How to get the 1970s look in six classic watches

The more reserved could demonstrate a love for the decade that taste forgot simply by bagging one of the many fabulously cool watches that emerged from the era Regular readers of GQ's watch writings will be well aware that the 1970s is synonymous with milestone designs such as the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, both of which were penned by the celebrated Gerald Genta, but now that the best examples of their ilk have become the preserve of wealthier collectors, savvy buyers are looking to other equally worthy, considerably more affordable designs A good place to start is the Watches Of Knightsbridge sale happening on 28 March, a 230-lot affair that's replete with both emerging and established 1970s classics.

Lot 221.Easing us into the decade is this truly superb 1969 Seiko Professional 300M dive watch featuring the ultra-accurate "Hi Beat" automatic movement Lot 217.Moving on to the 1970s proper, feel free to ogle this superb "Reverse panda" Zenith Reference A278 chronograph Lot 210Do 1970s timepieces come much more, er, 1970s than this? It's a late example of the Universal Polerouter, the original, 1950s version of which was the first commercially successful design to have been created by Gerald Genta.

Lot 182.While Rolex remains the most successful luxury watch brand there is, back in the 1970s it was more or less the only one that every man in the street had heard of. . Source