admin Most of us are lucky if we’ve got one do-it-all watch that sorta-kinda-roughly jives with everything in our closet. (Frankly, this is a low bar for most men to clear.)
If you’re award-winning, Canadian-born, heartthrob musician Shawn Mendes, however, you can do better. To wit, just this week the “Señorita” singer was spotted in Ibiza wearing a pair of OD-green swim trunks that my platoon sergeant would’ve given a begrudging two thumbs up—and a Patek Philippe Aquanaut reference 5168G in white gold on a matching khaki green rubber strap.
Touché, Mendes.
Splash
Look, it helps that the 24-year-old singer songwriter is both fit and tan as hell. (Shakes fist in air and mumbles something inaudible in his own defense about metabolism slowing once one hits 30.) But I gotta give it to the guy—matching your watch strap to your swim trunks is a boss move. One has to wonder whether the proverbial chicken or egg came first: That strap is factory spec for the 5186G, so presumably Mendes (or his stylist) snagged the trunks to match. But maybe the trunks simply came up in the rotation and the Patek was pulled outta the ole’ watch roll to add some swagger?
Either way, we approve. The thing about the Aquanaut is that though “aqua” is in the name, one doesn’t frequently encounter a $50,000 white gold luxury sports watch in the ocean. More often than not, even a steel variant is relegated to appearances at galas or strapped to the wrist of a Beatle while singing Carpool Karaoke. But the thing was designed to get wet, which is why it has 120m of water resistance and a rubber strap. This particular reference, the 5186G “Jumbo” measuring 42.2mm—which, if you’re a ripped 6’1,” looks freakin’ great on-wrist—debuted at the Baselworld trade show in 2019.
Of course, one needn’t drop $50K on a luxury sports watch with Gérald Genta lineage in order to cop Mendes’s sartorial finesse. Got a (more affordable) timepiece you like? After-market rubber (and leather, and NATO, and steel) straps and bracelets are a dime a dozen these days. If you’re taking a dip in the ocean, try one of these TROPIC models on for size—they come in so many colors that you can almost certainly find one to match your swim trunks. It’ll take a bit more work to earn five BMI awards for songwriting and washboard abs, however.
