A horlogerie dogma goes – ‘your watch belongs on your left wrist’ – aptly catering to 90% of all watch-folk. Understandably, this configuration puts the minority Southpaws in quite an unfair spot. But well, in recent years, a cabal of watchmakers have come to their rescue, crafting ‘left-handed’ or ‘Destro’ timepieces to particularly suit their lefty sensibilities.
Simply put, ‘left-handed’ or ‘Destro’ watches are a niche category that caters to lefty watch enthusiasts, to be (ironically) worn on their right hand. ‘Destro’ originates from Italian, translating to “right”. Traditionally, timepieces are designed to be worn on one’s lesser dominant hand while the tool for adjusting time (the crown), faces the dominant hand. But in the case of lefties, they’re served with no option but to impractically sport a timepiece on their dominant, left hand. In theory, this may seem like a fuss – but in practicality, it’s quite an irksome arrangement for Southpaws, causing them to remove their timepiece to adjust time. Destro watches are designed with the crown and pushers on the left side of the case instead of the right, allowing them to be ergonomically accessible for lefties.
So, if you’re a genuine lefty, or a swanky watch collector looking to show off something unique at your next watch party, here’s a list of Destro watches for you.
TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph
Sported by “The King of Cool”, Steve McQueen himself in the 1969 film, Le Mans, was a lefty TAG Heuer Monaco – the world’s first square, waterproof chronograph and a timeless sports luxury icon. More than half a century after its cinema debut, the Monaco’s adrenaline-infused legacy still lives as you can get your hands on a cleaned-up, ‘original’ model. With the crown at nine o’clock with its chronograph pushers at two and four o’clock, it’s cased in 39-mm stainless steel that’s fine-brushed and polished. The dial sports an Opalin-finished racing blue with minutes and hour hand’s tips dipped in red, complimented by the hour markers. In standard Monaco fashion, we see dual sub-dials and a date window at six. All of this is powered by the Calibre 11 automatic chronograph movement that delivers a 40-hour power reserve.
OMEGA SeaMaster PloProf 1200M
OMEGA’s SeaMaster PloProf has been a trusted diving wrist-gear right since the ‘70s – while also being a lefty-spec watch. Revamped for modern times, it’s now cased in O-MEGASTEEL with a sun-brushed ‘Summer Blue’ dial and a gradient finish which takes after the dark oceanic abyss – complimented by its bezel. The iconic mono-bloc case features its signature screwed-in crown to the West of the dial and a security pusher at 2 o’clock dipped in blue ceramic. Inside, sits the Omega 8912 which is self-wound with a co-axial escapement. Boasting a METAS-certified master chronometer, it’s resistant to magnetic fields pushing 15,000 gauss and delivers a 60-hour power reserve. As we turn the watch over, you’ll be greeted by the mighty trident-bearing Poseidon riding on his sea-horse chariot.
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition “Right-Hander”
Statistically, 40% of aviators are left-handed. That’s a pretty reasonably sized congregation who have to operate in cockpit layouts and with in-flight gear designed against their ergonomics. But well, IWC acknowledged this in 2019 leftie-special – the Big Pilot’s Watch Edition “Right-Hander”. Limited to 250 pieces, it’s cased in 46.2 millimetres of Stainless Steel with a Slate grey dial contrasted by two black sub-dials – power reserve indicator, small seconds. There’s also a tiny date window at six for avid time-zone hoppers. Powering this Destro is IWC’s in-house Calibre 52010 which is Pellaton automatic wound with a 7-day power reserve.
Panerai Luminor Marina Left-Handed
The Italian watchmaker has a long history of thoughtful timepieces for their leftie-besties, with a track record dating back to the 1940s, when it served the Italian navy. From the vast cabinet of Destro watches, I’ve picked out a chromatic stunner. This Luminor Marina boasts a 44-millimetre steel case and bezel with matte PVD coating – along with the crown and its protection on the left side of the case. With a slick black dial, the small seconds appear at three o’clock. Inside, resides Panerai’s hand-wound OP II calibre which is COSC-certified and delivers a 56-hour power reserve.
Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921
Vacheron Constantin tilts the axis of this absolute Gatsby of a timepiece to an unfamiliar angle while paying homage to the original slanted VC model from the roaring American Twenties. While the original 1921 was designed as an ergonomically-angled tool watch to be worn while indulging in America’s greatest obsession at the time – driving fancy cars, the Historiques American 1921 stands as a paean of modern wristwatch design. Embodying the rampant industrial progress of its time, the brass dial features a railway track loop with hour indexes and black-painted Arabic numerals. Caused by its tilt, small seconds is at five o’clock – what conventionally would’ve been mounted at three o’clock. Cased out of pink gold and slating in at 40×40 millimetres, it houses the Calibre 4400 AS which is manual-winging with a 65-hour power reserve, certified with the Hallmark Of Geneva.
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