The Watches We Wear on Father’s Day

When you hear “Father’s Day” and “watches“ in the same sentence these days, it’s usually within the context of a sale, a gift guide, or maybe the story of an heirloom watch.

When I hear “Father’s Day” and “watches,” I think of all the time my dad and I have spent talking watches, comparing what we have on the wrist, borrowing each other’s straps, and overall bonding over something as simple as a mechanical wristwatch.

I’m sure many of you reading this can relate: that friend or family member that asks what watch you’re wearing, if you’ve been eyeing anything new, or if you’ve seen the new “Bumblebee” Tudor Chrono 39. For me, that’s my dad (and the rest of my family, to be fair; I’ve corrupted them all with a love for watches). This Sunday, I’m going to my parents for a Father’s Day barbecue, so naturally, I’m thinking about what watch to wear. I encourage you to do the same this weekend, and let us know in the comments what it ends up being.

My Dad’s Watches

My dad wore watches here and there throughout my childhood, but I don’t associate one single watch with him. He held on to a gold-toned Axcess quartz calendar watch (above, left) that he accidentally wore while surfing one day, somewhere in the Bay Area of California. He’s probably the only person to have ever surfed while wearing a watch with Breguet numerals on a leather strap. Regardless, when I think of my dad’s watches, I think of those he’s worn in the past few years.

When I first started writing for Everest in 2022, I started “collecting” watches. I hesitate to use the word “collecting” because it was more like test driving: buying watches of different shapes, sizes, and styles to learn more about them. As a freelance writer and recent college grad, it’s safe to say I wasn’t shopping for Rolexes. Think Seiko, Tissot, and the like. Two watches I bought during this period were the Seiko 5 “DressKX” SRPE53 (above, right) — an elevated take on Seiko’s iconic SKX dive watch — and the Seiko 5 SNKL45 (below, right) — a black-dial dress watch on a steel bracelet.

I eventually gifted both of these to my dad, and they’re probably his most-worn watches since. The black one lives on its bracelet and the blue one lives on an Everest Universal Rubber Strap.

With two Seikos in his rotation, I decided my dad needed something weird — a wildcard watch, if you will — so for his birthday four years ago, I bought him a Soviet-era Vostok dress watch that I found on eBay (above, left). Probably not the watch I would land on today, but this manual-wind three hander has kept excellent time and been my dad’s go-to watch whenever a leather strap is in order.

The Watch You Wear On Father’s Day

For this Sunday’s barbecue — where my dad will likely be tending to the Big Green Egg in his blue Seiko DressKX, I’ll be wearing my Seiko SKX013 (above), also on an Everest Universal Rubber Strap, of course. My SKX diver, which I wore during my Scuba certification last summer, is probably my most worn of 2026. I lent it to my brother for his recent trip to Japan, where he actually bought a ‘70s Seiko Advan. (I imagine that will be the watch he wears on Father’s Day.) But without my dad’s blue DressKX, I probably wouldn’t have ended up with this SKX. I may not have developed my love for dive watches, which I wear and collect now. So, my watch this Father’s Day is an easy choice.

More Than A Gift

What I keep coming back to is how little any of this depends on “The Perfect Gift For Father’s Day” or the generational heirloom, although both of those things can be great. At some point this Sunday when I go to my Dad's, one of us will ask the other what he's got on, and we’ll get to talking about watches. That's the whole thing. That’s what I’m looking forward to, and as cheesy as it sounds, that’s the power of connection that watches hold. If you’re as lucky as me to be spending Father’s Day with your dad, or with family, or with friends, make it about more than a gift. And let us know what watch you're wearing in the comments below.