The founding hundred.

The File will always dress you for free. That stands.

A membership is coming for the men who want the whole desk: the complete archive, every file you have ever pulled, bound and kept for good; the Sunday letter in your inbox; and your real calendar wired to the docket, so the brief reads your day before you type a word. $4.99 a month when it opens.

The first hundred names on the ledger are founding members: the price never moves for them, and nothing is billed until the doors open.

The Field Manual.

Where the File stands. These are the positions behind every brief we write, set down at the founders' desk. Read them once and you will know how we will judge whatever is on your wrist.

Dive watches. The most versatile and beloved category there is. A tool watch for certain trades, the perfect casual daily when you don't know where the day will take you, and at home under a formal suit thanks to the biggest watch influencer of all time, James Bond. Take it into the pool, the shower, the ocean. That is what it was built for. Screw the crown down and enjoy the craftsmanship that keeps it honest under water.

Pilot watches. Legible and clean, designed to tell you the time as quickly and easily as possible. A dash of comforting simplicity for an active day.

Field watches. The watch for a physically demanding day. It takes a beating alongside you. No nonsense, and a military history you can read at a glance.

Dress watches. Nothing complements a suit or a tuxedo better. Simple from a distance, fascinatingly detailed up close, built slim to live under a jacket. And a dress watch with casual clothes is a contemporary move that brings sophistication, and possibly conversation, to an ordinary day.

Chronographs. An appreciation of the mechanical engineering, or a way to bring some play to the day. A toy for your inner child: time a race, a coffee pour, a meeting. Live a little and use the function. If you like numbers, the tachymeter will be a pleasure.

Smartwatches. A digital tool that does not really live in the world of the gentleman's mechanical watch. If you want one, wear it under the wrist on a double-sided strap, and keep a mechanical on top.

Digital watches. An excellent choice for playful 70s, 80s and 90s nostalgia, or for the man who simply wants the most accurate, easiest-to-read time there is.

GMT watches. Two hours on one wrist, for the man whose day spans more than one place. Set the second hand to the office overseas or the family far away, and the watch quietly keeps you in both.

Sport watches. The all-rounder. One watch that does the office, the weekend, and the dinner after. If a man owns only one good watch, it is usually this one, and he is not wrong.

Tool watches. Built for the job first and the wardrobe second. Overbuilt on purpose. Wear it hard; that is what it is asking for.

Gold catches the eye by nature. If you are looking to catch eyes, go with gold. If you are looking to stay incognito, go with anything else.

Titanium is the choice for an active day: comfort and ruggedness in one case.

Ceramic is lightweight and modern. Very stylish.

Stainless steel is the standard daily wear. It gets the job done and looks good doing it. We recommend never polishing a watch: the nicks and scratches tell the passage of time, personal to the wearer. A word of clarity: if it came from the factory finished with polished steel, that is a fine, luxurious finish. Ours is an owner’s rule — once you’ve bought it, let the watch develop its own patina.

Bronze develops a patina all its own, and the patina tells the story of the adventures lived through. Every watch tells a story besides the time. Bronze especially.

Leather. Black or brown is the go-to for anything formal. Exotic skins and colors offer personal flair and change the entire mood of a watch. Comfortable, classy, charming.

Metal. Traditionally for tool watches, built to take hits, weather and water. Over the years it has earned formal standing too: precious metals, detailed design, a higher price point, and, again, James Bond.

Rubber. An excellent modern choice. On a daily watch it is comfort and performance. On a dress watch it is a refined bit of edge to the elegance.

Plastic, silicone and low-grade rubber. You get what you pay for: a sweaty wrist that attracts dirt and grime. Even on a plastic watch, a nicer strap makes you more confident and more comfortable.

NATO. The move that makes a watch casual and rugged. Perfect outdoors.

Sailcloth, canvas and woven fibers. Versatile in style and function. The thing to watch is comfort: too stiff, and it needs a few weeks of breaking in before it feels right.

A dial is a work of art and should spark joy in the eyes of its wearer. Whatever the color, the texture, the layout: the owner feels a connection to every dial he owns, and every once in a while, the File will throw one of them a compliment.

Part two, set down at the same desk. Where we stand on the makers themselves. These are not rankings and they are not a shopping list: they are how we read a watch when we find one in your file.

Rolex. The Crown. One of the strongest brands ever. A Rolex watch feels important because you know it was hard earned and built to last generations. When you wear a Rolex you want to live life to the fullest because you hope a little piece of you will last forever as it gets passed down to future generations. The only downside to a Rolex is that to some people it may speak louder as a financial status symbol, so at times that call for modesty, consider giving it a day off.

