7 ultimate ‘go anywhere, do anything’ watches that'll outlive you

The same way you wouldn’t plan a robbery without first assembling the right crew, most watch guys would be loath to go through life without a lineup of distinct watches for every possible situation: the elegant dress number, the vibrant holiday watch, the rugged adventure piece, the one that’s a master of disguise.

And yet, at the same time, there’s nothing watch geeks love talking about more than the idea of a GADA watch – as in “go anywhere, do anything” – the daily driver that’s built for all occasions, able to seamlessly slide from a Champagne-and-caviar soirée to a deep-sea scuba dive. So I asked six serious collectors and dealers to share the watch they’d keep if they could own only one.

Nobody said your knockabout watch had to be cheap. And what could be more fun than wearing a grail-level piece like the Aquanaut on a daily basis? Abelson’s Patek is a late-’90s classic. “Expensive for a ‘beater,’ but truly a great everyday piece,” says the dealer. The Aquanaut is considered the sportiest model in Patek’s lineup, but it’s still awfully swanky. Plus, Abelson’s choice comes with built-in versatility: “I love the simplicity of this watch, but you can jazz it up with different coloured rubber straps.”

This modern diver embodies all the qualities of a GADA watch. “Beach, mountains, lake, water sports. No fuss. No date,” says Davidoff, a renowned vintage dealer. “Just the essentials. Superlight and simple.” I can attest to the watch’s do-it-all bona fides—the Pelagos 39 is the piece I personally wear the most.