. If you’re dealing with more than that, say, the bubbly, sticky goodness of a full pan of homemade cranberry sauce, well, good luck to you. Maybe take the watch off for that.

But seriously, the Turtle is a fine bit of kit, and its bezel happens to offer fantastic grip, even under less-than-grippy conditions. You can make short work of timing those roasted vegetables, and fifteen minutes per pound for a stuffed bird becomes a simple twist of a bezel.  Besides, I don’t need to be messing with an iPhone timer app while my hands are covered in kitchen detritus. And when it’s finally time to sit down and tuck in, a quick rinse under the tap ensures you’re ready to break bread and share the day with your nearest and dearest.

Blake Buettner: Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 

Thanksgiving is a unique holiday in my life. My in-laws have a tradition of spending the week at a remote slice of farmland in southern Kentucky that’s been in their family for generations. What it lacks in amenities (and bathrooms), it more than makes up for in character. Time here offers a chance to fully unplug, and get the weight of NYC off of my shoulders. I don’t pack many watches for this trip, and the ones I do bring are subject to the rigors of splitting wood, tending to the trails in the woods, and any shenanigans wrought by the bushel of nieces and nephews in tow. This year, that watch will be a Rolex Sea-Dweller reference 16600, which also happens to be my most worn watch of 2024 (more on that in a different installment). This watch has been with me through thick and thin this year, and it makes for a natural extension of the ‘rural Kentucky farmland’ section of my wardrobe. It’s a perfect, no nonsense watch for a no nonsense holiday.