Patek Philippe. The very best of Swiss watch making. When you wear a Patek, you know every tiny detail has been thought of and perfected. You’ve got taste and you appreciate all the craftsmanship that goes into a timepiece. This is quiet luxury at its finest. The other people in the room who know watches will be immediately impressed, but the vast majority of people will never notice.

Omega. Every watch tells a story, and Omega often tells the best. They have a long history of innovation, they’ve never been afraid to take design risks, and they continue to strive for peak accuracy and endurance. Whether you love space, sport, James Bond, or timekeeping itself, you’ll wear that passion on your sleeve with an Omega.

IWC. Most famous for their beautiful pilot watch designs, IWC is known for being legible and impeccably engineered. If you’re wearing an IWC, you’re fully aware that you’ve got a machine on your wrist that is crafted for excellence.

Cartier. Jewelry for the watch lover. Or a watch for the jewelry lover. Wearing a Cartier makes you feel stylish and classic at the same time. The Tank will draw attention from the ladies, while the Santos will give you a story to tell your watch buddies.

Audemars Piguet. AP somehow commands the respect of two completely different worlds: high horology and the music business. One of the holy trinity of watch making, there is no question that an AP is an excellently crafted piece of art on your wrist, with incredible brand heritage. But the Royal Oak is also a recognizable flex in the culture of hip hop and pop music. An AP is a statement piece that almost anybody can appreciate.

Grand Seiko. This is a brand for people who have researched watches and know everything about the piece they’re wearing. Famous for their finishing, these are beautiful in ways that are hard to believe at their price point. And Grand Seiko continues to innovate in ways that are fun to discuss in detail amongst fellow enthusiasts. If a Grand Seiko is in your file, expect to see it often. We know you will be happy every time.

TAG Heuer. A solid brand with many different styles. Particularly nice chronographs, for their history with car racing.

Jaeger-LeCoultre. The “watchmakers watchmaker.” JLC was and always will be a brand for people who appreciate every aspect of craftsmanship that goes into their watch. Wearing JLC makes you feel like a renaissance man with excellent taste. The iconic Reverso is The Gentleman’s File’s favorite watch.

Vacheron Constantin. One of the holy trinity of watchmaking, VC is always excellent, always beautiful, always an excellent choice.

Seiko. An excellent choice for those that want to build a varied collection of styles without breaking the bank. A Seiko is a watch that always punches above its weight in every category. A slice of excellence for the practical man.

Tudor. Tudor is a sub brand of Rolex, which means it has all the strengths, history, and respect of the Crown without the stigma of being a show off watch. Tudor is practical without compromising. To wear a Tudor is to feel confident that you’ve made the perfect choice.

Longines. Everyone who owns a Longines knows they’ve got something underrated on their wrist. It’s excellent Swiss watchmaking and charming design at an affordable price. A Longines doesn’t call attention to itself, it just feels good to know it’ll always be ticking.

Swatch. A Swatch can be a funky, fun choice for a particular situation, but they’re not for the Gentleman. We will not put you in a Swatch unless there is some sort of theme to your day that undeniably fits the theme of your Swatch.

Casio. The watch of billionaires, taxi drivers, and everyone in between. A Casio always works and always brings a smile to people’s faces. If you have a lot of Casios, you’re probably a big fan of the brand, so we will recommend them often. If you only have one Casio amidst a collection of expensive mechanical watches, we take it that you like it out of irony or nostalgia, and it comes out for a day of leisure. Side note: the plastic straps on Casios actually make your wrist sweat, so it’s not a good choice in the heat.

Timex. Affordable and durable. They get the job done.

Richard Mille. A racecar on the wrist. Richard Mille is all about innovation and taking the watchmaking art into the future. They challenge the world of tradition with new materials built for unheard of endurance in the world of sport and motorcar racing, while also embracing avant garde design. To wear a Richard Mille is to appreciate the best and most that human innovation has to offer.

Jacob & Co. These watches scream “look at me” in a hilariously over the top way. This is a watch for the man who has turned showing off into entertainment.

Hamilton. Hamilton is a brand that gets people into watches. They draw you in with their fascinating history, American roots, iconic designs, and placement in many films and television shows. And then they keep you with their surprisingly high quality. Wearing a Hamilton is always a treat and almost always has a story to tell. If you own a Hamilton, expect us to mention which movie it’s featured in.

Breguet. The historical watch brand. Classy, elegant, understated. This is for a man who loves the history of watch making.

Christopher Ward. One of the most exciting brands today, Christopher Ward delivers watches at a level of quality to be expected at ten times their price. They also seem to have their finger on the pulse of watch trends, coming out with new designs every year that perfectly scratch the itches of their followers. To wear a Christopher Ward watch is to know that you’ve done your research and have found the perfect watch you were looking for.

There are more makers worth owning than we could write about here. Where a brand is not named above, we judge it by the company it keeps.