There is only one useful indicator of a man's self-image: his wristwatch. Once that jacket sleeve creeps up, the sole piece ofacceptable jewelry beyond a wedding ring reveals the wearer's sense of taste and occasion.
要衡量一个男人的自我定位，手表是唯一有用的标尺。当外套的衣袖向上提起，这种除婚戒以外唯一可接受的饰品，就彰显了主人的品味与场合意识。
Watch sellers employ a logical Italian dictum: a well-dressed man owns at least three timepieces. The day watch is most important: it is the watch that suits your occupation. If you're in finance, sobriety is all your watch must offer beyond the time. If you work in the media or the arts, you can be more eccentric. If your occupation involves specific tasks -- fromambulance driver, to insurance broker, to 747 pilot -- then, just as with iPhone apps, 'there are watches for that.'
手表经销商流传的一句意大利格言不无道理：穿着得体的男人至少拥有三块表。最重要的一块是日常手表，它和你的职业相得益彰。如果你做金融，那么手表除了传递时间信息以外，还必须传递一种稳重感。如果做传媒或艺术，可以显得更加张扬。而如果你的职业涉及特殊工种──救护车司机、保险经纪人、波音747飞行员等等──那么就像iPhone的应用程序，适合戴的手表各式各样。
For watch No. 2, you have more scope. This is your dress-down timepiece, worn everywhere from the beach to the ski slopes or for pottering around in the garden. Whether a sub-GBP 50 Swatch, or a close-to-unbreakable Rolex, it will mean you don't have to worry about a quick dive in the pool or a round of golf. This is your casual watch.
第二块手表选择面更宽。这是你的休闲手表，沙滩上，滑雪场，在花园里慢条斯理地劳作时，各种场合都可以戴。不管是一块不足50英镑的斯沃琪(Swatch)，还是近乎牢不可破的劳力士(Rolex)，它都意味着你在游泳池里快速下潜或在高尔夫赛场挥杆时，完全可以无忧无虑。这是一块透着随意气息的手表。
Last is the dress watch. If you find yourself wearing black tie more than once a year, or if film premieres, opera visits or smart restaurant bookings keep appearing in your diary, your day watch may lack occasion. For this final part of the trilogy, you may go one of two ways: a classical, slim, time-only gold dress watch -- orblatant bling. The presence of diamonds on your watch will accomplish this for you.
最后一块是正装手表。如果你一年中不止一次地佩戴黑领带，或者是日程中不断出现观看电影首映式、听歌剧或上高档餐馆之类的活动，那么你的日常手表或许就显得不合时宜。在这个三部曲的最后一部，你有两种选择，一是佩戴一款经典、简约、只看时间的金质正装手表，再一种选择是让自己显得光彩照人，这一点可以通过手表上的钻石来实现。
Where to start? One's first watch is often a gift -- anything from a Timex on up -- received at graduation, confirmation, first job or Bar Mitzvah. It will never be exactly what you want, but you will wear and cherish it from your teens until your first pay check. Then you will be seduced by TAG Heuer, Omega or Rolex, depending on your budget. It will be your first 'real' watch.
具体怎么选呢?第一块手表往往都是别人送的，从天美时(Timex)起，不一而足。收到的场合可能是毕业，转正，找到第一份工作，也可能是成年礼。这块手表从来不会完全符合你的期望，但你会戴着它，珍惜它，从十几岁一直到拿到第一份工资。然后你会被豪雅(TAG Heuer)、欧米茄(Omega)或劳力士诱惑，选哪一款就看你的预算。这将是你第一块“真正的”手表。
Buying well is the key, and it's not as tricky as you might think. As master watchmaker Peter Roberts observed: 'There really are no bad watches out there, because they all have to perform the same basic function and perform it well: tell the time. Manufacturing standards are impossibly high. So you should buy according to your budget and your taste.'
选对手表非常重要，但可能也没有你想象的那么复杂。正如大师级手表工匠罗伯茨(Peter Roberts)所言，其实并不存在不好的手表，因为它们都要发挥同样的基本功能，并且也发挥得很好：显示时间。制造标准高得无法想象，所以你应该根据自己的预算和喜好来买。
Established brands offer watches that will keep you reliably informed of the time for the rest of your life. Quality mechanical watches start for under 500 euros ($683) from makers such as Tissot, Seiko and Victorinox. (Quartz is simply infra dig, so keep that for your throwaway or unbreakable casual watch.)
老牌子的手表会让你一辈子都能够准确可靠地看时间。天梭(Tissot)、精工(Seiko)和维氏(Victorinox)这类质量上乘的机械表起价不足500欧元(合683美元)。(石英手表实在有失身份，所以只能暂时使用，或者是当作一种牢固的休闲手表来使。)
'Serious' watches start at around 1,000 euros to 1,500 euros, while a modicum of exclusivity begins above 3,000 euros. To dabble at the high-end of the watchmaker's art, expect to part with at least 5,000 euros. And if you want to wear something unlikely to be seen on the wrist of a fellow guest at a dinner party, start thinking 15,000 euros and above. This gets you into the arena populated bybrands such as A. Lange &Sohne, Breguet and Patek Philippe among others. It will likely buy you a model above their entry-level offerings. Think of it this way: they may both have the same badge, but there's a world of difference between a 3-series and a 7-series BMW. So, too, with wristwatches.
“严肃”的手表下自1,000欧元左右，上至1,500欧元，少数限量手表起价在3,000欧元以上。要欣赏到顶级工艺，那就准备至少拿出5,000欧元。而如果你希望自己戴的手表很少有机会与晚宴上的另一位客人雷同，首先就得想想能不能拿出15,000欧元或更多。到此你进入了一个名品殿堂，朗格(A. Lange &Sohne)、宝玑(Breguet)、百达翡丽(Patek Philippe)等都在其列。拿这些钱买到的手表可能超出了这些品牌的入门级。这么想吧：虽然铭牌可能都一样，但宝马(BMW)3系和7系还是存在着天壤之别，手表也是如此。