Oak & Oscar Olmsted One Of Hodinkee’s Favorite White Dial Watches
Just in time for Labor Day, Hodinkee released a list of their seven favorite white watches that break the “No White After Labor Day” rule in style.
We’re incredibly honored to see Oak & Oscar’s white dial Olmsted included the Seven Watches to Wear after Labor Day Hodinkee story, which are comprised of watches with anything from white dials to white ceramic.
The Olmsted is included amongst some industry giants:
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar In White Ceramic
- IWC Mark XVIII White Dial
- Grand Seiko SLGH005 'White Birch'
- Rolex Explorer II 16570 'Polar'
- Rolex Yacht-Master 16628
- Royal Oak Offshore Lady Alinghi 37mm
Hodinkee writer Anthony Traina writes, “On the surface, the Olmsted is just an easy and wearable field watch with a few considered design choices – a custom font and sandwich dial, for example – that sets it apart from many other watches of the genre.”
He continues, “But look closer and spend some time with the Olmsted, and you'll notice every detail is done right. There's this little design trick on the Olmsted where the counterbalance on the seconds hand lines up with a hidden logo on the dial, just under the hand stack. Like that Eames chair, I didn't even notice it for my first few months of ownership. But once you notice it, it's one of those little details that makes you think: if Oak & Oscar is taking the time to get the little things right, you know they're getting the big things right, too. On the Olmsted, for example, the white dial is a matte that feels perfectly at home in a field watch.”
The origins of the white after labor day rule are a little muddy. However, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, the rule came about in the 1900s when wearing white after labor day was frowned upon because lighter colored flowy clothing like linen suits and breezy dresses were generally reserved for wealthier citizens. And during the labor movement around that time, showing off your wealth was generally frowned upon.
Then, around the 1950s, the white after labor day because more of a social class rule of those who understood social etiquette, allowing them to be welcomed into higher social status.
Today, the rule is less of a rule and more of a saying. Because, hey — clothes are clothes and accessories are accessories! Wear what makes you feel great!