HODINKEE Lookbook We Styled Real Dads In Their Dream Watches

So in honor of Father's Day, we assembled dads of different ages and personal styles – and all manner of watch knowledge – and got them in front of a stylist to express their individualism. And as part of the process, we did what we do best – chose some watches to pair with their newfound looks.

Below, in their own words, these five dads explain what Father's Day means to them, muse about parenting, and speak on the watches they own – as well as those they aspire to own.

Being a father, especially having lived in NY for a long time, is a big shift in centering someone else in your own life. My daughter is named Lola – a combination of her late grandmothers Lorraine and Layla. She's almost four years old, she's really spunky, has a real point of view, picks her own clothes, and eats what we feed her. She's kind of emerging into a human being.
 
For today, I brought my personal ceramic Daytona with a white dial. It's my everyday watch. I don't have a large collection. It's small but mighty. My interests are wide when it comes to watches. But when it comes to collecting, I focus on archetypes. When it comes to Rolex, the Daytona is the archetype of chronographs.
 
For the photo shoot, I was drawn to the Vacheron Constantin chronograph. It's manual wound with a see-through back. It's just a really elevated example of a very simple feature but made as beautifully and precisely as possible.
 
In terms of a grail watch, I'm very drawn to independents, and Rexhepi is the person I pay a lot of attention to. He makes the decisions I would make with a watch. I think he's a young master and it's a good time to be following him. If I could, I would try to grab one of his timepieces.

The Watch: Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Chronograph

The Watch: Rolex Daytona ref. 116500

I'm a music producer, DJ, and fashion consultant. I like to wake up and have everything be different and moving – not stagnant. Every day is Father's Day. Family is super important. I asked the universe for only daughters because I wanted to be the only guy in the house. I have two wonderful daughters, ages 18 and 28. When they grew up, I was the primary parent. I was working from home before it was a thing.

 As long as I'm with them, that's the best Father's Day for me.
 
Watches have always been important to me. My father had great watches. He had amazing hands and great watches. They may not have been the most expensive but he had great Seikos and great Timex. The only luxury item my parents ever bought me was a watch. That was in 1986 – in my senior year of high school. It was a beautiful TAG Heuer with a blue face and I still have it.
 
My daughters know that TAG Heuer is my most important watch. My grail watch is the Rolex Hulk with the beautiful green dial. That is the watch for me. I'll keep wearing my TAG Heuer from '86 until I get that Rolex.

The Watch: Breguet Type XXITransatlantique Flyback

The Watch: Rolex Submariner Hulk 116610LV

I have two kids, ages four and seven – both boys. Father's Day means expectations from children who are going to give me things that they've made and I need to appear very excited about these things on the spot. Surprised and excited. 
 
My relationship to watches is interesting. I didn't used to love watches and then in my early 30s, I bought my first nice watch as a gift for my business partner. He didn't reciprocate. Then I bought myself a Bell & Ross, and then eventually a Rolex Day-Date. Watches for me, as far as my kids are concerned, are things they have no context for, but when I think about watches, it's part of dress-up.
 
I came today wearing my most basic uniform, but everything I'm wearing today fits a guy who I think I would like to be.
 
My grail is some kind of Hublot. It would be for a whole new character that I don't yet embody. The kind of guy Jay-Z would walk by and say, "Okay, I see you."

The Watch: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Date With Blue Dial WBP2111

The Watch: Rolex Datejust ref. 16234

I go by Jeff, and I have three kids. The oldest is three years old, I have one-year-old twins – a girl and a boy – and one on the way that's a girl. It's a big family but it's very rewarding to see the smiles when you come home.
 
For today's photoshoot, I appreciate that the clothes are comfortable and make me comfortable in my own skin.
 
I wear an Apple Watch every day because I'm always on the go. I've been wanting to start a watch collection so I have something to go out with to a formal dinner. The kind of watches I do like are something like a G-Shock, something with a clean look in black or silver, that's my style.
 
My dream watch is actually a G-Shock, something you can wear every day. My mom got me a Looney Tunes watch when I was a kid and told me to take care of it, to be responsible. And then my dad gave me a G-Shock before they became mainstream and he mentioned that these would eventually be the next thing. I would wear it in school and I didn't even know what I was wearing at the time.
 
I would love to pass watches on to my kids and remind them it's not an accessory but a tool, and to teach them to be resourceful.

The Watch: Apple Watch

The Watch: Zenith Chronomaster Sport El Primero Yoshida Limited Edition

Fatherhood to me is about showing up for the ones you love. It's about equality and also about having fun. I have one daughter. She's 15 months and she just started walking a few weeks ago, which is wild. We had her through a surrogate, my husband and I.
 
My background with watches is not super-vast but I do have a watch that I love, which is my Apple watch, and another is my simple Casio. I remember getting it years and years ago and my best friend saw it, liked it, and got the same one. I like a watch that just gives me information quickly and is simple.
 
I really don't have a grail watch – I don't know a ton about watches. I think I would say Rolex, but that's just because I'm basic.

The Watch: Longines Heritage Classic Limited Edition For HODINKEE

The Watch: Rolex Cellini Moonphase ref. 50535

Styling by Dominick Barcelona, Grooming by Sophie Ono at The Brooks Agency, Set Design by Mat Cullen at Lalaland Artists, Casting by Lilac Perez, Photographed by Erik Tanner at Spring Studios NY.